According to a study from CNN, 44 million Americans have some kind of side hustle.
If you’re looking to make some extra money, you’re not the only person who could use a few extra bills. For those not turned on by getting another desk job, there are some cool and unconventional ways to make money.
Thanks to the rise of the gig economy, lots of jobs have been broken up into little bite-sized versions of what once made up an entire career. This is great news for artists, writers, musicians, and anyone else who has pursued an unconventional career.
If you’re stuck trying to match your skills to the jobs out there, never fear. Try one of these 8 unconventional ways to make money.
Unconventional Ways To Make Money
1. Pet Care
If you live in a major city, you can spend your days walking around with a pet in tow, making $20-$60 per hour if you play your clients right. Find an area with a high concentration of professionals who love dogs, like the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and you could make some serious coin.
Take it up a notch and offer pet sitting for friends and family who leave town and you could be collecting money while you sit on the couch and write. If you love dogs and cats, this could be a great way to make money on the side.
While you’re out for long walks, you could run a second gig cutting aquatic weeds while the dogs play. Read more for information how to double your outdoor side hustle.
2. Those Who Can’t Teach Tutor
If you have the talent for teaching but not the time, offering hourly tutoring could be one of the unconventional ways to make money on your off hours. This is one of the ways a lot of musicians and actors get by. If English is your second language, use this to your advantage and offer lessons by the hour.
Having a personal tutor can be a lot better for some learners than sitting in a class. Use what you know and share it with people who are thirsty for the knowledge you have.
3. Open An Online Shop
You don’t have to have your own products to open an online store. If you have a lot of vintage clothes, an eye for great furniture, or know how to refurbish electronics, you could have your own online shop. You could even make your own candles.
If you don’t have the time set up a website and promote yourself, you could sell items on Amazon or eBay. You could have some great stuff collecting dust in your closet, waiting to make you some money.
4. Sell Hair, Plasma, and More
If you’re not afraid of needles of you’re thinking about cutting your long locks, you could be making a little bit of extra money donating. If you’ve got more than 6 inches of hair, you could sell it at about $10 an inch. Donating plasma could bring you about $200 a month.
If you’re a healthy non-smoker, you could sell sperm or your eggs. Women who sell their eggs can make $8,000. Men who sell sperm tend to make a lot less, much closer to $50 per donation.
5. Be a Professional Gamer
Did you ever think you could make money just from playing video games? If you’re really good at MMOs, think about joining a tournament. There are some incredible gamers out there making hundreds of thousands a year.
While hundreds of thousands might not be in your future, you could make closer to $25,000 if you’re willing to play in a tournament. You’ll have to dedicate a whole lot of time to playing but this could be one of the unconventional ways to make money without ever breaking a sweat.
6. Become a Professional Photographer of Sorts
If you’ve got an eye for corporate photography or a huge collection of photos kicking around, you could turn them into stock photos. You won’t end up making a ton of money per photos, so this hustle is more about quantity.
You could end up with a few hundred extra dollars if you’re willing to part with a few dozen photos that could be useful to others.
7. Guinea Pigs Need To Eat
Whether you’re a perfectly healthy person or not, if you don’t mind a little physical stress, you could take part in clinical trials. Schools and universities are constantly looking for people who suffer from a condition or a certain issue so they can test out new drugs. You could be stressing about baldness, but what if you’re the first person to have access to an incredible new hair product?
You can also help to test for side effects of potentially life-saving medication no matter what condition you do or do not have.
8. Start A Tour
If you live in a place that’s popular for travelers, you could become a tour guide. If you’re a beer lover, why not start a beer tour. If you love pizza, now’s your chance to start a pizza tour.
You’ll get to meet people from all over the globe and share the places and things that you love with them. You could become a local expert and the go-to person for friends who are visiting town looking for a good time. As far as unconventional ways to make money, this is one you could grow to love.
If you have some extra time on the weekends and a personality for talking in public, you might just find yourself loving this side hustle.
Unconventional Ways To Make Money Can Be Fun
If your work life feels like drudgery, your side hustle could be what makes it all worthwhile. You could be working for the weekend, where you get to do the thing you love. After some time, you might find it starts to cut into your regular job in a good way, giving you the opportunity to pursue a career you truly love.
If you’re looking for other tips on making extra money, contact us for more ideas.