- Jen Glantz is an entrepreneur who has tried various side hustles to pass time and make money.
- During the summer months, she sets an income goal and tests out side hustles to reach it.
After getting laid off from my full-time job in the summer of 2015, I was desperate for extra cash. I decided to start my own business, but while I was building it up from scratch, I tried out a few side hustles to make immediate money.
That summer, I was able to earn enough to cover my essential bills, from my credit card to my rent, and I realized that jumping into different side gigs throughout the year could be a good way to continue to boost my income when I needed it.
Since then, every year from June through September, I set a side-hustle-income goal and pick up a few different ones to test out. Here are my five go-to summer side hustles that don't require much experience to start and that bring in good money during the hot summer months.
1. Travel hacker
When I first started brainstorming side-hustle ideas, I decided to try one based on one of my hobbies. I've always loved to travel on a budget and was great at finding deals.
I started offering a service where I'd plan trips for people at 20% less than their budget. I charged a flat fee of $250 and provided each client a handful of inexpensive flight, hotel, car-rental, and activity options below the amount they'd planned to spend.
I also provided them with a sample itinerary based on the type of vacation they wanted, from relaxing to adventurous, or a combination of both. I spent an average of five hours working on each client's request.
Since I'm not a travel agent and don't have access to industry-special deals, I used search platforms such as Hotwire and Skiplagged. While my clients could've done this themselves, they paid me for the convenience.
I posted about this side-hustle offering on my Facebook and asked close friends to share it on their pages. I ended up working with eight people that summer and earned $2,000 without having any business expenses to cut into that profit.
2. Summer-school tutor
A few years ago, on the hot summer days I wanted to stay indoors, I spent a few hours working as a summer-school tutor. I posted in local Facebook groups and created a profile on Tutor.com where I listed my specialties as English, literature, and writing. I was matched with elementary- and middle-school kids in need of help with those subjects.
I don't have a teaching background, but I have an English degree and I'm a published author. While some parents wanted a tutor with a more official background, other parents were happy with my qualifications.
I charged $25 an hour and met with clients remotely instead of in person to save on travel costs. I saw some clients once, while others hired me for multiple sessions. I ended up making a few hundred dollars like this that summer.
3. Professional walker
Since I tend to be more active during summer, I found a few ways to get paid for my ongoing movement. I downloaded Sweatcoin, an app that rewards you for hitting different step goals. You earn 0.95 Sweatcoins for every 1,000 steps you take, and you can cash in these coins for different items, including phones, watches, and workout gear.
I also used Evidation, an app that pays you to exercise. You get points for doing activities such as running, swimming, or biking, and for every 10,000 points you earn, you get $10.
While I didn't earn a lot of money from these apps, it was motivating to know that I was getting perks just to move around and exercise.
4. Pet-sit or house-sit
Since a lot of people use the summer months for travel, I started offering pet- and house-sitting services in 2018. I created profiles on TrustedHousesitters and Rover to list my services locally. For pet-sitting, I hosted the pets in my own house.
I also tapped into Facebook groups to share my services and availability. I was able to make money walking dogs as well, which was great because I sometimes could walk two to three dogs on the same day to make extra cash.
I charged $75 a day for pet-sitting and $25 a day for house-sitting, which usually entailed making sure the property was safe once a day and watering plants. I made a few hundred dollars that summer.
5. Personal assistant
A friend told me she was able to earn a few hundred dollars a month as a personal assistant for neighbors who needed help with errands and organization, so I decided to try it out.
I created a flyer using Canva that listed all the things I was willing to do for people locally, from grocery shopping and returning items for them at retailers to cleaning out their closets and organizing their garages. I posted that flyer at local coffee shops and community centers. I also relied on local-community groups and word of mouth to get new clients.
I charged $50 an hour for this work and asked for a five-hour weekly minimum per client. Occasionally, I'd get an odd or robust request, such as packing up a person's entire house for a move or planning a funeral for one of their relatives, and I'd ask for a higher fee.
After I found one client in my apartment building, she referred me to a few of her friends. I ended up having four consistent clients for one summer and was able to earn a few thousand dollars doing this side hustle.