There is no doubt about it; pretty much anywhere in the world you happen to be, the cost of living has increased. This means that you might be one of the many people looking for a way to generate some extra cash in your spare time – and start as quickly as possible.
This is a hard set of criteria to satisfy, as most side gigs you see involve developing an extra skill or paying out set-up fees to get the ball rolling. However, there are a few things you can do, starting today, where you can raise your monthly income and only use the resources you have at your disposal right now.
#1 Answering surveys
This is a good place to start, although you should be aware it is not the best paying of side gigs. It is a good place to start because there are plenty of sites that will pay you to do this, and all you really need is some free time and some way of being paid (typically a PayPal account). You sign up and give over a few basic details about yourself – so they know which surveys to send your way – and set up an alert, so you are notified whenever a new survey is available.
You can pick and choose when you do this, as well as which surveys you answer. Again, this isn’t the highest-paying gig in town, but it is not exactly taxing either, especially if you are doing it between other tasks or on your daily commute.
#2 Become an Ad-hoc delivery driver
If you have a vehicle, you can put it to use during evenings and weekends delivering packages. This doesn’t have to be for any online companies with smiley-faced logos, but instead doing one-off deliveries of items that have been bought and sold by individuals, typically from Facebook, Craigslist, or eBay.
They want to get their item from A to B, and some websites list these jobs for you to bid on if you are looking for shipping work. You can decide how much you want to earn, whether it is through regular jobs or the more time-sensitive hot shot trucking assignments. This can make a pleasant change if your 9-5 involves sitting in an office all day. Plus, getting out and about can do wonders for your mental health, as well as putting more money in your pocket.
#3 Try your hand as a virtual assistant or online customer service
If you have any office-based skills at all, you can exploit them after hours to add a little more to your income.
There are 31.7 million small businesses in the US – and many of those will need to outsource tasks to experienced individuals without going through the hassle of getting somebody on Fiverr to do it each time. You can hire yourself out for an hour or two a week, working remotely, doing the admin jobs they don’t have the skills for, or simply don’t want to do.
To wrap everything up
Trying to find side gigs you can start today for little or no outlay is not easy, but there are some things that you can do. Answering surveys might not bring in a fortune, but it is an easy place to start.
Becoming an ad-hoc delivery driver is likely to be more profitable, but if you have no vehicle yet some basic office skills, you could try out as a virtual assistant from the comfort of your home.
