Heyyyyy, ya’ll. I’m back with a part 2 to my ‘How I Made Extra Money In Grad School‘ post. Except now I’ve finished grad school and I’m still out here finding extra forms of income. Because student loans.
If you missed my first post, check it out here!
Anywho, that post was by far one of the most popular posts that I’ve written, so I figured you guys would love to know my current side hustles. Because let’s face it, driving for Uber and Lyft is not everyone’s cup of tea, but is usually one of the first recommendations made when people are trying to find additional streams of income.
*Please note that some of these opportunities may not be available in all geographical regions. I live in the Washington, DC area so I can only speak to what’s available here! *
1. Instacart 
Instacart is my current personal favorite.
What Is It? Instacart is an online grocery shopping platform. They partner with popular grocery stores like Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, Safeway, Giant and Costco to allow customers to order their groceries online and get them delivered in as little as an hour.
How Does It Work? Instacart has three options – Sign up to be an In Store Shopper (basically a personal shopper, you’re in the grocery store getting the items in the customers order) , Full Service Shopper (you’re in the grocery store getting the items and also delivering the order to the customer) or Delivery Only (you’re picking up the orders from the grocery store and just delivering to the customers). As a full service shopper and delivery only shopper, you pick your hours you want to do throughout the week, and use the app while you’re on shift to complete your orders.
Why Should I? I personally feel more comfortable grocery shopping and delivering groceries than I do picking strangers up and taking them to who knows where. I pick up about 5-10 hours a week, sometimes more, and on average, I make about $100 in a 4-5 hour shift with the rate per delivery, commission and tips. I believe the rates depend on the area you are in ( I live in the DC/Bethesda region, although you have the option to pick up shifts in other surrounding zones). They have “peak” days/times where they pay more because those are the times that have the most orders. I usually pick up hours on those days. When picking up hours, you have to pick up at least 2 consecutive hours, but could literally pick the whole day if you wanted to. They pay you via direct deposit and you get paid every Wednesday.
Learn more about being an Instacart Shopper by clicking here.
2. UrbanSitter
What Is It? UrbanSitter is an app that allows parents to find babysitters. Similar to care.com, parents post ads about the days/times they are in need of a sitter, information about their children and expectations of what they’re looking for in a sitter. They usually also express how much they’re willing to pay.
How Does It Work? You will make a profile on the website/app. The approval process takes about 1-2 weeks for your profile to be approved, but that can be expedited if you pay them to have a background check. You then set the dates and times that you are available, note the age range you feel comfortable working with, set how much you’re asking for and sell yourself! Parents can look for you and you can also look through postings and express interest.
Why Should I? If you enjoy working with kids, this is a great,easy way to make some cash. Although initially it could take some time to book a family (parents are looking for reviews, but the good news is you can get parents you’ve babysat before to write reviews even if they don’t use the site), once you start booking families, it’s like they all seem to start rolling in after that. I make myself available for occasional date nights and have about 3 families who I babysit pretty regularly. The app verifies that you worked the hours and then sends you payment directly to your bank account. I’ve established relationships with families so now we don’t even go through the app anymore and they just call me when they are looking for a sitter.
Learn more about UrbanSitter by clicking here.
3. DScout
What Is It? DScout is an app that pays you to provide your perspectives about literally almost anything. Different companies partner with dscout to find the population they cater to to get feedback.
How Does It Work? After making a profile on dscout – including your age, geographical location, and income – they then provide you with different current projects to apply for. Each project is looking for a specific type of clientele. For instance, I did one that wanted people who own more than 4 smart devices. To be eligible for each project, they ask a bunch of questions and sometimes make you record a video giving your feedback to specific questions. If they think you’re eligible, they then invite you to participate in the project. Each project pays differently. Ranging from $20 – $300, which is paid via PayPal.
Why Should I? This app is literally paying you to provide your opinion about something specific. Sometimes it will ask you to screenshot every time you look at your FitBit app, or sometimes it will ask you to document your feelings about using wearable devices. Sometimes it just asks you why you use social media so much! While sometimes the projects can be tedious (the more money they’re paying, the more they ask of you), it’s definitely worth it. I once got paid $75 just to talk about a recent purchase that I made.
For more information about dscout, click here.
4. Fiverr
What Is It? Fiverr is a website (and an app) where people hire freelancer’s to complete all types of tasks, starting at $5. Provide advice, create graphic designs, translate articles, video editing, voiceovers – you name it and someone on there is offering the service.
How Does It Work? This website is very simple. You create a profile broadcasting the skills that you would like to provide and people request your services. You can also look at people’s postings for the work they are looking for. I have primarily done transcription services on this website – but I’ve also used fiverr as a customer to do a tonnnn of other things. You can do website design, graphic design, writing, transcription, translating, advice, business development stuff -the sky is literally the limit on this site.
Why Should I? If you are skilled at – ANYTHING – then why not get paid to do what you’re good at? Each service starts at $5, but you can add some add-ons to your service – (such as the job being complete within 2 hours for $20 more or revisions and editing for an additional $10) so that you can make more money. I’ve transcribed audio within 3 hours and charged $50-$60. The good thing too is that you don’t have to commit to certain hours, or do things you don’t feel comfortable doing. You’re simply charging for what you are good at.
For more information about being a seller on Fiverr, click here.
5. AmazonFlex
What Is It? So you know how Amazon has all of these different services – AmazonNow, AmazonFresh, AmazonLocker, AmazonPantry, etc? Well Amazon Flex allows you to deliver for all of the various services that Amazon has to offer. You must live near an Amazon warehouse for this service.
How Does It Work? You download the app, and watch 19 (SHORT!!) videos about how the app works and how to pick up hours and etc. They take about 3 days to complete your background check and confirm you have a car and car insurance and etc. Once you’ve been confirmed, they allow you to pick up hours/shifts to start making deliveries.
Why Should I? Like instacart, it’s a pretty simple quick way to make money. You’re not picking up any people, just packages. Sometimes you pick up food from restaurants, other times you may be picking up packages from different locations and delivering to customers. You get paid $18-$25 an hour, depending on your location and what services you are delivering for.
For more information about Amazon Flex, click here!
Which one of these have you tried? What other ways do you make extra money?! Let me know in the comments below!
TheCurlyFrugalista 