Many people have the dream of making a little extra money from home, perhaps engaging in a side hustle. The good news is that many of us have plenty of time to start creating that income stream.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statics’ American Time Use Survey, the average American between ages 15 and 44 spend 2 hours a day watching TV. That’s more than enough time to start and maintain a side hustle.
Are you ready to give up that TV for a better life by developing another income stream? Here are 4 side hustles to consider:
1. Writing Online
1. Writing OnlineIf you enjoy writing, and are reasonably competent at it, you can make some money writing online. You can do this in the form of blogging (for yourself or others), or you can be a content provider. There are a number of content sites that will pay you for your efforts. Associated Content, Demand Media, and many others all provide opportunities to make a little extra money.
You won’t make a ton each month writing for these sites, but some of them will also pay you residually for pageviews, or offer revenue sharing for Google AdWords or Amazon Affiliates. It is not unreasonable to build to a point where you are making more than $200 a month after putting in consistent time each night.
2. Monetize a Website
Most side hustles of this nature take some time to build up. Success doesn’t come overnight, but I do know people who have spent two or three hours a night monetizing a website, getting it a point where they can get respectable cash flow from a monetized web property. You will have to give careful thought to ad programs, affiliate programs and how to use social media and SEO to help drive the traffic you will need to build up your income, but this is totally doable for many people.
David’s Note: I believe Miranda is referring to smaller sites that generate some revenue here and there, but MoneyNing.com is, in a way, a monetized website. This is a much bigger entity that took years of effort, but the good news is that your side gig can potentially turn into full time work as well.
3. Creating Crafts to Sell Online
My sister-in-law spends between two and three hours a day creating crafty items to sell from home. She crochets, and even makes up her own patterns. She does this while watching TV with her husband. One day a week, instead of working on her craft, she spends two hours putting what she has so far up for sale, and managing what is already for sale. Work on some of your crafts each night, and then use one of the numerous online craft sites to help you sell your wares. Someone else I know makes larger projects, spending a week or more on one item, in two hour sessions. Then, when it is made, he can sell his beautiful creations for more online, or at local fairs and markets.
4. Selling Other Items Online
If you aren’t crafty, you can sell other items online. Take time to rummage through old things that you have, and work on selling them at auction sites like eBay, or on local Classified sites or on Craigslist. During the summer, you can go to yard sales to find cheap items to sell online, or even go antiquing, if you know how to do it effectively. You can even create a business that you work on for a couple hours a day, helping others sell their stuff and taking a commission.
If you are willing to be creative, you can find a side hustle that will help you make a little extra money — and it doesn’t have to take a great deal of time. Use the time you would have spent watching TV to improve your cash flow.