Many of us roll our eyes when someone tells us to make a living doing what we love. Money is the end, even if we don’t always enjoy the means to that end.
What if you could do something fun and make a significant income doing it? While $1,000 per week may not be the amount you need to thrive, it’s enough for most of us to cover the bare necessities, or at least a few.
While we can’t guarantee these revenue-generating activities will amount to $1,000 in your pocket after a week’s work, there’s a realistic chance it could. If any of these activities seem fun to you (or even tolerable), it’s time to pursue your new side hustle and finally start outpacing inflation.
1. Freelance
We say freelance broadly because there are myriad jobs you can perform on a freelance basis. Perhaps you’re a natural writer, in which case countless outlets serve every reader. Maybe you have a knack for graphic design or 3-D printing, so you might turn to Etsy or publications seeking digital artwork and designs.
If you have a skill you’ve yet to monetize, research. You might find that someone needs and is willing to pay for the skill you already possess.
2. Elder Sit
On the other end of the people-watching spectrum, we have adult-sitting. The Boomers are getting older, and as aging tends to go, they won’t be getting any younger. With their adult children working full-time and the cost of elder care rising (along with the cost of everything else), there is a void in the market you might choose to fill.
You may even boost your long-term earning power by obtaining a few caregiver certifications, justifying higher wages, and expanding your potential clientele base.
3. Babysit
The advent of working moms and dual-income households has made babysitters more valuable than ever. As babysitter wages have risen precipitously to as much as $35 an hour, there may be room for you to offer more competitive rates and enter a marketplace needing trustworthy kid watchers.
Depending on the circumstances, you might even be able to double-dip by doing your web-based job when the child goes down for a nap. If you have the time and the love for miniature humans, babysitting is at least worth exploring.
4. Lend Out Your Handiness
Are you the guy or gal who refuses to call a handyman when the pipe springs a leak, or the wooden steps show signs of rot?
Monetize your lifetime of amassing useful skills. Whether you want to post your own ads or sign up for third-party services like TaskRabbit, you can bring in extra cash by doing the same things you do around your house, just for someone else.
5. Run Social Media Ad Campaigns
Social media has become the opiate of the masses, and business is booming. Those who can capitalize on the billions of eyeballs that social media attracts can generate lucrative revenue streams, so social media-based advertising may be worth your time and attention.
Organizations pay third parties to launch and maintain their advertising campaigns, and companies are dedicated to training and guiding those third parties.
6. Become a Virtual Assistant
People are looking for a helping hand, and professionals with a full plate are willing to pay for it. Virtual assistants generally provide remote assistance with administrative tasks, and it can be an intellectually stimulating gig that requires no formal education or experience.
Virtually every description of virtual assistanthood notes the work-life balance the gig affords, which makes it a viable way to supplement your existing income.
7. Embrace Minimalism
Three words: Sell. Your. Stuff. The truism that one man’s little-worn sweater vest or closet-bound gadget is another man’s treasure rings true.
Unless you have systematically rounded up all of your unused wares, identified those that could even plausibly fetch some cash, and listed those items on apps and sites like Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, and Craigslist, you have sold yourself short. The only thing more fun than decluttering is decluttering for cash.
8. Donate Your Fluids
The Good Lord imbued us with regenerating resources that, many have discovered, have intrinsic financial value. Plasma and other naturally-made fluids are the gift that keeps giving, especially for those who have no aversion to needles or other extraction methods.
One chronic donor notes that she made $800 in the first month. While it’s not $1,000 per week, who couldn’t use an extra $800 to attend the appointment twice weekly? Plus, some research might reveal other God-given resources you could be mining for cash.
9. Deliver Groceries
We differentiate delivering groceries from delivering meals because some grocery shoppers make a full-time living in their specific lane of the delivery landscape. Instacart is the most well-known grocery-specific delivery app, but you can also accept grocery orders through DoorDash, Uber Eats, and similar apps.
Grocery shopping requires a longer investment, which could mean heftier, more reliable tips. This makes grocery shopping a potentially less volatile use of your time than delivering individual meals.
10. Edit and Proofread
If you do a quick search, you’ll find a plethora of editing and proofreading jobs offering competitive pay. You don’t necessarily have to be an English major or an experienced editor to qualify for these jobs, either.
Those who can swing it might even enjoy reading the works of writers, either human or machine. Proofreading can be a relatively passive source of income, and you might just learn a thing or two as you lend a second set of eyes to others’ work.
11. Cut Grass, Pull Weeds, and Make Lawns Beautiful
The average landscaper makes between $37,000 and $52,000 per year, presumably working full-time hours. That translates to about $1,000 per week on the high end of the scale, so it might not be realistic to rake in (pun intended) that much if you’re landscaping part-time.
However, if your market is underserved and you have room to negotiate a competitive rate, cutting lawns and providing other landscaping services can be a profitable side gig. Even better, the grass doesn’t stop growing (at least not until winter), so it can be a sustainable hustle.
12. Rent Out Your Spare Spaces
With many Americans paying $2,500 per month to live in apartments that make the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe look extravagant, storage space is at a premium. Still, many people with extra stuff don’t want to pay full price for a storage unit, don’t have a suitable unit nearby, or don’t need a full locker.
That’s where apps like Neighbor come in. Those with extra space on their property can rent it through the app. Whether it’s a room for someone’s old files or driveway space for their boat trailer, Neighbor helps you make money when you can make room for others’ valuables (or junk).
13. Try Your Hand at YouTube
YouTube channels are like opinions. It seems everyone has one or is at least talking about creating one. However, you shouldn’t write off the potential financial value of starting a YouTube channel because most fail.
While you should temper your expectations and indulge in brainstorming to ensure you have a compelling idea and a firm grasp of how successful YouTube channels get noticed, why not take a shot on YouTube? If your channel strikes a chord, you could earn far more than $1,000 per week. Just don’t quit your day job quite yet.
14. Rent Your Stuff
What do you do when you need to mow your lawn, don’t want to commit to a regular landscaping service, but can’t afford a mower of your own?
Now, you can turn to apps like Yoodlize and Fat Llama, which promise to allow you to rent virtually anything to anyone. There are also niche apps like KitSplit (for camera gear), Style Lend (clothing), and BabyQuip (baby-related items) that allow you to recoup the cost of your purchases by renting them out.
15. Deliver Hot Meals
The financial returns on driving for Uber Eats, DoorDash, or your regional meal delivery services can vary based on geography, as those in densely populated areas may face a larger volume of orders with lower drive times (though they may also have more competition around them).
While the food delivery services are fighting against higher pay for drivers, many gig workers can still scrape out $1,000 per week or more delivering food. Of course, you must weigh the cost of gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, but delivering Chick-fil-A and McDonald’s remains one of the most accessible, instantaneous hustles.
17 Interesting Ways To Make An Extra $500 During the Month
How do you spell love? M-O-N-E-Y. Actually, The Fabulous Thunderbirds lied about that, but “M-O-N-E-Y” does spell financial security. With most people struggling to make their income outpace their expenditures, an extra $500 a month could go a long way.
17 Interesting Ways To Make An Extra $500 During the Month
16 Weird Jobs That Make You Wonder Why They Have High Salaries
If you're over 21, you've probably done a job you hated. For me, the job I always said I couldn't get paid enough to do is juvenile corrections. Imagine fifteen teenagers caged up with nothing better to do than cause more trouble than they're already in. No, thanks.
16 Weird Jobs That Make You Wonder Why They Have High Salaries
