6 Side Hustle Ideas: Ways to Make Money From Home

Did you know that the average millionaire has anywhere from three to seven income streams, and finance experts recommend that you have at least three sources of income, preferably in unrelated industries?

Whether you're trying to build wealth or just make ends meet, having a variety of ways to make money from home keeps you from crashing to zero if your main source of income suddenly goes away.

So I'm going to show you six side hustle ideas that my husband and I have used to earn extra income and build up savings in case of the unexpected.

There are three characteristics that you'll want to remember as you're choosing appropriate side hustles for you and your lifestyle. Number one, it should be fun. Number two, it should be flexible. And number three, it should bring some extra cash into your household.

If these three characteristics are checked off, you know you’re on track to discovering how to make extra money the right way.

Sounds simple? That’s because it is. Learning how to make money outside of your paycheck job is just that easy.

1. Braiding hair

If you can do braid extensions or even cornrows, from simple to intricate styles, you can make some really nice side money doing it for other people.

You don't have to have a license or a salon to braid hair, but you should learn the best practices of the craft so that you're doing it well, creating a style that will last, and offering the benefit of protecting the client's hair.

If you want to learn this skill or increase your current skills, there are so many braiding tutorials on YouTube that can help you.

The typical charge for these braiding styles is between $100 and $300, but it can even go higher depending on the length of the hair being added and the length of time it takes to complete the style.

2. Tutoring

The beauty of tutoring is how broad the spectrum really is. You might be great at algebra, but you could also be fluent in another language, proficient on the piano, or a guru in Python coding.

For in-person tutoring, you can start with your immediate network. There might be students in your neighborhood, at your church, or children of coworkers who might need academic help.

You can also tutor online through websites like TutorMe or Tutor.com, which usually require some teaching experience or an assessment to make sure you know your chosen subject matter. They take care of the payment process for you.

Tutoring rates in the U.S. fall anywhere between $15 to $80 per hour depending on the difficulty of the subject and your education and experience.

3. Virtual assisting

This side hustle can take on a few forms and can involve a variety of responsibilities. But in a nutshell, it boils down to you doing administrative tasks for a business or organization from home or any remote location.

Most often, virtual assistants help small business owners with tasks like answering emails, social media management, scheduling appointments, and data entry.

The average salary for a virtual assistant is anywhere from $25 per hour to as high as $80 per hour, and you can be connected to jobs on websites like Upwork or Fiverr or by asking around.

4. Reviewing websites and apps

This side hustle is where you get paid to use a website or an app for a few minutes and say what you think about it. You don't need any kind of expertise, just an opinion.

You can sign up for free on a site like UserTesting, which will pay you a minimum of $10 for about ten to fifteen minutes of your time, all the way up to $60 for an hour of your time.

Once you have an account, you begin receiving notifications for opportunities to test websites or apps. Each opportunity has a listed payment amount and approximate time frame.

You get to choose which opportunities you'd like to try, and once you select them, you have to answer questions to see if you fit the demographics of their site or app's target audience.

5. Freelance photography and videography

If you have a passion for paying special attention to photo composition, angles, exposure, and shutter speeds, then you might be a good candidate for this particular side hustle.

You will need to have a quality camera because no one is going to pay you the big bucks to come in with your cell phone, but it doesn't have to run you thousands of dollars. You can also set up a free and easy website on a platform like Wix or just start an Instagram account.

The average rate for a freelance videographer is about $85 to $100 per hour, but the range for what you can charge can go as high as $2,000 for a day based on your skill level and the final package you want to provide to a client.

6. Selling customized products

I saved up my money and purchased a Cricut that allows me to create and cut designs out of a variety of materials like fabric, iron-on vinyl, adhesive vinyl, cardstock, sticker paper, leather, and wood. Since then, I've sold personalized t-shirts, mugs, baskets, and bags.

If you wanted to scale up, you could use social media sites like Instagram and Facebook to display your services and have people contact you for orders.

You can also use platforms like Etsy, Shopify, eBay, or Facebook Marketplace to list your goods and have all the payments go through those sites.

Ways to make money from home

Ways to make money from home

Now, hopefully, one of these ideas sparked a new money-generating idea for you. When you’re looking for ways to make money from home, think about the things you enjoy doing most, and see if there are people willing to pay you to do them.

What side hustles on my list resonated with you? Let me know down below.