How to Earn More Money on the Side

3 min read
January 26, 2016

Side hustles are extremely common these days among people looking to earn more money. You can increase your income on the side of their regular job or meet a financial goal.

If you’re ready to start earning more this year, here are some profitable ways to make more on the side of your main job:

Freelance Your Skills

Stop and take a second to think about what skills or talents you have. The best side hustle experiences revolve around tasks that you enjoy doing and that others value and will pay you for.

Are you good with electronics and tech? Can you take beautiful pictures, write well, design graphics, or handle pets? You may be able to turn these types of skills into successful side hustles.

First, you’ll need to figure out who your desired clientele will be and how you plan on marketing your services to them. You may want to set up a website to help promote yourself and showcase your work.

You can also set up some trials with potential clients in order to receive testimonials and referrals and look for work some of your first paying gigs on sites like Elance and Upwork.

Sell Items Online

Selling items online in your spare time is an easy and low-effort side hustle. If you have a lot of items around your home that you no longer use, you could make a decent profit selling them online on websites like Amazon and eBay.

You can even become a reseller for specific items and goods or flip things you find at thrift stores for a profit.

If you are creative and like to make things, you can try your hand at selling handmade and establishing a craft side business on Etsy.com. Etsy is an online marketplace that allows people to buy and sell unique goods. Just last year, 32 million items were listed on Etsy and sellers earned $1.93 billion gross in profit.

Review Websites and Blogs

UserTesting is a popular website that pays you to put your eye for detail to use and review other websites and blogs. Testers need to fill out a simple application in order to get started. Reviews are often recorded for audio and sometimes even video as you navigate through each website, critique it, and offer feedback.

Each 20 minute review you complete is worth $10 which is direct deposited to you through Paypal. UserTesting is ideal for people who are looking for easy, low-effort ways to earn extra money. If you have only one hour per week to dedicate earning side income, that’s plenty of time to complete three reviews and earn an easy $120 per month.

Rideshare as an Independent Contractor

Did you know your car could end up earning you a lot of money? Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft pay you to use your own car to drive other passengers around. When you sign up as a driver with either company, you can use the app to receive alerts for passengers who have requested a pickup.

Passengers pay through the app so you won’t have to collect money and you can set your own hours by choosing to be available to drive whenever you wish.

With all side hustles and extra income you earn, you’ll have to prepare to pay taxes quarterly or each year. If you choose to become an Uber driver, a must-have app you’ll benefit from is Hurdlr. Hurdlr is an app that automatically tracks your Uber expenses, mileage and deductions to help minimize taxes and increase your pay.

Uber is not the only flexible side hustle out there, and ideas aren’t limited to the ones listed out in this post. There are tons of similar ways to earn extra income that involve driving your car, walking dogs, babysitting or caring for others. Check out this list for 100 unique on-demand side jobs you can do on your own terms.

 

Chonce MaddoxAbout the Author: Chonce is a freelance writer who's passionate about helping others get out of debt and work toward financial stability. You can connect with her on her blog, MyDebtEpiphany.com.