When my family was in the thick of paying off our debt, we managed to pay it off so quickly by sacrificing some of our free time to pick up extra jobs, when possible. If you are willing to do the same, this month’s blog will be insightful as I share five side hustles you can do to earn extra income. Some jobs my husband and I did personally, and others I researched and/or had friends doing while they were paying off their own debts. It’s important to note these side hustles are not meant to be permanent, they are meant for short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain!
Cleaning Houses
Cleaning houses is one of the side hustles I started with. It was something easy to manage, flexible with my schedule, and paid really well for what it was! I could get away from the house and just focus on one task — and, since I was a stay-at-home mom at the time, this was a luxury. There was something therapeutic about cleaning someone else’s home instead of my own.
So, how do you find people willing to pay you to clean their house? Well, you achieve this a few different ways. First, you can utilize your own network of family and friends to find someone who may already have established clients and might need additional help to lighten their load. Second, you can advertise on social media to your network, or with paid advertising for a wider reach. Otherwise, start being observant and ask those around you directly if there is a way you could help them out. I find if you’re open and honest about why you would like extra income, people are more apt to put you to work!
Delivering Pizza
It seems as though this one is always undervalued. The reasons I hear why people don’t want to deliver pizza as a side hustle always center around their car. Either they don’t want to put on additional miles, or they simply don’t want their car to smell like pizza all the time. Both are understandable; however, before you brush this job under the rug, let me give you a couple of reasons why delivering pizza might be my favorite side hustle.
First, this can be strictly a night-time gig. Flexibility with working a traditional nine to five job while delivering pizza as a side hustle is a breeze. Second, this job can make you some serious cash! Pizza delivery drivers can make an average of $500/week delivering pizzas every night, according to ZipRecruiter. Can you imagine having an extra $2000 a month in your budget? Remember these jobs are not forever, they are only temporary to get you where you want to be financially. Anyone can sacrifice for a short period of time, right?
Donate Plasma
Plasma is the liquid portion of your blood that suspends red blood cells, platelets, and other cells within our blood stream. Donating plasma is a lot like donating blood, and shouldn’t hurt other than a small sting when the needle is inserted. The donation process only takes about an hour and you have full control over your appointment schedule. Unlike a typical blood donation, you get paid to donate plasma. The money you receive gets loaded onto a prepaid debit card, so it’s very easy to use to make online purchases, to transfer funds, or to pay down specific line items in your budget.
However, donating plasma is not for everyone, and each individual has a different tolerance for it. My husband and I personally don’t have an issue with donating plasma, and between us we were able to bring in an extra $1,500 a month while paying off our debt! Again, a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain of being debt free was worth it for us. Overall, donating plasma is a very lucrative side hustle if you can find the time and tolerate the sensation.
Teach English Online
If you have a bachelor’s degree, regardless of what it’s in or where it’s from, teaching English online might be a great option for you. You can use a few different online platforms to teach English to non-native speakers across the world, online. Simply find a program and complete a short training. I had friends who participated, and they would wake up early in the morning (since their students were in a different time zone), teach, and then go about their normal work day. This side hustle is flexible to whatever hours you are willing to teach, and very accessible as all you need handy is a laptop and decent Wi-Fi. On average, you can make anywhere from $14-$20/hour. This is a great side hustle choice if you want to earn extra income while still being in the comfort of your own home.
Sell your Hobby!
Are you good at DIY projects and enjoy doing them? Have you ever thought about selling your projects? This is something you can easily do from home by harnessing your hobbies. I am a huge fan of anything DIY! A few years ago, I was making “photo letters” for our home. When I posted the finished product on my social media, all my friends loved how unique photo letters were and asked if I could make some for them. I saw this little window of opportunity around Christmas-time, posted some of the letters I created on Facebook Marketplace, and in two days alone I received more than a dozen orders! There are many online platforms to help you sell your own personal products online – Etsy, E-bay, and Instagram, to name a few. Selling my hobby projects was so much fun for me, and I earned extra income during a very busy holiday season. Consider using whatever your hidden talent is and marketing it! You may surprise yourself like I did.
Some of these side hustle options are not for everyone, and that’s okay! I didn’t do them all either or all at the same time. Nevertheless, I kept the mind set of “short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain.” When I look back and compare to where I am now, I can tell you the sacrifice was worth it. It was worth 15 months of grinding non-stop to become debt free. The freedom our family has now is what I want for all my readers, yet you can’t get there without putting in the work. The work taught us discipline, which will last a lifetime. We now have the skills necessary to continue investing and to start building the generational wealth we hear so much about. It doesn’t take much; however, without discipline to clean up your financial rut, you will never get out of it.
Our team doesn’t want you to struggle through this financial journey alone. If you are ready to start making the necessary changes to build a better financial future for yourself and family, the KerberRose Wealth Management Team wants to help! Reach out to a Trusted Wealth Advisor today to start your journey to financial freedom.
About Alex
Alex is one of our financial wellness advocates on our Wealth Management team. She is a mom of four, and her passion is sharing her own personal finance journey from living paycheck to paycheck and drowning in debt to finding financial peace. Alex's unique experience has given her the ability to help families take control of their own personal finances - all while still enjoying what life has to offer.
Contact: alex.miller@kerberrose.com