There’s no other season quite like the summer for hanging out with friends, throwing great parties, and taking advantage of the plentiful free, seasonal events. Fun and games aside, though, it’s also an optimal time for making some extra cash. And who doesn’t like extra cash? Thinking up summer money-making ideas might seem hard, but it just requires some tweaking.
That is, earning some extra cash this summer requires tailoring your regular side hustle to the season. With so many students out of school, there comes new opportunities for part-time gigs focused on kids. With the great weather comes a renewed interest in scouring flea markets and furniture deals online.
Small side gigs, like pet-sitting, multiply in number as more people go on vacation. To find the right summer gig for that extra income this season, consider what activities people are occupied with. Then, think about how you can fill in a gap and get paid for it.
The following steps should make it easier to identify the summer money-making ideas you can quickly take up RN. Some jobs will undoubtedly require more effort than others, but you’ll no doubt earn some extra cash, fast.
Step 1: Think about jobs tailored to children and students
The typical school year usually means about two months’ worth of summer vacation for students. This is a prime opportunity for you to cater your side hustle into something tied to children and students.
Could you be great virtual assistant? Advertise yourself as someone who is ready and willing to help busy parents juggle grocery shopping or finding last-minute summer camp activities. If you have babysitting or nanny experience, fill out an account on sites like Care.com and find some part-time gigs. When families vacation in to town, they might need one-off babysitters for an evening or weekend.
Do you have experience tutoring? Or, are you knowledgable in a particular subject? This is the time to advertise your tutoring services. Many schools already offer summer recreational programs to keep students busy. Call your local schools and ask about whether they’re looking for any part-time help with programming.
If working with kids isn’t your cup of tea, then think about the teachers. You can make some extra by selling classroom lesson plans online to busy teachers.
Step 2: What are people buying?
Summer generally means better weather. And with better weather comes a plethora of outdoor events, bazaars, festivals and one-off events. Find out what events are happening in town for the next month and contact the events organizers to see if they’re in need of any help. Just be sure to make it clear you’re looking for paid work. Mention what you’re good at.
Maybe you have management experience and can help coordinate teams. Or, if they’re looking to boost their social media presence, offer your expertise as a strategist. If you have experience in retail or sales, ask about whether they need cashiers to handle vending transactions.
During the summer, people are generally more apt to take time for shopping at thrift stores, bazaars or outdoor swap meets. Toward the end of summer, it’s also prime moving season. People are continuously looking for new items to fill new spaces. Take some time to snap some good photos of any household items or furniture you’re willing to part with. Then, list them for sale on the right resell app or website like Craigslist. You’ll quickly find yourself with offers from eager buyers.
Step 3: Use the right apps to find gigs and earn bits of money
Sometimes finding the right, small, one-off gig can seem like a full-time job. The good news is there are a lot of other apps available that do the scouting for you. Or, they at least help you make some passive income on the fly.
Your strategy for extra income with the help of apps can be twofold: earn and save money the right tools. While you probably are already aware of apps like Digit, there are plenty of other, lesser-known ones that make hiding money from yourself easy. Apps like Earny, for instance, scan your receipts for price-drops and then contacts any participating companies for a refund on the difference. (Read about it, and other money-saving apps here.)
If you’re ready for taking up a side gig this summer, consider any of these gig economy platforms. You can sign up for Amazon Flex and deliver products (while working as little or as many hours as you want). If you’re a skilled and speedy freelancer, you can sign up for programs like Speedlancer or nDash, and take up small writing gigs on the side. Sure, it’s a little bit of work to set up your accounts, but you’ll earn extra income doing things you enjoy and are skilled at.
Money-making apps and sites don’t all require you to take up an additional part-time job, though. You can still earn smaller amounts of cash by signing up for programs like Influenster that pay you for your product reviews. You can also sign up for the ever-popular Ebates program, which modernizes the old-school rebates program.
Or, if games and trivia are one of your favorite pastimes, you can try HQ Trivia, a twice-daily trivia game where the winning prize is shared among contestants. Read more about these money-making apps and others like them, here.
