Do you wish you had a little extra money coming in to help fund your prepping? Could you be much better prepared if you just had some more income? Does your spouse get frustrated by how much of the regular budget you allocate for emergency supplies?
If any of these are true, it may be time to start a side hustle. To help you think of possibilities, here are fifteen different ways to earn.
1. Freelance Writing
If you enjoy writing, you can turn your words into income as a freelancer. You can pitch for gigs and write articles or blog posts in your spare time.
To succeed, you’ll want to write about topics that interest you. Try to find a niche where your interests and education overlap so you can set yourself up as an expert.
2. Be an Airbnb Host
Do you have extra space available in your home? Many people use Airbnb to turn their spare rooms into spare cash.
Don’t feel comfortable letting strangers into your home? Consider becoming an experienced host with the company instead. You can create an experience tour or event unique to your location and get paid to share your expertise with others.
3. Create a Digital Product
Take your knowledge and expertise and create a workbook, digital course, or printable to sell. To increase the likelihood of sales, take time to have it professionally edited and formatted.
When you’re ready to sell, you can use a site like SendOwl to deliver the product to customers. The “buy now” button can be added to social media or your website. You can also easily set up an affiliate program so other people can market your product for you.
4. Self-Publish a Book
If you have a book inside, now is the time to get it out. You can self-publish it on the Amazon Kindle store and let them handle sales and delivery.
You can also create audio or paperback versions, experiment with different options, and see what your audience likes the best.
5. Mow Lawns
Even in rural areas, there are often people who can’t mow their lawn regularly. Many of these people would gladly pay someone else to handle this chore.
With a truck or trailer for hauling, a lawnmower, and a weed whacker, you can offer a landscaping service no matter where you live.
Make sure you take your expenses into account when setting your price. You don’t want to lose money as you try to earn it.
6. Offer Virtual Assistant Services
As a virtual assistant, you can offer a variety of services to other businesses. Think about the skills you have that other people would pay for. Here are some ideas:
- Social media marketing
- Email management
- Bookkeeping
- Customer service
- Blog management
Start asking your network if anyone needs help with any of the services you want to provide. If they don’t, ask them to share. You can also find clients on social media.
Don’t want to deal with the hassle of finding your clients? You can join an established company such as Belay or Assistant Match.
7. Drive
If you enjoy driving, you can pick up some extra income by signing up as an Uber or Lyft driver. Often these companies offer signing bonuses, which increases your earning potential.
Don’t want to drive people around? You can get paid to deliver food or packages instead.
8. Walk Dogs
Lots of people spend a ton of money on their pets these days. If you’re an animal person, you can start your dog walking service. Alternatively, you can sign up with an existing company like Rover.
If you have the space available, you could offer pet sitting services. People could drop their animals off with you while they’re out of town and not have to worry about them.
9. Teach English Online
If you have a bachelor’s degree, you can earn up to $22 an hour teaching English to children or adults worldwide. Typically, the company prepares all the instructional materials, so you won’t have to try and figure out what to teach. Since you will be teaching by video, you will need a reliable high-speed internet connection for this opportunity.
VIPKID is one of the most popular online teaching platforms, but it is not the only one. You can also check out GoGoKid, Teach Away, and iTutorGroup.
10. Start a Blog
It’s not a quick path to riches, but many bloggers make a lot of money! To be successful as a blogger, you need to:
- Be clear on who you’re writing for
- Create great content
- Deliver what your audience wants
- Have a professional-looking site
To get started monetizing your blog, you can use affiliate marketing, ads, or sponsored posts. The more you grow your following, the more your income potential increases.
11. Be a Proofreader/Editor
Do you have an excellent command of the English language? Consider putting your grammar skills to work as a proofreader. You can look for opportunities with Cactus Global, EditFast, and Gramlee.
12. Sell Photos
If you enjoy taking pictures, you can sell photos to microstock companies like iStockPhotos or Shutterstock. Make sure you’re using a good quality DSLR camera to increase the chances of selling your photos. Also, think about unique niches you can photograph.
Could you take behind-the-scenes-type photos of a construction site? Or photograph a variety of herbal plants? Think about all the websites creating content – there is a considerable need for niche photos that you can help supply.
13. Teach a Course
Think about the skills and knowledge you have. What could you teach others? Using a platform such as Udemy, you can easily create an online course.
You can also try creating a live, local class or workshop. That could range from a one-time plant-identification walk to a multi-week course on a specific woodworking project. The sky is the limit if you pick a topic that interests other people.
14. Graphic Design
Think of all the graphics you see daily. From pins on Pinterest to flyers in your mailbox, graphic designers put their skills to work in various ways. You can start your own business or look for opportunities on 99Designs, DesignCrowd, or Dribbble.
15. Search Engine Evaluation
Leapforce hires remote workers to do search engine evaluation. If you’re self-motivated and internet savvy, you might be a great fit.
5 Apps to Help You Earn
If you aren’t up to starting a side hustle, you can use any of these apps to earn money or gift cards in your spare time.
- eBates – earn cashback on your online shopping
- Swagbucks – complete surveys, play games, and watch videos to earn points toward gift cards.
- Shopkick’s – earn kicks (points) for completing a variety of tasks like scanning barcodes or making purchases.
- iBotta – check this app for offers before you go shopping and select the ones you want. When you’re done, scan your receipt and earn cashback.
- Money App – earn points for completing tasks and offering your opinion on surveys. Trade the points for cash through PayPal.
General Tips for Your Side Hustle
No matter which side hustle you decide to launch, here are a few pointers.
- Save for taxes. If you are an independent contractor for a company or growing your own business, make sure you set aside money from each payment for taxes.
- Don’t guess on your profitability. Before setting prices for your services, do some math. Instead of just picking a random number, calculate how much you need to cover your expenses, taxes, and time.
- Do something you enjoy. If you hate your side gig, you probably won’t stay with it long. Pick something you enjoy doing, and who knows – it may even replace your full-time job!
- Have a plan for your profits. Are you trying to grow a business? You’ll need to reinvest part of your earnings back into your company to help it along. Have a plan for your money, so you know exactly what is left over for you to put towards prepping expenses.
- Have a why. There will be times when you want to quit. Having a strong why will help you stay at the side hustle. What exactly do you hope to accomplish with your extra work? Why is it worth doing? Are you saving up for an in-home freeze dryer, or do you want an additional $100 a month to purchase shelf-stable food with? When you are feeling discouraged, remember yours why.
- Talk to your family. Starting a new side hustle takes time. The time you used to use for something else. Make sure you talk with your family about what you’re doing. Keep everyone in the loop!
How do you earn extra money when necessary to pay for your prepping? Please share your best tips in the comments.
Steve | March 28, 2021
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Thanks for some guiding tips, everyone can use some extra money