The Plan | Side hustles

By Contributed

Nov 30, 2022

Use your talents: Ideas for side hustles can come from anywhere. Photo by Megan Fisher

The ‘side hustle’ has grown in popularity in recent years, with the expansion of online sales platforms and multi-level marketers seemingly taking over our Facebook feeds. A side hustle is just a way to make money outside your 9-5 job and, boy, have I tried a few this year.

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When first starting out on The Plan I had to consider ways to make extra money, and I started by auditing the skills I already had. For me, it was pretty easy. I’m a working musician and spent more than 10 years as an instrumental music tutor when my kids were younger.

So all I had to do was say ‘yes’ when someone approached me asking for lessons. I started teaching her one night a week and before I knew it, there were a couple more. I am finishing the fourth term with five students and a timetable that works for me. When the kids are with their dad, I teach a lesson at 5.45pm every weeknight so that my work day officially ends at 6.15pm. On the alternate weeks, when the kids are with me, I teach only three, leaving a couple of nights free to spend more time with the kids and get them to their after-school activities.

It took me a bit of trial and error to figure out the right balance for me and the kids, but this is what is working. Now that’s an average of four lessons a week. With school holidays off and allowing for last-minute cancellations from me and students, I’ve taught more than a hundred lessons this year, with earnings topping $4000. Another one marked off in my pursuit to make or save $500 in 50 different ways. Technically, this could count for eight of them!

This has been a huge help to me getting on my feet financially and achieving my goal to remain debt-free while I re-established myself after divorce.

Not everyone has such a ready way to make money, but you might have skills you haven’t even thought of. Photography, graphic design, making social media content, or tutoring in a subject you aced when you were at school are all potential ways to earn money. Maybe you speak a second language and can translate documents. On websites such as Fiverr and Upwork you can register yourself for freelance work and start earning quickly. Or try advertising your service on Facebook, or simply to friends.

If you don’t already have a marketable skill, never fear — I have ideas for how you can quickly ‘upskill’ to start a side hustle, so stay tuned in future weeks.

The author of The Plan has requested to remain anonymous in order to shine a brighter light on some of the more challenging aspects of their recent financial hardship.