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submitted 10 hours ago by sandhu to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

What side hustle actually helped you make money during a rough financial phase???

Being honest, I'm going through this right now. I need money, and I'm trying to figure out something realistic I can actually start, not some "make $10k a month" course pitch, just something real that's genuinely worked for regular people.

If you've been through a similar phase, I'd really appreciate hearing:

What did you actually do,and how much time did it realistically take before it started paying off?

Did it need any upfront investment, or could you start with basically nothing?

Would you recommend it to someone in a tight spot right now, or was it more trouble than it was worth?

Not looking for generic lists, genuinely want to hear what worked for real people who've actually been where I am right now. Any advice is appreciated. 😶‍🌫️ >--___^___^#

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[-] Postmortal_Pop@lemmy.world 9 points 9 hours ago

This is location heavy question and it depends a lot on your willingness to do work for cheap, but there are options.

Shitty part time is a great option. Side hustles mean you're free lance and free lance means you do a lot of work finding paying gigs. If it isn't something you enjoy, just find a liquor store or an independent gas station that needs extra hands. They don't make you jump through hoops like corpos do.

If you have access to a lawn mower and a vehicle to move it, lawncare can pay big. My uncle is in his 70s and still makes his living with a beat up rider and a truck. Everything you need to know can be found online and the more you know the better gigs you can get. I've met a few people that started as a side hustle and now do it for a living.

House repair. Paint walls, patch drywall, surface floors, deep clean. It gets you a lot if work especially in renter heavy neighborhoods. Land lords half ass because they don't want to pay for good work, if you offer cheap they keep you on speed dial.

Bit more expensive and technical, but if you have a 3d printer you can make minis and game pieces to sell at local hoby markets. Nerds pay big money for custom minis for d&d and I paid off my $800 printer in a year selling custom hero forge prints. Use abs and learn how to chemical smooth and you'll be the talk of the town.

Ultimately, the best option is to jest get better employment. It's a bitch but if you get creative you can find it.

this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2026
8 points (75.0% liked)

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