Unique And Fun Side Hustles

New ideas for you to try and think about

All through elementary school and early middle school, I remember racing home to watch Ed, Edd, and Eddy on the cartoon network. What had drawn me to the cartoon wasn’t the humor of the situations, but the mindset that it created in me.

The plot of every episode was identical, three kids needed money to buy their favorite candy, a jawbreaker. Each episode was another attempt at a side-business to make enough money to pay for their sugary delight.

It stoked my imagination and desire to find simple, unique, and feasible side hustles that could really make me a few dollars. I am not going to present a list of ideas such as starting a YouTube or starting a niche blog. Rather, I have compiled a list of lesser-known ways I have actually made money and had fun in the process.

If you can find your cash-hobby and master some saving tips you can absolutely grow your wealth. Here is a guide of simple and practical ways I saved a ton of money for your viewing pleasure.

Without holding you up any longer, here is my list for you to read and ponder about!

Painting Miniatures

I know most people reading this might just skip this suggestion altogether. I am by no means artistic, and I actually don’t like painting as a hobby. When I was just 13 years old I discovered a tabletop game, Warhammer 40,000.

The idea behind the game was that you had to buy a box of your chosen miniatures, assemble them, and then paint them. The miniatures can be pricey, but knowing they must also be painted turns a lot of would-be players into bystanders.

Here is where you can make some serious cash

To test my theory I bought some Warhammer miniatures from Amazon.com and then quickly assembled them. Since I had no previous supplies I also bought the suggested paints. After it was all said and done I spent a little over $100 total. I then sat down to paint them as I carefully followed a youtube guide.

While I initially bought 10 unpainted miniatures for $51, the result was that I was able to sell the now-painted miniatures individually for $20-$25. What cost me $50, in the beginning, was now worth $200-$250. With an hour or two after assembling them, you can sell them for a 400%-500% increase of the amount you paid for.

I found another seller on Etsy who was even able to sell individual miniatures for up to $35 each. I have no desire to play the tabletop game, but I am making a large return on my investment while hopefully allowing non-painters to get their foot into the door.

The takeaway lesson here: Where there is an unfulfilled need you will always have the ability to make money. Sometimes the unwillingness of people will provide you with the perfect opportunity to provide a monetizable service.

Personal Training

hear me out on this, because it isn’t what you think. I had a few friends that wanted to lose weight but were a little timid about getting involved in the gym. I paid $400 to get certified, but my friends were willing to pay $20-$25 per session.

Do the math, it took me only 10 training days with having them both with me to make up for what I paid to get certified. I was already going to the gym, and they were now paying me to tag along and do what I was already doing.

I am not cheating them by any means and trying to trick them into thinking they are doing more work than they are. I am genuinely fasting intermittently with them, training different areas of the body and tracking their PR’s. We are having fun but now I had the other 11.5 months to rake in a profit.

Do not get certified to then go work for a gym. You can still make a decent side income by training people in your immediate circle, and you can make your own schedule. Count me in!

Rent Out One Room

I live in a college town, and I do missions work up at the campus. The result of my work is that I am friends with literally 100+ college students. Every couple of months they change academic semesters, and a few of them look for housing because living off-campus is much cheaper than a dorm.

I own a small house only 3–4 minutes from campus, and I have a spare room. This works in my favor because I have a small mortgage so I don’t need to worry about charging college students to death so I can survive.

My mortgage is $787 a month, and if a college student wants to rent out a room for 5–6 months for $350 a month then I am okay with it. At the end of the month, it is as if I am actually living in my house for $437 a month.

I use the rent money for investing, and slowly building up a random account if my car breaks down, or the roof needs fixing.

Air BNB

If you don’t live in a college town with students to house for money then consider another option. You may feel comfortable renting out one of your rooms for $100 a night to a stranger.

I personally do not feel comfortable letting an unknown person sleep in my house, but not everyone is as cautious as I am.

If you are though you can make a killing. Think of it like this, in the above section I am importing college students for $350 a month, but you can charge $100 a night making nearly $3000/month if you did it every night.

Medium

If you didn’t know already, you can write articles much like the one I wrote and you are now reading and get paid for it. Granted it requires a lot more readers than I am getting, but it does do the job.

At the time of writing this I have less than 30 followers, and less than 15 articles yet I am sitting around and making money passively every month. I average around $3/month, but this a fun hobby that I would do anyway even if I didn’t get paid.

Top writers for Medium are making hundreds of dollars a month while an elite number are making thousands of dollars.

By getting accepted to write for different publications you can begin writing about specific topics regularly, build a following, and exponentially increase your income depending on how many members are reading your work, and for how long they read it.

I’m a terrible writer and yet even I can make a few bucks on here. Now get out there and start writing!

Making Money Your Way

You don’t always need to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors and think of a revolutionary idea, or open a business front along Mainstreet. This is the 21st century and technology has created so many opportunities and hobbies for us to capitalize on.

You can make money from your living room on your laptop computer for the first time in human history. Now is the time to be proactive, find your hobby, solve a problem, fill a need, make some money and have fun along the way. Now is the time. Now is your time.