After divorce, you may find yourself living on one less stream of income than you did when you were married and want to find a way to make up for it. Or even if you didn’t lose any income by getting divorced but now have increased expenses due to supporting two separate households, you might want to bring in some extra cash to help make ends meet. Or, finally, you might just want to step things up in your career because, hey, divorce can be the new beginning and jumping-off point you have been waiting for.
Whatever your reason for wanting to bring in more money than you currently are, a side hustle can be the answer. But which side hustle? To help you decide which is best for you, your talents, and your schedule (some side hustles you can do from the comfort of your home, I have come up with seven suggestions to get you thinking.
Reselling
One of the most popular side hustles is to resell items you either have or buy at a reduced price. From clothes to furniture to pretty much anything, you can make money from selling items lying around your house that you no longer need, want, or use. Depending on how serious you get about reselling, and how much you are willing to invest in your business to grow your inventory, you can potentially turn your efforts into a significant income stream.
Some resellers buy items in bulk and resell them for a higher price. Others shop at thrift stores and then sell interesting or unique items online after sprucing them up to varying degrees. And yet others scour the clearance racks of stores like Walmart and Target to find popular items on clearance only to resell them on sites such as Amazon or eBay for profit.
For those higher-end finds that go on clearance, many people find reselling them on Poshmark and the RealReal to be a financial win. Another approach to reselling is to find old or antique furniture on Facebook Marketplace, Goodwill, at garage sales, or even on the sidewalk and refurbish the pieces to give them a whole new look and life.
Whichever road you take, reselling can be a simple but productive way to make some money on the side. Just make sure that the money you are earning from these endeavors makes sense according to the hours you are investing, as some of the above money-making methods can be quite time-consuming.
Renting
If you have a spare room in your house, renting it out can be an easy way to make money in a relatively passive way. Particularly if you live near a popular city, this can be a lucrative side hustle.
If you don’t have that kind of expendable space regularly or you are not looking for a roommate, renting can still be an option. Renting your home when you are out of town can be fruitful. Airbnb has a helpful calculator for determining how much you could earn by hosting your home on their platform. A caveat: Be sure to vet your renters thoroughly.
Not driving much or at all? You can likewise rent out your vehicle on platforms like Turo or Getaround. Speaking of vehicles, that empty garage you are not using or space in your driveway can fetch you cash on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Running errands for others
Running errands for others can be gratifying as well as a great side hustle, especially if you have irregular hours or are looking for something to kill odd amounts of time. Whether you are getting groceries for a client through a service like Instacart or ordering lunches for them using platforms such as Uber Eats or DoorDash, there are a plethora of ways for you to aid those who need a helping hand and get paid for it. You might even be able to multitask by picking up an Instacart order or two while at the grocery store for yourself.
Handy around the house? You can assist with random tasks or errands through a platform like TaskRabbit. Through this site, you can offer up your skills for almost any kind of task, from car washing to moving to even just waiting in line for someone. You would be surprised at what skills hold value and what people will pay you for them.
Childcare and Housecleaning
For those who like kids, childcare can be a profitable and enjoyable side hustle. If you are looking for ways to make extra money, consider offering up your services to watch kids in your neighborhood. Some parents need an extra set of hands with them, while others need a responsible adult to act in their stead.
To get started, ask parents you know or ask them if they know of anyone looking for a babysitter during times when you are available. Do a good job and watch how the word spreads. If you don’t have connections, not to worry. You can still find childcare jobs through a variety of sites, such as Care.com.
Some babysitting jobs might come with a few housekeeping chores. Whether you want to take on these additional responsibilities, or do either babysitting or house cleaning exclusively, the decision is up to you. Just make sure you are upfront about the tasks you are willing and unwilling to take on.
Pet sitting/walking/grooming
Just like parents may need an extra set of hands with their kids, pet owners might need some help with their furry friends. If you like animals, this can be the purr-fect fun and productive side hustle. In addition to word of mouth, there are many apps and websites to help you land pet-sitting or dog-walking clients. Rover, for instance, lets sitters walk dogs or even take them in for the day or night if their owners are going out of town.
Are you an expert dog or cat groomer? You can throw these skills into your offerings, too. Your pet may not appreciate being forced to bathe, but their own probably would, especially if they didn’t have to spend the time or energy to do it themselves.
Housesitting
Going to be out of town for a while? Do you want to make sure that if a pipe bursts, someone finds out sooner than later? That an animal isn’t running around your house in your absence? That it looks like someone is home so that you don’t wind up getting burglarized? Or that your plants stay hydrated while you are away? Then consider hiring a housesitter.
Whether you place an ad on Craigslist, a local message board, or use a site such as TrustedHousesitters, make sure the person you hire is reputable. You don’t want to come home to any surprises.
Tutoring
Tutoring can be another satisfying way to make some money on the side. Depending on your education and skill set, you can help students out with anything from math basics or learning to read and write to SAT or other standardized test preparation. You could even help edit college application essays.
There are lots of websites for tutoring, such as Tutor.com. You can also advertise your services to parents or teachers in your community and encourage them to send students your way.
Digital side hustles
If you are looking for something you can do from the comfort of your home, digital side hustles can be an option. These range from web development and graphic design to freelance writing and marketing or consulting work.
A site such as Fiverr can be a great starting place since you can set your own rates. You can also utilize a site like Upwork, which also has dozens of potential jobs for you to bid on.
Find a Seattle family law firm with the ideas and educational resources to help you realize your dreams.
At Elise Buie Family Law, our team of divorce professionals understands that divorce can be a stressful time, especially if you are living on less money than you were when you were married. It is why we make it a point to offer our clients ideas to help get them back on track or propel their lives forward. Taking up a side hustle is just one of the many ways we have in our arsenal of ideas.
If you are interested in speaking with one of our team members about your individual family law issues and how to improve your circumstances now and in the future, we would be happy to listen and discuss them. Call our Seattle office today.
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