When it comes to earning extra money, many well-paying side hustles, such as graphic design, require specialized skills, experience, and pricey software or equipment. The requirements can be a major obstacle to launching a lucrative side gig.
However, there are several ways you can make money doing chores you do everyday, for other people. Whether you are a champion at ironing or can always pick the ripest fruit at the grocery store, here are four ways you can make additional income.
For busy families, the laundry pile can quickly become a mountain. Between work and school, some people struggle to keep up. That means they often scramble to find clothes for the next day. That's a perfect opportunity for you to make money. You can charge families a fee to wash or iron their clothes and do it on your own schedule.
One company that connects side hustlers with clients is Laundry Care. Clients pay $35 per bag of laundry, which is about three loads. Contractors take home a percentage of the fee, and can earn extra money for doing additional services like ironing.
If you don't mind the grocery store, you can make up to $25 an hour as a shopper for Shipt or Instacart. Clients place their orders online through the company apps, and shoppers can opt to fulfill orders that fit their schedules. You can take on jobs that work for you. If you're tight on time, you may decide to just complete one or two large orders a week. Or you can take several orders back-to-back when you need the cash. (See also: 21 Fresh Food Delivery Services That Can Save You Big)
If you enjoy keeping things clean, you can earn up to $22 an hour cleaning other people's homes. Rather than having a contract with a large, expensive cleaning company, some families prefer to hire someone as needed. And others just need someone for special occasions, such as when they're moving or having a party. You can make a good hourly wage when you have the time.
If you have professional cleaning experience, and client references, you can sign up to work as a cleaner through Handy.com. Handy will connect you directly with clients and you can select the gigs that match your needs.
If you don't have experience, or want to set your own rates, you can set up an account on Care.com. Families can search for you when they need a cleaner, and Care.com handles the payments and administrative work for you.
Whether it's dropping off the dry cleaning or picking up prescriptions, managing and making time for all of life's necessary errands can be difficult. To relieve some of the burden, many professionals hire help to handle those little chores for them. If you have some spare time and don't mind driving or walking around town, you can make extra money without much stress.
TaskRabbit is one company that connects clients with on-demand help. From furniture assembly to making medical appointments, TaskRabbit workers provide much needed assistance. And depending on the job's requirements, you can make over $20 an hour. (See also: Find a Side-Gig at These Micro-Job Sites)
Another service to check out is Postmates. Postmates is an on-demand delivery service for meals, office supplies, and more. If someone's phone charger broke and they need a new one, you can make money by picking it up for them and delivering it. You can make over $25 an hour as a Postmates courier.
Doing extra laundry or running some simple errands can help you pay off debt or boost your emergency fund, empowering you to build more secure finances.
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