16 REALISTIC Side Hustle Ideas When You Need Cash FA$T!

If you’re like most of us these days, your income doesn’t fully cover everything you’d like to save for. Maybe it doesn’t even cover what you NEED?

Or maybe you CAN pay your bills, but you don’t have enough money left to pay for your hobbies and the fun things in life?

There’s always going to be a time when an unexpected expense comes up such an appliance breaks, you want to go on a mini weekend trip that isn’t in the regular budget, or you simply need extra cash to pay for extras or for holiday gifts. Having options at hand on how to earn money quick will always come in handy.

As a SAHM, we’ve lived off of one income for MANY years, yet because of my part-time side hustles, it’s helped us pay for extras that aren’t in our regular budget like an unexpected dishwasher that needs purchasing, our family trip to Maui or club sports for the kids. Because this has been a real situation for us, I want to help others figure out savvy ways to make extra money and to enjoy life when you’re on a tight budget.

 

So whether you need money as fast as possible, whether it be because your car needs repairs or you just got invited to a concert that isn’t in your budget, I’m here to help!

All of these suggestions are based on either my personal experiences, the experiences of people I know or things I want to try myself but haven’t yet! These are all quick ways to earn money fast, not options like blogging that realistically take months to get off the ground.

I truly believe there’s something on this list that will work for every reader.

I’ve included 16 options to help you earn money quickly, some are online and others are in your local community.

 ONLINE OPTIONS TO EARN QUICK MONEY

None of these are getting rich quick schemes (I don’t fall for those lines!) These are REAL ways to actually earn extra cash in your spare time, regardless of your financial situation or reason.

Some of these ideas might make you an extra couple hundred bucks, others might make you $20! Some could even make you $1000+ if you work hard at it!

#1 SURVEYS

If you need money FAST, surveys are literally the easiest and fastest way to make money online!

Surveys are a fun and easy thing to do while watching Netflix or waiting for your kid’s sports practice to get done.

The key with surveys, is in order for you to actually make hundreds of dollars per month from them, you have to sign up for MANY survey companies. For instance, this isn’t something you could complete 40 hours per week and just do surveys as your primary source of income. You need to sign up for numerous survey companies because they won’t necessarily have surveys for you to complete every single day and you might not qualify for every survey opportunity.

What I recommend is signing up with 5-7 survey companies to start to compare which sites you like, they all run a little differently and have different type of survey opportunities. Here’s a handful of my favorite to make this even easier for you!

• Pinecone Research– Our #1 top choice!! – The pay is $3 per survey and you can cash out after $3!!
• Harris Poll– By signing up with Harris Poll, you help shape policy for government agencies, large corporations and non-profits.
• VIP Voice
• Inbox Dollars
• Swagbucks– Not only can you do surveys, you can also make money to watch videos, play games, and shop ($10 FREE bonus available!)
• Vindale Research
• My Survey
• Panda Research

#2 EBAY

I love selling on eBay and was a Power Seller working part-time for many years. I still sell for fun on eBay and it’s a great way to make extra money fast.

(Disclosure: My heart wasn’t in the products I  was selling, so I stopped doing it regularly. But hands down, selling on eBay was easier for me and I made money much quicker as an eBay seller than a blogger.)

If you REALLY need money fast, set your item up as a Buy Now option and set it at a good price for a quick sale. eBay is so easy to use, all you need is the eBay app and a PayPal account. You can literally just take a photo from your phone, fill out the item details and that’s it! If you don’t have a rating on eBay, buyers will probably be more hesitant to buy from you. I’d suggest adding a personalized bio at the top of your auction to make the potential buyers feel more at ease, or maybe even a public social media account so they know you’re real.

EBAY RELATED POSTS:

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#3 PHONE APPS THAT PAY YOU TO USE THEM!

My 2 Favorite Phone Apps that PAY Me! :

eBates-Pays me to shop online, whether it be for retail stores, hotels, rental cars or services my family uses. Ebates even gives you $10 for FREE just by giving their free app a try.

Ibotta– a grocery store coupon app that pays you to grocery shop! (Ibotta ALSO offers you $10 for free just for giving their coupon app a try.)

Here’s the details on Ibotta:

I just started using Ibotta, it’s super easy and user-friendly and I’ll definitely keep using it and seriously recommend it to others, especially with gift shopping!  If you aren’t familiar with Ibotta, it’s a grocery store cash back app that transfers money to your PayPal or Venmo account within 48 hours of your purchases.  You can use it at local groceries stores and with online retailers like Amazon. Unless you shop at a very small local grocery store, I’m sure yours is included too. Honestly, I’ve heard about it for many months, but I just recently checked it out and it’s so cool!

How it works:

• You can search by grocery store to see what grocery items have a cash back coupon or you can search by product (like wine or bars), or by brand like Kraft. Yes, even wine, beer and hard alcohol are included!! Bud Light had a $5 Ibotta rebate!!
• Big retailers like Kroger, Albertson’s, Trader Joes, Walmart, Whole Foods and many others were listed. For example, I entered in Trader Joes, only 3 products came up in the search (larger stores had hundreds listed!), one of which is the exact brand of “healthier” meat sticks my son loves. These retail for $1.69 each. I buy him 2-3 a week and Ibotta had a $0.75 off/meat stick offer! Lucky for me I’d just been to TJ a couple of days earlier, scanned in my receipt to prove my meat stick purchases, and am now getting $1.50 back.
• I also had a few Amazon purchases to make, so I bought my items through the Ibotta link to Amazon and that’s another 3% back. (Bonus– I made these purchases with a card that pays 2% back also!)
• You get paid once your account accumulates $20 and then the transfer to PayPal or Venmo takes about 48 hours.

#4 EASY SHIFT ~ MYSTERY SHOPPING 

Easy Shift is an app that lets you complete a task for a big retailer needing a quick (5-20 min) “mystery shopper” task done. Most of the tasks are taking photos of how the store has certain items displayed, you fill out a short questionnaire and once completed, the money gets deposited into your PayPal or Venmo account on average within 48 hours.

• Some of the retailers I’ve seen listed include Kroger brand stores, Wal-Mart, Costco, Albertson’s and Walgreen.
• The task rates paid between $5-$14/task depending on what was involved. Wal-Mart needed photos of their beer aisle displays and Walgreen needed photos of their store brand health products.
• If you live in a large city, there are many shifts available! If you live in a small community, they won’t come up often (or at all depending on where you live.)

#5 FIVERR ~ START A FREELANCE JOB

Fiverr is an awesome pay to get started with online freelance work, it’s an easy way to market yourself and get your name out there.

Whatever job-related, hobby or a special skill you have (like being a good proofreader or knowing how to make a killer resume or even recording music), you can post for others to pay you for your skills.

Some of the categories include graphic design, writing, music, and lifestyle, video and programming. So if you’re a blogger that creates amazing Pinterest pins, or want to create logos or even wedding announcements, Fiverr is a great option for you to get started with an online business!

The premise is many people start by selling their skills and services for $5 a pop. As your business grows and you gain the trust of your buyers, you’re able to start selling services for a higher price. While $5 might not seem like much, people are MUCH MORE LIKELY to take the chance on a product that only costs the price of a latte! $100 people/month x $5 is still $500!

Here’s the link to get more info about getting started with Fivver!

IF YOU NEED MONEY THIS WEEK, I SUGGEST DOING SURVEYS, LISTING BUY NOW OPTIONS ON EBAY OR USING EASY SHIFT IF YOU LIVE NEAR A LARGE CITY.

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LOCAL COMMUNITY OPTIONS

While I personally love the online side hustle, Madi prefers finding fun short-term or seasonal side hustles near home and around other people. If you prefer options that aren’t online, here’s 9 legitimate ways to earn money in your local community:

#6 GARAGE SALE 

If you need money fast, garage sales are honestly one of the quickest ways to do that! Yes, most are during the spring and summer, but I’ve definitely gone to garage sales year-round.

#7 CRAIGSLIST

Check for businesses that just need help for one day or a short period of time for a special project. for one day gigs.

#8 EMPLOYMENT AGENCY

This is similar to the Craigslist option above, but it’s in person instead. Madi went to an employment agency last summer and the DAY she went in, she was already called to help that night for a one-time event!

#9 ADVERTISE YOUR SKILLS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Post your skills on social media. I haven’t tried this option but see others I know doing this on Facebook in particular. Good options many people need help with include landscaping, babysitting, dog walking or pet sitting, errand help or elderly assistance.

You never know when someone you know in your own town needs help with the skills you offer! Word-of-mouth and getting jobs through connections is a HUGE way to get extra work! Most people would rather pay someone they know or an acquaintance of someone they know than hire a stranger.

• Post your skills on the app NextDoor. If you aren’t familiar with NextDoor, it’s a community resource where anyone from your designated area can post about anything that impacts your area (large towns and cities break up by neighborhood), whether it be offering job services, someone needing services, missing pets, security concerns, etc. It differs from Craigslist in that it’s much more personalized.

#10 SERVER, BARTENDER OR BANQUET HELP

Fall and spring are the biggest hiring seasons for many restaurants, working as a server (or bartender or banquet staff) in a nicer place can make you HUNDREDS of extra dollars for a couple of weekend shifts–in tips alone! Madi’s worked with many people who have a day job and they just serve 1-2 times per week to make extra money. For a banquet staff position, contact bigger hotels in your area that host big events for the community, weddings, large parties or conferences.

#11 EVENT HELP 

Madi cold called numerous event planners in the area and eventually lined up a temporary job serving at weddings for a local wedding planner. So far it’s been 1-2 weddings per month, but it’s a great way to earn extra money if you have food service experience and need extra cash.

#12 SEASONAL JOBS

I’ve done lots of retail in my life and so many stores need temporary help just for the holidays! Even if retail sales isn’t your thing, many businesses also hire for stockroom help during the holiday busy season. These jobs probably aren’t posted on Craigslist, make a list of big retailers in your community and go in person to inquire about holiday jobs or check their websites.

Another mom I know works as a banking loan officer full-time but works part-time at Pier 1 during the holidays to help pay for Christmas gifts. How fun is that?! Working during the holidays is the BEST time to work retail!

#13 BRAND AMBASSADOR

Madi had an amazing temporary side job last year working with La Croix Sparkling Water helping to promote their brand and with testing of potential products. This is a GREAT extra job for anyone who can’t do it regularly but has time 1-2 times/month to help with a company’s marketing. These often pay $15-$25/hr since they aren’t consistent shifts and you might need to travel out-of-town.

Since this experience, I’ve seen brand ambassador positions advertised in our community for other beverages, chocolate, alcohol and grocery stores.  Even if you live in a smaller community, check Craigslist posts for whatever city is near you. If it’s a one day gig that pays $120 and you have to pay $20 in gas to get there, it’s still a viable option!

#14 MAKE MONEY FROM HOBBIES

If you’re crafty, making something like soaps, creating dried herb mixes, macrame wall hangings, painted signs, etc and selling it at a local market or holiday bazaars is a great way to make extra money and at least pay for your hobbies!

You of course can also try to sell your crafts online through Etsy!  Here’s Etsy’s seller handbook to learn about what it takes to successfully sell on Etsy.

#15 UBER DRIVER

We’ve personally known three people (all females) who are part-time Uber drivers and all 3 have had a positive experience! Two of them are adults in there early 20’s-one drives part-time on weekends to supplement her weekly paycheck, and the other was a college student needing to earn a little extra cash in her spare time.

The other driver we know is a stay-at-home-mom who drives for Uber and she ONLY accepts passengers when she’s already out running family errands and ONLY during the weekday, which are usually business people or people needing to go to the airport. She does have kids in school, this isn’t a situation where she’s taking her children with her. No late light drunken crazies for this savvy mom!

As an Uber driver, keep in mind you get to pick which rides you accept and can be picky. The riders have a passenger rating based on experiences other drivers have had with them. If someone has anything other than a high rating or no rating at all, skip them! So if it’s a passenger with a 0 rating, you can skip them, if it’s a repeat Uber passenger with a low rating, skip that person too!

Here’s more info if you want to check into becoming an Uber driver.

#16 CONSIGNMENT SHOPS

I admit I don’t sell things at consignment shops as much as I should (it’s the eBay seller in me that still does things online :). My friend drops clothes off regularly and makes an extra $30/month from this simple task. Most consignment shops go through your bags of clothes, pick out which ones work for their clientele, and when the item sells, you get 50-60% back from the purchase.

We have multiple consignment shops in town and one of my friend’s favorites pays in cash on the spot when you drop off your goods. Her son took in a couple of bags of used clothes and walked out with $70!

IF YOU NEED MONEY THIS WEEK, I SUGGEST HOSTING A GARAGE SALE, ASKING YOUR EMPLOYMENT AGENCY ABOUT 1 DAY/SHORT TERM JOBS OR TAKING GOODS TO A CONSIGNMENT SHOP THAT PAY YOU CASH ON THE SPOT.

Post below on which options worked for you or other ideas you have that work! 🙂

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