Are You Retired? Here Are Some Compelling Ideas to Make Side Money!

Retirement may not always turn out the way we expect – particularly when there’s insufficient pension income. Even if you’re well provided for a little extra never goes amiss. There are many different ways to make side money. All you need to do is choose what best fits your background, interests and personality and be a little creative. There’s definitely something for everyone. In no particular order, here are 20 no cost ways to make side money.

20. Monetize your hobbies

For example, if you enjoy woodworking, painting/drawing or embroidery, you could sell your work – either locally at craft markets or other outlets or online through a site like Etsy. You may be surprised at how much demand there is for handmade goods.

19. Sell from your garden

If you’re a keen gardener, you could make extra cuttings and seedlings and sell them in your neighbourhood or you could swap them for what you don’t have.

18. Be a dog walker

If you’re a pet-lover you could offer your services as a dog walker. This has the added advantage of allowing you to exercise while being paid instead of paying for a gym membership.

17. Be a pet-sitter or house-sitter

This is a great service to offer. People with pets are usually concerned that their pets will be well cared for while they’re away.

16. Mow lawns

This is a good option, particularly if you have a really good lawnmower. You probably find your lawnmower is underutilized at the moment so, rather than having it stand idle most of the week, put it to work making you money. You’ll also get a bit more exercise than you would have.

15. Cut unnecessary expenses

While not actually making you money, this will, at least, save you some money. It’s a good idea to look through all your bank statements to see where you can cut repeating charges that you may no longer require. It’s also a good time to have a discussion with your financial advisor to see how well your investments are performing and make changes where necessary. Something as simple as moving your savings to a money market account can make a big difference to the interest you earn.

14. Take on odd jobs

You’ll remember from when you were still working how busy you always were. Wouldn’t it have been nice to have someone take care of all those odd jobs for you? You can be that person now. You could consider doing odd jobs such as handyman, babysitter, or gardener. Let your imagination run with this one.

13. De-clutter

Simply by de-cluttering your home, you could find many things to sell – either at a garage sale or online.

12. Take paid-surveys

If you’re not averse to working online, you could sign up to take paid surveys. There are several sites that do this. The more you sign up for, the more surveys you’re likely to be invited to participate in and thus the more money you’ll make.

11. Test new websites

You may think you’re not “tecchie” enough to do this type of thing. If that’s the case, you’re very likely exactly the kind of person that new website creators are looking for to test their sites. After all, websites are used by ordinary people so who better to pick up a problem?

10. Test new mobile apps

If you have a smartphone or tablet, you’re well-positioned to do this, for reasons similar to those mentioned above.

9. Keep an eye out for cashback signups

There are companies who will pay you simply for signing up to their website. E.g. ebates, dosh. This is generally $5 – $10, so if you sign up for several, you could make a bit.

8. Share your knowledge online

You could be paid for sharing your knowledge on various subjects. If you answer questions on a site like Zwerl, you may be paid. It generally takes a little while to build your credibility on such sites, but it’s worth it.

7. Get paid to download apps

Now here’s a refreshing change! There are apps out there where you can be paid just to download them. For example, Nielsen will pay you $50 per year just for downloading their app.

6. Monetize your car

If you are a good driver and your car is in good condition, you could become a driver with Uber or Lyft. You work when you want to, and it can be quite lucrative, especially over weekends.

5. Monetize your home

You could also make your home bring in some money by joining Airbnb. This may suit you very well if you find yourself with more space than you need now that your children have moved out. It also keeps your options open in that you’ll still have space to accommodate family occasionally.

4. Be a consultant

Depending on what work you did before retirement, you could work as a consultant. The hours are usually flexible, and you may even find that you earn more as a consultant than you did while you were working full time!

3. Mentor somebody

Some of the larger companies are willing to pay experienced people to mentor their junior employees. This does not always need to be done in an office situation. In fact, it may be more effective in a relaxed environment.

2. Be a tutor

If you enjoy working with younger people and are an expert in your field you’ll probably find there’s a demand for tutoring services.

1. Try freelancing

Freelancing is a huge, and growing, market. There is demand for just about every skill imaginable.