10 Legit Best Side Hustles You Can Actually Start Today

10 ways to earn additional income while laid off

If you’re in between jobs, or recently laid off, nothing is scarier than the thought of unemployment running out and not being able to provide for your family. After all, the bills don’t stop, diapers still need changed and mouths still need fed. So it’s understandable that money plays a critical role in surviving an unexpected income loss. Or more specifically, cash flow

What is cash flow?

Cash flow in the cash you have coming in each month vs what you have to pay out (in the form of bills and expenses). Obviously, we want more cash coming in than expenses. If you’re like most people though, you’ve only relied on one or two sources of income – usually your job. So when you get laid off, your world comes crashing down. By not focusing on multiple streams of income, you’re only putting yourself at risk.

Why it’s important to have multiple streams of income

If you know anything about me, you’ll know that having multiple streams of income is very near and dear to my heart. Not only am I passionate about helping people find their dream job, but I’m also helping people become layoff proof to begin with.

One of the principle tenements of my “Freedom Formula” is ensuring you have enough diverse income streams to support yourself in case of emergency. At the very least, you should try to create 2-3 income streams to cover your basic expenses each month. If that’s not feasible for you right now, i’d suggest any additional income streams go into building a 3-6 month emergency fund.

Then start looking at covering major expenses one-by-one until you have your entire lifestyle covered. For example, if you have a $400 car payment, find a side income that covers that payment each month. Keep repeating until you have everything covered.

We started down this path ourselves.

One of the main reasons I started this blog was that my wife, Myra, and I were expanding our family and we knew we would be losing her flight attendant income as she went on leave.. She’d at best be on minimum hours and more likely on a permanent leave. We needed to come up with an extra $2000 per month to live the same lifestyle we currently enjoy (which, to be honest, is pretty tight).

So we started exploring several of these options ourselves, so I thought I would share some ideas to generate income on the side, at home and with relatively low skill.

Of course, you may have some skills already from your career that you can apply to a side hustle, but I’ll try to stay fairly generic for the sake of this list. I’d suggest looking at your hobbies as starting point and focus on things you are more likely to be passionate about.

Here’s 10 side hustles you can do to earn extra money while laid off.

Home sitting/babysitting/afterschool care

If you’re at home already with a little one, and you have the stomach for it, an in house daycare may be the ticket an extra $800-$1000 per month. There are families in my neighborhood who send their kids to local daycares for premium prices and would probably love if a friendly face in their own neighborhood was available during the workday.

Check with your local DCS (Department of Child Services) for guidelines on what is required. If you’re looking for clients, a great place to advertise would be on a local church or supermarket bulletin board. My neighborhood also has a dedicated Facebook community that’s very active and a great way to market yourself.

In house dog sitting/dog walking 

A slight spin and one that’s likely easier to get into, sitting local pups who need some extra attention is a great way to earn extra income if you have the space or ability. Be sure you love animals before considering this one! For full day daycare, local kennels cost $45-55/day per dog.

For dog walking, you can earn $15/day per dog for 30 mins of time. If you have a bustling neighborhood, this could be very lucrative. Pair up local dogs to maximize your time (and profits!) Try marketing it the same way as #1 and be sure to frequent the local dog park to make new friends.

Teaching lessons

Do you have a particular skill that’s in demand? Families spend big bucks on private lessons for things like music lessons, photography, dance, etc. A close friend teaches piano and bass lessons at $30/half hour and has 50+ weekly students right out of her home. Get on those group Facebook boards and let people know what you are able to help with! Craigslist is also a great way to advertise your services. Once you get some clients, put together a referral program to offer a discount or free lessons. They win, you win.

Surveys

You can earn up to $25/day simply for taking surveys. There are a variety of websites dedicated to gathering data and your voice is very valuable to marketers, no matter what your background is. Not all survey sites are equal, so search out ones that maximize your time/money.

I’d suggest the following sites for best results. Carve out some time during naps to complete some schedules, and you’ll be on your way to $1000 in no time. Two of my favorite sites are Swagbucks which allows you earn money taking surveys, watching videos and playing games.

I also like Branded Surveys, which pays among the highest in the business. It’s as easy as taking a 3-30 min survey and collecting payment. Carve out an hour or two each day to take surveys and earn an extra $500-$1000 per month!

Digital personal assistant

 Are you very organized and well versed with computers? How about starting a remote personal assistant business. You’ll act as someone’s private assistant. You’ll handle scheduling of meetings, appointments, organizing calendars, paying bills, booking travel, basic bookkeeping, etc.

Try offering your services on Fiverr and other sites to market yourself. The best part is you can work from your home.

Renting out your truck (or offer a delivery/hauling service)

If you’re anything like me, you don’t own a truck and likely about once per month, you need someone with a truck to help haul something, pick something up or drop it off. In fact, i just bought a couch and hired someone to help me move it across town.

Since I don’t personally know anyone with a truck, I’m stuck either renting one from Home Depot or Uhaul or trying to find someone who does. And then I need to convince someone to help me with the lifting.

If you have the means and a reliable vehicle, offer a service of hauling people’s stuff for simple moves. You could easily make a few hundred dollars each weekend, pay for your truck’s cost and then some.

If you have a trailer, consider offering motorcycle hauling too – I know a ton of bikers needing short distance moves if they break down or need to get to a cycle mechanic. You’d be the only one in your town offering this service and would have a near monopoly on the market.

Mobile Services 

Speaking of motorcycles, if you have mechanical skills, consider a mobile service to work on bikes or cars at people’s houses. You’d make a killing. Motorcycles aren’t your thing? Consider other services that you could offer.

Handyman, fixing computers, cleaning people’s houses (especially after someone moving out, this would be a great niche to target!). Get creative and you can easily find something that could earn you an extra $1000+ per month.

Be a tour guide 

Iif you live in an area with great nature or cultural options, try starting a tour business on the side. We live in Nashville and the possibilities are endless. Country music tours, bar hopping tour, day trips to the national parks and more.

You could also set up a wine or micro-brewery tour, outdoor adventure tours, skiing trips, white water rafting, camping trips, history tours or simple scenic hikes. Almost any area of the country has something that you can focus on, just tie in a personal interest, set up a simple website, start talking about it on social media and before you know it you’ll be earning doing something you love!

Be sure to check local laws and permits before you get started!

Photography

Are you good with a camera and looking for a great way to make extra money working from home? How about starting a photography service for your local market? If you can photograph kids, you can make a fair amount of money if you’re good at marketing yourself. Set up mini-sessions, where you offer a simple photo session at a local park and sign up multiple families at the same time. You can charge a small session fee, plus make money on prints.

My neighborhood has 250 homes, a majority have families, and this could be very convenient for those families. A single day at the park with 8-10 families could easily net $1500+, and much more if you can convert them to full sessions. The best part is you can collect those email addresses and market to them over various seasons, do senior portraits and make a very viable 2nd income. Add pets as an offering and you can double your income potential!

Stock photos

Stock photos are another viable passive income that keeps coming and coming. Apply to Shutterstock, Istockphoto and a few others and upload some in-demand pics. I still receive commissions on photos I uploaded 12 years ago and have earned enough to pay cash for a new car!

Another bonus is that you can likely turn any interest into a decent stock photo. Like travel? Photograph and upload it! Like kids? Same! The possibilities are endless. And you’ll become a better photographer as a result!

Selling on Etsy or Ebay

Are you creative? Good making things? A graphic designer perhaps? How about setting up a shop on Etsy to sell your good? Etsy is very popular and if you can offer a product that fills a need, you can make a fair income right from the comfort of your own home. Another option is drop shipping, but does take more effort and marketing but with higher rewards.

You can also find great bargains (even free stuff) on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. Find a table, fix it up and flip it for a tidy profit!

While you’re unemployed, it’s important to keep your mind occupied and keep a routine. Starting a side business will not only help pay the bills, but will also keep you sharp as you focus on returning to work. You’ll also be starting to work on the Freedom Formula – starting down the path of making yourself recession proof!

These are just a few ideas to bring in extra money while staying (mostly) at home. They are also very low cost options to get started with. If you’re creative and work hard, you can likely start any of these ideas for under $100. Let us know what other ideas you have to earn a side income!