7 Side Hustles You Can Start Today With No Money

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Yi Ming Lai

Looking for an easy and high paying summer job as a college student? If you are a huge dog lover, consider offering your dog walking or dog sitting services to make extra cash!
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Looking for side hustles you can start when you are broke? Here are 7 side hustles you can start today with no money!

Before you read any further, I want to be absolutely honest with you! This post contains affiliate links, which means that I will be compensated for any purchases you make via my links to products and services I absolutely love and use daily. Don't worry! There are no additional costs incurred to you.

Side hustles you can start today which costs no money 

Contents

#1 Teaching and/or Consulting online

Starting a business can be a costly exercise. But because of the internet, there are now more options available. You can literally make money through hustles without leaving the comfort of your own home! The best part is, they often require little to no money to start.

There are at least three ways you can make money teaching or consulting online.

You can:

  • Teach by creating your online courses
  • Teach your skills on an online teaching platform
  • Sell teaching resources, learning aids and lesson plans

If you're NOT a teacher by trade, then the best way to start is to teach English with companies like VIPKids, Cambly and QKids.

As long as you are a U.S. or Canadian citizen, you're eligible to apply as a tutor. You'll also need a reliable internet connection and a good laptop to start.

Interested? Check out these amazing blog posts!

Skills required: Good communicator, skilled and knowledgeable about topic, 

MUST: Own a laptop, having fast and reliable internet, self-organised, good with multitasking

Suitable for: Extroverted, Bubbly, Energetic, Friendly, Caring People

#2 Selling stuff you no longer use

A great side hustle that does not require you being sales-y is to sell stuff you no longer use. A great way to start is by selling textbooks you no longer need. You might also consider downsizing your wardrobe by selling any clothes, accessories and shoes you hardly wear.

As a beginner seller on eBay, you'll have 20 free listings. After that, eBay will charge you an insertion fee. However, you can avoid the fees by keeping an eye out for free listing periods.

Interested? Check out this really detailed post on how to sell on eBay.

Skills required: Decent photo-taking skills, SEO for listing

MUST: Own a laptop, having fast and reliable internet, self-organised

Suitable for: Anybody with some stuff to sell

#3 Sell your photos online

Do you have great photography skills? Use it to make extra money during your summer break to pay off your college or uni student loan debt!

I first learnt about selling photos online to make money via Pinterest. If you have a great eye and own a decent iPhone or camera phone, chances are you have some photos that you can sell to stock photo websites.

As a blogger, I'm always searching for gorgeous images I could use via stock photo websites.

Shutterstock is one of them. They are looking for contributors, so if you already have some photos you can sell, just go on their website here to create your profile today!

What if you're already a pro photographer? Well, you can start by selling your photos to SmugMug Pro instead!

To gain exposure as a photographer, you can also submit your photos to Unsplash for free. For guidelines on how to do that, visit Unsplash's submission guidelines here.

Skills required: Photography skills, Basic photo editing skills

MUST: Own a laptop, having fast and reliable internet, spare time

Suitable for: People who have a good eye

#4 Freelancing online

Freelancing is one of the best ways to make money online. You can set your own rates, be your own boss, brand yourself AND attract the clients you want to work with!

However, a lot of beginners make the mistake of being a generalist. In order to succeed as a freelancer, choosing a PROFITABLE niche is super important! If you want to read more about how you can earn more money freelancing, read all about it here.

As a blog business, I also include freelance Pinterest virtual assisting services for online business owners. Interested in working with me? Reach out and we can have a chat!

Eager to start your freelancing side hustle? Create your profile today with Guru, Upwork or Fiverr.

Skills required: marketing, social media management, copywriting, copy editing etc.

MUST: Own a laptop, having fast and reliable internet, 

Suitable for: Deadline-oriented, self-motivated, introverted PEEPS

#5 Complete random tasks for strangers

Every Saturday, I have a relaxing breakfast at McDonald's(or as the Aussies call it, Maccas). While I was people-watching, I noticed at least 5 Uber Eats delivery people.

The economy is quickly shifting to what is now dubbed as the “gig-economy”. Young people are finding it difficult to make ends meet with the high living costs. The good news is that with the mobile phone and internet, you can start side hustles within minutes for FREE!

Apps such as Airtasker and Task Rabbit are great places to start. Tasks can range from pet and house sitting to cleaning somebody's garage. If you have some spare time and a can-do attitude, the money will quicky add up to something substantial!

Skills required: manual labor and decent physical fitness 

MUST: own a car, have access to a mobile phone and data

Suitable for: people with a can-do, positive attitude, respectful to others

#6 Make money completing surveys/ user testing

This is one of my favourite ways to make extra money at home and during my commute. 

For surveys that actually make money, I recommend Survey Junkie. Survey Junkie does not actually have an app, so I usually complete surveys on my mobile browser. Another survey app I used regularly is Qmee.

Personally, I prefer the survey sites and apps that pay me cash. Zap Surveys pays via iTunes gift card and through donations to charity. QuickThoughts is another survey app that is quite user-friendly. I seldom use it as it only pays via iTunes gift card.

If you're not really into surveys, you should consider user testing! I first stumbled onto user testing in June 2018. Applying to be a user testing for UserTesting is quite simple! Just submit a video providing clear and useful feedback while surfing a website, and you can start earning money!

Skills required: Able to communicate and articulate opinion in a clear manner

MUST: Own a laptop, having fast and reliable internet 

Suitable for: People who hate selling, have limited free time and commute a lot

Related:  13+ Best Money Making Apps For Australians Like Ibotta

#7 Pet sitting services

There will always be pets who need to be walked and looked after when their owners go on holiday or business trips. So you'll always have clients!

The problem is how do you get clients?

Don't fret! There are many websites and apps you can use to get started!

This excellent article by The Penny Hoarder on how to start a pet-sitting side hustle will give you lots of ideas on where to start. If you're situated in Australia, here is a website where you can apply to become a sitter today!

For those of you who don't live down under, try Rover.com, Dogvacay.com and Care.com.

Skills required: n/a

MUST: reliable, fun-loving and animal-friendly

Suitable for: Animal lovers

Final thoughts

There are tons of ideas and lists out there that will help you get started on your side hustle journey. I personally started mine accidentally.

Here are some more ideas for you to brainstorm: