Currently between careers? Join the club. It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there but, fortunately, there’s also never been a better time for side hustles. All you typically need is an app, a car and/or computer, and a bit of internal drive and you’re good to go. A lot of these side gigs allow you to work when you want, so they leave plenty of time for resume sending and interview preparation.
We’ve rounded up some of the best of these ways to make money while in between jobs, and shared them below.
Drive for Uber or Lyft
There’s a reason you see these stickers on so many people’s cars these days. Driving for these companies is a flexible gig, as you can set your own hours and even days. As long as you have the motivation to get out there and learn the most opportune times to pick up rides, you can make some decent money. Plus, if you’re a social person, getting in some extra conversation time is just icing on the cake.
Conversely, if the idea of chatting with strangers makes your skin crawl, you can deliver food for companies like Uber Eats, Postmates, or GrubHub. Like Uber and Lyft, you need a car, but you can drop the food off and be done, as exchanging pleasantries is kept to a minimum. And also as with Uber and Lyft, there is an art to this, as you make more money during high request times.
Sell Your Services on Fiverr
Finding your own gigs can be exhausting. Enter Fiverr. If you’ve got skills in graphics, digital marketing, writing, video, music, and other areas, you can use this site to market yourself. You find out how much you’ll be paid up front, and payment is guaranteed. If you’ve ever freelanced on your own, you know that tracking down your payment can be half the battle.
Sell Your Stuff
There is a lot to be said for the saying, “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure.” This is particularly true when considering that a lot of what you have lying around in your garage probably isn’t junk at all, but perhaps things you’re not using.
For example, that baby jogger that’s gathering dust because your kids are grown could easily be sold online. Or that lawn mower that’s doing the same since you put in turf. And if you’re like a lot of us, you probably have lightly worn clothes or clothes that you’ve simply forgotten to return that you could sell. Not only will you be making extra cash, you’ll be experiencing the zen-like feelings everyone has been achieving since Marie Kondo’s method of downsizing and organizing took hold.
Make Money in Your Pajamas
There are a ton of ways to make money at home these days. From freelance writing and at-home accounting to day trading and starting your own blog, the possibilities are seemingly endless. As for doing the latter, you obviously don’t just throw up a blog and start making money. This one is a bit time and labor intensive, but it can be well worth it on down the line. It would need to be a professional, sleek-looking site hat gets a lot of daily traffic. Once this happens, you can start to monetize by selling ad space, creating an online store, or both. It’s possible that your temporary side gig could turn into a full time, at home position.
Get Scrappy
We know this sounds a little broad but when it comes to making money between jobs, no amount should be considered too small. This is especially true if you’re trying to earn extra money to launch your dream catering business. That’s when things like selling plasma, taking surveys for money, and participating in paid clinical trials and marketing research groups come into play.
Now is not the time to be proud. And while none of these is going to get you rich on their own, doing them together can make a difference when paying your bills.
Pet Sitting or Walking
If you love animals and are looking for extra money, this can be a no-brainer. Whether you sign up with a service like Rover or place an ad on your own on an app like NextDoor, this could be a business that gains momentum as you go along. Start out with a few clients, rack up good reviews, and watch your side gig grow.
Being between jobs can be stressful but as long as you think about it as an opportunity to grow and make some money while doing so, you will be fine. Try any or all of these ideas and you should have a nice financial cushion as you search for your next position.
