I know that so many of us need to make a little extra money at a side job, but the big question is what is a job that anyone of any age can do, with a little effort and research?
Here's my answer for The Six Easiest Side Jobs for Extra Money:
1. Pet Sitting and/or Walking
Pet walking and sitting is the #1 best side job for extra bucks. It requires nothing other than some spare time and a pair of legs. Even better if you are an enthusiastic animal lover!
You can put ads up in apartment bulletin boards, Craigslist, church job boards, dry cleaners (they usually have a business card area where you can drop yours off), local pet shops and vet offices (if they'll let you), community center boards, telephone poles and more!
Dog walking easily runs from $10-$15 for a thirty minute walk, to ~$50 a day for overnight sitting (add more if there's more than one dog). Overnights are evening through next morning.
You can also charge $10-$15 an hour if it's just watching an animal for several hours (no walks).
Include scooping of the dog's poop if it goes in the backyard to do its business.
Include litter scooping for cats (not recommended if you are pregnant).
Learn animal CPR (and practice it on a dummy so you remember!) and know what to do if another dog attacks you or your charge.
This will give you a huge edge in your advantage!
Breakdown:
If you walked three dogs 5 days a week, that's $30 a day, $150 a week, or $600 a month!
2. Be an online juror
OnlineVerdict is free to sign up and has no obligations, and you get to review cases online and offer your opinions and provide feedback for real attorneys who are preparing for trial.
If you like reading about court cases and trials and like to be critical and analytical, this could rake in some big bucks! You basically answer a questionnaire after reading some material. The site says the cases last from 20-60 minutes.
Breakdown:
You can earn from $20 to $60 a case!
3. Tutor or Teach Lessons
If you have any skills that you can teach to others, hire yourself out (you can work in the comfort of your own home!)
- Can you teach guitar, piano, or music theory?
- Do you know how to make soap or cheese and are willing to offer a group class?
- Do you know how to sew, and can offer a three hour class for up to 5 people (depending on your space)? (or can you custom make clothing for clients?)
- What was your major in college? Can you tutor in math or chemistry? Can you use that English degree to proofread assignments and theses? Did you take (and ace) a public speaking class? Can you do pottery?
- Do you know electrics? Can you offer a small Electrical Wiring for Homeowners course? (teach things like switching sockets, rewiring ceiling fans and light fixtures, make corded lamps into wireless lamps?)
- Can you landscape? Teach people the basics of landscaping!
- You can teach a tutorial class for almost any DIY project that you find on Pinterest. Just takes a little planning.
Breakdown:
You can make $20-$50 or more per hour of your time!
4. Resume Editing
If you have a knack for thinking like a boss (or have a background in HR), are critical and feel like you know business, you can hire yourself out as a resume editor.
You can have an edge if you are a native English speaker, have experience in HR, and never recycle resume templates.
It would require a sort of questionnaire (so the applicant can enter all their existing resume information) - or have them submit an existing resume, an interview process (probably 45 mins to an hour), a first draft (send for requests and edits), and a final draft!
Many services charge around $80 for a single resume (all inclusive). As this would be a first time gig and you are not yet an experienced professional in resume editing, I'd suggest you start smaller. $30 to $50 for starting out seems fair (and less risk) to me.
Breakdown:
$30-$50 for 3-4 hours of work.
5. Rent out a spare bedroom
My husband and I did this when we were short on funds. It was really easy, and we did it through Craigslist (with some extra security thrown in).
We put our ad up on Craigslist - $500 a month (all included: utilities, washer/dryer, and internet). We lived in Texas at the time, where cost of living is relatively cheap.
Safety features to consider:
- You can run background checks on people online (anyone applying for roommate status should be willing to offer the information you need to run it.)
- We put a keypad lock
on our bedroom door and closed the door every time we left the house. The door was automatically locked and couldn't be lockpicked! (If you worry that your roommate will lockpick a lock to break into your room, you shouldn't have them as a roommate.) Dear Husband and I just wanted this for an added level of security just in case of anything - we had a safe in our bedroom at the time.
You can also host an exchange student through many good programs that do background checks, offer insurance, and even have deposits for you. Although you'd have to cook for them as well.Breakdown:$500 or more per month (depending on your area/costs of living)6. House Sitting
In a home without animals (if there are animals, see "Pet Sitting" above), you can make an easy $20-$50 a day just to sit in someone else's empty house, water their plants, and make sure that things are safe and sound.Many families that go on extended vacations (usually a week or more), need the peace of mind that comes with knowing their house is occupied. It's not a target for break ins, which happen when neighborhood prowlers notice cars are no longer in the driveway and the lights don't turn on at night.Start with house sitting for friends so that you can have good references, then you can put an ad up with your references and see what you get!Safety Things:Make sure that you are safe when doing this, and that friends/family know the address of where you're staying. Check in often so that people know you're safe. Carry pepper spray or a similar self defense mechanism....this does become slightly risky, as you'd be spending the night in an unfamiliar place.Breakdown:You can make $140 to $350 a week house sitting!
Do you have anything that really worked for you? Link to it in the comments and tell me about it!
