Tired of those copy-paste hustle lists written by people who’ve never actually done any of them? Me too!
That’s why my wife and I tested everything ourselves—from blogging, launching digital products, taking surveys, affiliate marketing, becoming content creators, running a marketing agency, and even renting out our driveway (yes, that’s a thing).
Some hustles brought in quick cash. Others fizzled. But a few turned into reliable income streams that helped us build our life of freedom, including this blog.
This is your no-fluff guide to 15 real side hustle ideas—ranked by our own hands-on experience. If you’re serious about finding a side hustle that actually works, you’re in the right place.
My Quick List For Easy Money
- Best Side Hustle App – Swagbucks
- Best Survey Site – Survey Junkie
- Most Scalable – AI Marketing Agency
- Easiest to Start – Affiliate Marketing
I’ve Tried Over 35 Side Hustles in My Life (Here’s How They Rank)
1. Affiliate Marketing
Income Potential: $500 – $1,000+ per month
Startup Costs: Low
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Affiliate marketing has been one of the most powerful and passive side hustles in our toolkit—it’s actually how our blog earns most of its income.
Here’s how it works: we partner with companies and products we personally use and trust, like Swagbucks, and earn a small commission when someone signs up through our unique affiliate link.
There’s no extra cost to the person signing up, and it’s a win-win if the product genuinely helps them.
Why It Works:
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It scales well once your content (blog posts, YouTube videos, or email newsletters) starts gaining traction.
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It’s passive—meaning you can keep earning from content you created months or even years ago.
What to Avoid:
Don’t just throw up affiliate links to products you haven’t used or don’t believe in. Not only does that damage trust, but your audience can sense inauthenticity a mile away. We only promote what we’ve tried and truly recommend—just like everything on this list.
Pro Tip:
It takes time to build traffic and trust, but affiliate income can truly become life-changing. It was for us. If you’re serious about starting, grab our free Affiliate Marketing Starter Guide below.
Ready to Learn How to Make $1,000+ Online Every Single Month?
The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Kickstart your ability to make money online
2. Marketing Agency
Income Potential: $500 – $10,000+ per month
Skill Level: Intermediate – Advanced
Startup Costs: Low to Medium
If you like the idea of affiliate marketing but don’t want to blog or become a content creator, an AI-powered marketing agency could be a great alternative.
With the explosion of AI tools, local businesses are actively seeking help with:
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Websites
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Automated social media posting
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Lead generation and email marketing
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SEO content using AI writing assistants
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Google review outreach using CRM software
My Personal Experience:
I’m currently running this as a side hustle and charge clients $197–$497 per month for monthly retainers. The biggest challenge is mastering the service you’re offering and learning to land your first few clients — but once you do, the recurring income can scale quickly.
Pro Tips for Getting Started:
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Choose a niche (e.g., real estate agents, chiropractors, local service businesses).
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Use tools like GoHighLevel (free 30-day trial)
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Learn how to automate reporting and outreach.
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Focus on getting reviews and referrals to build trust fast.
Free Course Resource:
Want to learn exactly how to launch your own AI agency? I created a free course that teaches:
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How to get organized and pick your service stack
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What software tools to use
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How to find leads and convert them
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How to get client testimonials to build momentum
Ready to Learn How To Start A Wildly Profitable Marketing Agency Making $5k-$10k Per Month!
3. Sell Digital Printables
Income Potential: $1,000+ per month
Startup Costs: Low
Skill Level: Beginner (no design experience needed)
Selling digital printables is one of the easiest ways to start earning passive income—especially on platforms like Etsy. Popular printables include:
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Chore charts
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Grocery and budgeting templates
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Kids’ activity sheets
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Holiday games and party planners
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Wedding checklists and icebreakers
Why It Works:
You create a digital file once, and it can sell over and over—24/7. There’s no inventory, no shipping, and minimal overhead. Just upload, market, and get paid.
Real-Life Success Story:
We have been selling digital printables for over 5 years and have made well over a million dollars. Yes you read that correctly a million dollars.
We started with a simple budget template and continued to build our empire of digital products. Then my wife decided to start her own blog, The Savvy Mama, and cater to helping busy moms with her digital products.
Start small by creating just a few one page printables you can sell on Etsy. This is exactly what my sister Kristy did and she has already made a handful of sales in her first month.
Getting Started Made Easy:
Our good friend Julie from Gold City Ventures shares her entire process in her course E Printables:
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What sells best on Etsy
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How to create printables using free tools
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How to price, list, and promote your products
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Mistakes to avoid as a beginner
Ready to create passive income selling digital printables online?
Watch the FREE training below to learn everything you need to know to start making money today!
4. Watch Videos
Income Potential: $1 – $10+ per hour
Startup Costs: None
Skill Level: Beginner
Yes, you can actually earn money just by watching videos—and no, it’s not too good to be true. If you already spend time watching trailers, scrolling TikTok, or bingeing YouTube, this is an easy way to turn that screen time into extra cash.
Why It’s a Great Side Hustle:
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No skills or setup needed—just a phone or laptop
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Earn while multitasking, relaxing, or commuting
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Great for quick wins and extra spending money
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Passive-friendly: let it run in the background while you work
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It’s more rewarding than endless doom-scrolling
How It Works:
Sites like Swagbucks pay you to watch short video clips—like movie trailers, ads, or entertainment content. It’s not going to make you rich, but it’s perfect for stacking up small wins that can turn into gift cards, PayPal cash, or savings.
Pro Tip:
We dive into all the ways to earn (including watching videos) in our full Swagbucks review—so you can decide if it’s worth your time and learn how to start earning quickly.
Start sharing your opinion, earn points, and cash them out for free gift cards or cash today. Claim your FREE $10 sign-up bonus now!
5. Take Paid Online Surveys
Income Potential: $1 – $10+ per hour
Startup Costs: None
Skill Level: Beginner
When I was in college, online surveys were one of the easiest ways I found to earn extra cash between classes. Sure, it won’t make you rich—but every little bit helps, especially when money’s tight.
Survey sites like Survey Junkie offer paid opportunities to share your opinion on everything from products to ads. The flexibility makes it a great side hustle for students, stay-at-home parents, or anyone with a few spare minutes.
Why It Works:
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100% flexible—you can do it while watching TV or waiting in line
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No special skills required
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Great for turning downtime into cash or gift cards
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Surveys range from a few minutes to 20+ minutes depending on payout
Tips for Earning More with Survey Junkie:
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Use your real email and complete your profile—this boosts your chances of getting high-paying, relevant surveys
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Check your dashboard daily—surveys expire quickly, and the best ones go fast
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Prioritize by payout/time ratio—go for the quick, high-reward surveys when short on time
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Multitask smartly—use the app during TV time, work breaks, or your commute (as a passenger, of course!)
Pro Tip:
Treat it like a background task, not a full-time job. Over time, those little earnings add up—perfect for small splurges or funding a rainy-day fund.
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!
6. Online Proofreader
Income Potential: $20 – $30+ per hour
Skill Level: Intermediate (but no degree required)
Work Style: 100% Remote & Flexible
If you’re the kind of person who can’t unsee typos in books, emails, or menus—proofreading might just be your perfect side hustle.
You don’t need a degree to get started. I review content for our blog and printable shop regularly—catching grammar errors, awkward phrasing, or formatting issues before anything goes live.
But the real star in our house? Brittany. Her background as a teacher made her a natural at spotting what’s off in written content, whether it’s grammar, clarity, or consistency.
What Proofreaders Do:
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Check for spelling, punctuation, and grammar errors
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Fix awkward phrasing or unclear sentences
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Ensure content is consistent and polished before publishing
No Experience? No Problem.
If you’re curious whether this is a good fit, I highly recommend taking this FREE Proofreading Workshop. It’s a great intro to the skills and tools you’ll need—and you might be surprised at how qualified you already are.
Learn How to Become a Proofreader and Start a Freelance Proofreading Business.
15,000+ Students. 7+ Years of Results.
7. Online Bookkeeper
Income Potential: $17 – $30 per hour (up to $80/hr with experience + certification)
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Work Style: Remote, Flexible Schedule
If you’re someone who enjoys numbers, organizing spreadsheets, and bringing order to chaos—bookkeeping could be the perfect side hustle for you.
Brittany was a natural at it after her teaching career, and now she keeps our blog’s finances running like clockwork. She manages invoices, tracks payments, and ensures everything stays on budget—basically our financial superhero.
What Bookkeepers Do:
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Send and manage invoices
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Track payments, bills, and account balances
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Keep financial records tidy and up to date
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Work with small business owners or freelancers
Do You Need to Be an Accountant?
Not at all! Bookkeeping is more about organization and attention to detail than advanced math. You don’t need a degree or CPA license to get started.
How to Learn:
The FREE Bookkeeper Launch workshop is the perfect intro to this side hustle. It walks you through what bookkeepers do, how to find clients, and how to launch your own bookkeeping business from scratch.
Want to charge $80+ per hour? Bookkeeper Launch also offers a certification course to help you level up your skills and rates.
How to Start a Profitable Bookkeeping Business in 90 Days or Less!
15,000+ Students. 10+ Years of Results.
8. Start A Money-Making Blog
Income Potential: $1,000+ per month (and scalable to $10,000+)
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Work Style: 100% Remote, Creative & Flexible
Starting a blog was the game-changer that completely transformed our lives—and it’s still my favorite side hustle to this day.
What began as a fun creative outlet turned into a full-blown business. Within three years, we scaled our blog to over $10,000 per month in income and were able to quit our 9–5 jobs for good.
Why Blogging Works:
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You can write about anything you’re passionate about—from parenting and travel to personal finance or DIY hacks
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Blogging creates multiple income streams (ads, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, digital products, and more)
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It’s one of the most scalable and flexible side hustles out there
Our Journey:
We started by writing about side hustles, budgeting, and paying off debt—because that’s what we were living through at the time. Turns out, others wanted to learn too. Writing what we were passionate about became the very thing that helped us earn more, save more, and eventually become financially free.
Pro Tip:
Consistency is key. You don’t need to be a professional writer—you just need to be real, helpful, and persistent.
9. Virtual Assistant
Income Potential: $25+ per hour
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Work Style: Remote & Flexible
Virtual assistants (VAs) are in high demand right now—especially as more businesses go remote and online entrepreneurs need help staying organized and productive.
As a VA, you act as the right-hand support for business owners, taking care of the day-to-day tasks they don’t have time for. It’s a flexible, scalable side hustle that can fit around your schedule—perfect for stay-at-home parents, part-timers, or anyone looking for location-independent income.
Common VA Tasks Include:
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Answering emails and managing inboxes
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Scheduling appointments or meetings
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Managing social media accounts
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Data entry and research
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Writing blog posts or newsletters
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Basic graphic design or Canva work
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Customer service and support
Why It’s a Great Side Hustle:
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Work with one or several clients
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Set your own hours and rates
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Start with general admin tasks, then niche down (and charge more!)
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All you need is a laptop, internet connection, and attention to detail
Pro Tip:
Start by offering a few services you’re confident in—like inbox management or scheduling—then grow your skillset as you gain experience. The more specialized you become (e.g., Pinterest VA, podcast VA, content VA), the more you can charge.
Do you want the freedom to be your own boss and work on your terms? Tired of living life on someone else's time clock? Confidently launch your own virtual assistant business from scratch in 30 days!
10. Flip Items for Profit
Income Potential: $500+ per month
Startup Costs: None (you already own the inventory!)
Work Style: Flexible, at your own pace
You probably have at least $500 worth of stuff sitting in your home right now that you could turn into cash—seriously.
Brittany and I started decluttering our home and realized just how much we could make selling everyday items we no longer used. We’ve sold everything from kids’ clothes and toys to backpacks, furniture, and kitchen gadgets.
How to Get Started:
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Check your closets, garage, basement, or attic
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Gather anything you don’t use or need anymore
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Take clear photos and list them on Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Mercari, or Poshmark
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Watch the offers roll in!
Bonus Tip: Try Free Flipping
If you want to go beyond just decluttering, start flipping free items for profit. Things like chairs, small tables, or décor can often be found for free (especially on Facebook), cleaned up, and resold for pure profit.
Learn from the Pros:
Our friends Robbie and Melissa turned flipping into a full-time income—and they’re teaching others how to do the same in their FREE Flea Market Flipping Workshop.
Turn your passion for visiting thrift stores, yard sales & flea markets into a profitable Reselling Business!
11. Launch an Online Store
Income Potential: $1,500 – $30,000+ per month
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
Platforms: Shopify, Etsy, Payhip, WooCommerce
Selling online has been a total game-changer for us—and we have the numbers to prove it.
In one 12-month stretch, we generated over $184,000 in online sales from our Shopify store alone, with more than 7,400 orders placed. (Check out the chart above—this is real revenue, not just hype.)
Whether you’re crafty with a sewing machine, love digital design, or have knowledge to package into a course or membership, e-commerce is one of the most scalable ways to earn income online.
What You Can Sell Online:
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Digital products (like printables, planners, and templates)
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Online courses and ebooks
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Handmade goods (like art, apparel, or gifts)
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Monthly memberships or digital subscriptions
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Dropshipping or white-labeled physical products
Platform Tips:
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Etsy is perfect for handmade items and digital downloads. It’s beginner-friendly and already has millions of shoppers.
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Shopify gives you full control over branding, pricing, and customer experience—and it’s where we’ve made our biggest income months (up to $30,000+).
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Use both if you can—Etsy for discoverability, Shopify for control.
Our Secret?
Consistency, testing what sells, and listening to what our audience actually wants. We started small—selling printables and simple products—and expanded into full courses and memberships.
Pro Tip:
If you’re not sure where to begin, start with one product type (like a digital download or low-cost printable) and build from there. You don’t need a huge catalog—just one good offer that solves a problem.
The future of business is yours to shape. Sign up for a free trial and enjoy 3 months of Shopify for $1/month on select plans.
12. Become a YouTube Influencer
Income Potential: $1,000+ per video (plus passive income from older videos)
Platform: YouTube
Skill Level: Beginner to Advanced
We’re living proof that you don’t need to be famous to succeed on YouTube.
Our YouTube channel has grown to over 25,000 subscribers, and we earn thousands of dollars every month through ad revenue, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships—all by sharing content that helps people make money, quit dead-end jobs, and build better lives.
Why YouTube Is a Powerful Side Hustle:
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Videos you post today can earn you passive income for years
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You build trust faster through face-to-face content
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You can monetize through ads, affiliates, brand deals, and digital products
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Your channel becomes a long-term asset that grows with your content
Our Journey:
We didn’t go viral overnight. But by staying consistent and focusing on real value (not flashy trends), our content started connecting. Every subscriber we gained was someone who genuinely wanted help taking control of their finances—and that’s the audience we keep showing up for.
Want to Grow Your Own Channel?
We took the Mastering YouTube course to learn how to create better content, develop a growth strategy, and market ourselves the right way. It helped us avoid burnout, stay on message, and start treating YouTube like a real business.
13. Create and Sell an Online Course
Income Potential: $20 – $1,000+ per course (per student!)
Skill Level: Intermediate
Platform Options: Teachable, Podia, Thinkific, Kajabi, Highlevel
We’ve launched our own online courses—and we can confidently say: it’s one of the most powerful ways to generate scalable, passive income.
Whether you’re great at budgeting, meal planning, marketing, photography, or digital design—there’s someone out there willing to pay to learn what you already know. That’s the magic of online courses: you package up your skills, deliver real value, and get paid again and again as new students enroll.
Our Niche:
We specialize in teaching people how to build side hustles and become their own boss—something we’ve done ourselves. Creating a course around what we already teach on the blog helped us scale our message and our income.
Why Courses Work:
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Once created, they can sell 24/7 with minimal upkeep
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You can sell through your blog, YouTube, or even social media
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You don’t need a big audience—you can partner with influencers or affiliates
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Course platforms handle the tech: payments, logins, and content hosting
Pro Tip:
The key is choosing a topic that solves a real problem and makes life easier for your ideal audience. Focus on results, not perfection.
Want to Learn How to Do It Step-by-Step?
We recommend the Course by Number training—it walks you through planning, building, launching, and selling your course, even if you’re a total beginner.
14. Clean Houses for Extra Cash
Income Potential: $200 – $500 per house
Skill Level: Beginner
Work Style: Local, Flexible, High-Earning
House cleaning is one of the most overlooked but highly profitable side hustles—especially if you’re fast, reliable, and detail-oriented.
We have friends from our church who clean homes part-time and consistently earn $200 to $500 per house, depending on the size of the job and frequency. They’ve built strong relationships with repeat clients and turned it into a reliable source of income with very little overhead.
Who It’s Great For:
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Stay-at-home parents looking for part-time income
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Full-timers who want to pick up weekend work
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Anyone who enjoys a task with visible results and good pay
How It Adds Up:
If you clean just 2–3 houses per week, you could easily bring in $600 to $1,000+ per month. Many cleaners work flexible schedules—early mornings, weekends, or while the kids are at school.
Getting Started:
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Offer services to friends, neighbors, or through local Facebook groups
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Specialize in deep cleaning, move-in/move-out services, or organizing
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Set flat fees for different house sizes or by the hour
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Bring your own supplies for convenience and professionalism
Pro Tip:
Reliability and word-of-mouth are everything in this business. Start with one happy client, and referrals will follow fast.
15. Become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant (VA)
Income Potential: $15 – $50+ per hour
Skill Level: Beginner-Friendly
Work Style: 100% Remote & Flexible
Love spending time on Pinterest? What if you could actually get paid to pin content, create graphics, and manage Pinterest accounts—all from home?
That’s exactly what a Pinterest Virtual Assistant does, and it’s a fast-growing niche in the virtual assistant world. We’ve personally used Pinterest to grow our blog traffic and reach thousands of new readers, simply by creating eye-catching pins and scheduling content consistently.
Why This Side Hustle Works:
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Pinterest is a visual search engine that drives serious traffic for bloggers and businesses
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Many content creators don’t have time to manage their Pinterest accounts—so they hire VAs to do it
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You can start with basic pin design, keyword optimization, and scheduling using tools like Tailwind
Want to Learn the Ropes?
Our friends Gina and Kristin created a step-by-step course that teaches you how to become a successful Pinterest VA—even if you have zero experience.
Their course includes 5 expert-led modules covering:
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The Pinterest VA role & responsibilities
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Setting up your freelance business
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Finding and pitching clients
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Managing client accounts effectively
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Scaling and expanding your VA services
Their students have used these exact strategies to quit their 9–5 jobs and go full-time as Pinterest VAs.
You can learn more about their course here.
Side Hustle FAQs
How do I start a side hustle?
Getting started is easier than most people think. The hardest part is just deciding to take action.
Here’s our 3-step approach:
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Pick a side hustle that fits your lifestyle and interests – Whether it’s flipping furniture, becoming a virtual assistant, or starting a YouTube channel, choose something you’ll enjoy and stick with.
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Learn the basics – We’ve included helpful free trainings and guides throughout this post to help you start with confidence.
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Take consistent action – You don’t need to be perfect—just make progress every week.
We chose to feature side hustles that are flexible, beginner-friendly, and scalable, so you can start small and grow into something life-changing—just like we did with our blog, online store, and YouTube channel.
These ideas work great for stay-at-home parents, college students, full-timers, or anyone ready to earn extra income on their own terms.
What are the easiest side hustles to start?
The easiest side hustles are those you can begin with little to no experience or investment. Here are a few great ones:
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🛋️ Watching videos and taking surveys on Swagbucks – great for spare time, even while multitasking
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📱 Selling unused items around your home – instant profit from decluttering
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🧼 Cleaning houses – low barrier to entry, fast cash, and high demand
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📌 Becoming a Pinterest VA – a fun, remote-friendly gig for those who love visual platforms
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📖 Online proofreading – ideal if you have a good eye for grammar and want to work from anywhere
All of these side hustles can be done in your spare time and don’t require a degree or prior experience to start earning.
What is the most lucrative side hustle?
It depends on your skills, consistency, and how much time you’re willing to invest. That said, the most profitable side hustles we’ve tried include:
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💻 Blogging – We went from zero to $10,000+ per month and quit our day jobs thanks to the blog you’re reading now.
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🛒 Selling digital printables and online courses – These offer passive income, meaning you earn even when you’re not actively working.
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🎥 YouTube channel – With 25,000+ subscribers, we now make thousands each month from ad revenue, affiliate links, and brand deals.
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🧾 Bookkeeping – Our own experience (and Brittany’s knack for numbers) shows that this can grow into a $30–$80/hr freelance income stream.
Start with what you’re good at—or excited to learn—and scale from there.
Can I make $1,000 extra per month?
Absolutely! Many of these side hustles can help you hit $1,000/month or more. You can get there faster by combining a few complementary gigs.
For example:
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Become a virtual assistant charging $25/hr for 10 hours per week = $1,000/month
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Sell digital printables that earn you $20/day in passive income = $600/month
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Flip furniture or clean houses on weekends for $200–$500 per job
With just a few hours a week, you can start stacking income quickly.
How can I make $2,000 a month from a side hustle?
To hit $2,000/month, you’ll want to mix active income with passive income. Here’s a strategy we’ve seen work (and used ourselves):
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Create a printable shop or online course for scalable, passive income
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Work part-time as a Pinterest VA or proofreader
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Supplement with one-time gigs like flipping unused items or cleaning homes
This approach allows you to keep earning even when life gets busy. For us, our blog, YouTube channel, and digital products continue to generate income—even when we’re not actively working on them every day.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it—your Savvy-approved list of real, proven side hustle ideas to help you boost your income, build confidence, and take control of your financial future.
Whether you’re drawn to something passive like selling digital products, or hands-on like cleaning houses or flipping furniture, there’s something on this list for every lifestyle and schedule. You don’t have to quit your job to start—you just have to start.
Remember:
Even an extra $200–$500 a month can be life-changing. It can help you pay off debt, build savings, or just breathe a little easier at the end of the month. Small steps lead to big progress.
So whether you’re a stay-at-home parent, college student, 9-to-5 warrior, or someone simply tired of financial stress—passive side hustles are your bridge to freedom.
Did this list spark your next business idea? We’d love to hear about your journey—drop a comment below and tell us how side hustles are changing your life!
Start sharing your opinion, earn points, and cash them out for free gift cards or cash today. Claim your FREE $10 sign-up bonus now!
