As the cost of living continues to increase, making ends meet becomes more difficult for the average person. Even if your salary does cover all of your expenses, it’s always nice to have a little extra money to treat yourself or put into savings at the end of the month.
This is where side hustles and multiple income streams come into play. Side hustles have become increasingly popular among people with full-time jobs and part-time jobs, as well as students and even pensioners. People from all walks of life and income levels partake in side hustles. A side hustle can diversify your income, help you hone new skills, and provide opportunities to network amongst a new group of people.
In this article, we’ll look at some side hustle ideas to help you make extra money in 2022.
There are a few things that you should take into consideration before choosing a side hustle, including:
Market research is an essential process in launching new products and companies. Market research involves sharing ideas and products with potential customers and the target audience to get their feedback. Some market research takes place in person or online, and it is definitely an easy side hustle with zero start-up costs. All you need to do is find a market research company in your area and sign up. You may be asked to give them some personal information so that they can assess whether you fit the briefs. However, this type of side hustle has no guarantees, and you could wait months between jobs.
Homeowners and pet owners are always looking for responsible house sitters to look after their homes and pets while away. It is best to start offering these services to friends and family so that you can build up a bit of a reputation and have some references, which is essential to getting work as a house or pet sitter. You can also advertise your services on social media, particularly on local Facebook groups, which are useful. There are no start-up costs, and you can maintain a full-time job in most instances, so this is definitely a great side hustle.
Since COVID-19, ordering food online has become bigger than ever, and finding a food delivery driver job is fairly easy. You could work for a popular app or directly for a restaurant or cafe. You’ll definitely need your driver’s license, and in many instances, you’ll need your own car or scooter or moped. The working hours are often flexible, making this a convenient side hustle for someone who enjoys driving.
Every business needs a strong online presence and to be active on various social media platforms. And this has increased the demand for professional social media managers. If you already have a strong sense of social media, you could just take one or two online courses to give you the knowledge and skills needed to be a good social media manager. You could start by taking on one or two clients and slowly increase them as you become more confident and adept at this sort of work.
Streaming has absolutely exploded in popularity. One of the most popular streaming websites is Twitch, which mostly focuses on streamers playing online games and sharing the experience with their audience. It may not seem like it, but there is actually a lot of money to be made in this arena, especially if you can build up a loyal following that regularly streams your games. If online games and video games are something that you’re into, then streaming could be a great side hustle.
Baked goods will never go out of fashion. They are a staple at most events and there will always be a need for cakes, cupcakes, pastries and pies. If baking is something that you are truly passionate about, then your side hustle could be baking for events and parties. Start by advertising your services to family and friends who should definitely support you if your baking is any good. Having social media pages could also really help you kickstart your baking side hustle.
Copywriting comes in many different forms. There is sales copy, website copy, blogs, editing, and e-books, just to name a few. If you consider yourself a bit of a wordsmith and have some writing experience behind you, then copywriting could offer you some incredible opportunities. You may want to sign up with an agency or work as a freelancer. You may also want to invest in some editing software to make your job easier.
Are you a creative person that likes making things? Whether it’s embroidery, handcrafted lamps, paintings, collages, or anything else, Etsy supplies a platform to sell the items you have created. This side hustle is one of the easiest ways to turn something that you already love doing into something that can start making you money. The more unique and exciting your items are, the better. There are many Etsy sellers that absolutely exploded in popularity and have enjoyed great success. You could too!
A mystery shopper is a dream side hustle for many, but good mystery shopper jobs can be difficult to find. As a mystery shopper, you are given the task of visiting a certain store and purchasing an item, which you may have to return at a later stage. After your experience, you’ll need to write a detailed review of your experience in the store, and you’ll need to remain undercover! This is really a fun and exciting side hustle that can pay rather well.
An interesting side hustle that should prove popular in 2022 is providing plant care, especially indoor plant care and services. Many people living in apartments need help when it comes to caring for their indoor plants, including things like plant food, trimming, repotting, and more. If you are someone who is experienced with plants, this is something that you may want to look into as a side hustle.
Au pairing is a great side hustle for those who have afternoons and evenings free. While each au pairing job is different, you can expect to pick kids up from school, maybe make them a snack and help them with their homework while their parents are at work. In some cases, the au pair family even offers free accommodation to the au pair, which could help you save a lot of money!
More and more people are invested in repairing and tailoring their clothes instead of simply throwing them away. This has got a lot to do with the sustainability movement. Tailoring has once again become very popular, and good tailors can be hard to find. If you have a sewing machine and some sewing experience behind you, tailoring could prove to be a lucrative and fun way to make extra money.
Can you spot a diamond in the rough? Do you love thrifting and visiting charity stores? Are you not afraid of getting your hands dirty? By buying items that need a little fixing up, you could turn over an impressive profit once you have upcycled and sold them. There are many different ways that you can upcycle furniture and other items. The other appeal of upcycling to the consumer is that it is considered sustainable, and you are in a way ‘saving’ items that would have just been thrown away.
In the UK, there are dozens of movies and TV shows being filmed at any given time. If you are interested in the film and television industry, being an extra on sets could be a fun and exciting way to make extra money. You’d need to sign up with a local casting agency and be prepared to go to castings where you may be turned down. Also, be prepared to work long hours that often end up running overtime. While you don’t need to have acting experience, it would definitely help. But extras in the UK are known to be paid quite well.
What is a virtual assistant? A virtual assistant is someone who handles a wide variety of administrative tasks for a business remotely. Tasks can include answering calls, replying to emails, scheduling appointments, running errands, posting on social media and more. Having just one client as a virtual assistant could land you with a significant boost in your monthly income. These types of jobs can have flexible hours, so you could definitely work this around another part-time or even full-time job.
Reselling clothing online has proven to be a great way to make money. Whether you want to sell some of your own clothing that you no longer wear, or you plan to thrift items and sell them for a profit, there are many online and social media platforms where you can do this. If you have an eye for trends and popular loathing pieces, you could definitely have a potential side hustle on your hands.
Parents are always looking for private tutors to help their children with subjects they battle with. If you did rather well in school, and perhaps have a degree behind you, then tutoring could be a fulfilling side hustle for you. It does require a lot of patience and understanding, as well as an ability to teach concepts at the students’ level. If you feel like you may battle to secure private tutoring clients, you could always sign up with a tutoring agency and they could connect you with clients in your area and handle most of the logistics.
Do you consider yourself a photographer? Do you have a camera? Do you already have loads of gorgeous pictures? Well, then your side hustle is right in front of you! While you could work part-time as a photographer, a lucrative income stream for photographers is selling images they have already taken. For example, you could sell your images to magazines or online photo galleries like Shutterstock.
Increasing your income, even if it is by a small fraction, can really be beneficial to your finances over time. By choosing a side hustle that works for you, you are able not just to increase your income but learn new skills, meet new people, and perhaps even discover an entirely new career path for you to follow. Just ensure that whatever side hustle you go after is completely above board.
The other thing that you need to keep in mind when pursuing a side hustle is burnout. If you are working multiple jobs, you can easily become exhausted and your health can suffer. Ensure that you are managing your time well, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, still making time for relaxing, and not biting off more than you can chew!
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