5 Best Weekend Jobs for Extra Money (Boost Your Income!) - Swift Salary (2024)

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: saving money ain't all there is to becoming financially free.

If you want to escape the rat race, you've got to learn how to make more money as well.

While not too long ago there weren't many weekend job ideas that provided good flexibility, these days there are quite a few easy ways to make money on the side of a full-time job.

For example,42% of young people in the US are already freelancing for extra income. Freelancing also happens to be one of the best weekend jobs on our list.

American freelancers contributed more than $1.28 trillion to the economy in 2018, and at its current rate, the gig economy is expected to capture 50% of the US workforce by 2027. (source)

So why's everybody jumping on the bandwagon? Well, there are many reasons:

• Weekend jobs help transform hobbies into reliable revenue streams.
• They help married couples and families with children balance their life without sacrificing income.
• And, they allow students to earn experience and start paying off their debt without taking too much time from their studies.

Those are just a few examples of why freelancing and side hustles are becoming so popular.

This brings us to a series of interesting questions:

• What are the best part-time weekend jobs?
• How can you find them?
• And, how much will you make?

Spoiler: you'll find all of the answers below.

Before we get into all that though, I want to clarify something quickly:

I still think saving money is important. Ideally, you should be focusing on saving more and earning more if you want to reach your financial goals in the shortest amount of time.

For some easy savings, check out platforms like Rakuten and DontPayFull to save money while you shop. For more ideas, check out my full list of money-saving tips.

For now, though, let's focus on increasing your income!

1. Join the Disruption

The number of apps and tech startups disrupting our economy has made the weekend jobs market much friendlier.

For example, applications such as Uber or Lyft offer everybody the chance to join their team of drivers. All you need is a car, a valid license, and some free time.

One of the biggest benefits of working for these companies is a flexible schedule. You decide when you want to start working and when you want to take a break.

Don't want to drive people around? Applications such as Postmatesor DoorDash offer the same level of flexibility with less human interaction, making them the perfect jobs for introverts. You can even get paid to deliver groceries with apps like Instacart.

Plus, some of these apps don't even require you to own a car. You're free to make deliveries on a bike or even on foot. Why spend money on a gym when you can work on your cardio and earn a couple of quick bucks at the same time?

Speaking of cardio, dog walking is another great weekend job idea that allows you to stay active while you earn. Apps like Rover make it easy to find local opportunities too.

And hey, if you're already walking around a ton, why not stack some earnings with these apps that pay you to walk?

P.S. You can also use Rover to find pet sitting jobs if you want to earn even more. You can even house-sit for cats if you're not a dog person.

Average income: $15-$25 per hour

2. Monetize a Hobby

You've probably seen dozens of money-saving experts stating that selling on Amazon or eBay is a great way to make a few quick bucks.

Well, that's not always entirely true. Unless you're doing a simple Amazon FBA side hustle, running an efficient shop on Amazon requires an investment in stock, SEO, marketing, and photography, making it more of a full-time job rather than a side hustle.

eBay is great for the times you decide to clean up the house, but it's not very sustainable otherwise.

Etsy, on the other hand, is one of the best part-time weekend jobs for those of you with a creative hobby. The platform is a pitch-perfect fit for home-crafted toys, clothes, and jewelry.

Don't get the wrong idea though:

Etsy, regardless of its seemingly “overblown” prices will not make a millionaire out of you overnight. In fact, 50% of Etsy shop owners make less than $7 bucks per hour. That's rough.

That said, if you are really into crafting, and would do it regardless of any external factors,why not make an additional $291per month?

Average income: $7.29-$10 per hour

3. Pick up Freelancing

You've probably heard the phrase, “If you are really good at something, don't do it for free”. Platforms like UpWork and Fiverr make it a reality.

Writing, acting, animations, design, voiceover, planning, research, programming, and all sorts of amazing and unusual work from home jobs are available online nowadays.

You'll find offers for artists, fiction writers, singers, social media managers, and literally every other online profession imaginable on these job boards.

You can find some pretty unusual gigs too. Here are some examples of out-of-the-box jobs others are offering on Fiverr:

• “I will draw you an original Area 51 creature”
• “I'll write weird and quirky Instagram captions”
• “I will say anything like a horse”
• “I will play a video game with you.”

The bottom line?

People do a lot of weird sh*t for money! Who is paying for these horse voiceovers?!

All jokes aside, there's room for both skill and quirky creativity in the freelancer's world. Plus, these gigs can be some of the best paying weekend jobs one can find.

Average income: $24 per hour

4. Become a Tutor

Tutoring is one of the best weekend jobs for teachers and college students. Not only will you be monetizing knowledge you already have, but you'll also be gaining valuable experience at the same time.

For example, think of educational platforms such as VIP Kid or Magic Ears. They're always looking for native English speakers with a good grasp of grammar and they offer the opportunity to teach kids from all over the world. How cool is that?

Or, if English isn't your subject of choice, try Course Hero. They offer a range of subjects and pay you for answering questions from students. Hop online on Saturdays and Sundays, answer some questions, and make some cash! Awesome, right?

For more options, check out this in-depth list of online tutoring jobs for teachers and college students.

Average income: $15 per hour

5. Start a Business

Who says you need to be a hired worker to earn money? Starting a business, while theoretically being a harder and riskier endeavor, is oh-so-much more rewarding in the long run. Especially in our day and age, where there are so many options and career paths available to anyone willing to put in the effort.

Estate sellers, accountants, event coordinators, musicians, bloggers, online course creators, antique vendors, handymen, and mechanics are all one-person businesses that can be easily managed as weekend only jobs.

And the best part? The average monthly income is whateveryouare willing to charge per hour. The sky is the limit.

Here are a handful of weekend business ideas you could start:

• Start a blog – A blog is the perfect weekend business; You can work on it when you have time, it's a great creative outlet, and the income possibilities are limitless. Check out my blog income reports to see for yourself.
• Proofreading – If you have a knack for spotting grammatical erors and spelling mistakes, proofreading is right up your alley (did you spot the spelling mistake in this sentence?). Read my guide on how to become a freelance proofreader to learn more. Online proofreading jobs are out there for the taking!
• Transcription – Fast typer? Turn your skills into money by converting audio files to text. Two big potential clients for this are podcast owners and YouTubers. If you want to learn more, see how I earned my first dollar as a beginner transcriptionist.
• Pinterest account management – If you know the ins and outs of Pinterest you can easily make $250+/month managing accounts. Plus, TONS of businesses are hopping on the Pinterest bandwagon so potential clients are everywhere.
• Flipping– If you enjoy weekend garage sale hunting and/or thrifting, why not make it a business? Check out this free webinar from the Flea Market Flippers to learn more.
• Babysitting – A ton of parents need babysitters on the weekend to cover for date nights and other occasions, so this makes for a great weekend job idea. Check out these babysitting job apps to find clients near you.

Other Weekend Job Ideas

The five ideas above are some of the best weekend jobs as they have the most potential for extra income, but here are some other ideas you can try as well:

• Test websites and apps – No, you don't have to be tech-savvy to do this. If you can browse the web, you're set. The most I've made in a month as a user tester was around $200 (for about 8 hours of work).
• Become a mystery shopper – This is the perfect weekend job. You choose which jobs to take, and you can even get things like free groceries or free car servicing from some gigs.
• Fill surveys – You're going to earnvery little doing this, but it's the easiest job in the world so you decide whether it's worth it.

Want even more ideas? Check out all these ways to make extra money on the side.

Conclusion

Saving money on a low income is possible, but it has its limits. Once you hit that limit, you have to start thinking about how to increase your income, and these weekend jobs are perfect for that.

Your turn: Did I miss any lesser-known weekend only jobs? Have you worked a weekend job before? If you have any input, please offer your thoughts and suggestions in the comments!