Realistic Side Hustles Worth Your Consideration

In this pricey day and age, it’s becoming increasingly common for folks to pick up extra jobs to cover the rising cost of living. As much as 45% of working Americans have been reported as having a “side hustle.” It makes sense. Folks can end up averaging as much as $686 in extra income per month through maintaining a side hustle. That money alone could be the difference between you being able to make rent and cover your bills on a particularly tight month. We’ll take a look now at some of the most realistic side hustles that you’d do well to lend your consideration to.

1. Call your local car dealerships, ask about being a driver

This one ranks right up at the top for being a potential goldmine for anyone with the necessary driving skills and time to pull it off. The gist of it is that car dealerships will hire people during the weekends, pay in cash, and all that’s generally needed from you is a functional driver’s license. Oftentimes, you’ll be on call, and then if a particular car dealership needs a driver to transfer a car or grab paperwork, they’ll reach out to you. It seems like it’s worth a shot, at the very least. 

2. Get added to a catering company’s on-call list

This one plays out especially well if you live in a denser urban area. Any time there is a bigger event that rolls through town, you can expect a catering company to need some extra bodies on the floor. What’s more, is that you can generally expect an hourly rate between $25-30 an hour. This can even include gratuity on the top. 

3. Dog or cat sitting

While it might take you a little bit of time to get your foot in the front door of a dog/cat sitting app like Rover, once you gain momentum, the payoff can be great. If you’re already working from home and have periods of time during your day when you can easily step out for breaks, this could be a great avenue for you to explore to generate some extra cash. A quick tip on getting started out as well, is that you can try to reach out to friends or anyone you know in your neighborhood to see if they’re comfortable with you walking their dog just to get some good reviews going for you. 

4. Deliver pizza in the evenings

This one will require that you have a car or bike ready to go. From there, though, you’d be surprised at how many pizza chain restaurants, as well as mom-and-pop pizza shops, are looking to add a new driver or two to their employee base. Especially if you’re open to working on the weekends, you can end up cleaning up and taking home quite a bit of extra cash. 

5. Piano tuning

While learning to tune a piano might be time-consuming and require an investment on your end at the beginning, once you build up your skillset, you can tune a piano in as little as two hours. What’s more is that the hardware required for piano tuning is relatively inexpensive, while the pay can work out to $100-150 for each tuning. 

6. Become a ref or umpire

If you already enjoy watching sports, this one is a no-brainer. You’ll just want to be sure that you can maintain a cool temper in the face of outraged players who refuse to be anything besides obnoxiously competitive and disagreeable. On average, though, you can expect to make anywhere between $15-$30 for a game in the lower levels of youth sports, while collegiate sports can average you as much as $50-$150 per game.