If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance that, like me, you’re a broke college student looking for any chance to make some extra cash. Well, you’re in the right place.
Say you already have a job as a nanny or maybe you’re working as a barista at your local coffee shop. Then, one day you come across an Instagram ad, and ever since, you’ve been dying to buy those new Nike’s.
Well, in comes the term “side hustle”.
A “side hustle” is an additional job that someone takes in order to bring in extra cash. These jobs can range from food delivery services to selling your clothes or even turning your hobbies into a way of getting paid.
With the help of some of my favorite boss babes, I’ve created a list of five different side hustles that will help you make big money moves.
Poshmark or Depop (For the Fashionistas)
If you’re anything like me, you love clothes, have way too many, are constantly getting bored of your wardrobe, and are always saying that you have nothing to wear. Can you relate? If you said, yes, this is the job for you.
Poshmark is a simple and easy way to buy and sell fashion pieces. I started Poshmark four months ago and it’s one of my favorite ways to make some extra cash. All you have to do is gather up the clothes you want to sell, download the Poshmark or Depop app, take photos of all your different pieces, post them, and wait for someone to buy them. It’s that simple.
Just in these first few weeks of February, I’ve sold eleven pieces and made almost $100. And all I had to do was post the clothes I didn’t wear anymore and send them out to the buyers.
I even got my best friend hooked onto the app and she made two sales the first night she downloaded the app!
Rover (For the Dog Lovers)
Calling all dog lovers! If you love pets or maybe even consider yourself a dog whisperer, then this job is for you.
Rover was founded in Seattle and is a place where people can buy and sell pet care services such as pet sitting, dog boarding, and dog walking.
Grace Haugen, a junior at SPU, started her side gig with Rover just a few weeks ago and has already dog sat the fluffiest Chow Chow puppy, snatched a weekly job of walking a Husky, and has plans to dog sit next month!
“So far, I have really been enjoying Rover, even while being in school. You can accept jobs that work with your schedule and it is so fun to play with and watch people’s dogs,”
said, Grace.
Etsy (For the DIY Queens)
For those of you who love getting creative and making handmade things, this side gig is calling your name! Whether you make jewelry, custom paintings, or even design your own t-shirt and sweatshirts, you can now share your pieces with people around the world.
I started my Etsy Store called “Hirocrew Designs” in December of 2018. I sell Pacific Northwest-inspired and Custom t-shirts and sweatshirts. Since the pandemic, I also began selling custom face masks!
It all started when I made a sweatshirt with my four favorite things on it. I kept getting comments saying “I NEED this”. Then, it got me thinking. Maybe I should start selling these. Soon, my creative juices started flowing and I made another sweatshirt inspired by my favorite influencer, Indy Blue. I posted a picture of it on my Instagram and people went crazy, saying “How do I get one?” and “Can I please buy one?”. Even, Indy Blue herself commented, “OH MY GOSH” and “LEGEND”. Then I thought, this could really be something.
So, there’s my story of how I started my first side hustle. And maybe one day, I can purchase from your shop!
Food Delivery Services (For Those Who Like to Get the Job Done)
If you have a car, are schedule-oriented, and love driving around town, this job is perfect for you.
UberEats, Grubhub, Postmates, and Doordash, are all online fast food ordering companies where people can have their fast food delivered straight to their door. And of course, if you signed up to do this job, you’d be the one delivering the food.
In fact, Grace Haugen also shared that she started her UberEats side hustle during the beginning of summer.
She said, “My favorite thing about Uber Eats is that you can completely create your own hours. I would do it whenever I had some free time or wanted a little extra cash!”.
Especially being in the middle of a pandemic and in the city of Seattle, I’m sure you’ll get lots of orders and go on a lot of late-night drives.
Turn Your Hobbies into Jobs (For Those With Fun Hobbies)
As I highlighted in the story of how I started my Etsy store, it all started as a hobby. I loved designing sweatshirts, then people loved them, and so, I started selling them.
This idea applies to so many different things. If you like taking photos, start a photography business. If you’re really good at doing makeup, start charging people to do their make-up for special events. If you’re a really good baker, start getting paid to bake other people’s birthday cakes, as such. The list truly goes on forever.
One example comes from Senior, Vanessa Santana. She shared how she started her mobile spray tanning business.
“I started this business my sophomore year of college…I frequently got tanned in high school for events such as school dances or pictures (but) I was never fond of tanning beds,” she said.
See, what I mean? I think it’s easier than ever to turn a hobby into a business, and Vanessa did just that.
She even added, “One of my favorite things about my side hustle is meeting new people through connections from my clients … I love to see how many new clients I can get simply through word of mouth,”.
So, I hope this list of ideas helps you to get started on making some extra cash. It’s time to stop looking under the couch cushions and in your car cup holders, and now time to start making some real money. And you know what they say, “good things happen to babes who hustle”.