I started playing around with creating websites back in 1998, the same year that my youngest daughter, Tatym, was born. It was also then that my journey of becoming a side hustle queen began as I discovered affiliate marketing (more on that later).
According to Dictionary.com, a “side hustle” is a means of making money alongside one’s main form of employment or income. While my main job at the time was working at a physician’s clinic, I was able to quit and work from home full-time in 2001 by having several side hustles. Tatym doesn’t remember me ever having a “real” job. All she remembers is me working from home at my computer.
If you have fun while making money, it doesn’t feel like work! Here are the main side hustles that I’ve made money with (and continue to have fun and make money with) over the years.
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Couponing
I started cutting and using coupons when I was in high school in the late-eighties (before the internet). I got really serious about couponing and refunding in the 90s when I had four little mouths to feed. While couponing and rebating have now mostly shifted from paper to digital, I still like to save a buck here and there when I can. Read more here.
Affiliate Marketing
The websites (now called blogs) that I first built were all about my passions including one about couponing and deals. That was the website that took off when friends and family starting sharing the deals with their friends and family and so on. When I discovered that could earn commission on the deal sales, it made my “job” even more fun! Read more here.
Affiliate marketing, sometimes also called performance marketing, has been my main source of income throughout the years. I won the Affiliate Marketing Legend Award back in 2012 and currently serve on the advisory board for Affiliate Summit.
Mystery Shopper
Mystery shopping is not a get rich quick scheme but is a great way to earn some extra cash as well as get free food, free car washes, free oil changes and more. Read more here.
Law of Attraction
Did you know that there is a such a thing as manifesting money into your life? Yes, it is! While, I made most of my money via affiliate marketing, I also changed my attitude towards money to that of a millionaire mindset which I believe help manifest that money that I made.
I even created a free online vision board maker at VisionBoard.me for others to use to manifest money and happiness. Read more here.
Online Reseller
I’ve dabbled with reselling on eBay and several other online marketplaces, but I’ve found the most success on Amazon, Poshmark, and Walmart Marketplace.
Amazon FBA
Originally, Amazon FBA was my “side hustle” to my affiliate marketing business, but it outgrew that quickly. The very first items I resold on Amazon were Walmart clearance items and free after rebate items from Menards. After outgrowing my house, then garage and several storage units, we now have two big warehouse dedicated to our reselling business. Read more here.
Poshmark
I started selling nicer clothing items on Poshmark that I couldn’t sell on Amazon (they have restricted brands), and it’s an easy-to-use platform. Many people are actually full-time Poshers! Read more here.
Offline Reseller
I find it ironic that I was one of the first people (in my area anyway) that started making money online, and just when everyone and their dog became attached to their smart phones, I decided to branch into offline selling (with all of the marketing done online though).
Liquidation
I bought my first Target liquidation pallet in 2020 and got hooked. From having $5 liquidation sales to owning a liquidation boutique, every day is like a Christmas when a new liquidation truckload arrives to our warehouse. Read more here.
Mattresses
I originally signed up to a be Sharetown rep simply so I could do a review of how to make money with them, but after realizing it’s pretty easy money, I decided to stay a rep (it’s free after all). If you’ve ever wondered what happens to bed-in-a-box mattresses, you can make money picking them up and reselling them!
There are several other ways to make money with mattresses as well. Read more here.
More Side Hustles
I’ve only just broke the surface on the amount of side hustle ideas available. Here are twenty more ideas to earn your own status of being a side hustle queen (or king):
- Become a beekeeper.
- Sell bodily fluids for cash.
- Take surveys.
- Become a notary.
- Rent out space.
- Grow plants.
- Class action lawsuits.
- Be a court reporter.
- Sell digital printables.
- Be a surrogate.
- Make Cricut crafts.
- Artificial intelligence.
- Be a virtual assistant (VA).
- Edit videos.
- Make badges.
- Sell used electronics.
- Find unclaimed money.
- Flea market flipper.
- Be an art collector.
- Elementary math tutor.
And I reiterate, if you have fun while making money, it doesn’t feel like work! I also recommend not putting all of your eggs in one basket, as sometimes something happens and one source of income can drop at any time. I’d love to hear about your side hustles. Contact me anytime!
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