Sometimes if you’re broke or living on more than you’re actually making in income you need extra money. There is no way around it that you need to get extra money by working harder. That could mean picking up extra shifts at work or getting a part time job. There are also all kinds of different side hustles you can do. However, many side hustles are a waste of your time and energy. This may not be the answer you want to hear but it is the truth.
Most side hustles will not earn you money quickly. You may think it is a good option to work from home to have the most flexibility but it is harder than you think. There are many scams out there that can actually take your money or your personal information. Then there are some side hustles that promise good money but in reality they generate really low and slow income. Most of the time only making a few cents to a few dollars every 5 to 10 hours of work that you put in. I should know because I have been stuck on that rat wheel before.
I have spent countless hours looking for the perfect online flexible side hustle. Weeks upon weeks of looking for the right legit company that will pay me money to work from home. I found things like bingo games, surveys, blogs, YouTube videos ads, making social media ads, and more.
I can tell you that side hustles like playing bingo games or card games make you spend money so you can hopefully win money. The amount of money you make versus spend doesn’t add up in your favor even if you are a master at the game. The developer of the game wants you to think you will win lots of money so that you play it. When you play they make a profit. They do provide the winnings to those who win a round. However, that is just to get you to continue to play and think you are making money. The numbers always add up in the favor for the app company regardless of your talent at the game, otherwise they wouldn’t have made the app in the first place.
Surveys with the right company can make you money but you will spend more time trying to accumulate just a few dollars than it is really worth. Trust me I have tried that a few times with different companies. I spent full days on it and never even earned enough to cash out the money I made.
Probably the side hustle I stuck with the longest was the YouTube video ads. It has always been my dream since I was a young teenager to be a star on YouTube and make money off of monetization, selling merchandise like t-shirts, and company partnerships. I tried that for years and I made lots of videos. Both high quality shorts and vlogs while trying to make that dream happen.
I even made t-shirts, sweaters, mugs, and pet clothes. Lets just say that didn’t go as well as I thought it would. I thought it was the easiest and funnest way to make money. I even thought it would be my career one day with my own business. It didn’t go far despite years of hard work. I made money off of the monetization but it was never enough to cash it out. I only made a few cents despite having hundreds of views. I never sold any merchandise either. So my time was not only wasted on YouTube videos but also on CafePress and TeeSpring.
Now there are some people who do really well in those areas. However, they are harder workers than you realise. I got an unpaid internship in the YouTube building in Los Angeles while I was in college. I worked for one of the YouTubers who was making his whole living off of YouTube. He worked long hours and he didn’t own very much.
He worked from early in the morning until late at night when the building shut their doors at midnight. He mostly used YouTubes available free computers, free drinks, free snacks, free camera gear, and free parking lot. He did not own a car because his channel was about car reviews. He was able to rent a new car from local dealerships every week without cost. Since he made them a deal to tape a good review video on each vehicle they loaned him. So he only had to pay for the gas in the cars and if he ever caused any damage (which he never caused any damage to my knowledge).
He didn’t even own a home or apartment in the area. He was living in someone else’s home as a house sitter for a friends vacation home. He didn’t have to pay rent for most of the year and even made some money from house sitting. He didn’t have to buy furniture or anything else for the house. So he was mostly just responsible for his phone, storage devices, food, and gas. He also paid one video editor part time. However that is all he was really responsible for paying. In order to survive as a full time YouTuber he had to limit his expenses and hire a free assistant intern (a.k.a. me) to get the work done.
Besides my employer I had exposure to other famous YouTubers. Almost everyone that I met looked exhausted from being overworked. Their personalities seemed slightly different off camera because they were beaten down by life and its hardships. Most had other jobs and YouTube was just a side gig for them. They also utilized the free equipment at YouTube so they didn’t have to purchase their own cameras or computers. They all acted like they were barely surviving and not really thriving. They all said they couldn’t imagine doing anything else though because YouTube was fun even if it is hard work. Which I agree that if you’re making YouTube videos solely for the fun of it than it could be right for you.
The point is the jobs that you wish would make lots of money because it is flexible and more fun ends up being more work, takes more time, makes less money than you want, and requires sacrifices. What is more effective for making money fast is to get a part time job by applying in person or online for your local businesses. You may be wanting to avoid it but the truth is you need to work harder and the fastest way is to apply to jobs. If you can work overtime at your current job that is an even faster way to get extra income.
The other fast way to get some extra cash is to offer a service like cleaning houses, babysitting, pet sitting, house sitting, painting, minor house repairs, organization help, moving services, or yard work for your family and friends. You can also post paper ads at local shops that have community boards or telephone polls that you’re allowed to use. You can even ask for any odd jobs people want done on your local community page on Facebook.
There are lots of ways you can make extra money fast but the easiest way isn’t actually to work from home. It is possible but it is not really the easiest. There are actual jobs you can apply to that will be willing to work around your schedule. Restaurants, fast food, and merchandise stores tend to be the more flexible kind of jobs. They may not be your favorite job options. However, if you’re living on more than you make or are serious about getting out of debt, you will consider this as a temporary solution.
Remember it is temporary part time work while you work yourself out of debt, into saving, and no longer living paycheck to paycheck. Once you have some release from your debt and some savings you can quit the extra part time work. You should have some more wiggle room in your budget at some point so you won’t need to work extra anymore. The longer you can keep the extra job though the more money you will have in the long run. You have to keep a budget and keep track of that extra pay though. Keep your goals in mind or you will end up overspending on things you don’t actually need.
It is shocking when you see extra money in your bank account than you are used to having. You will be tempted to spend it right away just because you have the money now. As long as you keep your goals in mind you should have more self control and motivation. Whether that is paying off debt, saving for emergencies, saving for something special, or just trying to stop living paycheck to paycheck. Get your goals on paper and then go get extra work. It really is that simple.
If you want help with keeping your goals in front of you watch this video to see my vision board and how you can make one too!
