I know the feeling. Nothing feels worse than being broke. Often, laziness sets in when you’re broke and have nothing to do. No problem! It’s time to wake up and forget the past. What’s done is done! When you hit rock bottom, you’re open to great things, and there’s nothing worse than being broke financially and mentally.
To cheer you up, I’ve shortlisted these 10 side hustles to help you out of your situation. Trust me, once you start doing these side hustles, you’ll have enough money to move on with your life. You’ll NEVER be BROKE in your life again!!!
So, if you’re ready… let’s dive in!
(1) Virtual Assistant
You can become a Virtual Assistant (VA) without spending any money. All you need is a laptop and an active internet connection. As a VA, your job entails handling administrative tasks for busy individuals or businesses from the comfort of your home. Yes, everything is remote, so you won’t have to leave your couch.
While most VAs don’t perform highly complex tasks, their responsibilities typically include checking and sorting emails, responding to clients, and more. What makes being a Virtual Assistant a lucrative remote job is the nature of the work, and of course, the pay. On average, VAs can earn anywhere from $20 to $50 per hour. I’ve even seen some VAs providing their services for as low as $10 per hour, but honestly, they aren’t worth it.
Here’s how you can kickstart your journey as a VA: Register yourself on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, and Freelancer. Ensure your prices are competitive. Yes, starting with lower rates might leave a bad taste in your mouth, but once you get a good grip, you can gradually increase your hiring rates.
While VA work can be demanding, if you’re serious about improving your financial situation, you’ll need to overcome laziness and put in the effort. VAs are always in high demand nowadays since everything is quickly becoming cloud-based.
(2) Simple Online Tasks
If becoming a VA feels overwhelming right now, you can start slow. Begin with simple online tasks like data entry and content moderation. Data entry is probably one of the easiest side hustles you can find. Yes, the income is low, but it’s better than not making any money. If you’re unfamiliar with this concept, you might have heard of “microtasking.”
Microtasking is exactly what it sounds like—easier than regular remote jobs. These tasks are quick to finish and need minimal skills and training. Think data entry, pet walking, babysitting, and filling out surveys.
If you’re interested, check out Clickworker, Swagbucks, and Survey Junkie. These three platforms are among the top microtasking sites that are legitimate and pay through PayPal and Cash App.
Since microtasking is much easier than being a VA, the pay is lower. Most microtasks will pay you $5-$25 per hour of work, and some even pay $10 per task. Considering how easy it is to complete these tasks, it’s not a bad deal.
(3) Sell To Thrift Stores
Selling your unused items to thrift stores can be the fastest way to make a quick buck. If you have items like clothes, books, accessories, and more that you don’t use anymore, then thrift stores can make you quite a lot of money. Of course, maybe not in the thousands, but enough money with which you can buy something important with it.
Before you go selling, check how the store pays. Some give you cash upfront, while others pay once your stuff sells. I’d say go for the upfront cash option. It might be a bit less money, but getting paid right away is always better. Don’t bother taking all the unnecessary headache.
Selling at thrift stores not only brings in cash but also clears out your place. I’ve personally made good money selling stuff there. I once even sold a 20-year-old fridge – went a bit overboard with that one! The best part is the satisfaction of seeing your house getting decluttered. It invites good energies which in turn helps you fix your bad mood.
How much you make depends on what and how much you sell. Here, both quantity and quality matters. A single cloth can fetch you $5 or even more, if the quality is better. Guess how much I made from my 20-year old refrigerator?
(4) Mystery Shopping
Mystery shopping is a trending right now. When compared to other side hustles, mystery shopping takes a different route. As a mystery shopper your task would be to evaluate the quality of service (QoS) of a store, restaurant, or any business by posing as a regular customer. You won’t reveal your identity, but your entire job would be to see whether a store or a restaurant is following company-set rules.
Your feedback plays a crucial role in big business decisions. It’s an interesting job for anyone who knows how to evaluate things and can easily differentiate between the good and the bad. Restaurants go through this tests pretty often to obtain the prestigious Michelin stars.
Now, let’s talk about the pay. most mystery shopper make between $20 and $50 per work. Considering how less time it usually takes to evaluate a single store, $50 is good enough. Not just money, you can even receive reimbursement, which is a sweet deal too.
I have read about mystery shoppers who are not only paid well, but also enjoy free meals and shopping experiences at luxury locations. Ain’t that nice?
(5) Content Creation
Get the most out of your current situation financially. People thrive on encouragement. If you can share your journey from broke to wealthy, they’ll naturally follow you and recommend your social media channels to others. Human nature is funny like that—everyone loves peeking into others’ lives and wants to know their story.
That’s why transformation videos like “from fat to fit” explode on YouTube. Your financial journey could turn you into a social media sensation. Here’s what viewers will think: “This person is so intriguing! I want to see how she/he overcome financial struggles.” They’ll want to be part of your journey and share in your success once you become wealthy.
That’s why vlogging and podcasts are so hot on YouTube right now. Both give a sneak peek into an individual’s personal life. Start a YouTube channel and post videos about your financial journey. If you’re camera-shy, try sharing Instagram photos. Show yourself to the world. You’ve got what it takes, and people will get to know you… Try TikTok and post short videos if you can’t make long videos…
And let’s not forget the income potential of being a content creator—it’s practically limitless. The top 1% of creators make over $1 million a year from various sources. Example: MrBeast.
(6) Babysitting/Pet Walking
Babysitting and Pet Walking actually pay well considering how low-stress the gigs are. Yeah, you might have to experience some unusual customers, but not always. As a pet walker, you’ll mostly walk dogs, which in itself is a cute experience.
How much you make is completely dependent upon the number of hours you can pull, and the locality. High-value locality like Beverly Hills usually has the highest per hour rates for pet walking. Sometimes the rates are as high as $50 per hour. Well, you might not always get $50 per hour pet walking gigs, but you sure can get $10-$30 per hour ones.
I would say babysitting is more demanding that pet walking. Pet walking has lesser risk that babysitting, and you won’t have to have special permission to take care of pets. Rover is the most well-know pet walking service. They have a vast network, so you may easily get to walk dogs and start making money quickly.
(7) Odd Jobs
When it comes to “odd jobs,” Craigslist is the first website that pops into my mind. It’s the go-to place if you want to find odd jobs, even the most unique ones. A few years back, I saw a YouTube video where a guy set out to make his first $1,000 from odd jobs. Guess what? He actually pulled in close to $1,000 within a month of hustling.
Examples of odd jobs? Think gardening, assembling furniture, painting, cleaning, and more… You get the picture. It’s funny how easy it can be to make money from these gigs.
If Craigslist isn’t your thing, you could try TaskRabbit. But Craigslist, being older and more reliable, simply gets the job done. You can easily snag random odd jobs, but here’s the catch—they can be unpredictable. One big job might score you $100, while the next might barely reach $20. That’s how it goes.
Still, if you just want an experience, then you it’s super-easy. Make a Craigslist or TaskRabbit account, and accept a job you feel fit…
(8) Side Hustle Apps
What if I told you that you can make money from your phone? Yeah, it’s actually possible to complete side gigs from your phone and see money getting credited into your Cash App account. One app that comes to mind is AppNana. It’s available for both iPhone and Android, and it pays you for completing tasks.
Would you believe if I told you that Uber, Lyft, and Instacart are some services quite well-known among the hustle community that you can do from your phone? I mean, isn’t it obvious? You use Uber and Lyft from your phone, not your iPad or laptop. In fact, even survey sites like Swagbucks and Survey Junkie have apps for iPhone and Android, making it easy to earn on the go.
Keep one thing in mind though, apps like these are pesky, and can quickly steal your personal data. Stay alert. Consider using a different phone (if you have) rather than your daily driver for your daily gigs.s
Making money with these side hustle apps varies widely. You might make as little as $0.99, or as high as $50 from a single task. Everything boils down to how much work you put in. The more tasks you complete, the bigger your bankroll gets.
(9) Renting Personal Stuff
Renting out your personal belongings can be a lucrative side hustle, especially for items you don’t use frequently. Rent out items you own but rarely use, like cameras, tools, or sports equipment on platforms like Fat Llama and Loanables. It’s an easy way to make money from things gathering dust.
Of course, the most famous is Airbnb. It’s a service where you rent your home or an empty property you don’t use for personal use. Everything is handled by Airbnb so you don’t have to. You set the rental prices, the terms, and that’s it. Services like Fat Llama and Airbnb handles the rest.
Renting personal stuff is also a great passive income source. You keep ownership of your asset while making money from it. Trust me, when times are tough, you have to use each and every resource around you. And, once you start making money, things can turn around quickly.
Similar to other side hustles, it’s hard to calculate an exact estimate. It’s up to you to set the prices, so earnings are entirely flexible. Some Airbnb hosts with prime locations and multiple properties rake in thousands, while others struggle to fill bookings. Harsh reality!
(10) Social Media Manager
Thanks to the online boom, Social Media Managers (SMM) make a bank by handling social media account of businesses or busy individuals. Those tweets, likes, and comments you see from big businesses every day? They’re often managed by SMMs, not the business owners themselves. Celebrities follow the same pattern.
Most celebrities are too busy to manage their own social media, so they hire SMM and task them to keep their social media account updated with the latest images and videos. While many SMMs work independently as freelancers, some land full-time gigs, especially those working for famous individuals (celebrities).
The pay? It’s pretty good NGL! On an average, a Social Media Manager can make $20-$60 per hour. Considering the sheer number of hours they pull daily, the top-notch SMMs can make $10,000. Yeah, $10k is a bit of a stretch, but it’s doable, and some actually hit the mark.
So, if you’re good at engaging people, and know how to keep followers coming back to a celeb’s or business’s social media, then you’re good to go. You can make some insane money within a short point of time.
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