I used a quiet weekend to research side gigs and found 4 where I could earn thousands in extra cash every month
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Courtesy of Jen Glantz
- One quiet weekend at home, I started thinking about earning extra cash and began researching side gigs.
- I found four that I liked and calculated that some could earn me an extra $1,000 per weekend.
- I'm going to try out dog sitting, renting my space, working events, and freelancing.
A while back, I found myself spending a few weekends sitting at home doing nothing. I didn't have any plans, and I wondered to myself if I could turn those boring weekends into money-making opportunities that add a little room to my budget.
The answer was yes — it was just a matter of what side hustles I wanted to say yes to. I decided to hunt for a mix of potential gigs, and ultimately found four side hustles that I want to try out. I calculated that some of them could potentially net me an extra $1,000 during just one weekend.
1. Renting out my space and my stuff
After hearing about how people rent out their space and their stuff to make extra cash, I've been finding myself eyeing my apartment and seeing dollar signs.
While I live in a one-bedroom apartment, I can rent it out to people who are looking to stay for the weekend by listing it on AirBnB for $300 a night, which seems to be the going rate for an apartment my size and in my location. If someone rents it out for four nights, I'd earn over $1,000.
There are other options, too. I can rent out my space to be used for photoshoots or small events on Peerspace and charge $200 an hour with a five-hour minimum.
I can even put a chunk of my space on Neighbor, which lets you rent out your space for people to use as storage. Depending on how long people want to store their boxes or items, I think I can earn a couple of hundred dollars a month.
2. Watching pets
I recently needed to hire a pet sitter for my dog and found myself paying $100 for the day. That got me thinking that a good weekend side hustle could be pet sitting on the weekend.
If I watched a dog for three days, at the rate of $100 a day, I'd make $300. With the help of my partner, we could even watch three or four dogs a weekend to make $1,000 in extra cash for my savings account.
To get started, I plan to put up a profile on Rover, a dog walking and watching app, and Pet Sitter, a website to find someone to watch your pet.
Related: A comprehensive guide to earning passive income »
3. Working weddings and other big events
I have years of experience working weddings through my own company. I still do that, but there are some weekends when I'm not fully booked. I can put up a profile on The Knot or even Thumbtack offering my services as an event planner, event coordinator, or assistant to other vendors.
Based on what kind of help is needed, I could charge $500 an event for about four hours of help, and potentially make over $1,000 if I do two or three events per weekend.
If you want to get into the event world, think of a skill you have that could be helpful to a person planning an event, like being an assistant, photographer, or DJ, and create a profile on an event-based site like GigSalad.
4. Accepting online freelance gigs
On weekends when I don't have any plans and want to spend quality time on my couch, I plan to accept more freelance jobs.
I'm going to create a profile on Upwork, which is a spot where people or businesses can hire freelancers to complete projects for them. Tapping into my writing, digital marketing, and strategy skills, I could make more than $1,000 a weekend taking on projects for clients.
If you want to get into freelancing, first think of two or three skills that you are knowledgeable about — or an expert in. After that, you can create a profile on a freelancing website, set competitive rates, and sort through potential gigs from prospective clients.
This article was originally published in February 2022.