15 Side Income Ideas You Can Start (With No Special Skills)

Today I have a guest post from Jennifer. Jennifer Jones is inspired to teach people to live frugally to help people to take the stress out of their life and live to the fullest. Read more of her writing on The Frugal Mrs Jones.

Side income sounds like a great idea when you first think about it, so why doesn’t everyone have a side hustle?

For most people, the answer is simply that they don’t know how to get started. They worry that they will need a significant investment in time or money to learn a special skill, or that they will get over-committed and stressed.

The good news is that many side hustles require no special skills at all. They allow you to stay in complete control of your time, and they can make a huge difference when it comes to your personal finances.

Related: How to Find the Right Side Hustle For You

Whether you plan on earning enough to cover all your living expenses or just want a little extra cash to spend each month, these 15 side income ideas can all serve as solid options for you!

1. Rent Space with Airbnb

If you own a home or apartment, and you want to earn some extra income without spending a lot of time completing tasks, you should definitely take a look at Airbnb.

This online rental community is growing more and more popular every year, and it offers a variety of benefits for renters. Obviously, the rental income is key, but the opportunity Airbnb gives you to meet all kinds of different people from around the world can be extremely valuable.

After some time, you might be able to join the group of Airbnb renters who actually earn enough to cover their mortgages completely!

*Use my link to save $40 on your next Airbnb stay of $75 or more.

2. Teach English

Understanding and knowing how to speak the English language can be a huge advantage for people in many countries around the world. That means that English lessons hold some significant value.

There are several websites that allow you to teach English to people around the world through video chat sessions. Teachers can earn as much as $22 per hour!

3. Complete Tasks on Gigwalk or EasyShift

Gigwalk and EasyShift bring communities together through their free smartphone applications. These apps allow people to perform small tasks for other community members throughout the neighborhood. For example, someone could ask for another person to take some photographs of the inside of a local store.

For those living in urban and suburban neighborhoods, these apps can be a great way to earn some extra spending money.

4. Become a Human Billboard

While this may not be for everyone, there are a ton of business always looking for ways to gain an advertising advantage. If you’re not the type to get embarrassed by dancing around a street corner, these businesses will be happy to pay you to spin their signs or dress you in a costume to attract extra attention to their storefront.

5. Bake Sweets for the Community

If you enjoy baking, why not sell some of your delicious creations throughout your community? Home-made baked goods are in high demand these days, which means they come with a high price tag as well.

There are thousands of people around the world that earn significant side income through quality baked goods every year. The key is to focus on a specific target market. For example, you could specialize in corporate events, birthday parties or take only personal orders from a loyal customer base.

6. Try Mystery Shopping

Believe it or not, some companies will pay you to test out their shopping experiences. Some may even pay you to spy on the competition! You can learn how some have been able to make a large amount of side income through mystery shopping in just a few minutes.

Related: Side Hustles Explored: How to Earn Money as a Mystery Shopper

7. Start Blogging

While it may be difficult to earn money right away with blogging, committed bloggers benefit from a variety of different advantages. Blogging will help you improve your writing skills and find the perfect audience for a topic that interests you personally. It will also allow you to start building a foundation for a huge future earning potential.

8. Become a Brand Ambassador

Representing large corporate brands in the community can be one of the most fun and simple ways to earn money on the side. These brands are always looking for people who can promote their interests at the local level, and they pay good money to these “ambassadors.”

Whether they want you to pass out free drinks at a special event, discuss new products with community members, or travel across the country in a company-provided vehicle, this could be an excellent opportunity for you!

Related: Side Hustles Explored: Make Money as a Product Demonstrator

9. Drive People

One of the biggest side hustles of today is all about driving people around. The ground transportation industry has exploded through companies like Lyft and Uber over the last few years. This side gig is a proven way to earn solid income on your own time.

Related: 5 Reasons to Start Driving For Uber

How to Make More Money Driving For Uber

10. Drive Food

If you like to drive, but really don’t like the idea of strangers in your back seat, you might want to look into food delivery services. Like the companies we listed in #9, there are several large firms that offer food delivery service around the world. This industry is booming in popularity alongside the freelance “taxi-style” services.

11. Wash and Detail Cars

Another popular side gig revolves around mobile car cleaning and detailing services. Start-up costs are very low with these side businesses. All you need is a few supplies to get started. When you need new clients, you might be surprised how much you can grow your business in one afternoon at the mall, office or school parking lot.

12. Become a Worker on Mechanical Turk

Mechanical Turk is an online platform powered by Amazon. This platform connects companies who need help completing small online tasks with those looking for some extra cash on the side. While there are many websites to earn extra cash online, Mechanical Turk represents one of the most popular, safest and easiest to use services.

Keep in mind that most of the tasks on Mechanical Turk pay only a few pennies, so earning enough income to quit your day job is very difficult. However, if you just want to earn some bonus money during your free time, this site is a great option.

13. Provide Childcare Services

Childcare services have come a long way in the past few decades. It is more common than ever for both spouses to work full-time jobs, even when they have young children at home.

These working families aren’t looking for just anyone to take care of their kids either. They want trustworthy professionals to provide these services, and they don’t mind paying a higher price for exceptional childcare. There are also several very helpful websites to help you connect with these potential customers.

14. Start Walking the Dog

It might surprise you to know how many people are willing to pay someone else to walk their dog for them these days. People love their dogs but often find that they just don’t have time to take them on their daily walks. With a dog walking service, you can earn some significant side income fairly quickly. Try a website like WagWalking.com to get you started.

15. Be a Customer Service Rep

Customer service representatives are in high demand. Anyone who has spent a few minutes looking for side gigs on the internet can see that. Thousands of companies are looking to outsource customer service positions to freelance workers every day. If you take one of these positions, you will most likely be asked to field phone calls or live chat requests from customers.

Related: Side Hustles Explored: Work-From-Home Customer Service Jobs

80+ Side Hustle Ideas That Don’t Suck

Have you ever tried any of these side income ideas to make extra money