Hey everyone!
So, with 2021 coming to a close and what a year has it been, I know some of you are looking forward (or not looking forward) to 2022. Regardless, I think one thing we all have in common is wanting to be financially independent and get closer to the FIRE movement! I wanted to start the below thread for some of your best side hustles/income generating ideas or just anything that you do to make a significant or coffee money on the side (either online, in person, etc.)!
I think just having everyone here give their thoughts would be an amazing way to get some feasible ideas that anyone can do this year and going forward. So here’s what I did in 2021 and will continue in 2022 (aside from #6 l0l):
1. FT/PT Job – pretty obvious, but considering this is the major income source for most, either getting bonuses/awards OR applying to a higher paying job can always be a good start
2. Investing – I started in 2021 and although haven’t made life changing money, seeing dividend payments or slight capital growth is such a great feeling. Whether its low-cost ETF’s, dividends, or riskier capital growth, you gotta’ start somewhere!
3. Tutoring business – I figured that since I graduated and went through a hectic process to study for the CPA exam, why not teach/help others with what I know. Just as a proof of concept, I started a tutoring business in 2021 and was able to make just under 5 figures. I’m a pretty shy/quiet person so I barely marketed it aside from through online selling platforms like Kijiji/Ebay, so I’m sure if I tried more with marketing, it could become even more lucrative!
4. Be a TA/RA (*For Students) – if you are still in Uni/College OR are an alumni, often times depending on how well you performed on a course, you can get a paid teaching/research assistant job. For example, I was able to TA a course in my final year of Uni and in both 2021 and now in 2022, I’ve gotten asked to TA again!
5. Sell random things on Kijiji/Ebay/FB Marketplace – I had a stint in the end of 2020/beginning of 2021 where I would sell things like crazy – iPhone’s, computer equipment, gaming consoles, printers, textbooks, clothes, car tires, cameras – you name it! Basically anything I had in my house which I could get some cash for that either had no value (i.e. super old/used) or that I could profit on. I didn’t make anything crazy from this, but did make about $1K and it was honestly pretty fun. I’m sure you can scale this depending on the time/the quality of things you have!
6. Online Surveys – Alright to be honest, I really **wouldn’t** recommend this, but it is something I tried doing in 2021, just for shits and giggles. It really doesn’t take much time to fill a survey on sites like Respondent, and surprisingly, in 2021, I made around $200-300 for doing these. But obviously, the time to reward ratio was not worth it. It’s just something quick to do if you’re waiting in line at Starbucks or chilling at a bus stop 😛
Would love some other passive/active income ideas that some of you have actually tried/gotten results from! Doesn’t matter how little or how much, at the end of the day, a dollar earned is still more than you had before. Let’s all kill it in 2022 and make it a good year.
Carpe Diem
-VS
I’ve taken a hard look at my finances over the last few days and am setting a goal of diversifying my income in 2022. Potentially with a second job, and primarily with a request for a performance based raise.
I’ve been investing in individual stocks for the last few years alongside my main ETFs too but I think I’m at the point of giving these up due to the work required for DD, vs their speculative nature and comparatively poorer performance.
I’ve had good results donating plasma. This past year there were some pretty hefty incentives. Just went and calculated what I made. 3,145$ For 31 donations in the last 12 months. Works out to an avg of 101$/ donation. Average time was about 2-2.5 hours with the wait. Stopped going because the lines started getting super long and the waits started to not make sense. It was pretty good while It lasted. Paid to read and it helps folks out.
Indexes have been good the last few years so I’ll stick to that plan. Made some in single stocks but as stated in another comment the stress and DD of singles isn’t for me.
I worked a seasonal holiday job on evenings/weekends—brought in about $2k extra this year. I’d love to find something I can do on my own time, like bookkeeping, but most of the local places want someone in office, and I’m wary of national remote-only jobs—don’t want to fall for a scam. Would love to hear if anyone else has had luck in this area.
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