The 10 Most Trusted & Realistic Side Hustles to Start Today

Side hustle ideas are everywhere, but not all are worth pursuing.

To help you avoid wasting time and money on side jobs that don't pay off, we've written this post for you.

In this guide, we'll provide a list of realistic side hustles that can considerably boost your income.

Our Top Picks

Here's a quick look at our list of the top picks:

• Starting a Blog: Best Overall
• Caring for Pets: Runner-Up
• Freelance Writing: Also Great
• Renting Out a Spare Room: Excellent Passive Income
• Virtual Assistant: The Easiest to Start
• Reselling Items Online: The Highest Earning Potential
• Freelancing Your Current Skills: Doesn't Require Additional Training
• Social Media Management: Leverage the Power of Social Media
• Detailing Cars: Best for Car Enthusiasts
• Selling Print-on-Demand T-shirts: Best for Creatives

The Best Realistic Side Hustles at a Glance?

Here are the answers to the two most common questions about realistic side hustles:

What Is the Best Realistic Side Hustle?

Starting a blog is the best side hustle to begin today. As you grow your audience, you can generate multiple income streams by monetizing the blog.

The requirements for starting a blog are also minimal.

What Is the Best Way to Realistically Make $1,000 per Month?

Freelancing your current skills is the quickest way to make $1,000 a month. All the options on the list below can also generate $1,000 monthly.

That said, most won't make this amount from the first month. It'll take time, depending on your current skills and the side hustle you pick.

The Best Realistic Side Hustles

We can include plenty of jobs in the category of “realistic side hustles.”

However, major differences make some side hustles better than others regarding profitability and ease of starting.

That's why we've listed the following top picks to help you pick the perfect side hustle for your needs:

1. Start a Blog

What's better than making money writing about what you're passionate about? This is what a lot of bloggers do.

You can launch a blog specialized in a topic you are highly interested in.

As you generate content on the blog and attract more visitors, you can monetize it and earn substantial income.

Cost to Get Started

Creating a blog will cost you from a few hundred dollars up to $1,000.

These are the expenses of hosting subscription, the blog theme, domain name, SEO and marketing plugins, and any other minor additions.

How to Monetize Your Blog?

Bloggers make money from their blogs in multiple ways, including selling their products and services to visitors.

However, affiliate marketing and display ads are the most popular methods of monetizing blogs.

The following are the most popular ad and affiliate networks you should consider when monetizing your blog:

Ad Networks:

• Google Adsense
• Ezoic
• Media.net
• MediaVine
• Infolinks

Affiliate Networks:

• Amazon Associates
• ShareASale
• FlexOffers
• ClickBank
• Commission Junction

2. Caring for Pets

Good news, pet lovers! You can make extra money by caring for pets in your spare time.

Whether interested in dog walking, pet sitting, dog breeding, or training, you can turn this passion into a lucrative side.

You can even work as a pet groomer or pet waste removal.

Here's a quick look at the average earnings of each of pet caring jobs:

• Pet Sitting: $15-21
• Dog Walking: $10-24
• Dog Training: $19-31
• Pet Waste Removal: Around $20
• Pet Grooming: $12-26

Cost to Get Started

Starting a pet-caring side hustle isn't costly. The most important requirement is the basic knowledge about the pet you'll mainly work with.

You can gain this knowledge through a lot of free resources online.

However, you'll need in-depth knowledge about pups' temperaments to work as a dog trainer.

So, you'll pay a few hundred dollars to learn the tricks of the trade.

If you want to boost client trust in you, you should also obtain a pet first aid certificate. This will cost you around $50.

If you work as a groomer or pet waste removal, you'll need a small initial cost to obtain the required equipment.

Where to Find Pet-Caring Gigs?

For pet-caring services, online platforms such as Wag, PetBacker, and Rover are excellent places to reach clients.

To find buyers for your dog breeds, you need to attend breed clubs or events and network with the attendees.

Alternatively, the AKC marketplace is a trusted platform to reach clients looking for your pups' breed.

3. Freelance Writing

Do you have a knack for writing?

You can make substantial extra income writing about a wide variety of topics. Freelance writing is a highly-demand side hustle.

As a freelance writer, you can work on writing blog posts, Amazon reviews, or product descriptions. You can also work as a copywriter or ghostwriter, and the list goes on.

Freelance writing is a great side hustle for any age, even for 13-year-olds.

Cost to Get Started

You need basic writing knowledge and skills to start a freelance writing side hustle. You can acquire the knowledge from free resources online.

To sharpen your skills, you need to work as an intern writer for a brief period. As for equipment, you'll need a mid-range PC or laptop and a reliable internet connection.

Where to Find Freelance Writing Gigs?

You can contact blog owners via email or LinkedIn to offer your services.

However, in the beginning, the best strategy to attract clients is to work in a content agency such as TextBroker or Contently.

Providing your service through popular freelance platforms like Upwork, People per Hour Writers Work, and Blogging Pro is also an excellent option.

3. Renting Out a Spare Room

Renting a spare room in your home can earn you $400 up to $5,000 monthly. It depends on your house's location and the room's size.

You can rent out the room for short or long periods based on your needs and preferences. The best part of this side job is that it generates passive income.

Cost to Get Started

To rent a room in your house, you need to make it more appealing for tenants. To do so, you'll spend a few hundred dollars on up to $1,000 to redecorate it.

You'll also pay the fees of the realtor or the platform you'll list your property on.

Where to Find Potential Tenants for Your Spare Rooms?

You can use Airbnb to list your room for rent. With over 15 million monthly visitors to the platform in the US, you'll have a great opportunity to receive offers from tenants.

Vrbo and Zillow are great alternatives that attract millions of tenants every month as well.

As another option, real estate realtor companies such as Century 21, Coldwell Banker, or Keller Williams are excellent choices to maximize your renting chances.

4. Virtual Assistant

Virtual assistants can make decent money helping executives and organizations with organizing and administrative tasks. They can work from virtually anywhere.

You can make, on average, $19 an hour from the comfort of your home by working as a virtual assistant.

Cost to Get Started

You'll need a mid-range laptop or a PC and an internet connection to handle a virtual assistant's organizational and administrative responsibilities.

You'll also need a high-quality microphone and webcam for meetings. Most individuals nowadays already have these requirements.

Where to Find Virtual Assistant Gigs?

The easiest way to find clients as a virtual assistant is through your network of professionals and friends.

Post on social media communities that you provide virtual assistance services.

Simultaneously, search for gigs on popular freelance websites such as Zirtual, FreeUp, and Upwork.

5. Resell Items Online

If you are into e-commerce, a reselling business can be a great side hustle to achieve substantial income.

You can depend on retail arbitrage or wholesale in your reselling side hustle based on your preference.

Regarding product choice, you can resell the products you are most passionate about.

This can be anything from clothing, furniture, books, and jewelry to tickets, web hosting, and a myriad of other options.

Cost to Get Started

The cost of starting a reselling business varies depending on your chosen product type.

For example, starting a clothing resale side hustle can cost you between $500 and $1,000. The inventory accounts for the majority of the cost.

You'll also need to pay a small percentage as a fee or subscription for the platform on which you'll list your products.

You'll spend a few hundred dollars promoting your products to reach more potential clients.

Where to Resell Your Items Online?

The best places to resell your products depend on their type. However, some online marketplaces suit a wide range of products. These platforms include the following:

• Amazon
• eBay
• Poshmark
• Depop
• Facebook Marketplace

6. Freelancing Your Best Skills

Do you love your 9 to 5 job but look for a side hustle to supplement your income? Freelancing your best skills is the best option.

Whether you're a graphic designer, web developer, project manager, or whatever profession, you'll find a myriad of freelancing opportunities.

The huge advantage of this choice is that you won't spend much time learning the skills you need for the side job from scratch.

That said, if you don't enjoy your current job, you can still learn and freelance a new skill.

Cost to Get Started

All you need to freelance your current skills is personal branding to help you stand out from the crowd.

Personal branding and digital identity creation will cost you, at most, a few hundred dollars.

You can do other activities like signing up for freelance platforms and promoting your services for free.

Conversely, if you start learning a new skill and then freelancing it, you need to enroll in an advanced course to learn the ins and outs of that skill.

You’ll also need to work as an intern or assistant for some time.

Where to Find Freelancing Gigs?

Optimizing your LinkedIn account and interacting with communities on the professional platform is one of the best tactics to land freelancing gigs.

Signing up for three to four freelancing websites, such as People per Hour, Upwork, and Freelancer.com, is also a highly effective tactic.

Alternatively, you can reach out to potential clients directly via email or LinkedIn InMail and offer them your services in a professional way.

Your various social media accounts can be a great place to showcase your work as well.

7. Social Media Management

If you love being on social media, why not learn to start a social media management side hustle?

Some people consider social media management as one of the hobbies that make money because they enjoy doing it.

As a freelance social media manager, you help businesses boost their brand presence on social media platforms. You can make, on average, $31 per hour working on this side job.

Cost to Get Started

You can start your social media management side hustle for free if you learn the basics of the job from the widely available online resources.

As a substitute, you can invest a few hundred dollars in paid courses to sharpen your skills.

For work, you need a decent laptop or PC and a good internet connection. You can use free social media management tools to manage the accounts in the beginning.

Where to Find Social Media Management Gigs?

You can use your personal social media accounts to attract clients.

Simultaneously, try to build a broad network of connections by attending popular events in the industry you're targeting.

Popular freelance platforms such as Upwork, People per Hour, Freelance.com, and Guru.com are also good places to find clients.

8. Detailing Cars

If you're a car enthusiast, washing and detailing cars can be an exciting side hustle for you. The good news is that you can make an average of $14 an hour as a car detailer.

You can offer this service for busy individuals. Alternatively, you can work with businesses operating fleet vehicles that need regular detailing to keep cars in optimal condition.

Cost to Get Started

To start a car detailing side hustle, you need to invest from $500 up to $1,000. Vacuum cleaners, buffers, and pressure washers account for most of the cost.

You'll also need equipment, including a hose, sponges, towels, wash mitts, and more.

If you provide more specialized services such as paint correction or ceramic cutting, you'll need equipment costing at least $500.

Where to Find Washing and Detailing Car Clients?

You can use your social media accounts to promote your car detailing services.

At the same time, sign up for the popular platforms that connect car detailers with clients. These platforms include Airtasker, Mobilewash, and Ridey.

9. Sell Print-on-Demand T-Shirts

If you're interested in fashion, selling print-on-demand T-shirts can be an excellent side job for you.

In this job, you design t-shirts and upload the digital design on a specialized print-on-demand website.

When a customer purchases the design, the platform prints the t-shirt and delivers it to the customer, and you get paid.

This means you take care of the creative part, and the platforms handle the logistics.

Cost to Get Started

Print-on-demand t-shirt business requires minimal cost.

You only need to be a skilled designer to get started. Alternatively, you can hire a professional freelance designer for a couple of hundred dollars to design a selection of t-shirts for you.

You'll also need a bank account to receive your earnings. For promotion, you'll spend a few hundred dollars a month on ads to drive more sales.

Where to Find Print-on-Demand T-shirt Customers?

Today, the market has tons of platforms that allow creators to sell print-on-demand t-shirts. Listing your t-shirt designs for sale on one or more of these websites is a great starting point.

Here are the most popular platforms to consider for reaching print-on-demand customers:

• Teepublic
• Amazon Merch on Demand
• Zazzle
• Redbubble
• Teespring

How to Start a Realistic Side Hustle?

Starting a realistic side hustle requires researching the right option for your lifestyle and needs. Here are our recommendations for choosing the ideal side hustle and running it successfully:

Prepare an Initial List of Options

Take a look at all the side hustles on the list above and tick off all jobs that meet your needs and can fit into your lifestyle.

If you're looking for more options, check out our long list of side hustle ideas.

Pick the Most Suitable Side Hustle

Pick the most suitable side hustle from all the side jobs you've chosen in the previous step. To do so, thoroughly compare all the side jobs you've selected.

Set a Realistic Goal

Set a goal for your first months of working on the side hustle. However, consider all the possibilities when defining this goal.

Create a Simple Plan

Making errors at the beginning is inevitable in any side hustle. You need to be well-prepared for this.

Make a simple plan with well-defined time frames for your next steps. This is to make yourself more committed to starting your side hustle and avoid procrastination.

Wrapping Up

The best realistic side hustle you can start today is creating a blog. Caring for pets and freelance writing are also excellent options for many people.

However, you should pick the most suitable side hustle for your lifestyle to ensure you can work on it consistently.

Hopefully, this guide has provided you with all you need about realistic side hustles. If so, please share it with someone interested in this topic.

Similar Side Hustles to Check Out

Eager to learn more about other types of side jobs, check out these similar posts:

• Legit side hustles: Looking for a legit side job to start today? This guide provides a list of legit side hustles to pick from.
• Fast side hustles: If you seek a side hustle that can generate money quickly, this post includes a list of these jobs.
• Easy side hustles: Want to dedicate minimal effort and time to your side job? This guide will provide you with a list of easy side jobs.