earn more Archives - The Debtist

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure to learn more.

There are two paths to growing wealth: spend less money, and earn more money. I have already addressed the former in my Ever-Growing List of Things I’ve Given Up in the Name of Frugality. It’s about time I address the latter.

I am ALL about the side-hustle. I have spent the last fifteen years of my life working multiple part-time jobs and creating side hustles. I had three jobs in Undergrad at the same time, and worked after school in dental school. Job titles that I’ve held include Jamba Juice worker, Jamba Juice Training Mentor, Banana Republic Visuals Specialist and Retail Associate, Dental Assistant, Private tutor, Tutor at a tutoring company, University Librarian, Rover Dog-Sitter, Baker at Rye Goods, Owner of Aero Bakery, Dentist, and Blogger. On top of that, I have earned extra money guest-writing for people, being a “lab-rat” for all sorts of University research studies, baby-sitting, baking treats for parties, and other random title-less positions.

Your Job Doesn’t Have to Match Your Profession

I know COVID-19 has caused many people to lose their jobs. I hope this post finds you, somehow. There are endless ways to earn money. There is no reason to stick to what your degree or license is on. Many jobs require very little experience, and honestly most of what I did I learned along the way.

For example, I had no culinary degree and yet I reached out to a bakery via Instagram and asked for work. I took the only shift available (the early shift from 2am to 6am) and balanced it with my 5-day-workweek as a dentist. From there, I learned how to open my own bakery and manage that from the comforts of my home.

Likewise, I had only lived with my family dog for four years, but I deemed myself good enough for dog-sitting. I simply applied on the Rover App which only required a few lines of information and a few essays as to why I would be a good fit. After four years of dog-sitting, I now manage my own dog-walking and dog-sitting business. I have grown my clientele to the point where I don’t need to advertise myself. I have repeat clients on the regular.

I have never changed diapers in my life but I sure as heck volunteered to babysit. I used to dabble in writing and somehow, I was paid to write all of the content of an entire website at the age of 20. No one gave me permission to create a blog, or be on podcasts, or half of the other things I ended up doing. But I did them, and you can too. All you need to do is throw yourself out on a limb, ask people around you how you can be of service, and give yourself the permission to try, and fail, and grow. You need to be vocal, confident, and trusting of your skills and talents. I believe every person has a long-list of things to contribute, and by offering to do so, we not only make ourselves richer but those around us richer too.

With that said, here is my ever-growing list of ways to earn extra money.

Start a blog. I use WordPress as my hosting site and I started this blog for free. I first learned I could earn money for this blog through this course: Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I then turned the blog into a business site which costs a yearly fee, but the money you earn from your blog can easily offset that fee. I would highly recommend growing your e-mail list via ConvertKit so that you can reach even more people.
Create an E-Course. I created my first E-Course called Mastering A Budget. I highly recommend Teachable (this is my affiliate link). It is such an easy program to use, and I know many people who have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars via Teachable. Write E-courses on things you care about or know a lot about. Trust that what you have to teach people is valuable!
Save electricity. We participate in OhmEvents and shut down our electricity during high-usage times. The first month, we earned $80. The second month, we earned $70. You can earn over a thousand dollars a year saving electricity. It can even pay for your utility bills for the year! Sign up using my affiliate link to OhmConnect and start earning now. If you use my affiliate link to sign up, you will automatically earn $20!
Pet-sit. There are many apps from which to pet-sit, but the one I used to get started is Rover. I highly recommend it if you’ve never dog sat before. You can choose to dog-sit either at the pet’s home or your home, walk dogs, or just swing by and check up on dogs. Getting paid to play with pets is the best! Once I built my clientele on Rover, I was able to create my own website and run my own dog-sitting brand.
Baby-sit. There are many parents who need baby-sitters. Especially now that WFH is more common. Over-whelmed, over-worked, and over-extended parents need a break! Guess who can offer their services… Baby sitters have always made decent money (more than minimum wage jobs like retail), although they do hold more responsibility. But it is gratifying work and gives you a second family to be a part of.
House-sit. House-sitting is a great gig. My sister-in-law blends house-sitting with dog-sitting. She offers to watch dogs at their homes, thereby increasing the value and the fee. House-sitting is also great if you like to travel. You can choose to housesit in a different city, and get paid while traveling!
De-clutter your stuff and sell them on Poshmark. I recently discovered Poshmark and have had high success selling my things on this platform. I make about $50 a month selling things on Poshmark. It’s also a good place to shop responsibly and frugally (see my previous post here).
Clean Homes. If you know how to clean, then you have gold on your hands. I know many people who hire others to clean their homes for them on a weekly basis. Cleaners get paid anywhere from $100-$200 per visit. If you don’t mind getting on your hands and knees and you like to work in solidarity, then perhaps cleaning homes is the right gig for you. Plus, nowadays, professional cleaners are much needed! Turn on a Spotify playlist and get to work.
Drive for Uber or Lyft. After your day shift, drive in the evening for one of these companies. I heard that certain nights and weekends are popping. My brother did this for a while during his year between undergrad and dental school. He mostly drove around the city that he already lives in. It’s a great gig for night owls.
Deliver food via PostMates, GrubHub, or Amazon (Whole Foods). Food delivery has become increasingly popular and there is prestige to becoming a Whole Foods delivery person (I hear there’s a daily waitlist!).
Create Websites. Know a little bit of code? Understand the basics of websites? It’s okay. I didn’t either but look at me now! I am not tech-savvy. I have problems when my phone updates. And here I have built this space from scratch. Offer your services to someone who is just starting their business. I am sure they have a lot of other things to worry about. Create their website, learn along the way, take their feedback, and keep tweaking.
Be a photographer or videographer. Nowadays, almost anyone can turn these hobbies into a real job – that earns decent income! You can sell your pictures online so that others can print them and frame them around the house. Or you can shoot for events or companies. A photographer or videographer can easily make $1,000 from a single event. If you’re really good, you can make a few grand! Just ask around. There are many people who need professional pictures. It is the digital age, after all.
Tutor. I used to tutor high-school level math, Spanish, biology, and chemistry. Tutoring makes $60-80 an hour, depending on your area. In order to increase efficiency, tutor multiple kids at the same time. Offer the parents a discount to seal the deal. You will get paid more for the hour.
Teach a class. I do think that everyone has something to offer. If you are the more creative type, why not teach music, dance, finance, or basic life-skills. Hold virtual classes via Zoom. Do something fun, like teaching a class on how to make a latte. Or how to tend to plants. Do a workshop of calligraphy – and make it a series! I have used my baking knowledge to teach a Lunch-and-Learn over Zoom for a company before. They paid me to show people how to make Blueberry Rye Scones for 30 minutes. The world is at your fingertips.
Lead Yoga and Gym Classes. My best friend is a yoga teacher for CorePower Yoga. And although gyms are closed now, you can always make yoga videos on YouTube and get paid after a certain number of views. Or you can host a Zoom meeting and have people tune in. Charge them a registration fee and give them access to your Zoom room after they’ve paid. It doesn’t have to be a work-out class in person.
Be a professional de-clutterer or home organizer. People are stuck in their homes. They have turned their attention to long-ignored spaces. (I know I have). The de-cluttering craze has gone viral (was it not already?). But many people give up half-way through because of the rigorous process and the overwhelm. I have a friend who started a business that helps people de-clutter their homes. Consultations via Zoom or Facetime are easy to set-up. Help people create the ideal WFH spaces.
Become a Virtual Assistant. A virtual assistant job could entail social media management, editing blog posts, checking emails, scheduling appointments, booking travel, and more. Essentially, this job pretty much involves doing things that people need done but don’t have the time to do. Sound familiar? This is a great job for people who wish to work from home, are good at organization, and don’t mind tedious tasks.
Rent out your car. There’s a site called Turo, which works kind of like AirBNB. You can list your car (it only takes 10 minutes!) and have others rent it from you. This is especially great if you work from home and don’t need a car every day. It is also a great option for those who have a fancy car that people will want to borrow for a joy-ride.
Become a landlord. We actually rented out a room in our home for the first five years of our marriage. This helped us to save money which we funneled into my student debt. It also helped us save money to buy our first home, and then again to buy our second home. This is one of the ways we made our home cash flow positive.
Help People Move. I moved 10 times before high-school, and then 7 times after college. Let me tell you, moving isn’t very fun. Many people need help with the labor-intensive part of moving, so offer to help people move their stuff! It’s a workout, and it makes decent money, too. If you’re efficient, you can make $100 an hour!
Place Advertisements on your Car. I know this one is pro-consumerism and I don’t love it, but it is an option. I drive a Scion XB that’s fairly old and has a lot of flat angles. It is the perfect moving billboard. I haven’t done this because I don’t love promoting buying things in general, but if you need to make passive income and don’t mind pasting something on your car, this is an easy one.
Work Part-Time at a Grocery Store, Bakery, Restaurant, Hotel, Coffee Shop, Retail Store, etc. This one ends up being the hardest gig to land in 2020. Who knew? But as the economy reopens, be prepared. Keep an eye out. You’ll likely have to play the numbers game and apply to as many opportunities as you can, but don’t give up!