Side hustling. I mentioned this phrase to my great-aunt the other month. I told her I was considering different side hustles; she looked at me with disgust. I kept talking and then her expression changed. Afterward, I wondered if the term meant something different to her.

Apparently, the term has evolved. As Merriam-Webster notes on the term side hustle:

“Although the precise definition of this term is still in a bit of flux, it appears to be centering on “work performed for income supplementary to one’s primary job.” It serves as a fine example of how a word may be in consistent but limited use for some considerable length of time, remaining mostly dormant, before taking off when it fits some linguistic need.”

To my great-aunt, hustling meant scamming or doing something illegitimate – perhaps even illegal. None of that going on here!

The goal of each dollar earned via my side hustling is to turn them into additional capital for investing further into the Balanced Dividends passive income engine. It’s time to accelerate other dividend growth.

Side Hustles I’ve Tried Successfully (and Might Continue)

Here are things I’m currently experimenting with to see what works for me and what doesn’t work as well.

Cash Back / Points / Tracking Apps

While not really a side hustle, these things do have to be set-up and, from time-to-time, actively managed. Here are a few that I’m trying out currently.

Ebates

I knew of Ebates for years, but I didn’t use it until last month for the first time. Damn! It’s so easy.

After moving into a new apartment last month, I already got some nice cash back.

Dosh

I starting using Dosh on my phone recently. After I connected a credit card (I did one at first and then others), I started to slowly accumulate cash back from participating vendors.

Dosh has a minimum $25 transfer limit, which I have not yet reached.

Drop

Similar to Dosh, Drop utilizes a linked credit or debit card to provide rewards when utilizing certain vendors.

Instead of cash back, Drop gives award points that are redeemable for gift cards at various merchants and stores.

Surveys

My Facebook and other social media feeds are filled with ads for these things. The Penny Hoarder, in particular, promotes the first one – a lot.

Inbox Dollars

Please. Put me out of my misery. This had to be one of the most painful, slow experiences of my short side hustling career.

While you do receive a $5.00 bonus just for signing up, you can’t withdraw any earnings until you hit $30. I understand why.

It took a long time to get to $30, but I did it! I also found a better way to use Inbox Dollars, which I’ll cover in the near future.

Survey Junkie

After Inbox Dollars, I’d become stubborn and simply continued taking surveys just to inch forward and say that I did it. Don’t bother with this approach.

Survey Junkie at least has a better interface and process. I found he website and user functionality much more enjoyable than Inbox Dollars.

Google Opinion Rewards

Quick. Easy. Clean and simple. I wouldn’t expect anything less from Google. I’ve only made about $15 in Google Play credits, but it’s better than nothing.

The surveys and questions don’t happen too often, but it’s a much better return on investment for your time. It’s taken less than 30 to 60 seconds. Checkout Google Opinion Rewards.

1Q

I wish 1Q had more questions. When a question does come up, there is only one question (1Q)!

Just make sure you respond quickly via the app – the questions come and go very quickly when they do actually occur.

Other

Testbirds

A crowd-testing service that companies hire to test new products and services, Testbirds pays testers to participate in the various activities.

Initially, I didn’t qualify for a number of the test scenarios. But as you build up your experience or gain additional experience and/or community points, you’ll have more and better opportunities.

I can’t go into detail into the specific products and/or services I’ve tested, but there are some really interesting companies and items. Overall, I’ve made a little over $100 so far since joining.

 

Side Hustles I Have Not Tried

(Successfully) (Yet)

Most of these are quite popular; I’ve used some of them as a customer but not as a side hustler.

Housing / Transportation

Airbnb

Perhaps if I have a larger place or with a separate room / space, I might consider it. However, I mostly just don’t like the feeling of having someone else sleep in my bed.

I’ve used Airbnb as a customer a few times when it’s a better deal than a hotel, but it depends on the when and where.

Uber / Lyft

I don’t have a vehicle (own or lease), so it would be difficult for me to participate as a driver.

I’ve seen some services where you can borrow someone else’s car and then drive, but the return and effort doesn’t seem worth it to me.

Pet Walking / Sitting

Rover

Over the summer, I used the service first time and found it convenient. My parents usually watch Stella when I need to go out-of-town, but they weren’t available.

I thought finding a qualified sitter on rover was very easy; the sitter also happened to live a few buildings down from us. Stella stayed the weekend at the sitter’s home for about $30 a day.

Wag

A direct competitor of Rover, Wag also offers dog walking, boarding, and related pet services. I haven’t tried it yet (as a customer or a side hustler), but it looks interesting.

At this point, I’d likely try Rover just because I’ve seen the platform and service from the customer side already.

Other

Two other things I’ve tried with little to no success yet.

Transcriber

I registered as an online transcriber and even passed a few of the qualifying tests. After a few hours of it though, I was done.

I canceled my account, as it just wasn’t for me. I didn’t enjoy doing it at all, so I decided to spend my time doing other things instead.

Online Mock Jury

I got $5 for joining eJury. It really did look interesting, but I didn’t see any cases in my area.

What’s really lacking is a push notification to inform of you of any new cases. Users have to log in to check.

Lessons Learned From Frustration

A few key things come to mind:

• Value your time – don’t do some mindless activity with no purpose in end. If you at least find some entertainment or enjoy in it, that’s one thing.
• Look for synergies – find a skill set you might be able to apply elsewhere while also learning a new skill that could benefit another area.
• Set time to plan – take some time to put a plan in place, otherwise you’ll likely wander aimlessly.
• Exercise effectiveness vs. efficiency – wow, that survey is going to give you $1!? Too bad it took you 45 minutes to complete.
• Remember your foundation – continuing to focus on your primary job or professional area can contribute significantly to one’s options. More importantly, remember why you have a side hustle in the first place.

With these in mind, I’m going to be more selective not only with what activities I do, but when and how I do them. I understand not everyone may be fortunate to have a “regular” source of income that one enjoys and/or can rely on.

I’d like to play computer games and win major tournaments that pay out prizes, but I’m not that talented. Maybe after another 20 years of practice.

Looking Back and – More Importantly – Ahead

Through this exercise, I’m continuing to try to find a balance of things I enjoy and have some type of return to make it worth while.

Soon, we’ll look at the results of some of the side hustles coming up. I’ve found some to be interesting and others to be like chewing on broken class.

Overall, I feel fortunate I like my primary job most of the time. When I don’t, I remind myself of the other things I could be doing – both the good and the bad.

Readers, what side hustles or gigs have you tried? Have you experimented with any of the items mentioned here? Is there anything else you would recommend trying?

 

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Related:

Backstreet Boys!? Pre-2019 Goals & Planning

Fundrise Passive Income Review: 6-Month Update

Qapital 18-Month Update: (Non) Passive Income Review

Passive Income Engine: Building a Balanced Dividends Portfolio

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