What kind of hobbies do you have? We use them to pass the time, develop skills, and make friends. But did you know the potential to make extra cash with them is enormous? Hobbies that make money are a great way to help set yourself up financially!
Maybe you think that you don’t have skills or hobbies that would make an income. But almost anything can bring in cash if you get creative and don’t give up. Whatever you enjoy – from organizing closets to driving your car – can be an opportunity.
Top hobbies that make money: 40 Great ideas
Not sure where to start? Below are 40 top hobbies that make money. This huge list full of great ideas will help you find something that will be a good match for you!
1. Writing
Make your own website to start reaching out as a freelance writer. It could take a little time to work up to the rates you want to charge, but the beauty of a side hustle is that you have the time to get your business running with low risk. According to Zip Recruiter, the average writer’s salary is currently $62,553.00.
2. Gardening or landscaping
Do you love to be outdoors? If you have a green thumb, consider gardening or landscaping as a seasonal side gig.
Many people don’t have the time to work on their yards, but they’re happy to pay top dollar for great service. If you think this could be for you, you can start by asking around in your local neighborhood and town to see if anyone needs help.
3. Drawing
Many people are looking for original artwork to set up in their homes. You can be your own boss or create made-to-order masterpieces.
4. Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a bit of a lost art. Many people love the look but don’t know how to do it themselves. You can sell your calligraphy services with a little marketing.
Think wedding invitations, handmade flyers, and more. You can keep it local by talking with business owners in your area or get hired online.
5. Blog or website creation
A lot of bloggers and businesses need websites that are beautiful and functional. They may have business skills but no design or technical skills.
If you’re good at blogging or website creation, you can sell your services to customers. It is also a skill you can teach yourself and get hired when you feel that you’ve mastered the trade.
6. Social media management
A lot of business owners hire freelancers for their marketing and daily tasks on Facebook, LinkedIn, and more. It helps if you have a large social media following when you get started with this. But you can pick up many of the skills you need along the way.
7. Personal shopping
Want to make cash shopping with someone else’s money? It can take many forms, from grocery shopping to clothes and any other items you can think of. You may also give shoppers guidance about what to purchase.
8. Driving
If you have some extra time and live in a city with a large population, you might have an opportunity to be a driver for others. You might choose to work with Uber or Lyft.
Perhaps you’ll also consider doing food deliveries. It’s easy, and you can quickly make a few bucks if you enjoy being in the car.
9. Making cards
Handmade cards are still appreciated by many, and if you’re crafty, you might enjoy this a lot. You’ll need to purchase supplies and then decide how you’ll sell your cards. Either through a website or in person, or both.
10. Baking
11. Cooking or personal chef
Many people love a homemade meal, but they’re just too busy. If you’re a great cook or have chef experience, you might be able to make some money.
Some families like to have a personal chef prepare their meals, considering dietary restrictions and food preferences. Or you might also use your cooking skills to teach others.
12. Dog walking
Do you love animals? Become a dog walker quickly by using an app or website. You can usually set your own hours, plus you get to be outdoors. You may be able to make even more through pet sitting, which you can offer if you have the time.
13. House sitting
If you like to travel, you may be able to pick up some house-sitting positions in other cities or countries, as well. Not only do you have a place to stay, but you’ll make some extra cash, or at least have somewhere to live without paying rent, which means you save that money.
14. Blogging
Blogging is writing, but you’ll make money with a blog differently than a freelance writer. The majority of income is from ad revenue, affiliate marketing, and courses or merchandise available on the blog.
You do start by writing articles, but it’s much more. If you build up a large audience, it can be one of the best hobbies that make money.
15. Make YouTube videos
Are you an expert at something? Or are you at least somewhat entertaining or funny? You can start a YouTube channel making videos and even vlogging about your life. Once you begin gathering views and subscribers, you can monetize. Building up the channel takes time, but it can also be a tremendous semi-passive income source eventually.
16. Interior decorating
Everyone wants a cozy and stylish home. Some people have a knack for adding the right touches to a room to bring it all together.
If you have any interior design experience, or you get a lot of compliments about your own home, you might have an interior decorating business on your hands. You can even do this remotely by offering advice over the phone or using video conferencing to help clients pick out decor to order.
17. Painting houses
Are you good at painting and have some availability during the week or on weekends? House painting might be the gig for you.
Specialize in interior or exterior, or both! You can set your hourly rate and work as a freelancer. Try painting around your own home and taking some good photos to create a portfolio.
18. Live frugally
There is a way to make money besides earning more. You can spend less living a frugal lifestyle. It’s possible that by taking some time to evaluate your budget and purchases, you could save several hundred dollars a month – sometimes the equivalent of a side hustle!
Try to cut back on things you don’t need, such as subscriptions, streaming services, and eating out. From there, spend less in crucial areas by using coupons or energy-saving techniques. There are many blogs devoted to living frugally that can help you get started.
19. Knitting
Do you love to knit scarves, hats, and other items? You can sell them online for great prices. Many people love to buy something made by hand and will pay top dollar for it. Plus, you can decide how often you want to create things to sell. Knitting is also one of those great stress-relieving hobbies!
20. Sewing
Know how to sew? Most people don’t, so you can definitely monetize this skill. You can sew clothing, pillowcases, blankets, and more. You could start with selling to friends or family and build up a clientele from there.
21. Alterations
Many people buy clothes that don’t quite fit or that need tailoring. You can do this from the comfort of your own home and set your prices and hours. Become the go-to alterations business in your area, or even find clients online that will send you their clothing and measurements.
22. Do makeup
Do you have a gift for creativity and love doing your own or others’ makeup? You might have a budding career as a makeup artist.
Take lots of portfolio pictures with different looks, and get the word out about your services. Weddings, birthdays, and other events are great places to make money from this hobby.
23. Photography
If you love to capture a moment, photography could be for you. Photographers often hire themselves out for special occasions and family portraits, engagements, and more. Find your niche, build a website, and begin making extra cash!
24. Creating courses online
If you have exceptional computer skills and are an expert at something, you can make an online course. Pick a subject you have a lot of knowledge of. From there, you can write articles, make videos, and deliver content in whatever form you choose. You can then sell your expertise on sites like Teachable.
25. Investing
It’s a long-term strategy, but it can be one of the best examples of hobbies making money! Start by checking out some options like index funds. You will probably end up combining several techniques to create your perfect investing portfolio.
26. House flipping
This one may require some money upfront because you’ll need to purchase a property and then renovate it, but there are other ways to obtain money for a house flip.
You can make a profit by fixing it up and selling it. It works exceptionally well if the house location is in a desirable area.
27. Woodworking
If you enjoy creating things and you have some carpentry skills, you can make a profit. You might try selling made-to-order products or perhaps setting up an online store and taking orders.
28. Car detailing
Do you love cars? Car detailing could be perfect for you. You’ll need to purchase some equipment to get started, and you may require licensing, as well. From there, you can begin your marketing strategy.
29. Computer and electronic maintenance
When tech and electronics stop working, it sometimes takes special skills to fix them. If you’re good with computers, you might consider hiring out your services. It can range from maintenance for phones to laptops and more. Find what you’re good at and go from there.
30. Fixing watches
If you can repair watches, especially high-end ones, you can make some money. Since watches are classic timepieces that people tend to keep for years, many would rather fix them than buy a new one. You can get the word out about this and find some clients in no time. A license may be needed.
31. Flipping furniture
Do you love a good bargain? Begin by hunting at garage sales and thrift stores for pieces with good bones that need a bit of work. You’ll want to buy as cheaply as possible.
Once you buy a few items, fix them up with paint, reupholstering, and thorough cleaning. Then sell them for a higher price online or through the newspaper.
32. Book reviews
If you’re a fast reader who values a well-written sentence, this could be the perfect gig. There are many sites online that hire book reviewers, like Online Book Club or Reedsy.
You read the books and then give a fair report. Companies have different requirements about what they look for in a review. Not only do you make some extra cash, but you get to spend your time reading!
33. WordPress maintenance
WordPress may be a platform where anyone can build a website, but the skills needed to maintain the site are different. Many companies and individuals prefer to hire out this skill.
That’s where you come in. If you have a lot of WordPress knowledge and know-how to handle maintenance, you can work as a freelancer for others.
34. Event and wedding planning
Are you great at creating lists and schedules and ordering supplies? You might have the skills to be an event or wedding planner. A lot of people want to hire an expert to help them prepare for events.
It may include creating timelines, calling and negotiating with vendors, and being at the venue to help on the event’s day. It’s a good side gig because many events are on the weekends.
You can make some good money if you do well with this, too, especially if you know how to network and earn some fantastic reviews.
35. Professional organizing
Do you absolutely love to have everything in its place? Are you great at making systems that work? Professional organizing could be for you.
Many people are overwhelmed by organizational tasks, especially in their homes. Places like garages and closets are begging for a professional organizer to come in and help out. Especially when it comes to organizing on a budget.
36. Teaching a skill
Everyone has a talent. From singing to yoga to soccer, the chances are good that someone else will want to learn the skill you’re an expert at. You can give lessons in person or online, depending on the subject.
Not only is it great to make money, but you’ll be teaching others something valuable and fun.
37. Home maintenance
If you’re great at fixing things, you might try working in home maintenance. Small repairs are an excellent place to start. Depending on what sort of work you do, you may need licensing at some point.
38. Editing
Editing is relatively easy to get started with if you freelance. You can create a website and start gathering odd jobs here and there to build your portfolio.
There’s a wide range of editing tasks, from simple grammatical corrections to restructuring the writing. Find out what you like best.
39. Sell printables
Then you can make your shop and sell digital versions to the masses. The best part is, once you finish making these, it can be mostly passive income.
40. Room or house rental
Do you have a lot of extra space, or maybe a whole house you don’t live in? If that’s the case, consider renting out your home or a room in your home for extra money.
This is a great way to house hack! Sites like Airbnb are great for shorter-term rentals, but you may also choose to allow a renter long-term – whatever works best for your budget and lifestyle.
Expert tip
When it comes to picking a hobby that makes money be sure it’s something you love doing. Why? Because at the end of the day, that is what hobbies really are – activities you enjoy! The ability to monetize your hobby is an added plus!
How do I get started with hobbies that make money?
When you’re turning a hobby into a side income, expect there to be a learning curve. Even if you are good at something, the business aspect may take some time to understand. Pick something you enjoy, but make sure that you still have other pastimes.
It’s important because once a hobby becomes something you make money from, it may start to feel a bit more like work. Any of the hobbies that make money mentioned in this article can be great places to begin.
What is the best hobby to make money?
The best hobbies to make money with are ones tied to high-demand needs or solutions to problems that people have. For example, hobbies like blogging on interesting topics, crafting, driving, shopping, repairs, and event planning can be very lucrative.
Don’t get why you started though. It’s likely that your hobby is something you enjoy doing, so plan to keep it that way.
Can a hobby be a side hustle?
Yes! If you are interested, you can absolutely turn your hobby into a steady side hustle business. To do this be sure to create a plan for your business including the products you plan to sell, who you plan to sell them to, how you will market your business as well as a plan for your business finances!
How do I get paid for my hobby business?
When you’re setting up payments for your hobby business, you can use paying platforms like PayPal or Venmo to get started. Make sure you keep detailed expense and income reports.
How do I set fair prices for my hobby?
As for setting your prices for your hobby – research, research, research; find out what the going rate is in your area for the type of work you’ll be doing.
However, remember that you may not make what they do right away if someone is an expert in the industry. Price your services reasonably when you begin, and increase over time.
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Leverage these hobbies that make money today!
There are even more examples out there of hobbies making money. Be sure to check out these awesome indoor hobbies – maybe you can get some additional inspiration! Almost anything that you enjoy can turn into an income-generating gig with some work and determination.
The one for you is the one you have the skills and resources to get started with. Make sure to gain knowledge in your area of expertise by researching and learning more the type of hobby you are interested in. Then, continue to grow your small business!
