9 Side Hustles We’ve Tried Over the Years

Side hustles have been around forever and being able to earn extra money with side hustles that really work has been a huge part of my adult life. In fact, I started this blog as a way to share my debt repayment process and journey to improve my finances.

When I got out of college, I had a low income, a load of debt, and a child to take care of so I looked to side hustles to diversify my income. Doing this helped me make extra money to pay off my debt and save so I could budget my regular income for everyday expenses.

According to studies, 45% of workers currently have a side hustle and at least one-third of people say they need a side hustle to make ends meet. Over the years, my husband and I have tried several side hustles and some of them we still do today. Here are 9 side hustles we’ve tried over the years and how much we made on average doing these things.

1. Product Demonstrator

Back when I was in college, I worked as a product demonstrator (aka sample girl) at grocery stores like Sam’s Club. The job was very easy and laid back. I got paid hourly and just had to cook or prepare certain foods or items in the store to give away for customers.

Since I had this experience, I found it easy to apply for other product demonstrator jobs for extra money. I did wine and alcohol tastings for $20 per hour. Most of the shifts were 3 hours. Then, I also did salsa tastings at stores for around $15 per hour and earned a commission on the sales.

Related: Product Demonstrator Jobs: How to Get One and Earn $20+ Per Hour

2. Driving For Uber/Lyft

In 2015, my husband started driving for Uber and Lyft for extra money. We were planning our wedding and wanted to pay for it all in cash and this was the perfect way for him to make extra money. Back then, Uber had a really good sign-on bonus and other weekly bonuses where he could earn extra money by completing a certain number of trips.

Sometimes, he went to Chicago to drive passengers around but most of the time he stayed busy with trips right in our area which was about 45 minutes west of the city. My husband made around $800 to $1,200 extra per month driving for rideshare companies on average.

This can still be an easy side hustle option for some people. If you live in a busy area and are looking for flexible work, you can even include Uber Eats deliveries and sign up for DoorDash to mix it up.

3. Pizza Delivery

Another side hustle my husband tried was pizza delivery. He did this when he was going back to school to get his license for the current field he’s in now. It’s easy to get hired by a local pizza restaurant to deliver so long as you have a car.

I can’t remember how much he made per hour, but I know that he also got to keep his tips. Another benefit of doing this is that you typically don’t have to drive far for deliveries.

4. Focus Groups

If you’re looking for easy and flexible side hustles that really work, attending focus groups is something that we still do to this day. We’ve made a few thousand dollars doing focus groups over the years. Focus groups are often hosted by market research companies and allow you to get paid for sharing your opinion and perspective on a specific topic.

You can apply for opportunities online and there are virtual focus groups or in-person ones that may take place in your local area. One of my favorite sites for focus groups is Respondent and we also use a local market research company to find these opportunities.

Focus groups can pay anywhere between $75 to $150 per hour. My husband and I just did in-person focus groups about custom print products and we were each paid $150 for 2 hours. This is a great option for someone who’s looking for an extra way to make extra money on the side without committing to a specific job.

Related: How to Make Money With Focus Groups

10 Legitimate Best Paying Focus Groups

5. Junk Removal

When we moved to Tennessee a few years ago, we were shocked to learn that our buyers backed out of the deal the week of closing. We ended up spending several months juggling our mortgage payment back in Illinois with our house payment in Tennessee.

It’s insane to think about looking back, but luckily we were able to use our emergency fund and cash flow the other expenses with side income. One thing my husband did at the time for extra work was junk removal. He applied for a weekend job with a small junk removal company and earned $20 per hour plus tips doing this pretty straightforward work.

If you’re not afraid to do a little extra labor on the side, consider companies like College Hunks, Two Men and a Truck and other moving and junk removal companies for extra money.

6. Freelance Writing

If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you know that one of the biggest contributors of me being able to pay down my debt so fast was side hustling as a freelance writer. I started freelance writing in 2015 and it quickly took off.

My first month I made a few hundred dollars, then $700, followed by $1,500 over the next few months. I enjoyed writing articles for blogs and websites (still do) and there’s always lots of demand for it. When I started freelance writing, I was still working my day job so all my extra money went toward debt repayment (after taxes and expenses). For me, this has been one of those side hustles that really work and has been profitable.

My first year of freelance writing, I made $11,000. In 2016, I made $30,000 extra and actually quit my full-time job late that year so I could increase my earnings. It’s now been 8 years since I left my 9-5 job to freelance and blog full-time.

Related:Side Hustles Explored: How to Become a Freelance Writer

Is Freelancing Sustainable? Interview with a Freelance Writer for 15 Years

How to Make a Full-Time Freelance Income With Part-Time Hours

7. Mystery Shopping

This past summer I started mystery shopping again. I was writing an article for a client about mystery shopping and thought I’d sign up for a few sites to see if it was legit. What I found out was surprising in a good way. I was able to earn around $250 my first month and $500 my second month from mystery shopping jobs.

I signed up for several sites and picked up opportunities that made sense for me and that I was truly interested in. So far, I’ve done shops for restaurants, retail stores, electronics stores, and more. The only thing with this side hustle is that you get reimbursed for any required purchases so you do need to spend some money upfront.

What I do is keep a detailed list of each shop I’m approved for and my actual receipt amount so I can make sure I’m properly reimbursed. I use a credit card to earn rewards on the purchase, then pay it off when I get paid for the shop so this requires some discipline. But overall, it’s been fun to do mystery shops and make some extra money by trying out new places. Check out my top tips for mystery shopping on Instagram!

8. Virtual Assistant Work

I started picking up virtual assistant work around the same time I was landing freelance writing gigs on the side. Naturally, some of my clients wanted help with other services in addition to writing. One of my clients wanted me to help manage her Facebook page and do some data entry work for $15 per hour.

Now, I do light social media management work and blog management for some clients. I earn around $2,000 per month from VA work and have even gotten paid to take courses and learn new skills.

Related: How to Become a Virtual Assistant

Creative VA Services You Can Offer For $30+ Per Hour

9. Amazon

My husband has worked on and off for Amazon Flex for a few years now delivering packages. You just download the app to sign up and can pick out available shifts in your area.

Shifts are flexible and tend to pay around $25 per hour so it can be some nice extra income.

Last year around the holidays, we also both picked up a seasonal job at an Amazon warehouse sortation center. I earned a $1,000 bonus after 30 days and my husband actually stayed on part-time and earned a $3,000 bonus in total.

Summary

As you can see, we’ve tried several side hustles that really work over the years. This may sound like a lot, but keep in mind that this is over the span of 10 years at least. And two of these (freelance writing and virtual assistant work) have been scaled into part of my full-time career.

Many of us may need to rely on extra jobs to help make ends meet, accelerate our progress toward certain goals, or to save more for the future. Knowing how and when yo make extra money has helped my husband and I actually avoid getting into more debt as we can now cash flow many unexpected expenses and grow our emergency fund.

If you’re looking to diversify your income with any of these money-making ideas or something similar, be sure to narrow down your interests, availability, and income goals to see what fits best for your circumstances.