SIDE HUSTLE
HOW TO MAKE MONEY WITH THE LITTLE TIME YOU DO HAVE
I get asked frequently how we can afford to travel so much and still maintain our financial goals. I thought that I would explain a little on how we are constantly making money on the side from our hobbies and talents. I will admit that each of these items takes time especially to get started, but it's well worth it when you have a consistent stream of income flowing into your bank account each month.
Airbnb
This is my favorite income stream because I’m a major extrovert. We have been renting out the two extra bedrooms in our house for the last year and a half. Over that time, we have never had any bad experiences. I even misplaced some headphones and thought they were stollen by a guest, and Airbnb paid for me to get new ones with no questions asked (oops!). We make around $1000/month from renting out the rooms. Even if you don’t think you are in a popular city, you likely can still make some great money by utilizing your home. It will also keep you accountable for cleaning up your house more frequently.
If you are interested in renting a room, I’m happy to talk you through how to get started. You can use this link to help.
ETSY & Selling your skills
Etsy.com and Facebook allow you to sell your skills for a really low entry cost. It costs $0.10 to list a product on Etsy, and it is really easy to get set up. I sell my custom paintings on both sites to make some side income. Even if you can’t do art, I know that you have a talent that you could sell. Think about your talents, and consider selling them!
3. AMAZON REVIEWS
You’ve likely seen my posts about doing Amazon reviews for free products. You only make money with Amazon if you refer other people to leave reviews, but you do get free products, and to me, that’s free money. This is a completely legitimate program that helps Chinese businesses get reviews on Amazon. Read here for more information.
4. CREDIT CARDS
I totally understand if you’re at war with your debt or whatever the hashtag is these days, but you can use credit cards to make you SO MUCH MONEY! You just need self control. Credit card companies offer you incentives to sign up, like a $200 bonus for spending $3,000 in your first 90 days. NerdWallet.com will be your best friend for finding the best credit cards out there. Many give you a percentage back on all of your purchases from 1% - 5%. If you run your daily expenses through a credit card, you can delay payment and therefore keep more money in interest bearing accounts for at-least a few extra weeks. Let me be very clear though, I DO NOT SUPPORT DEBT. Do not use your credit card if you cannot pay off that purchase that month.
5. BANK ACCOUNTS
Most people bank with a local bank - which I understand because you want access to your money quickly, but your local banks likely don’t have the best interest rates. We bank in Kentucky, even though we live in South Carolina. If we need cash, we have bank at Wells Fargo locally and keep a small amount of money in that account for quick access. We earn 3.25% annually on our checking account just for having our money sit there. It only adds up to a couple hundred dollars a year, but it’s free money! Take a look at this site to see if you could be banking somewhere better. We’ve learned that any bank offering Kasasa Banking will have a pretty great interest rate.
6. TEACHING ENGLISH ONLINE
There are a few online programs that you can teach English to Chinese students in your free time. I work with VIPKid, but there are others that are great! Each class is around 30 minutes long, and you can base your classes around your schedule each week. The pay is around $14-$22/hour. You also don’t need a TESOL certification. You will need to go through their training classes, but they are easy and fun to do. You also don’t need to know any Chinese. Use code CARA00036 for a referral code please :)
7. Walking/watching dogs
Many of my friends watch and walk dogs as their primary income. It can provide great money if you love animals. If you sign up with Rover, it’s very similar to Airbnb but for pets.
8. MYSTERY SHOPPING
I work with A Closer Look, and I have enjoyed my time with them. I have gotten a free massage and pet products so far, but I just started. They pay within 30 days of your shop. Mystery shopping has been a fun way for me to try out new stores for free and also earn some extra money. You typically get reimbursed for your shop and get a bonus on the side.
9. ONLINE SURVEYS
I did online surveys for a few months in college, and made a few hundred dollars, but it wasn’t worth it to me because I was blown up by spam callers after that, because you have to enter your phone number on many of the forms. It was fun money, but you’ll have to decide if it’s worth it.
10. Starting a Blog
Blogging takes time and maintenance. It’s not as easy as most of the blog posts make it out to be. There is great potential for good money blogging, but you have to be diligent and post frequently to the correct sites. Check Pinterest for some ideas on how to make money blogging. I’m not making much money yet, but I look forward to building my website for years to come.
11. Babysit
Even if you only have 1 day a week or a month free, you can take advantage of Care.com. I love babysitting and helping couples go on date nights, so Care.com is wonderful for me. If you love children too, make a profile and see if any families are interested in your skills. You can typically make $15-$25/hour taking care of children.