by Hope
The school year is in full effect here and although Princess has changed schools, I am still working on my substitute teaching side hustle at our local district.
This income is not included in my regular budget since it is not steady to be reliable. But it is still a decent pay when it comes. (I’ve been called in 1 time during these first two weeks of school.) From what I understand, it gets busier as we get further into the year. But it’s completely out of my control.
I’m also considering signing up for a couple of other districts that are within a 20-minute ride from where I live. With so much more time on my hands right now…at least until October when volleyball season ends, it seems like it would be a good way to increase my workload and make some extra money. (Princess is at volleyball until late every night, so I have 10-11 hours of time between dropping off and picking her up.)
I love Elizabeth’s side hustle. I wish I could walk dogs. But there just doesn’t seem to be a market for that in this tiny town. It would be great for me since not only would I earn some extra money, it would force me to exercise more.
What about you? Any new side hustles you are working on or considering? I’m always looking for inspiration on things I can do to increase my income. And if they serve two purposes, even better – exercise and money!
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
You could set up a Rover account anyways? Maybe people want the service but don’t know it’s available?
Or have you thought of a paper route? Not the most glamorous, but accomplishes the same thing. Money and exercise!
Elizabeth isn’t so much walking dogs she’s doing dog sitting when owners go on vacation. I’d imagine you wouldn’t get requests often but maybe sporadically, especially around holidays. Since you can work from anywhere you might as well set up an account.
Unless you’re in an urban area I think dog walking would be a losing or at best break-even side hustle once you factor in transportation.
Have you set a target for your savings account yet? It would be good to think through what your target is based on your needs and risk.
Substitute teaching is a good way to earn extra money with a flexible schedule. Good to see you keeping it up this year.
Great! I did a little subbing many years ago. Do you have taxes taken out? Can I be nosey and ask what it pays now? I do secret shopping and surveys. I recommend Market Force and Pinecone. Got a free nice burger joint meal this week and an $8 fee. I’ve gotten up to $45 for a shop when they get to the end of month and really need it done. They will call me and negotiate a much higher fee than normal. I also check for shops when we travel and have picked up some good ones along the way. Keep at it, and don’t let the super negative comments get you down.
I love side hustles! If it’s available in your area I highly recommend grocery shopping/delivery as an option. I work with Shipt and Instacart and it’s great extra money!
I also do a lot of selling, mainly on eBay. There’s a bit of a learning curve with this one that involves learning the platform, researching items and brands to sell, and figuring out shipping.
Another way to make extra money is participating in focus groups. I made $450 for testing air fresheners for a couple months, and $150 for sitting in a room for an hour talking about a snack food brand. Good luck, Hope!