Whether you’re trying to be better about your budget or save up for a big purchase, you can leverage your weekends to earn extra money. One of the best ways to make money is to take on a side gig.
In this article, you’ll find the best weekend jobs that we found to help you earn extra cash.
Some of these jobs allow you to earn money from the comfort of your home. Others are best for working outside the home, and only require that you have access to resources like a smartphone or a reliable car.
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1. Start a blog
If you love to write and have specific topic knowledge, you could earn money by starting a blog. While there is some overhead and time without making any money when you start a blog, you can build a significant passive income on as little as a few hours per week.
Take the time to learn how bloggers earn money before you start this side hustle. You should begin by having plenty of quality content. That will take a while to create, but once you have it, you can start to attract your target audience. Then, you can continue to create content that your audience loves and, finally, monetize it. There are plenty of monetization tactics, but you can choose to sell products to your audience, earn money from ads, and receive affiliate income. One blog can provide several streams of passive income.
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2. Drive for Uber
If you want to start earning money today, you might want to consider driving for a rideshare company like Lyft or Uber. All you need to get started is a clean record, a car that’s in good shape and a smartphone. Drivers must have a valid driver’s license and be at least 18 years old. After you create your profile, you simply wait for it to be approved, then get started driving. While driving for a rideshare company won’t make you rich, it will allow you to set your schedule and start earning money quickly.
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3. Deliver food & items
If driving people around isn’t for you, you can consider delivering food for them instead. Companies like DoorDash and Instacart will allow people to sign up on their apps to deliver food to people in your area. The pay on DoorDash is contingent on the size of the order your customer purchases. There is a minimum earning per order, and you can also accept tips from the people that you deliver to.
If you don’t want to deliver food, you can consider delivering for a company like Amazon with Amazon Flex. Amazon Flex operates in about 50 cities around the country, and users can sign up to deliver items from Amazon warehouses to their owners. While there is a chance that Flex drivers will have to deliver food items from Amazon Fresh or Amazon Restaurants, most of the deliveries on this app are standard packages.
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4. Do retail arbitrage
Retail arbitrage is when individuals buy items in retail stores for a lower price than face value. Then, they sell the items online for a profit. The most popular websites to sell items are Amazon or eBay.
Amazon FBA, or fulfillment by Amazon, is the most common platform to resell items on. Once users have acquired items to resell, the FBA website helps users upload items to Amazon and price them. Then, people send items to Amazon. When an item sells, Amazon fulfills the order.
Before you get started with retail arbitrage, take time to do your research. You should understand the items that you are selling as well as the market you are selling in to.
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5. Freelance writing
Are you a skilled writer? Freelance writing is a great way to earn money online from your home. Most writers can earn between 10 cents and $1 per word they write. Others choose to price based on how long it takes them to write rather than the amount of content. Earning depends on your industry, time it takes you to create a piece and how reputable you are as a creator.
You can get started with freelance writing by checking out job postings on websites like Upwork or Freelancer.com. You can also use your network to see what entrepreneurs need content written or reach out to local businesses to offer your services.
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6. Create an Etsy store
Do you have a craft that you could sell? Perhaps you love making candles or can hand-dye fabrics.
Websites like Etsy provide a platform for people to connect with potential buyers. There is no overhead to use the site. Users upload a description and photos of their products and price them. Then, people can purchase them online. The creators are expected to send the items as soon as possible.
The earning potential here is entirely up to how much you sell your product for, and how attractive it is to buyers. Therefore, be sure to take the time to get great photos of your creations and price them accordingly.
Image Credit: etsy.
7. Take surveys
Survey companies are a middleman between businesses that need research and individuals who want to earn money online. You can get paid up to a few dollars per survey that you take, and each survey takes up to half an hour to finish. While this isn’t an opportunity to get rich quick, you could earn money just for giving your opinion.
To get started, research the best sites to take surveys. Then, set aside time each weekend to complete a few of the surveys. Many survey sites will pay you cash, but others allow you to cash out via PayPal or will give you gift cards in exchange for your time and opinions.
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8. Self-publish
Have you been waiting to finally write your book? If you love to write stories, memoirs or how-to guides, then you might be able to earn serious cash by self-publishing. If you haven’t self-published because you think it’s a complicated process, then good news: it’s not difficult.
Using the Kindle Direct Publishing platform (KDP), they take care of all the technical aspects of publishing. You simply upload a completed document, add a cover image and description of your book and Amazon takes care of the rest. Once you have your book listed on Amazon, you can choose to advertise or share your listing with anyone you want. Your book could keep earning passive income for years to come.
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9. Flip furniture
If you have a keen eye and are willing to do a bit of research, you could make decent money flipping items. For example, if you know a bit about antique furniture, you can keep an eye out on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace for free or very cheap items.
Then, you can pick them up and make any minor improvements that you can. Sometimes, it’s as easy as cleaning an item. Other times, you might have to replace a part, paint it or make other improvements. Finally, you can resell the items at a higher price on the same platforms.
You could also use this process to buy and sell (flip) other items. For example, you could flip cars, electronics or other merchandise.
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10. Bartender
Many people spend time in bars on the weekends. However, only the select few can earn money from being there. Bartending is an excellent job for people who don’t mind working odd hours, love the bar culture and love having conversations with people.
Some bartenders enter the market working in dive bars or local establishments. However, plenty of companies are also hiring part-time bartenders to work special events. That might mean that you can travel a bit, meet diverse people and work for a well-established company.
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11. Become a tour guide
If you love where you’re from, you could earn extra cash by showing it off. While many tour companies are looking for people that are passionate about the area, you could also start your own tours.
For example, if you live in Chicago, you could post a walking city tour on Airbnb Experiences. Then, set your hours and allow people to sign up for your tours. You might want to add something unique to set your tour apart like stopping by the most Instagrammable spots in Chicago or telling ghost stories about Chicago’s past. This will help attract a specific group of people who know what to expect from your tour.
It is up to you to decide how to price your tour. Most city tours cost at least $25, and if you only host tours when you have at least four people signed up, you can guarantee that you earn at least $100 per tour that you lead. If your tours are two hours or less, you can earn well over $50 per hour.
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The bottom line
As you decide how you’ll earn money on the weekends, know that you have several options. You can earn money from your couch by creating a blog or taking surveys, or you could get out and show off your city. The possibilities are limitless.
This article originally appeared on YourMoneyGeek.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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