- PPF Points
- 7,492
Okay, let’s just be real—if I see one more 22-year-old in a Lamborghini telling me to “fire my boss” and get rich dropshipping, I’ll lose my mind. The internet’s so full of hype about “easy money from home” that it’s… yeah, kinda exhausting.
But hey, side hustles online? They aren’t all smoke and mirrors. I’ve scraped my way through way too many sketchy ideas and random surveys, and—swear on my old HP laptop—there are online gigs that actually pay. For regular folks. For anybody just wanting to make $200 extra a month… or maybe build something bigger down the line, without cashing in your 401k or quitting your day job.
Pull up a chair. Here’s my honest, sometimes blunt, guide to 7 online hustles that can put real money in your pocket:
1. Freelance Writing — People Really Pay You to Type Stuff
Best for: Folks who can string a sentence together without giving their 8th grade English teacher a heart attack
Money potential: $500 to, like, several grand a month (if you hustle)
Listen, if you can write an email without sounding like a robot—or at least sound slightly less robotic than the average press release—you can probably get paid to write for people. Literally, every business on the planet needs words: blog posts, web copy, emails, little blurbs under Facebook ads. It’s wild.
You don’t need to be the next Hemingway. Just write clearly, don’t miss deadlines, and maybe dodge run-on sentences (except… whoops). Beginners usually start on places like:
How to jump in:
1. Pick a niche—health, tech, “I love dogs”… whatever.
2. Whip up a couple sample articles. Two or three is plenty (you can even fake that you have “clients,” no one checks).
3. Pick a basic portfolio site like Carrd or even Google Drive links.
4. Apply to gigs. Customize your pitches. No copy-paste jobs, or yeah, you’ll look AI-fake.
After you land some work? Dump the platforms eventually and pitch businesses directly. Raise your rates as you go. It’s absolutely possible to turn this into a full-time thing—but take your time, chief. No need to dive in headfirst and drown.
2. Affiliate Marketing — Passive Income? Ehh... Sometimes
Best for: Wannabe influencers, content nerds, and people who like talking about products they actually use
Money range: Maybe $100/month starter, could hit $5k+ if you’re borderline obsessive
So, affiliate marketing is, like, commission-based sales, but you don’t have to knock on doors. You review stuff or recommend products online; if somebody buys through your link, you get a cut. Pretty sweet.
How to play:
Let’s say you write a blog about budgeting and plug your favorite money app. If someone signs up using your link? Bam. $5, $30, sometimes more. Popular affiliate networks are:
My advice? Get weirdly niche. “Best camping tent for chubby dads” performs wayyyy better than just saying “camping gear.” Real talk: this takes ages to snowball unless you’re a miracle worker or already TikTok famous. But stick with it, and this can become a legit source of monthly cash—sometimes even replacing the ol’ day job.
3. Print-on-Demand — Sell Your Weirdest Designs
Best for: Creative types, awkward artsy people, or anyone bored enough to mess with Canva for hours
Earning ballpark: $200 to a couple grand a month if you catch a viral niche
Print-on-demand (POD) is honestly pretty cool—you design T-shirts, mugs, hoodies, whatever, and companies print & ship them when someone orders. No stockpiling boxes of unsold “Pizza is My Valentine” shirts in your garage.
You only need your designs. Upload them to sites like:
Here’s the lazy math: You sell a shirt at $25, cost to print and ship is $12, you keep the $13 or so left. How to win? Niche down! “Cat mom nurse squad” shirts or “Introverted Gamer Dad” mugs will sell better than generic “Good Vibes Only” garbage.
Tools that help:
POD is a numbers game. Put out lots of designs, don’t take low sales personally (it’s not you, it’s the algorithm). Eventually, one takes off… feels pretty damn good, not gonna lie.
4. Online Tutoring — Be Someone’s Lifeline
Best for: Folks who actually know stuff (math nerds, language lovers, ex-teachers, you name it)
Pay range: $15–$60/hr
If you’re even halfway decent at explaining things—algebra, essay writing, Python, whatever—you can make real money tutoring. Platforms do most of the work finding students for you; you just show up and teach.
Where to look:
Great for folks who want total flexibility. 100% remote, you pick your schedule, and a lot of people do this after work or on weekends.
Pro tip: Make your tutor profile specific. “Helped 5 students ace their SAT math section in 2 months” > “Friendly math tutor.” People want results, not just vibes.
5. Selling Digital Products — Make It Once, Sell It Forever (Hopefully)
Best for: Creators, planner nerds, spreadsheet warriors, or anyone who’s made a checklist that made their own life easier
Cash potential: $100–$5,000+ a month, sometimes more if you luck into a big trend
Of all these hustles, this is probably the only one where you can actually “make money while you sleep”… if people buy your stuff, that is. Digital products—think ebooks, Canva templates, Notion planners, even weird resume formats—can sell for years.
You make something. Upload it to:
Hot tip: The more specific, the better. “Wedding planner checklist for ADHD brides” is light years ahead of “To-Do List Printable.” Also, pretty designs and helpful products just… sell more, so try not to half-ass it.
Let’s be honest, most online side hustles aren’t magic. They take some effort and trial and error (and a willingness to eat some humble pie from time to time). But they do work, if you give them a real shot—and they can totally pad out your bank account without asking your boss for a sad $1 raise.
Don’t buy the “quit your job tomorrow” hype. But yeah—if you want a side gig that pays real money, there’s never been a better time to start. Worst case, you learn a new skill and have a tiny extra pile of cash. Best case… you send me a thank you tweet from Bali.
But hey, side hustles online? They aren’t all smoke and mirrors. I’ve scraped my way through way too many sketchy ideas and random surveys, and—swear on my old HP laptop—there are online gigs that actually pay. For regular folks. For anybody just wanting to make $200 extra a month… or maybe build something bigger down the line, without cashing in your 401k or quitting your day job.
Pull up a chair. Here’s my honest, sometimes blunt, guide to 7 online hustles that can put real money in your pocket:
1. Freelance Writing — People Really Pay You to Type Stuff
Best for: Folks who can string a sentence together without giving their 8th grade English teacher a heart attack
Money potential: $500 to, like, several grand a month (if you hustle)
Listen, if you can write an email without sounding like a robot—or at least sound slightly less robotic than the average press release—you can probably get paid to write for people. Literally, every business on the planet needs words: blog posts, web copy, emails, little blurbs under Facebook ads. It’s wild.
You don’t need to be the next Hemingway. Just write clearly, don’t miss deadlines, and maybe dodge run-on sentences (except… whoops). Beginners usually start on places like:
- Upwork
- Fiverr
- PeoplePerHour
- ProBlogger Job Board (it’s legit!)
How to jump in:
1. Pick a niche—health, tech, “I love dogs”… whatever.
2. Whip up a couple sample articles. Two or three is plenty (you can even fake that you have “clients,” no one checks).
3. Pick a basic portfolio site like Carrd or even Google Drive links.
4. Apply to gigs. Customize your pitches. No copy-paste jobs, or yeah, you’ll look AI-fake.
After you land some work? Dump the platforms eventually and pitch businesses directly. Raise your rates as you go. It’s absolutely possible to turn this into a full-time thing—but take your time, chief. No need to dive in headfirst and drown.
2. Affiliate Marketing — Passive Income? Ehh... Sometimes
Best for: Wannabe influencers, content nerds, and people who like talking about products they actually use
Money range: Maybe $100/month starter, could hit $5k+ if you’re borderline obsessive
So, affiliate marketing is, like, commission-based sales, but you don’t have to knock on doors. You review stuff or recommend products online; if somebody buys through your link, you get a cut. Pretty sweet.
How to play:
- Start a blog, TikTok, or YouTube channel.
- Drop recommendations organically (don’t be a total shill or nobody trusts you).
- Mention your referral links.
Let’s say you write a blog about budgeting and plug your favorite money app. If someone signs up using your link? Bam. $5, $30, sometimes more. Popular affiliate networks are:
- Amazon Associates (easy to join)
- ShareASale
- Impact.com
- ClickBank
- CJ Affiliate
My advice? Get weirdly niche. “Best camping tent for chubby dads” performs wayyyy better than just saying “camping gear.” Real talk: this takes ages to snowball unless you’re a miracle worker or already TikTok famous. But stick with it, and this can become a legit source of monthly cash—sometimes even replacing the ol’ day job.
3. Print-on-Demand — Sell Your Weirdest Designs
Best for: Creative types, awkward artsy people, or anyone bored enough to mess with Canva for hours
Earning ballpark: $200 to a couple grand a month if you catch a viral niche
Print-on-demand (POD) is honestly pretty cool—you design T-shirts, mugs, hoodies, whatever, and companies print & ship them when someone orders. No stockpiling boxes of unsold “Pizza is My Valentine” shirts in your garage.
You only need your designs. Upload them to sites like:
- Etsy
- Redbubble
- Teespring
- Amazon Merch
Here’s the lazy math: You sell a shirt at $25, cost to print and ship is $12, you keep the $13 or so left. How to win? Niche down! “Cat mom nurse squad” shirts or “Introverted Gamer Dad” mugs will sell better than generic “Good Vibes Only” garbage.
Tools that help:
- Canva (literally free and stupid simple)
- Printful or Printify (connects to Shopify or Etsy for more control)
POD is a numbers game. Put out lots of designs, don’t take low sales personally (it’s not you, it’s the algorithm). Eventually, one takes off… feels pretty damn good, not gonna lie.
4. Online Tutoring — Be Someone’s Lifeline
Best for: Folks who actually know stuff (math nerds, language lovers, ex-teachers, you name it)
Pay range: $15–$60/hr
If you’re even halfway decent at explaining things—algebra, essay writing, Python, whatever—you can make real money tutoring. Platforms do most of the work finding students for you; you just show up and teach.
Where to look:
- Wyzant
- Preply
- Outschool (great for quirky subjects)
- Chegg Tutors
- VIPKid (if you wanna help kids overseas with English)
Great for folks who want total flexibility. 100% remote, you pick your schedule, and a lot of people do this after work or on weekends.
Pro tip: Make your tutor profile specific. “Helped 5 students ace their SAT math section in 2 months” > “Friendly math tutor.” People want results, not just vibes.
5. Selling Digital Products — Make It Once, Sell It Forever (Hopefully)
Best for: Creators, planner nerds, spreadsheet warriors, or anyone who’s made a checklist that made their own life easier
Cash potential: $100–$5,000+ a month, sometimes more if you luck into a big trend
Of all these hustles, this is probably the only one where you can actually “make money while you sleep”… if people buy your stuff, that is. Digital products—think ebooks, Canva templates, Notion planners, even weird resume formats—can sell for years.
You make something. Upload it to:
- Etsy (for planners/Templates)
- Gumroad or Payhip (for ebooks, guides, etc.)
- Your own website (for total control, but more work)
Hot tip: The more specific, the better. “Wedding planner checklist for ADHD brides” is light years ahead of “To-Do List Printable.” Also, pretty designs and helpful products just… sell more, so try not to half-ass it.
Let’s be honest, most online side hustles aren’t magic. They take some effort and trial and error (and a willingness to eat some humble pie from time to time). But they do work, if you give them a real shot—and they can totally pad out your bank account without asking your boss for a sad $1 raise.
Don’t buy the “quit your job tomorrow” hype. But yeah—if you want a side gig that pays real money, there’s never been a better time to start. Worst case, you learn a new skill and have a tiny extra pile of cash. Best case… you send me a thank you tweet from Bali.
