Photo: Grosescu Alberto Mihai (Getty Images)
As we stated when discussing how to use your first unemployed summer wisely, side hustles are a big part of not only supplementing your survival, but necessary for the younger generations to make enough to buy houses and do grown-up things your parents did for pennies. Side work can also become a chief source of happiness — typically part-time work in either a niche market (like fermenting your own grapes) or something that affords small side pleasures doing something you love (like walking dogs, 15 at a time).
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Have a look at some of the hottest side hustles if you’re either unemployed or barely scraping by. If you just want to do something other than what you’ve been doing without going through the fun of unemployment, that works, too. Just don’t start a blog.
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Side Hustle
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1. Brew Your Own Brew
Anyone who’s seen Breaking Bad knows Hank’s pride and joy was his Schraderbräu. You can have your own pride and joy if you have a lot of patience and free time. People who love drinking beer also tend to love making it. You can sell IPAs to a friend and maybe work your way up to owning your very own Zafiro Añejo (more Breaking Bad references).
Be careful, though. We all know how this one ended.
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2. Walking All The Dogs
You love dogs, too!? Good, you can make money picking up their poop! Apps like Rover, Wag!, and countless other dog-walking services allow you to make a nominal amount of money getting out and exercising with some stranger canine companions. And the owners (can) tip, too. Just try not to overdo it or you’ll be the crazy dog-walker cursing at all the poor animals in public.
Related: 4 Ways to Use Pet Tech That'll Earn You the 'World's Great Dog Dad' Mug
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3. Cannabis and App Delivery Driver
Now, you don’t want to be high when you’re driving, but hopping aboard the cannabis train seems to be the trend lately. Whether it's a food app or some tasty weed app in a legalized state, they’re in serious need of drivers with the boom of these industries underway. Getting paid to drive around and listen to music without having to let anyone inside? Not bad.
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4. Giving A Lyft
If you don’t mind the company, Lyft is always looking for drivers. You get tips, too. We’d say drive for Uber, but they’re one more publicity blunder from going down. Although, they’ll probably be serving up a load of other Uber experiences in the coming days (look for Uber Condoms delivered to your door in dire times).
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5. Hosting Your Home
If you don’t mind strangers in your car, maybe you’ll have them in your home, too. Renting out rooms and Airbnbing is quite the money-maker. Just be sure to pay your taxes and don’t let some psycho couple stay (that won’t ever leave). You don’t have to make them breakfast, but it couldn’t hurt if you know how to fry an egg. Just don’t rent it out daily to couples and let it quickly turn into a brothel.
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6. Rent-A-Friend
People are lonely; it’s no secret. Why not make some cash being somebody’s friend? Between your dog and your… well your dog, you have an excellent resume already. I know I’d pay good money to have a friend who liked to build forts.
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7. Farm That Market!
While we don’t know the rules on selling your own beer, you can grow fruits and veggies to sell at market. If you’re the best damn shroom grower in all the land, why shouldn’t you get paid for your very niche talents? If you can milk your own goats, make cheese and bring them to market and get paid to let people pet them, too. We call that a slam dunk.
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8. Task Rabbit
If you’ve got spare time and hands, hop on the app and make some quick cash. Just don’t help anybody cook meth, sell it, deliver it or bury the bodies later. Task Rabbit: It’s better than dealing drugs. That should be their slogan.
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9. Organize Other People’s Yard Sales
If you’re a hoarder, there’s money to be made. Time for a garage sale and decluttering of your life. If you’re not a hoarder, there’s good money in organizing other people’s yard sales. Better yet, take some initiative and chase a few ambulances down for some future estate sales. That’s the mother load.
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10. Donate Your Body To The Betterment Of Mankind
We’re kidding about donating your sperm since one of you is more than enough. No harm in donating blood, though. Then again, that’s not a side hustle. However, if you hop on the interwebs and take online surveys with Inbox Dollars or give your opinion to Slice the Pie, you can make a lot of little dollars, which, like any great bank scheme (Office Space), adds up in time. We’ve never done it, so don’t hate us if you get robbed.
But! It’s better than detasseling corn in the summer heat with a bunch of weirdo psychopaths, getting stung by bees and contemplating suicide on a minute-to-minute basis. Happy hunting!
