10 Low- or No-Cost Side Hustles You Can Start Today

I've been thinking about side hustles a lot lately.

I'm creating a course for LinkedIn Learning right now that will teach people how to weave side hustles into their careers to mitigate financial risk and provide extra income (and enjoyment).

I've also worked with a few clients recently who needed to find quick income sources as they navigated lengthy job searches. Without a doubt, the side hustle came up.

Something I've discovered through my coaching practice, however, is that people tend to assume starting a side business is incredibly time-consuming, overhead-intensive, or simply impractical.

But as one who has run a few of my own side hustles over the years (ebay seller, print-on-demand service, freelance writer, survey taker)--and witnessed clients create thriving secondary income streams--I'll argue that there are many low- (or even no-) cost options that are easy to launch and can bring in decent amounts of cash pretty quickly.

Here are 10 of them:

1.Food Delivery or Rideshare Services- This one's, perhaps, the easiest to start (assuming you have a reliable vehicle) and, depending on how you set up your business, among the fastest to pay out. For food and grocery delivery, consider DoorDash, Grubhub, or Uber Eats. If you are more interested in transporting people, Uber and Lyft are the biggest games in town within most U.S. cities.

2.Housesitting - I met an international house sitter earlier this summer. She went on and on about how cool the work is. I was intrigued. It appears that, depending on your geography, you can earn $25-$100 per day with housesitting, more if you're working internationally or for high-net-worth families (which is what she does). Better still -- you may be able to do other side hustle work while housesitting, which makes it even more appealing.

? Sites to investigate for housesitting: Trusted Housesitters, Mind My House, Nomador

3.Tutoring - If you're caring, a strong communicator, and solid at math or reading or Spanish or calculus, take advantage of back-to-school season and set up a tutoring side business. Oftentimes, local school districts will keep lists of area tutors for interested families and students (so be sure and inquire). Or, you may prefer to register with a larger, online platform and offer virtual lessons.

? Sites to investigate for tutoring: Upwork, Varsity Tutors, Care.com

4.Selling Unwanted Items - Now here's a side hustle that I ran hard with in the early days of running a business. Promising ideas are terrific and all, but I needed fast cash a few times so I'd take a stroll about at home and find clothing, collectibles, and housewares that I could post and sell online. (I even discovered that I was sitting on $3K in plates shaped like fish, which was amazing.)If you've got items around the house that may be worth something to someone else, set up an account (or a few) online and start selling!

? Sites to investigate for selling clothing: Poshmark, ThredUp

? Sites to investigate for selling collectibles: Ebay, Etsy

? Sites to investigate for selling furniture, electronics, or housewares: Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Decluttr

5.Freelance Labor Services - Do you know how many people loathe (or have zero time for) cleaning out their gutters, unclogging the bathroom sink, washing windows, or building that "easy-to-assemble" IKEA furniture? Plenty. So, if you're handy with a wrench, a wiz with a power washer, or a master at folding laundry, consider cashing in on your talents right away.

? Sites to investigate for freelance labor jobs: Taskrabbit, Thumbtack

6.Pet Sitting/Dog Walking - Employers are implementing return-to-work policies fast and furiously right now. What does this mean? It means that all of the beloved pets who have become quite used to having their people around are going to need some TLC. For this reason, I anticipate dog walking and pet sitting to quite profitable in the near future. If animals are your jam, this could be a great side hustle for you.

? Sites to investigate for pet sitting/dog walking jobs: Rover, Care.com

7.Car Sharing - Got an extra vehicle or one you can do without for a few days at a time? Set yourself up on one of the car sharing marketplaces and become your own mini rental car agency.

? Sites to investigate for car sharing: Turo, Flexcar, Hyrecar

8.Taking Surveys - Here's another creative side hustle that I've dabbled in over the years. We've all got piles of knowledge, preferences, and opinions, right? Why not get paid to share it? (Not to mention, the work is pretty fun!)

? Sites to investigate for survey taking jobs: Respondent, Prime Opinion

9.House Cleaning - If you're reliable, honest, and enjoy seeing the results of a hard day's work, you may be the perfect candidate for a house cleaning side hustle. Even better, there are endless add-on services you offer at a premium to accelerate your income further (e.g. oven cleaning, laundry, meal prep, home organization, etc.)

? Sites to investigate for house cleaning jobs: Care.com , Nextdoor, Thumbtack

10.Mobile Car Detailing - I'm very lucky. My husband loves nothing more than spending a Saturday afternoon out in the driveway detailing our cars (I can hear the "How, exactly, did your car get so dirty already??" as I type, lol.) Most of us rather despise the task, however. So if you're good at it, there is money to be made in car detailing, with relatively low startup cost. Some auto dealerships hire freelance detailers as well, which could be a great way to find consistent business.

? Sites to investigate for car detailing jobs: Nextdoor, Craigslist

Speaking from experience, I recommend that you dig into one side hustle at a time rather than trying to run at several all at once. Having too many options can become overwhelming or distracting very quickly, and also reduce the likelihood that you'll gain traction.

Once you've narrowed in on the first side hustle you want to try, here are the very next steps I'd take:

1. Spend a couple of hours watching YouTube tutorials and success stories of people who have built similar side hustles (you'll find plenty). Learn everything you can from those who have gone before you.
2. Sign up for the platform(s) you intend to use to find opportunities, market your business, and sell your service. Keep it as simple as possible.
3. Make the minimal investments you need to make to get started. Don't spend weeks building a website or your last few bucks purchasing every last supply you think you'll need. Start with the basics and refine as you grow.
4. For service-based side hustles, spread the word with family and friends. If you can get a few quick (happy) customers, you'll not only earn income ASAP, you'll also be able to start gathering testimonials and start gaining word-of-mouth referrals.

And one final benefit of a side hustle, particularly for those who are in between jobs? You may find yourself gaining a much-needed sense of confidence through a period of time during which so much feels out of your control.

Go hustle!

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