12 of the Best Side Hustles to Make Extra Money in 2020
Whether you’re looking to pocket a few extra dollars to save up for a vacation, pay some much-needed bills, or just want to save for a rainy day, learning how to make some extra cash outside of a traditional job will allow you to achieve your financial goals much quicker as there is literally no limit as to how much you can earn. Building side-hustle’s has been the name of the game for us and is really what allowed us to save enough money in such a short period of time to quit everything and travel full-time.
Want to learn more about how we saved $60,000 in 8 months?
To this date, we still have side-hustles, a few of which are discussed in this article, and without them - we wouldn’t be able to continue doing what we do! There’s such a low barrier entry for many of the ideas discussed, find even one of these ways to make money that works for you and it’s virtually impossible to not make money fast!
1. Rent Out Your Space on Airbnb
If you have a spare room, spare den, or even a spare couch, Airbnb is the perfect side income for you! Another great option is to rent a space that you can then manage and rent out exclusively for Airbnb. If you clean the space yourself, then you can cut down on cleaning costs.
Starting an Airbnb is pretty easy- once you have an account set up, you are pretty much ready to go. Getting good photos of your space is super important- while these can be taken on your cell phone, be sure to take them during the day and give them a light edit on VSCO to make them look more visually pleasing.
One of the most fundamental things that can increase the pricing of your Airbnb is the decor and how aesthetically pleasing your set up is. For instance, having a cute rug, a few plants, and a framed photo can work wonders for your listing. People will see it as a homey and stylish place and be willing to spend more on staying in your space. Find inspiration on Pinterest on how to set up the dreamiest Airbnb and drop by your local Target or Homesense to pick up everything you need at low rates!
This investment is totally worth it- we went from charging $100 a night to $150 when we decorated our place!
2. Host an Experience on Airbnb
Not into the rental game? No problem! You can offer tourists in your city unique Airbnb experiences- whether they be cooking classes, guided tours, or photography. Not only can you decide when to work, but you can also make great friends along the way!
3. Teach English Online
Imagine working from the comfort of your home in front of your laptop and getting paid between $20 USD to $25 USD an hour?! We taught English online with Gogokid and Vipkid for a few years and absolutely loved the flexibility and how we could work from home in our pajamas. If you want to know more about teaching English online and the different companies you can work for, read our blog post here.
4. Sell Your Crafts online
If you are creative, there are many awesome pages you can sell your crafts on. While some things are more difficult to create and definitely require an artistic touch, there are a few things we noticed that you can easily make at home and sell. on Etsy, we noticed that fake flower crowns, which are used for photoshoots and weddings. We easily able to make this at home and resell ourselves. You can do a few a week and that can cover your grocery bills for the month!
Another site, Teachers Pay Teachers, allows you to sell educational resources online to educators. You can create anything from games to cut-outs of animals and sell them.
5. Drive for Uber
Uber really changed the market in terms of independent contractors and ‘working for yourself’. If you have a car that's less than 10 years old and a license- you are all set to go! Since you can completely choose your own hours and get paid weekly , this is the perfect job to have a dependable income from.
6. Uber Eats / other food delivery companies
Another great alternative if you are not much of a people person is to be a food courier. There are some great companies that you can work for- such as Uber Eats, Foodora, and Skip the Dishes. And if you live downtown in a city, you can easily bike around and do your drop offs that way. You can get a great workout and save money on gas this way!
7. Rover
Big fan of doggos and puppers? Now you can get paid to hang out and walk them, or babysit them when their owners go away on vacation with Rover. Working part time and alternating between walking, drop ins, and boarding, will bring you an easy $1000 USD per month.
8. Dropshipping / Selling Products Online
Now this is one of the best side hustles, as you completely control when you want to make money and how much. Search the local pages in your city, such as Craisglist, Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace to see what people are looking for the most. This could range from wedding decor to random electric equipment that's too expensive or hard to come by in your city. It would take us a week or two of monitoring these sites to see exactly what was in demand and see what people were willing to pay for it. Then, go on Alibaba and see if you can order the product in bulk and sell if at double the value.
Things that were seasonal- such as wedding decor- we would sell during the summer months, while other things- such as zippo lighters, would sell all year round. The best part is that you can choose when to post the ads and people usually came to our house to pick up the products and pay us the money.
9. Upwork
Have any skills you want to share with the world- and get paid will doing it?! Upwork is a great place to start and get clients. While the pay isn’t the best when you start off, over a few months you can easily acquire clients and do work for them privately outside of the Upwork website.
If you have no special skills that’s okay too! You can get various jobs transcribing audio files into documents online through Upwork and sites like Go Transcript.
10. Drive for Amazon Flex
If you want to earn similar money to Uber but without the hassle of having to drive people around- try Amazon Flex! The pay ranges between $18-$25 an hour, depending on how many packages you deliver, and the flexible hours definitely make it a great before or after work gig.
11. Work in a Bar
This is definitely an amazing side hustle in North America. With most cities averaging a 20% tipping culture, you are sure to bring in the big bucks if you pick up a few shifts a week. This is probably the most money you can make in a short time commitment- restaurants and bars are notorious for their quick turnover rates. Claudia did this all the way during University and was easily able to afford her tuition and living expenses.
12. Sell Clothes on Poshmark
If you’re a clothes hoarder- you can easily sell some of your items through Poshmark, and clean out your closet at the same time! You can also try out your local vintage stores and see if there are any hidden gems you can resell.
While all of these choices will be suitable for everyone, try to even pick one that works for you and you’ll be surprised as to how much extra cash you can make. Before getting started, take some time to consider your schedule, budget and skill-set to see which business idea will give you the highest chance at success. If you have a few you want to try - just pick and get started! There’s no better time like the present. What are you waiting for?
