1500 Days to Freedom

Think different and escape the rat race.

Ask the Readers: What is your Side Hustle?

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Hi there, Mrs. 1500 coming at you again.

Last week, I asked if you collect aluminum cans. I had done it a few years ago, and was surprised at the paltry return. $32 for 4 very large bags of squashed cans.

It seems that many of you have done it in the past, and realized the same thing, the effort is not really worth the reward. Grayson @ Debt Roundup also collected and quit after the first disappointing trip to the recyclery (or whatever they call the place you drop off the cans.) As did Suburban Finance and John over at Frugal Rules.

JC @ Passive Income Pursuit had a really good point: “…you’re still getting cash for what would have just been thrown away.” (Or recycled, I hope.) He also added that if he had an SUV, he could easily bring home 2-4 bags of smashed cans per week from work. I say 2-4 bags would fit in a car, so go ahead and start bringing them home. One giant trip to the recyclery (I like that name) and you have perhaps paid for a tank of gas? Maybe even find a way to drive by the recyclery on the way home from work?

Done by Forty and Anna over at Are Ya Gonna Eat That both mentioned the term “side hustle” in their comments. This is a term I have seen over and over on numerous personal finance blogs, and got me thinking about side hustles.

I have purchased several snowboards at thrift stores and garage sales – usually Burton brand which is perceived by many to be among the best boards. They were one of the first board makers. When I can find them for ultra cheap, I pick them up and store them until snowboarding season. Living in Colorado, there are numerous opportunities to pick the up on the cheap – spring and summer at thrift stores, along with garage sales and flea markets any time. I have sold them on eBay in the past, but their new fee schedule is making that almost not worth it. The amounts they now charge borders on the obscene.

So that is/was my side hustle. What is your side hustle?

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Comments

  1. I collect coins and have been known to flip a coin or two I find at an estate sale. I don’t do it too often since I actually like collecting coins. I also participate in focus groups around town and the occasional human guinea pig situation (never projects that involving ingesting or getting fluids taken). Other than that I don’t really do the side hustle thing that much.

    • I have thought about coin collecting from time to time as a way to make money. I hear about these people who find a rare coin in the change they have been given, people who buy up rolls of coins and simply go through them. I have never found anything valuable in my change. Mr. 1500 has some fairly interesting coins from his grandparents. They are all worth something in the range of face value or a few cents more than face value. Not really worth selling. We always seem to have the year or mint mark that ISN’T worth anything.

    • Ha, I used to do focus groups all the time! They are great! Where else can you make $100 for 90 minutes of your time? The best one I did was testing flavored vodka. I think I make $75 for trying them. I took the train back from that one.

    • I saw your post. Nice extra income. It would be interesting to see it broken out into how much you earned for each different thing.
      Regarding that 300 mile bike ride question at the end, that would make a nice 4-6 day trip, provided you have a car at the other end to drive home. We ride RAGBRAI every year, and it is around 450 miles each time. They spread it out over 7 days. Come join us next year!

    • We are really hoping to get into rental properties next year. We are looking at what is coming on the market now, to get a good feel for prices.

    • Mr. 1500 has dreams of leaving his full-time gig to go part-time at the same place. He has so much knowledge of their system, but doesn’t really want to do it full time anymore. Nice to hear you have been able to do this.

  6. I don’t have one (yet), but I’m starting to research what I need to do to get my kitchen certified to make cakes for sale. I know it’s allowed in our county, I just need to research some more and find out who to talk to to get the permits and inspections. I also need to get Dad’s buy-in since I’ll be taking up quite a bit of space in the kitchen 🙂
    Mom @ Three is Plenty recently posted…Cleaning out the basementMy Profile

    • You probably need someone to taste-test those cakes for you. I will take one for the team and volunteer. I may need to taste several to make sure you have a consistent flavor…

      • I can make you gain weight *very* quickly with the cakes, since I make the full flavor variety – including yummy buttercreme icing… I’ve been banned from making cakes unless I already have a place to “donate” them to out of the house – and the guys at work are getting tired of them too.
        Mom @ Three is Plenty recently posted…Median Net Worths Too Low?My Profile

  7. My side-hustle for the last 10 years has been Ebay! I absolutely flipping love it! When you can go to a thrift store (and I LOVE the thrill of the hunt!) and find stuff for a few bucks then turn around and sell it for $50 – I’d say that’s a pretty good return on your money regardless of Ebay fees. I usually do about $1,000 – $1,500/month. Enough for “fun money” and to pay the HOA fee for our new AZ house (we are early/young retirees) so the husband is happy! Oh, it also buys beer! Which makes the husband REALLY happy! Seriously – you want to buy low, sell high. Some larger things have been flipped on Craigslist (thing too big to ship!) – but just about everything I flip is on Ebay. I sold a pair of used mens swim trunks I paid $3 for $175 just a few months ago! What a hoot!

  8. You know, I didn’t think I even had one until I read through the comments, and I realized that renting out a room in our house is actually a side hustle! I’d like to become a staff writer or possibly find a way to earn a bit through writing on my blog, but for now I’m just working on posting more regularly and striving to be a better writer.

    Thanks for the mention and the link!
    Done by Forty recently posted…Our Values, the Goal, & the PlanMy Profile

  9. Too bad about those nasty eBay fees, Mrs. 1500! My side hustles are 2 community college gigs, one teaching classical guitar, the other is online teaching music appreciation. Wish I could get more online gigs like the mus app gig. Eazzzzie money!
    cj recently posted…I Like Eating OutMy Profile

  13. That is a great side hustle. Were you able to get good seats? Whenever I buy tickets to anything, I am always close-up but behind a pole, or far away with great views, as long as I have a telescope… Did you ever get stuck with any tickets?

  14. I really want to know how you flip furniture. Where do you sell it? Craigslist? eBay? Garage Sales? Where do you sell the games?

  15. I’m a little nutso about side hustles. I babysit and earn about $600/month and a house/pet sit occasionally which brings in about $100 a month. I also mystery shop and not only earn money, but get occasional free food/movies/clothes/groceries. I just started being a Mary Kay Consultant. I do medical studies (not crazy ones, just ones that are simple :)). I also do focus groups. I have a full time job as a nurse, too. It’s fun though and all of my side hustles are things I do when I *want*. That is the key, I think.

  16. Trust me, if I could realistically bring the cans home I would be. I drive a Civic and it’s usually packed pretty full since I’m gone from home for 2.5 weeks on average. Thus the need for an SUV or truck. But the cans won’t make up for the savings in gas so I’ll be keeping the Civic.

    I don’t have much of a side hustle right now other than my blog, but that’s not bringing in boatloads of money or anything. Luckily I have a lot of ideas for when I reach FI to bring in some side money. And it’s even better that it’s things I like to do or want to learn more about. I plan to use FI to pursue a lot of learning activities and branch out into other careers that I find really interesting such as restaurant/chef, photographer, carpenter.
    JC @ Passive-Income-Pursuit recently posted…Payback periodMy Profile

  17. I earn hustle through re-evaluating my insurance needs. Due to increased competition, it’s possible to save a significant amount of cash on our various insurance policies just by switching to another company. I also consider changing my deductible or signing up for special promotions in order to get discounted rates. For instance, certain insurance companies offer policy discounts if we sign up to get statements by email.

  18. I mystery shop, work at a spa on Saturdays as a desk girl, do focus groups, and do apps such as gigwalk and field agent. I also do shopkick and checkpoints apps for free gift cards.
    Cans would make a lot of money in Michigan where they are worth 10 cents a piece. Surprising how many people still just toss them!

  19. I have been painting and flipping furniture for a number of years….but always interested in what other people are doing….I buy at yard sales, Thrift Stores. Craigslist and anywhere else I can find a bargain….and I resell some things from my home, Offerup, Craigslist, or in my booth in an Antique Shop…I’ve learned a lot about what to buy and what to look for when making a purchase….Finding a good piece is sometimes the hardest part….I look for pieces I feel other people will want for their home or maybe their 2nd home….I would like to start a blog, but I’m not sure I have enough interesting things to write about, and really not sure how to get started….I have enjoyed reading about other people’s side hustles…..

    • Starting a blog can be fun if you enjoy writing. My wife told me that I”d run out of things to talk about. 500 posts later…

  20. Hi 1500’s
    Been reading & following MMM for a few years, and just started diving into your blog. I thought I would share my side hustle, which is selling books on Amazon FBA. I have been doing it for 15 months now, and I am making about 2500-3000 profit per month. Its a pretty simple but does take some experience to get good at selecting books, and it is pretty hard work at times. I figure I am working about 20 hours per week on book selling, but am cutting back to maybe 10-15 hrs per week, and I think I can maintain the same income or possibly increase as I become more efficient. The reason I started was that I wanted to increase my savings from my regular job, and this will enable me to max out my 401k, a separate IRA, and maybe start a SEPP this year. I was a late starter on the path to FI (I am 59), so I am focused on doing as much as I can, as I plan to retire in 3 years or possibly earlier if this side hustle keeps on growing. I have a natural affinity for books, but learned most of the business from a few blogs, so if anybody is interested, just check out Youtube videos about selling books (or other stuff) on Amazon. Anyway, its pretty cheap to get started and its something you can build up to a pretty nice steady income, so it’s something you might consider.

    • Hi Art- 20 hours per week for $2500-$3000 sounds like a fun little hobby and nice income. I haven’t looked at the videos yet, but I’m guessing that pick up books from thrift stores or flea markets and resell them? That actually sounds like fun.

      59 is still a lot earlier than most who never figure it out. If nothing else, the book hobby may also allow to quit working full time earlier than planned.

Trackbacks

  1. […] but those can always use tweaking.  Finally, some lively discussion over on 1500days about side hustles got me thinking, but I’ll have to keep thinking on that.  Already got too many other things […]