The Best Side Hustles to Make Extra Money in 2021
Side hustles, also known as side gigs, are paid projects you do outside your main job. They can be a great way to pay off debt or earn more money on the side.
They can also be a means to tap into unused skills and explore your passions. And if you really want to get creative, you can use a unique side hustle as a testing ground for a business idea.Looking for a ready-made side hustle? Or maybe a creative gig you can use to carve out a niche for yourself outside of your full-time job? Either way, you’ve come to the right place. We curated the best side hustle ideas we’ve come across.
How Much Money Can You Make With Side Jobs?
The short answer: It depends.
For one, it matters if you want to make a little money, work a part-time job or full-on replace your full-time income.
Each side hustle recommendation is paired with our best tips and other resources to help you get started. Plus, we’ve included an earnings estimate based on side hustlers we’ve interviewed, industry reports, wage estimates and a healthy dose of reality. (Just because an app says you can earn up to $30 an hour doesn’t mean that’s likely.)
Depending on how much money you want to make in your spare time, you can “right-size” the amount of freelance work you take on.
The Best Side Hustles
These side hustles can be done outside your 9-to-5 and are mostly available nationwide, year-round. Some side hustles are easily obtainable, some will take some planning and setup but provide passive income, and others offer opportunities to hone specialized skills.
All of them are tried and true. And we have the resources to help you get started on your side-hustling journey. Here are our picks for some of the best side gigs — some of which you can begin and make a few extra bucks (and then some) pretty much immediately. Use your car and your smartphone to chauffeur people around your city and earn some decent cash on the side. Uber and Lyft, the most popular ride-share companies, are always looking for drivers.
To qualify, you need to be at least 21 years old, have a valid U.S. driver’s license, proof of car insurance and vehicle registration, a four-door vehicle that seats five people, and the ability to pass criminal and driving background checks.
Pay is based on a ride-by-ride basis, plus tips, that can translate into a handsome hourly wage once you get the hang of it. Earnings are largely determined by tips and how many rides you complete each hour.TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: $15 an hour or more including tips.
Driving strangers around isn’t for everyone. So, try meal delivery instead. Most food delivery apps and services work the same: A customer places a food order with a local restaurant, you drive to the restaurant, grab the order and take it to the customer. You get paid by-the-order plus tips.
Gig delivery services DoorDash and Uber Eats dominate the market nationally, and they are generally considered the best ones because they’re the most consistent. You may have smaller delivery options in your area as well like Postmates, Bitesquad, Caviar and others. Compared to ride-share driving, the car requirements are less stringent. You’ll still need a valid driver’s license, insurance and the ability to pass background checks.
Earnings are largely determined by tips and how many deliveries you complete each hour.TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: $15 an hour or more including tips.
Grocery Delivery Driver
Some people hate going to the supermarket, which is why grocery delivery services are on the rise. Not to mention, the pandemic created a surge in demand for these services.
Instacart and Shipt are the two largest players. They hire armies of gig workers who go shopping, pick out requested items and deliver them to customers’ homes. In some locations, DoorDash offers limited grocery delivery services, too.
As a grocery-delivery driver, you may have a higher earnings potential when it comes to tips. But the work is more laborious compared to other driving-based side hustles.
Earnings are largely determined by tips and how many deliveries you complete each hour.TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: $15 an hour or more including tips.
Packagze Delivery Driver
If you’d rather your car not absorb the smells of your gig, you can also deliver packages on-demand. Amazon Flex is the main package-delivery gig provider. You can find some package-delivery gigs through Postmates or TaskRabbit as well, but those two apps encompass a host of other services.
Amazon Flex stands out from many other app-based side hustles in that, per Amazon, most drivers make between $18 and $25 an hour (depending on location, tips, etc.). You can sign up for “blocks” or shifts for a finite amount of time, which allows you to better estimate your daily earnings.
You need to be 21 years old, hold a valid license and have proper auto insurance to qualify.
Vehicle requirements vary based on the type of delivery. For Prime Now orders, any reliable car will do. A larger vehicle may be required for Amazon.com orders.
If you have specialized skills and want to make some side money using them, join a freelance network. Marketplaces like Fiverr and Upwork are a good way to test the freelancing waters. The websites help you find gigs and connect with clients.
As a freelancer you get to decide who you want to work with and how much to charge for your services. The most common types of freelance services in online marketplaces include marketing, customer service, virtual assistant work, administrative support, web and software development, and writing.
Makeup tutorials and personal training are popular gigs you can do in person or online, as well. If you have a brand or huge fanbase, you can earn more money — and maybe parlay that into bigger earning endeavors by being an affiliate marketer or operating your own online store.TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: About $20 an hour. More for specialized work.
Freelancing is sometimes synonymous with freelance writing. Sure, the general freelance marketplaces like Fiverr, Upwork and content mills are decent places to start. But successful writers pivot off of them quickly and start pitching directly to the publications and websites they want to write for.
Once you’ve built up a few clips, it’s good to specialize in a niche topic that interests you. Usually, the more focused your topic and deeper your expertise, the higher your rate. Overall, rates are dependent on the industry (journalism, fiction, marketing, etc.) and the prestige of the publication or website. TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: 30 cents to $2 per word.
Pro Tip
Don’t sell yourself short. Here’s how to figure out what to charge as a freelancer.
Becoming a successful graphic designer won’t happen overnight. But if you have an artistic eye, creativity, the people skills to negotiate and Adobe Creative Suite, designing can be very lucrative. The opportunities to design are plentiful. Other freelancers need logos, small businesses need brochure templates, websites need pleasing graphics, restaurants need menus. The list goes on, and there’s a lot of growth potential.
Starting out, you may find yourself earning around $20 an hour for small-scale projects. But as you hone your artistic skills, the more selective you can be with your side projects. It’s common for skilled designers to make well over $100 an hour.TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: $20 to $150 per hour or more based on skill level.
Virtual assistants often handle administrative work like organizing workflows, scheduling meetings and filing documents. But as this remote side hustle becomes more popular, higher-level tasks are often part of the gig.
These days, it’s typical for virtual assistants to also provide graphic design, copywriting, bookkeeping, translation and other services. Almost a virtual jack-of-all-trades. If you can provide these secondary skills, then you can also bump up your hourly rates.
You look for these gigs on Upwork, Fiverr and VA-specific job boards.
TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: About $20 an hour.
Freelance Social Media Manager
Small and medium-sized businesses, now more than ever, need to have an online presence. But many business owners simply don’t have the time to keep up with their business pages on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And it shows.
You can use that to your advantage. It can be quite obvious which businesses have left their social accounts to languish. Frustrating for customers. But for you? It’s an opportunity to reach out to the business, offer your services and make money using your social media skills.
You can offer businesses a mix of help with branding and customer service — with prices way more appealing than an agency.TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: About $20 an hour. Potential to scale into a business.
Social Media and Search Engine Rater
You’re surfing the web anyhow. You should make money doing it.
Several companies are willing to shell out the cash to get your opinions on advertisements and other content primarily on social media and search engine websites.
All you have to do is scroll through search results or social media feeds for a few hours per week. Sometimes on your phone. Sometimes on your computer. These popular micro-jobs are typically available at Lionbridge, Sutherland Global and Sykes.
TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: $10 to $19 an hour.
Pet sitting is the perfect side hustle if you’re an animal lover. The work is flexible, ubiquitous and you get to play with some adorable pets. What more could you want?
The old-fashioned way of socializing at dog parks and pinning up bulletin board ads is one route to build up clientele.
If you want to jump right in, try Rover or Wag — the two of the most popular pet-sitting apps. They work like many other gig apps. You sign up, create a profile and get matched with people in your area who need their pets taken care of. You can choose what services you want to offer, too: walks only, pet and house sitting or pet boarding. It’s a solid way to set up a steady stream of income.
TPH’s Earning Potential Estimate: $12 to $20 an hour.
Are You Ready to Start Your Side Hustle?
Whether you pursue your side gig as a part-time job or freelance endeavor, it can be empowering to develop a recurring income stream. And who knows? It could be the catalyst to starting your own business on your own terms.
Of course, your second gig doesn’t have to become a second job, either.
Whether you want to dedicate a few minutes a day to earn extra money (online surveys) or work a few jobs (writing resumes and walking dogs) to pay off your student loans, feel free to create a schedule that works for you.
If you want, you can control your own time and how much money you make. Start selling, work on that extra income and then retool if necessary.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, a personal finance website that empowers millions of readers nationwide to make smart decisions with their money through actionable and inspirational advice, and resources about how to make, save and manage money.
