If you’re looking to make more money, there are many side gigs available! Here is a list of some flexible second income opportunities to explore.
I love the flexibility and lifestyle I’m afforded as a full-time freelance writer. But as a mom of three perpetually snacking teenagers, I’m always looking out for side gigs and opportunities to pick up a little extra cash to help pay for the never-ending supply of Takis and Ramen noodles my children seem to need.
Whether you’re feeding a gaggle of growing kids or you would just love to have a little more walking-around cash, here are some of the best side hustles and second-income opportunities I’ve come across.
1. Earn Passive Income Through Self-Publishing
If you do pretty well with your language skills and have a good deal of information or a fresh insight on any number of topics, publishing your own ebooks can be a fabulous way to pick up a little extra income. Maybe you’re pretty skilled at flipping garage sale items, or you’re a decent cook who has seen a need for more keto-friendly recipe books. Heck, maybe you’ve got a great idea for a saucy high fantasy romance novel you think people need to read.
Whatever your idea, Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (AKDP) makes it super easy to publish your content, even if you have no experience. Writers are paid out in royalties that vary depending on the price of the book, so if you’re promoting your content across popular social media platforms or supporting your brand with a blog, there’s a lot of potential for picking up extra money in your spare time without the startup costs associated with some side hustle ideas.
2. Generate Revenue With YouTube Channels
There was a time not so long ago when it seemed like the golden age of YouTube profit was over, and the only people making any money on the platform were high-level content creators who racked up millions of views, presenting a highly curated lifestyle or questionable publicity stunts.
But this is no longer the case since the folks at YouTube tweaked the platform’s algorithm in 2024 to favor smaller channels. The result is that many smaller channels are now picking up views in niches that weren’t getting attention just a couple of years ago. This means you don’t have to adopt a fake persona or even be on camera to cash in on the change.
The best YouTube channels are the ones that grow out of a content creator’s own passions. Think about the kind of content you’d like to see more of, and then try making it yourself. Don’t like to be on camera? Develop a podcast and set it to image clips.
Once you find the right niche, making a decent side income through affiliate marketing, paid ads, Patreon, and branded merchandising through online stores is more than possible. If you’re truly passionate about getting into content creation, consider taking a few online courses on video editing to help get started.
3. Rent Out Your Home as an Airbnb
You don’t need a dedicated real estate investment property to make a steady rental income off Airbnb; you can actually make plenty of money renting out your primary residence. Think about it: Your space is already furnished and ready to go with all the little things any future guests might need to cook a nice meal or chill out in front of the TV. And if you live in a busy city where affordable rooms can be hard to come by, there’s always going to be a demand.
This is an especially good option for folks who spend some of their time hanging out at a significant other’s house or for empty nesters with more than they need. And unlike a dedicated rental property, there’s a lot less pressure to constantly get new bookings when you’re renting out your primary residence as an Airbnb.
4. Sell Your Wares on Online Marketplaces
This is one of my favorite side hustles because it pairs so well with my love for shopping for deals and secondhand finds. As a work from home parent, one of my favorite ways to break up the day is to stretch my legs while checking out bin stores that sell online returns or browsing through garage sales, estate sales, and thrift stores.
And while I’m always on the lookout for cute new Dooney & Bourke purses to add to my collection or quirky vintage kitchen decor for my 1970s kitchen, I’m also scanning for overlooked treasures I can freshen up and resell on Facebook Marketplace or other online marketplaces to help subsidize my shopping.
When I spy something that looks like a good item for resale, I use Google Lens to search for how much similar items sold for recently on sites like Mercari, eBay, or Poshmark. If it looks like it’s worth the time and effort invested in cleanup, photography, and shipping, I pick it up and add it to my inventory.
If bargain and secondhand shopping isn’t your bag (apologies for the pun), try making a product to sell online. I’ve got a friend who makes a fair income selling beaded and resin jewelry from her craft room stash as stocking stuffers about three weeks out from Christmas each year. Someone else I know uses their 3D printer to make a killing printing Dungeons and Dragons accessories like dice towers and trays.
5. Try Pet Sitting
If you’re a dog lover, sign up for a platform like Wag or Rover and spend your free time making new furry friends and pocketing some extra cash for your trouble.
As the busy parent of a dance and theater kid, my friend Jessie doesn’t have the flexibility needed for most part-time jobs. But she is a huge animal lover, and she’s been able to make a pretty decent income on her own schedule using the dog walk and pet sitting site Wag.
Jessie told me she first got into this side hustle after spotting an ad on Facebook. The idea instantly appealed to her. “I’ve grown up around tons of dogs,” she told me. “I love dogs, I need to get some exercise, and some money would be nice since my husband was in medical school at the time.” On a whim, she signed up with no expectation of how truly lucrative this side hustle would turn out to be.
Because many pet owners love knowing their dogs are going with someone they know and trust, Jessie quickly picked up a following of customers who wanted to request her. Eventually, she built her own business outside of the app, and it was a huge win for everyone.
6. Become an Online Tutor
If you have the academic skills and patience for it, tutoring is one of those jobs for which there always seems to be a market. And unlike back in the late ’90s when I first started tutoring, these days you can connect with clients from all over the world without ever having to leave the comfort of your home using apps like Google Docs and Zoom.
As someone who prefers to keep a small client list using word-of-mouth recommendations, I primarily use my social media account to advertise my Language Arts tutoring services at around $30-$40 per hour. Higher-level academics equal a higher payday, particularly for tutors who can work with higher-level math, statistics, nursing, or pre-medical students.
If you prefer not to connect your business with your social media accounts or you’d like a little help getting started, many tutors use gig sites like Upwork and Fiverr to connect with clients. You can even potentially turn this side hustle into a full-time job with platforms like Varsity Tutors or Studypool.
Platforms like Studypool and Teachers Pay Teachers also offer educators the opportunity to make additional money selling digital products like templates, worksheets, and study materials. So, if you already have a bunch of educational resources created, this could be a nice form of passive income to boost your income.
7. Sign Up for Online Survey Apps
Most online survey platforms are easily downloadable apps like Branded Surveys, YouGov, and Survey Junkie, where users help big companies amass the mountains of market research they need to launch a new product or advertising campaign. Most surveys ask questions about your demographics and product choices, and they’re easy enough to click through while you’re kicked back watching your favorite low-effort TV shows.
While it’s probably not going to pay your rent, you might be surprised at how much these can add up when you’re clicking away in your downtime. My friend Lisa is something of an evangelist when it comes to the best online survey sites, and she uses her rewards to pay for her kids’ Christmas gifts each year.
8. Or Try Out GPT (Get-Paid-To) Gaming Apps
Similar to online survey apps, there are plenty of Get Paid To gaming apps that reward players for downloading mobile games and playing to achieve certain game benchmarks. There are a few survey apps that include gaming as an earning option (Qmee is one of my favorite platforms for both surveys and gaming), or you can also find dedicated apps that primarily focus on gaming.
Much like the paid survey apps, you’re not going to pick up a ton of extra cash this way. But if you’re like me and you enjoy double-screening while you’re watching TV, or you love pulling up a cozy game while you’re stuck in a holding pattern in the dentists’ waiting room, these can be a great way to feel just a teensy bit less guilty about actually enjoying your downtime, since those funds can add up over time.
Typically, these apps award points for achieving certain in-game benchmarks (for example, hitting a certain level or completing a specific task. Most will either pay out in gift cards or directly to your PayPal or Venmo account. If this sounds like a fun way to earn a second income, check out Swagbucks, InboxDollars, Freecash, and KashKick.
9. Become a Wedding Officiant
I first became an ordained minister on a whim in the early days of the internet. At the time, I had learned that ministries like Universal Life Church would ordain anyone who agrees to their very basic tenets of doing that which is right and honoring others’ beliefs, and I thought it would be a fun thing to do. Fast forward years later, when a friend was looking for a non-denominational minister to conduct her wedding ceremony, and that whim would suddenly come in handy. At the time, the only requirement on my end was to register with the court clerk, which I was happy to do.
Even without actively putting the word out, I’ve officiated dozens of weddings since then for folks who tagged me in Facebook posts asking for an officiant who was willing to perform an unusual or non-mainstream ceremony. Although my personal wedding ministry means accepting what a couple is able to pay, wedding officiants who are really dedicated to generating business can potentially make hundreds per ceremony. If this appeals to you, be sure to check out the laws in your community to make sure you’re in compliance before getting started.
10. Get Into Event Planning
If you’re one of those ladies who loves little more in life than putting together a dreamy, well-appointed party, and you’re great with logistics, event planning can be a great side hustle. Even better, there are tons of affordable online courses to help you gain the knowledge you need to get started as a small business owner in the event planning domain. This might include fun work like securing the venue, creating a vision board based on your client’s wishes, creating gift bags for guests, arranging catering and photographers, and decorating the event space.
Even if you’re not into large-scale event planning like weddings and galas, there are lots of smaller-scale opportunities in the event planning world where there’s good money to be made. I’ve seen small business owners generate a decent revenue just by focusing on making children’s birthday parties special. It’s also the kind of job that tends to generate more business on its own if you’re active on social media, since clients love to share their pretty party pics with friends.
Part of the beauty of this side job is also how scalable it is. You can start off planning smaller events and then grow your business into something larger, taking on bigger events or simply expanding into a full-time operation.
11. Coach Others in a Skill
One of the most surprising things about becoming a full-time writer is how often I get inboxed with requests for one-on-one coaching on how to break into the business. I’ve never advertised this as a service I offer, and yet every few months or so, like clockwork, I get a request from someone offering to pay me a few bucks for an hour or two of my time advising them on how to get started in the business.
As someone who often followed freelance writing coaches on YouTube in my early days as a content writer, I’ve learned that coaching anyone on how to generate more income can be a pretty lucrative side job. All you need to get started is a skill, a website, and a basic understanding of social media outreach. And while you can make money with one-on-one coaching sessions, downloads, and affiliate links are also a great source of revenue for job coaches, so you can offer your great info directly to the public for free.
Another in-demand coaching area is financial planning. Whether you’re good with budgeting or you’ve got a more in-depth knowledge of apps like Robinhood, folks are always looking for ways to stretch their dollars and leverage them into more dollars. There are also a ton of financial products always looking to partner with content creators in this sector.
12. Pick Up Odd Jobs on Nextdoor and Facebook
You don’t have to build an entire business to start generating income. If you prefer a more flexible schedule and you’re just looking to pick up a little cash on the side every once in a while, social media platforms like Facebook and Nextdoor can be powerful tools to help you generate that income.
Just hop on and sign up for community groups in your local area. Depending on where you live, you’re likely to see requests for help with odd jobs like cleaning, snow shoveling, lawn care, and that sort of thing. And you can always be proactive and post a list of the services you’re willing to offer as well.
13. Write Resumes
If you’ve got a knack for writing and experience with resumes, this is one of those jobs for which there seems to be an almost endless demand. While it’s true that a lot of folks are turning to AI to help write their resumes and cover letters these days, artificial intelligence can make mistakes, hallucinate, and just generally sound a bit rigid. It’s also not great at breaking through the Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) that most corporate human resources teams use to filter out candidates.
In my resume writing work, I’ve also found a lot of clients who need help navigating complex work history challenges like job history gaps from when they were caring for small children or situations where their work history doesn’t reflect the breadth of their skills and knowledge. If you can master more complex “problem” resumes like this, even better.
To break into this easy side hustle, spend some time learning how ATS software systems work and developing the skills you need to help candidates beat the filter. Develop a clean, easy-to-read resume format that cuts to the heart of your clients’ skills, and then start your social media outreach to get clients. To get the word out while you’re getting started, try offering discounts for a certain number of clients in exchange for their reviews.
14. Become an Errand-Runner
If you’ve got reliable transportation and you don’t mind trucking around town with your favorite playlist blaring, errand running is a growing niche in the world of odd jobs. There are always lots of folks out there who need errands run while they’re at work or busy with their families. There are also plenty of senior citizens who either can’t drive or prefer not to, who would happily pay an errand-runner to take their mail to the post office or pick up their groceries.
Once again, social media platforms like NextDoor and Facebook are your best friends for getting errand-running jobs. I’ve seen quite a few folks who work only within certain neighborhoods and offer discounts for shopping trips on specific days. For example, Tuesdays might be their Target day, and if they’re already going to Target for another client, it’s less expensive to add a few more to the list.
15. Break Into AI Training
For years, I made a solid chunk of extra income training both assistive and generative AI for Data Annotation. I was hired directly through the website, where I took some fairly long qualification tests to get started. But it was well worth the extra effort, as I eventually began qualifying for jobs paying up to $35 per hour.
The trick to success as an AI trainer is careful attention to detail and completion of every available qualification test that’s suited to your individual skill set. Strong performance on one job tends to lead to further opportunities, so bring a high level of professionalism, and it’s sure to pay off.
AI training isn’t for everyone, but it can potentially be a great job if you’ve got experience as a writer or in specific areas of business. There’s also strong demand for coders with experience in specific programming languages, such as Python, and for bilingual individuals.
Second Income Opportunities Offer Added Security
I’m passionate about helping other women find side hustles and second income opportunities because I know how much security just a little extra money can mean. When you’ve got multiple revenue streams going, you don’t have to worry so much if one job crashes out or something in your house suddenly breaks to the tune of thousands of dollars, and that type of security can be life-changing.
That’s why I try to share second-income opportunities you can work around a full-time job or family obligations — the kind of opportunities that don’t require a huge investment to get started. Whether you’re looking for a little fun money or just trying to subsidize your teenagers’ snack fund, don’t be afraid to get out there and try something new!
