Side Gigs

With a little time and effort, you can make some extra cash

By Deborah Jeanne Post

Whether you need to build your nest egg or want some extra fun money, side gigs can help you out if you don’t want to commit to a part-time job or take on extra hours at your full-time job. You don’t even have to deliver food or pick up strangers in your car.

Tutor

If you were a whiz at math or adept at history or English, try tutoring high school or college students. It also helps if you are good at explaining complex topics. In addition to those who worked in education, people with a background in marketing, communications, writing or team leading can often become effective tutors. Many tutors work online only, which makes a great gig for those averse to wintertime driving. Ask around at the school where your children attend(ed). Any contacts you have at the school may provide a springboard to start this gig.

Pet Sitter

If you love animals and have the right set-up at home, you can build a small business taking care of others’ pets by pet sitting and dog walking. Your home should also be pet proof and if you want to sit dogs, it’s helpful to have a fenced back yard. Some people with cats prefer a sitter to stop by their home to scoop the litter, feed the cats and play with them, since most cats prefer their own environment over a strange place. Start your pet sitting business by sitting friends’ pets and building a reputation from there. If you have experience with exotic pets such as reptiles and rabbits or farm animals, then you can emphasize your ability to care for these animals also.

Craft Seller

If your craft game is strong, why not get paid for your hobby? Carving, wood burning, knitting, crocheting, painting — whatever you do, people will pay for it. You could sell at a locally owned store and avoid having to manage transactions. Ask around and see where you can sell it. Or if you like interacting with people, look into selling at farmers’ markets and other pop-up events.

Baking/Cooking

Like crafting, creating food can provide a stable side gig that you can market through local points of sale. You may be required to use a commercial kitchen for food safety purposes. However, you may be able to rent space by the hour from an organization such as the Elks, VFW or church. The former Nelson Farms Country Store & Production Facility shared kitchen in Cazenovia is no longer in operation. Artisan bread, cheese, jam, jelly and more are in high demand. Or consider repackaging and branding things like honey and maple syrup. It’s all about marketing.

Hosting

You don’t have to own a vacation home on the lake to rent lodging to other people. Sites like Airbnb and VRBO allow renting a room or if you’re gone, your entire house. You can also rent your property to pet owners on Sniffspot.com. Fenced back yards and larger properties even without fences tend to do well. The part of this gig that’s work is cleaning, preparing and cleaning up after your guests. Renting storage space for home goods or vehicles can also generate cash. Check with your municipality about any zoning concerns for this type of renting.

Renting

You can also rent out objects such as canopy tents, musical instruments, camping equipment, baby equipment, power tools and more. Sites like Rntr (https://rntr.com) can help facilitate your rentals. It can also help to advertise where potential customers are, such as reaching out to local schools’ music departments and independent music teachers about renting musical instruments.

Photography

If you have a good eye for photography, quality equipment and tech savvy, consider booking clients for photography. There’s event photography or portraiture. The former could include weddings, births and parties. Portraiture may be high school graduation, engagement, family and products.

Retail Reselling

Love shopping? You can turn that into a profitable gig. If you find bargains at resale shops, retail stores or yard sales, resell those things for a profit on eBay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or Fulfillment by Amazon. The toughest part of this gig is spotting deals and whether people will want the items.