It’s easy to underestimate the power of side hustles, so I think it makes sense for us to spend some time on them. In this post, I’m going to review side hustles I’ve taken advantage of recently or am in the process of trying out. Some of these may seem like they wouldn’t be worth your time, but just like compound interest, the impact of making consistent, small changes over time can grow into a wave which propels you forward into a far brighter future than you could have imagined.
What is a Side Hustle?
A Side Hustle is anything you’re doing to generate income outside of your primary job (your main hustle). For some people, this could go as far as a second, part-time job. It could also be as small as scanning receipts or filling out surveys online for gift cards. Even if you’re only making cents at a time sometimes, this can eventually have a real effect in offsetting expenses, boosting income, or scrounging up some extra cash.
Why Side Hustle?
Some will make the argument that a side hustle (or a series of them) is nothing more than a distraction: a waste of time, effort, and energy that could be spent on improving your main hustle, getting a new one, or making more Earth-shattering strides. While this can be true if your main hustle leaves a lot to be desired or there are easy wins there, the two aren’t mutually exclusive. This is about utilizing your extra, free time that you don’t have something more valuable to do with while you’re really focused on the wealth building/accumulation phase, particularly if it can be built into things you’re already doing or has secondary benefits (like exercise).
It’s also important to recognize that it’s a common characteristic of human psychology to want to swing for the fences. This is particularly true in America, the home of the Get Rich Quick scheme. While there isn’t necessarily anything wrong with this, it can lead us to undervalue the power of small, consistent wins, especially when compounded over time. If I can make an extra $100-200/month integrating something simple into a task I already do like walking my dog, that can have a powerful effect on my ability to build wealth over time. If I can get a little more exercise, make friends, or get some other benefit from it as well then I’m also improving my quality of life! What’s not to love?
I’m still not convinced – is a side hustle worth it?
Where do you find the time?
Mrs. Wallet and I stay pretty busy. In addition to working full time at our regular old corporate jobs, we both attend school full time (still working on the
So where do we find the time? The point of this list isn’t to humblebrag about how productive or efficient we are, but rather to point out that most of these side hustles don’t take up very much time. Where possible, I’m trying to find opportunities that: I can integrate easily into my existing schedule and habits, I enjoy doing, don’t take much effort, and have at least a decent return given how much time I’m going to spend. The closer they are to what and when I’m already doing or what I enjoy doing the better! Sure, maybe scanning pictures of my receipts isn’t going to make me rich, but given that it takes me maybe 5 seconds apiece and is easy to integrate into my existing process, it might be worth it. Would you pick up money if you found it on the street?
This November, I chronicled my side hustles* for your edification, enjoyment, and possibly laughter!
So without further ado…
My November Side Hustles
In total, I was able to generate $3,321.62 in cash in November! This is a serious amount of money. Not only is this enough to pay my mortgage for multiple months and still have some left over, but by the 4% rule, if I could reliably generate $3,300 per month, it would reduce the amount I need to retire by $82,500! Unfortunately, some of the opportunities I took advantage of in November aren’t repeatable (like selling Mrs. Wallet’s car), but many of them are! During this month I also generated 10s of thousands of mileage points (over 100,000) and saved nearly $1,000 by purchasing flights with points I earned for free and asking friends for help or looking for discounts on things I was already going to buy.
Here’s a breakdown of where the cash came from:
- Manufactured Spending: $1,329
- Selling Crap: $934.50
- Cashback: $463.51
- Signup Bonuses: $230
- Private Yoga Lessons: $200
- Wag / Rover: $76
- Surveys: $25
- Earny: $24
- Uber Eats: $9.80
- Job Spotter: $9.61
- Total: $3,301.62
Manufactured Spending: $1,329
This is something I’ve been involved in for some time. It involves making purchases on your credit card(s) to generate “spending” that you get mileage points for, usually either in a bonus category (like grocery stores) or to meet a minimum spend requirement for a signup bonus. Before your credit card bill becomes due, you resell whatever you bought (generally at cost or for a very small profit), and get paid before the bill is due, so you never actually spend any of your own cash. Hence the name.
Usually, you don’t make much doing this, but you can generate a lot of points for free travel depending on how aggressive you are. This has been a great month and I’ve made a profit of $1,329 ($980 in cashback and $349 in profit). I also generated 10’s of 1000’s of mileage points for free flights, but I don’t value those when I generate them (they’re generally worth between 1.5-2.1¢ in this case).
Reselling Crap: $934.50
Most of us here in America have way too much crap. Closets full of stuff we “might need one day” or have some other stupid or sentimental reason for keeping. While I’ve been trying to simplify my life for some time now and live in a tiny home, this is still true for us! There are a host of sites and apps designed to help you get rid of all the junk and let people who will actually use it enjoy it (think CraigsList, OfferUp, LetGo). Here’s what I’ve managed to get rid of that I wasn’t using so far this month:
Mrs. Wallet’s car: $500
via word of mouth.
OfferUp/LetGo: $415
worth of stuff that was just gathering dust. This isn’t sustainable, but given I was looking for a quick boost in cash this was great. Plus I never have to deal with any of that stuff again!
Half Price Books: $9.85
worth of books I was never going to read again.
WalMart: $9.65
worth of stuff that had been in my trunk to return for months.
Cashback Deals: $463.51
Nowadays there are a ton of cashback sites (known as portals) and apps. The gist is that you get cash back for buying things you were going to buy anyway. This one, in particular, might seem small but can stack up fast.
Best Buy: $135
They were running a promotion on gift cards.
RetailMeNot: $20
Most people know RMN as a place to get or share coupon codes but it also now functions as a cashback portal. If you’re going to buy something expensive at best buy, for example, go through their portal first.
Ebates: $11.70
This is the most common cashback portal I use. It pays out quarterly. You can signup for Ebates here and you will receive $10 once you complete a purchase.
TopCashBack: $92.85
Same as Ebates. You can join for free here; I will receive $10.
Dosh: $47.82
Similar to Ebates or Topcashback, but you link your card(s) and automatically get awarded cashback. This is one of the apps I think everyone should have as it is passive, automatic
Ibotta: $79.05
Similar to Ebates, but you select deals and scan images of your receipts. Usually not much, but over time it’s worth it for a minute of your time, and sometimes there are actually really good deals, including getting new products for really cheap or even free. You can signup here and you can receive up to $20 after completing a purchase.
Receipt Hog: $1.27
Similar to Ibotta, but you can upload any receipt and you get much smaller rewards.
GetUpside: $3.82
Similar to Receipt Hog or Ibotta but for gas. Signup here to get 15¢ off your next fill-up.
Staples: $30
They were running a promotion on gift cards.
Acorns (Found Money): $20
Raise: $12
Raise offers discounted gift cards and was running a promotion. You can signup here and receive $5.
Target: $10
They were running a promotion on gift cards.
Gigs: $295.61
As the shared and gig economies continue to gather steam, there is no end of opportunities in this space. Generally, these involve small, easy tasks with a pretty low payout, but the return can actually be quite high on an hourly level. In either case, you can earn extra cash this way, sometimes without much extra effort. This can go all the way to driving for Uber or doing jobs on Fiver, Clarity, etc. that can be much more involved. This is the more traditional side hustle in the sense that you’re actually providing a service and getting paid for it and is hopefully more repeatable. This is an area I am really looking to expand into.
Private Yoga Lessons: $200
Mrs. Wallet and I teach yoga and just started offering private, 1-on-1 sessions.
Job Spotter by Indeed: $9.61
Take pictures of for hire signs and storefronts and get paid $0.25-$1.50. This one is great in my opinion. You don’t get paid much, but it doesn’t really take any time or effort. I’ve also found that it promotes being more aware of your surroundings and paying attention to detail, which is great. If you don’t already walk or bike a lot, it can also be a great excuse to explore your area and get some exercise!
Wag: $57
This is a service for dog-related gigs (boarding, sitting, walking, etc). As I already own a dog and do certain tasks every day to take care of him, if someone wants to pay me for him to have a playmate for a bit, with essentially no change to my schedule or obligations, I’m all about it! While my goal is to build a dog boarding business, I tried out some dog walking this month, just to see what it was like. While I don’t plan on continuing this long-term, I averaged nearly $40/hour and truly enjoyed playing with people’s dogs. I even got a run in with one and for another I took him to a dog park and mostly just got to watch him run and play with other dogs. You can signup to be a walker/sitter/boarder here and you can also get $25 off your first service with Wag if you want to utilize them with the promo code SEAN61819.
Rover: $19.20
This month I didn’t actually sit any dogs, but someone cancelled on me at the last minute, so I still got paid. I was looking forward to sitting his dog and actually would have preferred to do it, but I’ll take free dough! You can signup to become a dog boarder/sitter/walker here.
UberEats: $9.80
UberEats offers the option to deliver via bike! This is a great way to build some more fitness into your downtime, have some fun, and make some extra cash! This month I only tried UberEats, as it was far easier to become a qualified “driver” compared to the competition (see below). All of these services also offer cash signup bonuses and guarantees that you’ll make a minimum amount on your first X trips. Uber also has perks for “partners” (drivers/bikers) that can earn you additional discounts or cashback once you sign up as a driver, so it may be worth it solely from that regard if you drive a car. While the payout was very low per hour on this (no one tipped me!), I had fun exploring my city’s bike infrastructure. You can signup for UberEats here (bike or car). You will receive a signup offer that guarantees a certain payout per number of rides your first month, but it depends on your location.
DoorDash/PostMates : $0
These are essentially the same as UberEats (bike courier gigs). As of this writing, DoorDash isn’t offering bike delivery in my area yet, but both Uber and PostMates are. Even though I didn’t complete any rides on these services in November, I wanted to include them separately, as I prefer them to UberEats based on promotions, payout, and the app experience. They tell you where you’re going before you accept, which is particularly important on a bike. UberEats doesn’t tell you until after you’ve accepted. You can signup for PostMates here. You will receive a similar signup offer to UberEats, depending on your area.
Signup Bonuses: $250
Companies are always offering signup bonuses. If you’ve gotten this far in the post, you have seen quite a few of them. Banks offer some of the best signup bonuses around, be they for new bank accounts, credit cards, etc. I usually stick to credit card signup bonuses, as they are the easiest.
Netspend**: $80
A friend of mine turned me onto Netspend accounts. Originally designed to take advantage of low-income users, the accounts offer up to $5,000 in FDIC insured accounts bearing 5% interest per individual ($10,000 for couples). In my opinion, you are leaving money on the table if you don’t take advantage of this. To sweeten the deal, you can get a $20 signup bonus for each person’s first Netspend account, and you can get an additional $10 per person for uploading a mobile check of at least $50 (write yourself a check! You need to fund these accounts somehow, anyway!), for a total of up to $30 per an individual (or $80 per couple if you refer your partner). Not including interest, I earned $80 this month as I just signed up for these accounts. You can signup here and you will receive $20.
Wag: $50
I referred someone to Wag, which got them some free services!
Sam’s Club: $40
$100 via a combination of Dosh ($20 +2% cashback), Acorns ($10), TopCashBack (10% cashback for $4.50), and Sam’s Club itself ($10
Dosh: $30
I referred some people to Dosh.
Personal Capital: $20
I referred someone to Personal Capital. This is a free service I recommend everyone interested in their finances use. I will be reviewing this service in more detail soon, but the gist is that you can link all your financial accounts in one place and get a big picture view of your net worth. It also offers tons of free analysis, especially for your investments and retirement goals. If you signup through my link, we’ll each receive a $20 Amazon
WSJ: $10
They paid $10 into my Acorns account and 950 United mileage points for my $1 trial subscription.
TopCashBack: $10
I referred someone to TopCashBack.
Ibotta: $10
I referred someone to Ibotta.
YNAB: $0
I referred someone to YNAB and received a free month of service (worth $6.99). Usually, I don’t advocate for using any paid services where there are free alternatives, but YNAB is the exception that makes the rule. YNAB stands for You Need a Budget. It is a cash management/budgeting software that I highly recommend. I was able to get rid of hours of work a month and a bunch of spreadsheets and saved a lot of money. It also made it much easier to collaborate on finances with Mrs. Wallet. Signup here, and we’ll both receive a free month (you’ll also get their standard 34-days free prior to the free month from my referral).
Surveys: $25
Some companies will pay you to take surveys. Usually these are a poor return on your time invested, but occasionally there are winners.
CollegePulse: $15
CollegePulse is by far my favorite survey app. It’s only for college students (I am still in school). While beyond the first couple rewards the return on time invested is pretty low, I love this app. I take surveys every once in a while when I’m just bored and waiting, and some of them are incredibly interesting (you get to view statistics on how others answered). The comments sections also regularly have really great discussions, and several of the surveys have gotten me to think much more deeply about important topics, notice where there are logical inconsistencies in my thoughts or beliefs, learn something, or just laugh! I received $5 as a signup bonus and $10 for completing a small number of surveys. Pays in BTC.
Amazon: $10
Amazon has a Research Club you can join (or maybe just be invited to?). I’m not sure how I ended up on this but this month they paid me $10 for two surveys that collectively took me about $15, for an average hourly rate of $60/hour.
Price Protection: $24
Many credit cards have a price protection benefit, which allows you to claim a statement credit or check if something you purchase falls in price within a certain timeframe.
Earny: $24
I recently heard about the Earny app, and I am in love. You connect your cards and email with the app, and it automatically either submits claims for your price protection benefit on any cards that have it or sends you all the documentation you need if it can’t be done automatically. I had just installed the app and within a month it earned/saved me $24 on a birthday present I’d purchased for my little brothers on Amazon back in August! Everyone should have this in my opinion. Earny also has a feature where you can view deals that are currently at historically low rates. You can signup for Earny here.
Regular old Cost-Cutting: $856.55
There were some significant areas where I managed to find a way not to spend money this month. Even though they didn’t generate cash, I thought I’d include them for a few different reasons. Mileage points have a cash value, but I don’t value them when I earn them as it’s not definite what rate I’ll get. Some deals are better than others on a $-to-points basis. Furthermore, I don’t want to lose sight of keeping your eye out for opportunities not to spend, either!
Chase: $764.80
I booked a flight that would have cost me $764.80 for 50,000 points ($0.00). I considered including this under Manufactured Spending, but since it didn’t generate cash I decided to include “savings” in their own, separate category. Since I don’t value my points when I generate them, I think it’s fair to count this as savings when I spend them instead of cash. Not spending money can also be more valuable than increasing income on a dollar-for-dollar basis, as I explain in this post (https://food4wallet.com/spending-less-1/). It’s also worth noting that I generated over twice this number of mileage points this month.
A Free Tow: $75
Mrs. Wallet’s car has been sitting in front of our house for several months. It’s broken down (undrivable) and needs some expensive repairs. Given that I bike or ride the bus to work, we don’t ever have a need for a second car and decided to sell it instead, but we need to get it towed to a family mechanic (20+ miles away). I investigated getting a membership with AAA for the towing service, services offered by my current insurance and credit cards (both offer the service but not far enough), and renting a tow hitch from U-Haul to fit on my Dad’s truck. Instead, I asked around and found a friend who was willing to use his AAA membership to get us a free tow. I estimate these savings at between $30-75 minimum (the cost of a monthly AAA membership or the world’s cheapest 20+ mile tow). I’m not sure if AAA allows you to cancel without penalty after that, so it may be closer to $105 (annual membership cost plus activation fee).
The Parking Spot: $8.75
I managed to save on parking for our upcoming trip by spending 5 minutes online and discovering a corporate discount I didn’t know about. This may seem trivial, but since it only took me 5 minutes you could say the return was $105/hour, although this is fuzzy math as it’s not scalable.
Petsmart: $8
I always look around for deals when I’m shopping for our pet food and found a coupon for $8 off a larger bag of dog food than I normally buy, which is also cheaper on a per-pound basis even before the discount. This took me less than a minute.
Notes:
Affiliate Links: I’ve included signup links to these apps or sites where applicable. In most cases, you will earn a reward if you signup and use the service. This is an easy way to support the site that doesn’t cost you anything (and actually in most cases generates either cash or savings for you) and helps support me making more content like this, for you!
*Financial Panther: I was inspired to try these side hustles and create this “side hustle report” style post by Financial Panther and his blog. Please go check it out, as he has some great content and goes into more depth on some of these hustles and more that I don’t cover. https://financialpanther.com/ I also got inspiration from Side Hustle Nation https://www.sidehustlenation.com/
**Netspend: While I didn’t hear about it from him, Financial Panther also has an excellent guide to setting up these accounts, which is a little more involved than some of the other hustles on this page, although it’s easier than it sounds and doesn’t take much time. https://financialpanther.com/netspend-account/
