Everybody needs a little extra cash these days, which is why side hustles have become commonplace. But what if you don’t have the energy to engage in a side gig after a full day of work? Consider weekend side hustles. Weekend side hustles don’t interfere with your work day. Better yet, they can be highly lucrative and, often, easy and fun.
Here are 6 weekend side hustles worth considering.
Work events
Concerts, conventions, auto shows and similar events can be held at any time. But, the crowds increase on weekends, as does the need for a staff. And a bigger crowd also means you’re likely to receive bigger tips, if you take on a serving role.
Working at events can involve manning a booth; showing concert-goers to their seats; bartending; serving; parking cars or taking tickets. There’s also behind-the-scenes work that involves putting up and pulling-down displays and carting brochures and other promotional materials into convention centers and exhibit halls.
In other words, there’s a role for almost anyone who wants to work. You simply need to decide what type of event work you are most interested in.
You get details of the job and event before you accept. So you can get paid to work at events that you’d otherwise pay to attend.
There are a variety of online platforms that help event planners staff their events, including Qwick, Instawork, Wonolo, and BlueCrew. Each of them invite freelancers to sign up and list their skills. You’ll get notified of appropriate events as they come up.
Offer tours
If you like people and have a solid knowledge of the history and culture of your local area, consider working as a local tour guide on weekends. Local tour guides are able to set their own agenda, deciding the nature, timing and cost of these adventures.
You could, for example, offer bike tours that allow visitors to see the coastline — or mountain wildflowers. You could offer history tours, focusing on whatever type of history most engages you, from architecture to ghosts. If you have the right vehicle for it, you could also offer day-trips to local attractions, ranging from botanical gardens to beaches.
Several sites can help you find clients for your weekend adventures, including ToursByLocals, WithLocals and Viator.
Dog sit
If you’re willing to take in pets while their owners go away for the weekend, you can make a nice chunk of change — usually $25 to $100 per dog, per night. Rates depend on you and on your market area. Dog sitters tend to earn more in big and crowded cities. But you set your own rates.
The best place to find dog-sitting gigs is Rover, an online platform that encourages you to set up a profile and set your preferences for the type of animals you like to care for. You set your own rates; determine your own schedule; and decide whether you can handle more than one dog at a time.
Rent your pool
Got a swimming pool? There may be plenty of people interested in renting it. And weekends, not surprisingly, are the most popular time.
Why would someone rent your pool? Perhaps because they’re planning a birthday party for their 10-year-old and have no pool of their own. Or, maybe they’re hosting a bridal shower and want to treat the bride to a lazy day of floating around your urban oasis.
The coolest thing about this weekend side hustle is that pools are rented by the hour and rental rates are generous. It’s not uncommon, for instance, to charge $50 – $100 per hour. And, rental rules typically require that renters leave the property in the same pristine shape it was in when they arrived.
How can you find renters? List on Swimply, with a description and multiple photos. You set your own rates, as well as what’s included. This might mean that you give renters access to a restroom and, say, a barbecue. You also decide your pool’s capacity (i.e. no more than, say, 15 people); whether you accept pets, alcohol, smoking and/or loud music. You can also stipulate what hours the pool is available and whether you require a minimum rental time, such as four-hours, to make it worth your while.
Like dog-sitting, renting our your swimming pool is a pretty low-maintenance side hustle. All you need to do is accept or reject rental requests and meet guests at the gate.
Coach
If you’re an ace at athletics and have the patience to teach, you can earn good money coaching sports. Coaches generally set their own rates — often $40 to $100 an hour — and determine their own schedules. You also say whether you’re interested in coaching kids or adults; the skill levels you teach (i.e. beginner to advanced) and where you’ll meet your athletes.
The two best sites to list coaching services are Athletes Untapped and TeachMeTo. Both are relatively young sites that charge you nothing to create a profile and advertise your services. However, both will take a 20% commission on each booking. Another option: CoachUp, which is also a good platform, but charges big commissions on some bookings.
Athletes Untapped specializes in ball sports — baseball, basketball, soccer, la crosse, etc. and general fitness coaching. TeachMeTo focuses on golf, tennis, pickleball and surfing. CoachUp supports most sports, with the exception of pickleball.
Drive for rideshare services
We’re generally not big fans of rideshare gigs. But Uber and Lyft driving can be a nice weekend side hustle for a variety of reasons.
First, demand is highest on the weekends, which means you’re more likely to get “surge” — i.e. premium — pricing and better tips. It also lends itself to evening hours, allowing you to relax for most of the day. And you have complete control over when you turn on your app and what gigs you accept while driving. In most states, you even have the right to set a base pay, so you won’t even see gigs that pay less than a rate you’re willing to work for.
These gigs can be particularly lucrative if you live near event spaces, like concert halls, convention centers and malls.
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