Most of us have hobbies that we do, whether that’s for fun or a specific purpose, and we recommend thinking about if you can monetize these.
Even if you don’t currently have a hobby, there are some things that you could get started with today in your free time as a side hustle.
Whether you’re a teen wanting to start a business or just oldies like us looking to make some side money passively, our list has something for you!
Want to make money from your couch? Survey Junkie pays out over $40,000 daily to its members for taking paid online surveys. Get your share today!
Quick Picks: Best Hobbies That Make Money
Before we get into our complete list of the best hobbies that make money, let’s talk about the best side hustles that come from your everyday lives:
- Fastest Cash – Survey Junkie
- Most Lucrative – Selling Feet Pics
- Best Side Hustle – Proofreading
- Most Relaxed Hobby – Selling Printables
37 Hobbies That Make Money
Moms make money from home in great ways, usually stemming from their skills and hobbies!
There are so many money-making hobbies out there that you can do, and picking the best fit depends on what you enjoy and are good at – or would like to get good at with some practice!
Just because you don’t do something now doesn’t mean that you can’t start and learn something completely new.
If you are looking for some hobbies that make money, we’ve got you covered.
1. Take Paid Surveys
We all like to do things that don’t take a ton of brainpower, and when you are sitting down and relaxing watching TV, it’s nice to have something else to do.
We recommend taking surveys during this time because you can make some extra cash for very little effort.
Maybe you enjoy answering questions about yourself and want to help out. The survey sites that we like to use are:
2. Sell Feet Pics
Did you know some people make $90,000 a year selling feet pics? With a price tag like that, it’s worth checking out!
You can wash up your feet, paint your toenails, and snap a picture that’s worth $5 – $20+ on some sites.
It’s easy to earn money online and make a passive income once you take the pictures and list them for sale online.
With FeetFinder, you can quickly sign up, list your pics, and make $500 a week selling feet pics.
The safest and easiest website to buy and sell custom feet content. Start making extra money today!
3. Proofreading
When you are reading through something, do the mistakes in the copy stand out to you?
If this is something that you enjoy and comes to you naturally, think about offering proofreading as a service.
There are lots of businesses that hire proofreaders to check that everything is correct before it is published.
It’s a job that pays you to read!
An online course could help you get set up and earn income from reading, and you can start with a FREE workshop from Proofread Anywhere.
Learn How to Become a Proofreader and Start a Freelance Proofreading Business.
15,000+ Students. 7+ Years of Results.
4. Freelance Writing (Blog Writing Too!)
You can make extra money as a freelance writer, and if there is one subject you enjoy, this could be fun!
Writing is one of the most popular ways to make money online because pretty much anyone can do it!
There are a few ways that you can make money from writing, such as freelance writing for a company doing articles or social media.
You can use it as a skill in your current career or use it within your own business, such as if you have your own website or blog.
Writing poetry, research articles, music lyrics, and more can actually all be money-making hobbies.
Busy Moms! Learn How to Become an Online Freelance Writer and Start Making $1,000 to $5,000 per month in your spare time!
5. Start A Money Making Blog
For us, blogging started as a hobby that we were quickly able to monetize, and we ended up leaving our day jobs to work it full-time!
Blogging is a great thing to do either as a hobby or as a way to make money. You can start your own blog as a hobby and then start adding ways to make money as you go.
Think about a subject that you are passionate about and would love to write about, and go for it!
If you write helpful or entertaining content and learn about marketing, this can become a really successful venture.
The usual ways you make money from blogging include:
- Sponsored posts
- Affiliate marketing
- Adverts
- Products or services
We recommend signing up for our Blog Boot Camp to learn the basics of blogging and see how you can earn money from your blog this month!
Get FREE access to our step-by-step plan for starting a blog that makes $1,000 per month.
6. Sell Your Art & Designs
Do you enjoy graphic design and making things? A fun, money-making hobby is creating and selling artwork.
If you are crafty, then you could sell your artwork on Etsy. You could paint, draw, or more to create landscapes, portraits, etc., for buyers on Etsy.
But there’s more than just wall art that sells well! Crochet, beading, woodwork, and more hobbies that make money are all viable, profitable options!
There are all kinds of things you can create, such as jewelry, kids’ clothes, furniture, and more.
7. Sell Craft Supplies
You may not think of it, but people look for easy ways to get their supplies for their businesses or art projects.
Brittany loves JoAnn’s, but let me tell you, the website leaves much to be desired!
You could make a one-stop shop for craft supplies, so we can get our construction paper, buttons, yarn, felt, and more all in one spot.
You can start a Shopify store, but craft supplies are also one of the best things to sell on Etsy.
8. Sell Printables (Journaling & More)
There are lots of people who make a fortune selling printables on Etsy.
We have had great success selling our own printables – we sell budget planners, meal planners, and other printables for families.
You can learn how to design your own printables from Gold City’s free workshop, which can give you a head start on your online business.
If you spend an hour creating a design and then sell it for $5, you can sell it again and again for passive income.
Selling one design 10 times a week means your one hour of work has earned you $50 per week!
9. Photography- Photos Or Photo Sessions
Photography is a great money-making hobby because you will have so many nice photos and memories of the things you have been doing.
Being a photographer takes skill, and equipment, which is why you can charge a lot of money if you were to monetize it.
You can start up your own full-time business with photo shoots and clients, or you could sell any of your photos on stock photo sites such as Shutterstock.
10. Monetize Your YouTube Channel
Do you like watching videos? Even better, do you like making videos? And do you have a knack for editing?
If so, starting a Youtube channel could be a great idea for you. There are millions of Youtube creators out there – the demand for video content is high, and only getting bigger.
Make sure you have a plan for your channel, but sharing helpful or entertaining videos can get you decent money online from Adsense alone.
You don’t just need to rely on Adsense money, as you can also use Youtube as a marketing channel for other products that you wish to sell.
Want to know how to monetize your channel and make thousands per month? The online course Mastering YouTube could change your future income!
11. Watch Videos & Ads
Watching videos has got to be a hobby that everyone does, right? If you enjoy watching videos as a hobby, this is a perfect thing to monetize. It’s so fun!
You can get paid to watch videos on the survey sites that we mentioned, such as Swagbucks.
The app lists ads and videos that you can watch. Tasks earn you points, and you use those points to get free gift cards or PayPal cash.
12. Dog Walking & Pet Sitting
Who doesn’t love dogs?! Dog walking and pet sitting can both be nice hobbies, even if you don’t have a dog yourself.
You may find yourself asking your friends or neighbors if you can take their dogs out or hang out with them, but why not get paid to play with Fido?
Getting paid to walk can only be a good thing when you want extra money and exercise!
We love dog walking and even pet sitting as hobbies that make money because there are no costs involved, and it’s so good for your own health as an added bonus.
Being outdoors and walking is a great thing to do in general, and when it comes to hobbies, we are all for anything that involves exercising in the fresh air.
You could sign up for Rover to offer pet sitting and dog walking to hundreds of potential clients.
13. Tutor Online
Tutoring is great because it’s always fun to teach someone new to the area that you love, and are passionate about learning.
You could tutor people on all kinds of things – it could be teaching them a particular subject for school, sports, languages, or a musical instrument.
You could do this either online or in person, depending on what you are teaching, and you have the potential to find many pupils online using tutoring sites.
We always recommend BookNook as it’s well paid – where you will be tutoring students in reading and math.
14. Finding Flea Markets Items & Making Profits On Sales
Is there nothing that you love more than having a rummage through some thrift stores and garage sales to find a treasure?
If shopping at flea markets and thrift stores is something that you love to do, why not make more out of this profitable hobby?
Flea market flipping could be your new career! This is essentially finding desirable items while thrifting and selling them online for a profit.
The key to making this worth you’re time is to find something at a low price and sell it for a higher price.
If this is something that you love to do as a hobby, you will have a competitive edge over someone who is getting into it just doing it for the money, because you’ll have a lot more knowledge.
You can take a free flipping workshop to learn the basics of finding profitable thrift store finds- so the next time you go thrifting for fun, you can look for some money-making items!
15. Become A Virtual Assistant
Organizing things and loving to support people in their ventures means that you would really enjoy being a VA (Virtual Assistant).
There may be particular things that you enjoy doing that you could provide as a VA, like creating graphics or writing content.
But you can earn a better income just by organizing files, answering emails, and more for businesses- all from the comfort of your home!
If you like Pinterest, Pinterest managers/VAs can make money by creating designs and creating pins that attract users
Learn about being a Pinterest VA here and consider taking an online course to find out how to launch business ads and more on Pinterest boards.
16. Social Media Management
This one’s for you social media lovers! Do you find yourself scrolling through your phone most of the day?
Do you notice the trends? Do you like to post on social media? Maybe you create your own graphics and cute pictures.
Now, would you like to do this as a job? Social media management is always in demand, as it can take a lot of time and be important for sales.
You can search for jobs in Facebook groups or even by contacting online businesses that may not have a social media presence, and you could advise them on what to do to increase their sales.
17. Grocery Shop (For Others)
Lots of people enjoy grocery shopping, but lots of people don’t enjoy it as well! If you are one of the people who enjoy it, you could offer it as a service.
There are companies out there that you should sign up to such as:
With most of these companies, you just need to buy the groceries that they have requested and drop them off at their home.
18. Illustration
Are you a budding artist? When you love to draw and are good at it, illustrations are a profitable hobby that can earn extra cash.
You can sell illustrations on sites such as Etsy and Instagram or create your own website.
I also know a friend who went to school for medical illustration and now works for Medscape- hello, WebMD!
You’d be surprised by how many artists out there make good money from illustrations as a full-time business.
I recommend looking on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to check them out; you can see how people have turned them into comics, memes, short TikTok videos, and more!
You can even see artists behind the scenes if you search for things like “Studio Vlog.”
19. Online Shopping
If you love online shopping, there is a way to make money from doing so. You can, of course, flip the items that you buy, as previously mentioned.
You could earn extra cashback from sites and apps- that way when you buy, you’ll earn good money back as a reward!
We love cash back apps, as it’s such a passive way to make money. You just need to select the item that you want to purchase, buy it, then upload your receipt.
Cashback sites work in pretty much the same way, but you usually have to just click through the site and continue to make your purchase, with it being tracked.
My favorite cash-back apps and sites include:
20. Music
Did you know that you can make money from selling your music? So cool, right?
There are a few different ways that you can do this if you aren’t going to go down the route of being a fully-fledged musician, such as recording songs and putting them on sites like Soundcloud.
You can also sell your beats on sites like BeatStars or Airbit, where users can buy your music for their own use.
Not only can you sell your lyrics, your baseline, and any other combination of songs, but you can monetize your playing.
You can start performing live in bars, restaurants, and other places for some fast cash.
You could also start a YouTube channel, TikTok account, or any other social media to share videos of your playing and get paid through views, ads, and affiliate marketing.
21. Fitness
Avid gym goers will know that once you get into fitness, it can kind of take over your life a bit!
With that in mind, it can be good to try and make some money from this passion.
You can get paid to work out, whether from apps like HealthyWager or as a yoga instructor.
You will generally have to qualify if you want to do something like being a personal trainer.
There are lots of people on Instagram who are fitness influencers and make a lot of money sharing workouts and guides (they are typically PTs).
22. Selling Plants
Have you ever thought about selling plants? If you have a passion for plants and enjoy growing them, this is a cute way of making money from your hobby!
Houseplants are in high demand and also sell well on social media channels. You can start off selling the plants that you already have and using the cuttings to make even more.
You can even sell them outside your house for your neighbors and then branch out (pardon the pun!) into selling online.
23. Gaming
Are you a big gamer? Playing video games is a fun hobby to fill your free time, but gaming is a very popular way of making money too.
You can make money from using Twitch to live-stream yourself playing video games for your fans. You can also set up a YouTube channel where you do the same thing.
Many gamers are making great side hustle income or even a full-time income from gaming. To get started, grab some of the latest gaming gear and get playing!
You can also play gaming apps to earn money and prizes fast!
24. Cook For Others
When you have a love for cooking, you just want to be doing it all the time! The great thing about this is that you will always have people who are willing to receive your goodies.
There are lots of different ways that you can make money from your cooking hobby, such as starting a YouTube channel showing you cooking or your recipes.
You could also set up a food business where you sell your things either in a truck or even a cafe/restaurant.
25. Selling Coffee
Are you a coffee lover? If so, you’ll be one of the 50% of Americans who drink coffee every day.
Coffee videos, selling coffee, selling coffee instruments, and more would make great hobbies that make money.
If you want to cash in on your love for coffee, you could start to sell it – either through packaged goods or perhaps having a coffee van that goes around to workplaces.
26. Fixing Cars/Bikes
Do you know your way around a car? If you are often found under the hood of a car tinkering around, you could put this interest and skills to good use.
Car mechanics are always in demand – from small fixes like lights and breaks to completely flipping cars, mechanics have many money-making opportunities.
If you know about fixing bikes/motorbikes, this could be a good way of earning money that could get you some big bucks.
27. Tour Guide
If you love talking about the area where you live and love walking around it, you could make money by showing people around on a tour.
Tour guides don’t need any qualifications – if you’re knowledgeable and passionate and can walk around a bit in your spare time, you should get a lot of interest.
And you don’t need a vehicle either- you can have people meet you in a central area and just walk around from there.
Just be sure that the area you pick is interesting, with good history and stories, and that it’s safe to walk around as tourists.
28. Calligraphy
Do you like creating homemade cards or handwritten notes and letters for your friends?
You can take it to the next level and learn calligraphy as a well-paid hobby!
As a calligrapher, you can create signage for weddings, wall art, name cards, note cards, and more in your spare time.
There are different mediums for calligraphy and many writing styles, so you could make money creating so many things for customers!
If you want, you can learn from YouTube videos, but you can also find an online course using SkillShare for calligraphy and many other art skills.
29. Event Planning
30. Wedding Coordinator
If you’re an organized person, or maybe even coordinated a wedding or two for a friend, you could turn those organization skills into cold, hard cash.
People often need help the day of their wedding, making sure every detail is right and everyone is where they should be. And you can help!
Brittany is way more organized than I am, and keeps lists and all that jazz, so that’s a great habit that could do well as a coordinator.
You can work together with brides to create schedules, centerpieces, signage, and more- then make sure everything gets set up as planned.
31. Makeup Artist
If you love makeup and help your friends get decked out for their dates, you could do well as a makeup artist.
You do need some certification and plenty of makeup, but many people need makeup skills to look their best for special events.
I have a friend who does Halloween makeup as a side hustle, and many brides need makeup done for their parties and wedding looks.
32. Sewing
If you can sew, you can make money!
You can use a needle and thread to alter clothing, create custom clothes or cosplays, make basic repairs (buttons everywhere!), and more.
You don’t need to be a professional seamstress, but it never hurts to brush up on your skills- you could even use you practice to create TikTok videos for extra money on the side.
Then your social media can help you find customers to sew for.
33. Drone Business
If you have a drone you like to fly around or take pictures with, you could be using your drone to make money.
You could create a website or social media promoting your drone business, but what exactly can you do?
You can take landscape photos to sell as art or stock photos, take aerial photos for businesses or real estate projects, and even take wedding photos and videos.
34. Voice Acting
Do you like talking in weird voices? Or maybe you’re a fan of cartoons or D&D?
You can use your wacky voices and interesting tones to make money!
Voice acting is a great career to start, even as a beginner. You can create audition tapes from home, even record scripts from home, making it an easy hobby that makes money.
35. Podcaster
If you’re quite the talker or like sharing information you’ve learned, starting a money-making podcast could be your new hobby that brings in cash!
Creating podcasts for income has become quite the trend over the last few years.
You can talk about your garden, family, recipes and cooking, your life growing up, politics, and thousands of other topics.
Once you’ve picked your topic(s), you can find ways to monetize your podcast- particularly with affiliate marketing.
If you’re starting a mom podcast, you can get affiliate links for the best baby and kid products on Amazon.
If you’re talking about food and cooking, you could look for sponsored casts with HelloFresh.
Then, use platforms like Buzzsprout or PodBean to post your recordings and start getting listeners today!
36. Gardening
Gardening can be a very zen hobby, but a great hobby to make money from!
You don’t have to be a professional to help people trim their roses, add plants to their front yard, or remove dead plants that ruin their feng shui.
I think it’s a hobby where you can work some afternoons or weekends and make $20+ per hour to weed someone’s garden and get it looking nice.
37. Woodwork
Now, not everyone likes to work with wood, but if you have this hobby or want to get into it, it can open a profitable door!
With woodworking, you can create photo frames, cutting boards, end tables, coffee tables, wall art, and so much more.
My favorite thing lately is watching woodworkers create serving trays with a beautiful piece of wood and epoxy, turning them into mini beach scenes.
They could be custom designs, which is great for wedding gifts, anniversary gifts, and other special occasions.
And custom art and gifts pay better so it’s great for you to offer!
How To Start Making Money From A Hobby
You’ve had a look through the types of hobbies that make money, but how do you actually start making money from this?
It’s not as simple as posting things online and waiting impatiently for money to come in.
We’ve started our fair share of profitable side hustles, and hobbies are no different than starting a mini business.
Let’s take a look at how you can be wise with your money-making hobby:
Research A Potential Customer Base
When you have an idea for a business, it’s really easy to get carried away before you do any research.
I know a friend who started a resin business, which many people have found profitable, but she overstocked items that didn’t sell well.
The most important thing before you try to monetize your hobby is to ensure there are customers who will buy from you or hire you.
You can do this by looking at what is already out there – a common mistake that a lot of people make is to try and create something unique.
You want to see that there is a demand for what you want to do, which means looking for similar businesses.
Write A Business Plan
Another common mistake that new users make when monetizing something that they are doing is not creating a business plan.
If you want to earn money and not simply lose money, it’s important to have a plan. Even for an online business or low-cost business ideas!
Think about how you can make money, how you are going to market your business, and how you want to grow.
This can include the expenses to make your product or to get training for your new service, your strategy for reaching buyers and customers, and more.
Start An Online Store & Get Selling
Once you have found out your hobbies that make money, it’s time to create and start selling!
You can create your own online store, post some artwork or handmade goodies, and have people buy your stuff.
It’s not just a case of setting something up and watching the money roll in – you need a good shop and some marketing to get good sales!
Setting up a shop can take time, though you can easily set up a website (e.g., Shopify) or social media page to promote yourself.
You can also set up a shop on Etsy, which now has over 4.3 million users- there are plenty of categories of things to sell and a huge market right at your fingertips!
Learn How To Market Your Business/Product
One of the most important things in business is marketing. Hobbies that make money are great business ventures, but you must be able to reach customers.
It’s not just the best product that will have the most sales, but the one that is marketed the best.
There are so many ways that you can market your business, with social media being the most popular.
Think about where your ideal audience/clients will be hanging out, and promote it there.
For example, is your product for young teens? The best kind of platform to try is TikTok or Instagram.
If you’re going after professionals, then you may want to try LinkedIn.
You can also try out advertising on these platforms to reach even more targeted people.
Make Sure You Make Extra Money Legally
Hobbies that make money can be really exciting and even relaxing!
But it’s worth noting that you need to make sure that you are thinking of things like the tax implications.
You want to ensure that you’re making money legally and paying taxes when you’re supposed to.
The first step is to make sure that you start tracking your income and expenses from the get-go.
States have different rules, but there’s usually an income threshold for how much you can make before you pay taxes.
FAQs
What are some good hobbies to start?
Some good hobbies to start include blogging, reading, gardening, painting, photography, cooking, and playing a musical instrument.
These hobbies can bring joy, relaxation, and fulfillment to your life.
What hobbies can I use to generate income?
There are several hobbies that can generate income.
You can consider starting a blog or a YouTube channel, selling handmade crafts or artwork online, offering freelance services like writing, or becoming a part-time photographer.
What hobbies could be my potential career or side hustle?
Certain hobbies have the potential to turn into a career or a side hustle.
For example, if you have a passion for writing, you can become a professional writer or start a content creation business.
If you enjoy baking, you can start a home-based bakery or become a pastry chef.
Exploring your hobbies and identifying opportunities can lead to a fulfilling career or a profitable side business.
Final Thoughts
Hobbies are a way to destress after a hard week at work and to focus on yourself and your own enjoyment.
But hobbies are also the perfect way to start earning extra cash!
We all worry about getting more money in the bank, and hobbies are your gateway to earning more by doing things that make you happy.
Our blog started out that way since we both like to write and talk, and we want people like you to find out how to earn more money.
So find your passion, pick your favorite hobby, and find out how you can monetize it.
If you don’t have a hobby yet, we hope that you have found some inspiration from the different ideas that we have shared throughout this article.
There are so many activities to earn money, and we hope that you find one that you truly enjoy and love.
