This post is by our regular contributor, Erin.
Last week, we published a fantastic guide to getting started with side hustling. A lot of you were excited to see such a resource, and some of you commented you wish you knew where to start. Others lamented they didn’t have enough time to commit to a side hustle.
With that in mind, we wanted to present a few ways to make more money with just about everyone in mind. Whether you’re still a student in college, a recent graduate trying to find a full time job, a stay at home parent, or your average Joe, one of these ideas will work for you!
1) Use Craigslist and eBay to Sell and/or Flip
Let’s start off with one just about anyone can do, and from their home no less! I’ve written about the value of decluttering before, and I still believe in it. Less stuff around my living space (especially because I work from home) means more space to breathe and think. It’s a completely added bonus that you can also make money in the process.
You might not think anyone will pay money for your used items, but there’s no harm in having a garage sale (especially at this time of year!), or listing things on Craigslist or eBay.
There’s no reason to be intimidated by either platform. Once you’ve gone through the process a few times, you’ll be able to create listings quickly and hopefully generate more of a profit.
Heck, you can also post your items on Facebook and see if any friends or relatives want them!
There’s another side to the coin, too. Lots of people make a side hustle out of flipping things they get for free (or dirt cheap) on Craigslist. If you love tackling DIY projects from Pinterest, and have the space to refinish furniture, or the know-how to fix items up, this could be a perfect fit for you.
2) Get an Advanced Degree (or Certificates/Skills to Boost Your Resume)
While I still stand behind the fact we shouldn’t let our college degrees define us, advanced degrees do tend to help your job prospects, depending on the field you want to get in. Plus, earning more at your day job is one of the easiest ways to boost your income.
However, we wouldn’t recommend getting an advanced degree without carefully considering the pros and cons first. You don’t want to go into debt (or further into debt, if you have undergraduate student loans) only to come out with a degree that wasn’t worth your time or money.
Of course, if your employer offers tuition reimbursement, take advantage of it! What’s better than learning on someone else’s dime? Just be careful and read the fine print before applying to a program. You may have to stay with your employer for a set period of time after getting your degree or certification.
A cheaper alternative to a degree is taking a few courses and complete certification exams to brush up on essential skills and knowledge for your field. This can be done in any number of ways. You can take a class or two at a local college, study material on your own, or take free online classes. These are great methods to use if you want to transition into a new (better paying) career, too.
3) Get Over Your Fears and Ask for a Raise
Along the same lines, asking for a raise is one of the simplest things you can do that has a direct impact on your earning capacity. I know – it’s scary. I’ve been there. But there are strategies you can practice and use when it comes time for your review.
First, having confidence is key. Your boss isn’t going to give you a raise if he/she can barely hear you when you ask for it. You need to go into your review knowing that you deserve a raise, and you need to be able to prove why.
Having salary data from others in your field can greatly help if you’re currently underpaid. It’s unfortunate this happens, but it does, and it’s up to you to make sure you’re not being taken advantage of. However, take care not to out any of your coworkers in the process. Get the data from a trusted website – there’s less potential for drama that way!
4) Take On Another Job
This isn’t the one most people like to hear, but for recent graduates, or those in a temporary tight spot, it can be the fastest way to make extra cash.
Try to get a “fun” job on nights or weekends, or take a seasonal job that appeals to you.
For example, bartending is classic side job known for its income potential, and being a lifeguard (if you have the skills) during the summer isn’t a horrible gig. If your friends need extra money, see if you can all get a job together, provided you can keep it professional during work hours.
If all else fails, and if your day job allows for it, take on extra shifts or work overtime to earn more. Let your coworkers know they can come to you if they need someone to cover for them.
5) Invest in Dividend Paying Stocks
Now’s the time to start investing if you have some money to spare! Many people who aim for financial independence invest in dividend paying stocks as they provide passive income.
Trading on the markets is probably the “easiest” way to generate extra money in the entire list, but it requires some knowledge and it takes some time to build up. However, the result is pretty nice if you want a hands-off approach to earning more.
6) Use Your Skills to Freelance
You don’t necessarily need to build an entire side hustle around your skills. What about simply finding contract jobs to take on every once in a while? The entire point of freelancing is that it’s flexible – you make it work for you, however that may look.
Freelance writing is all the rage these days, and it’s not as difficult to break into as you might think. Other ideas include designing graphics for blogs, web design, setting up WordPress sites for small businesses and bloggers, editing videos, or acting as a consultant within your field of expertise.
7) Pick a Topic and Start a Blog
Blogs are still reigning supreme and content is valuable to just about everyone. There are many ways you can make money with blogging, but you should enjoy writing and be passionate about whatever subject you choose to blog about.
Creating a blog is honestly the simplest part of the process. Maintaining it, making connections, and growing your audience is where the bulk of your time will be spent afterward. It might look easy, but if you want to have a successful blog, you’ll likely be spending at least 15 hours on it a week, most likely more.
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There’s no reason not to focus on earning more at some point in your life. Perhaps you don’t have the time right now, but at least think about the paths that interest you. When you are ready to dedicate some time to making more money, you’ll have a list of ideas and a plan ready to go!
Have you always tried to make more money, or have you recently gotten into earning more? What are your favorite ways to earn extra money? Any unusual ones out there?
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I don’t think side hustling is for everyone. If you have a demanding job and a young family, it’s nearly impossible to find the time. But there’s almost no excuse for not doing a great job where you are at – take on duties outside your role, showing that you are a versatile team player and padding your resume at the same thing me. Ask for that raise. If you don’t get it – shop your newly passed resume around and get a highe paying job.
Though getting an advanced degree is something not everyone should do, everyone should at least consider it. I think it’s one of the biggest things you can do to affect income!
I like the “use your skills to freelance” option. For me, that’s what I’m doing after taking a 50% pay cut going from a lawyer to a financial planner. The freelancing has helps.
We’ve definitely used some of these, including taking on a new job when asking for a raise didn’t work! My husband recently flipped a car on Craigslist, but it seems hard to duplicate that since he received the car almost for free in a one-time scenario. But I have a growing stack of items I want to list on ebay, and it’s encouraging to hear I’ll get faster at it after the first few times!
I recently interviewed some people on how they increased their earning potential and one of my favorite suggestions was to become an entrepreneur within your own job. Develop a program or product or service for your company and negotiate a percentage of its’ success.
Maintaining a blog and generating an income from it takes a lot of work of patience. Blogging is currently more of a passion for me than an income generating side hustle. In addition to freelancing, I really do want to start selling items online but I just need to find the time.
Great ideas Erin! We do a few of these and have done many of the other ones. I’ve not flipped a whole lot of stuff online, but do sell quite a bit on both CL & Ebay – not only do we make some extra money but it helps us declutter the house.
I agree with Chonce. Generating income from a blog takes a lot of work and patience. I have been selling items on eBay and CL for a while. People will buy almost anything.
One of the quickest ways is to sell stuff. Almost everyone can find something around their house to get rid of.
Getting a raise is my favorite way to make more money! However, I’m hoping to jump on the freelance bandwagon to raise my income and actually quit my primary while my husband is still in school. I’ve flipped things on Craigslist before, but I won’t start that again until we’ve finished our home renovation. Great ideas!
I definitely think the easiest and quickest way to make more money is to ask for a raise. I know it doesn’t seem easy to most people and they fear the conversation, but it never hurts to ask, especially if you have a great argument in your favor. The worst they could say is no, but more times than not, I have seen companies say yes.
indebtedmom Agreed! You have to make the most of what you have, and if that’s not an option, there are other opportunities out there. I hate seeing people stuck at jobs they don’t like simply because they don’t believe anyone else will hire them.
Mark@BareBudgetGuy Yes, it definitely depends on the field you’re in and the type of career you want. I thought it was a given I’d get my master’s, but I decided against it because it basically meant going into academia (for my major). Not a path I was interested in.
Financegirl Very true – freelancing can certainly supplement a loss of income when you’re making a career transition.
Pretend to Be Poor Oh wow, at least he capitalized on the opportunity when it presented itself! Most things get easier as you get the experience under your belt. =) Just try it, and if it doesn’t work, there’s always the possibility of holding a yard sale or advertising elsewhere!
brokeandbeau That’s a really awesome idea, thanks for sharing that!
Chonce It really does. When I started blogging, I wasn’t in it for the money, and I’m still not. I think that helps take some of the pressure off. You can’t go in expecting an overnight success.
FrugalRules I love that selling things and decluttering is such a win-win. Unfortunately, most of our stuff isn’t very valuable (since we got a lot of it for free in the first place), but it’s nice to have more space!
Jason @ The Butler Journal Nice! It’s true, I’m always surprised at what people will pay for.
Beachbudget Yep, there’s no excuse not to go through things every few months when you can use the extra cash!
Hannah UnplannedFinance Glad you liked them! Getting a raise is definitely one of the quicker, more hassle-free ways to bump your income. You just have to get over that initial hurdle of asking.
blonde_finance Plus you never know, they might be able to at least meet you in the middle. Honestly, if you truly deserve a raise (have been there for a while and made a lot of progress), and your managers aren’t receptive, it’s probably time to move on anyway. It’s not fun to feel like you’re not valued, and you’re missing out on earning more elsewhere.
I definitely think the first three things people should do if they need to make extra money fast is sell stuff, either Craigslist, ebay or a garage sale, ask for a raise with compelling evidence as to why you have earned one and tell friends you’re looking for small jobs on the side. You’ll be surprised how many actually have little jobs you can do for them.
Freelancing is a great way to get some extra income. It diversifies your income streams and allows you to pursue work that you enjoy on your time. I’ve started freelancing over the past few years and it has been great to generate income doing jobs that I enjoy.
Fiverr is an interesting site for making money, too. I never pursued it too intensely, as I felt like a lot of the skills I had to offer were worth more than $5 for the time I would invest, but there are so many options that it might be a good fit for someone!
ShannonRyan Yes, it’s so beneficial to reach out to your network and let them know you’re looking to take more work on. You can’t expect people to know unless you tell them, and I’ve found my own network extremely helpful.
Financial Tour Guide It’s nice to be able to freelance while doing something enjoyable. It can break up the monotony at your day job if you’re feeling unfulfilled there.
AlexandraRSF Yeah, I’ve seen quite a few success stories with Fiverr. I never tried it either, but there are a lot of different ways to package your services so you actually make more than $5. Plus, you might be able to find clients there!
Why not ask for a raise? It’s much easier to keep a good employee than hire and train someone new. If you add value to the business, the chances are high you’ll get a pay increase if you ask.
Eyesonthedollar Yep. People build up worst-case scenarios in their heads so much, they often get deterred from asking. But really, it’s a simple matter of business in most cases. Employers expect employees to want to earn more (or they should)!
It would be a great idea to at least try a couple of these things, and get them to a point where you could keep earning more from them, like freelancing and blogging. Getting started has to be the hardest part, but once you’re up and running then you have the flexibility to pour more energy into it and earn more when it suits. At least that’s where I’m hoping to head with some freelancing work or income from blogging eventually!
Jason@Islands of Investing Getting started is truly the hardest part. I didn’t have a hard time with blogging, but it took me a while to get comfortable with the idea of freelancing. Once you establish yourself and a network, though, opportunities are definitely more plentiful!
A great list, and I have tried each of them at one time or another. Not only does trying your hand at multiple endeavors increase the odds of overall success, it increases your streams of income, a good thing … a good thing indeed!
RetirementSavvy Thanks! I like that way of looking at it – the more you try, the more likely you are to find something you enjoy. That’s basically how I’ve been approaching freelancing the past year.
I’m one of the lucky few who can just ask for overtime if the budget needs it. But otherwise eBay reselling can be lucrative… after a lot of trial and error. Freelancing can be great, but first you have to pay your dues by taking some pretty low-paying jobs. (Though it’s a great way to get that blog of yours out there and earning money.) if you’re really big into social media, pretty much anyone can call him/herself a social media expert or manager. Offer your services to a company.
I think taking on another job is such a great way to make more money. Even if it’s just once a week for 4 hours, it makes a significant difference. I used to look online for fun one-day event gigs (on-site assistance for music festivals, assistant during a TV show premiere, etc.). I used to make $100+ a day while being able to attend a cool event. I can’t really do that anymore because the area I recently moved to doesn’t offer those types of opportunities, but I’m still open to doing other types of jobs.
Thanks for another great list Erin!
AbigailP Having access to overtime is so nice! I always took advantage of overtime when I was working in an office. An extra 15-30 minutes a day can still add up.
Yep, social media management isn’t that hard to break into, especially if you already have a following. You can always consult with local businesses, too!
Anum That’s a great idea too, Anum! I know a few people who do brand ambassador gigs like that where they’ll work a weekend (long hours), and rake in some decent cash. I imagine that builds up some great skills for your resume, too.
Yes! We have been trying to get rid of some stuff with Craigslist! I have put it off for so long. It turns out that it’s so simple I am embarrassed I didn’t do it sooner.
Mrs Crackin the Whip Don’t be embarrassed! At least you’re tackling it now. =)
I haven’t had much success with eBay, but made some cash selling stuff on Craigslist. I’ve made a little income doing secret shopping.
houseoftre It seems like a lot of people have success with one or the other. Secret shopping is a good one, too!