If you’re looking to make some extra cash over the weekend without a huge commitment, you’re in luck. Many options exist for individuals with all levels of experience or preparation.
From driving for delivery services to renting out your stuff to paid surveys for moms, you can start with little investment of time. The best part? These side gigs can help you make extra money on your own hours, without getting in the way of your full-time job. Ready to dive in? Let’s get started with some of these easy, weekend side hustle ideas.
1. Rent out your stuff
Got tools, camping gear, or a car sitting idle in your garage? Those could be hoards of extra money. Websites and apps like Fat Llama and Neighbor let you rent out everything from power tools to parking spaces. You could make money on weekends — weekdays too! — by simply lending out things you already own.
2. Start a micro-cleaning business
Everyone loves a clean house, but not everyone has time (or more importantly, the will) to do the deep cleaning themselves. If you don’t mind scrubbing and tidying up, consider offering cleaning services for homes, offices, or Airbnb hosts. You can also specialize in niche services, like eco-friendly cleaning or weekend “spring cleaning” jobs.
Reach out to existing neighbors, friends, and family. Let your networks know on Facebook and Neighbor.
3. Pet sitting and dog walking
If you’re an animal lover, petcare could be a natural fit. Websites like Rover and Wag connect pet owners with dog walkers and pet sitters.
Weekend dog walks, drop-by visits, or pet-sitting gigs are a great way to make some extra cash. Offering to host pets in your own home can be especially lucrative.
When you get started, you’ll need to list your rates low and wait patiently for your first couple of reviews. But after you start to build a positive profile you can get more regular work.
4. Launch a mini photography business
Whether you have a fancy camera or just a great smartphone, photography is a side hustle that can easily be done on weekends.
Start by offering mini photo sessions for families, couples, or even pets. You can charge anywhere from $100–$300 for a few hours of work, and the best part is you get to be creative while earning money.
If you’re not a professional photographer, you can let customers know. Be upfront with your abilities and show samples of your phonework mastery — people will still want to hire you.
My husband is truly awful at taking pictures of the kids and me (we look like blurry ants) and I would gladly pay someone to come and take some high-quality home photos that aren’t a full-blown, studio portrait session.
5. Sell handmade goods at local markets
Are you crafty or artistic? Try your hand at selling handmade items at local farmer’s markets, community events, and craft fairs. Whether it’s jewelry, pottery, or homemade candles, markets are a great way to make money while getting your creative work out there.
You can also comb the listings for upcoming garage sales. Call or text the host and ask if you can set up a small card table with your crafts — most will gladly let you come and bring your wares.
And while not weekend-specific, you could turn this talent into your own business on Etsy or a Shopify website.
6. Drive for delivery apps
If you’ve got a car and a few hours to spare, driving for delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, or Instacart can be a flexible way to earn weekend cash. Unless delivering by bicycle, you will need a valid driver’s license to deliver food. However, vehicle requirements are less stringent. (Nobody’s bag of groceries cares that your car is in a state.)
Many people order takeout or groceries every day of the week, so if you’re in a high-demand (metro) area there should be consistent work.
Peak, busy hours tend to be Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons, but this is more broadly speaking and will depend on whether you’re delivering hot meals or supermarket goods. Test the waters in your ZIP code to determine the best shifts.
Related: James drove for DoorDash for one day: See how it went!
7. Tutor students online
Tutoring isn’t just a side hustle for students. If you’re good at a particular subject, why not help others learn while earning money? Online tutoring platforms like Wyzant or Tutor.com let you offer your expertise to students of all ages.
You can tutor in subjects like math, English, or even foreign languages, and most tutoring sessions can be done over video calls, making it easy to fit into your weekend schedule.
During exam season, you can offer specialized services like SAT prep or college admissions consulting for even higher rates.
8. House sitting
House sitting is one of the easiest side hustles to pick up on the weekend. Many people need someone to watch over their homes, plants, or mail while they’re away. Sites like TrustedHousesitters and HouseSitter.com can connect you with homeowners looking for reliable help.
It’s low effort and often comes with perks like free Wi-Fi or access to a cozy space for a quiet weekend.
9. Babysit or offer childcare services
If you’re good with kids, babysitting can be a flexible and lucrative weekend gig. Parents often need sitters for date nights, errands, or just a mental health reprieve. You can advertise your services locally or sign up for apps like Sittercity or Care.com to find clients.
If you can pair your childcare services with other offerings, like laundry, housecleaning, or tutoring, you can charge higher rates and give yourself a competitive edge.
10. Become a weekend handyman
If you’re handy with a tool belt — or an IKEA wrench — consider offering your services for minor home repairs, flat-box furniture assembly, and other small tasks. Platforms like TaskRabbit or Thumbtack make it easy to connect with people who need help with one-off projects.
11. Rent out a spare room or host travelers
If you have an extra room, consider listing it on Airbnb for weekend travelers. You don’t need to host full-time—just open your calendar for the weekends to earn a little extra without disrupting your routine.
This generally works best in high-demand areas where you can set your rates substantially lower than what hotels or other hosts are charging for an occupied residence.
12. Flip thrifted items
Thrifting can be a fun and profitable way to spend your weekend. Visit garage sales, flea markets, or thrift stores to find hidden gems like vintage clothes, furniture, or electronics. Then, resell them on platforms like eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, Depop, or Facebook Marketplace.
With a good eye and some basic research, you can find items that sell for several times more than what you paid for them. Plus, it’s a flexible gig you can do entirely on your own time.
Related: Explore these 50 fully remote side hustle ideas.
13. Offer weekend lawn care or landscaping services
For those who don’t mind working outdoors, lawn care is a great weekend hustle. Mowing lawns, raking leaves, or planting flowers can earn you solid cash, especially during peak seasons. Advertise locally or ask friends and neighbors if they need help.
Offering package deals like “spring cleanup” or “fall prep” to encourage repeat customers and lock in more work. Beyond word-of-mouth, Facebook, and Neigbor, TaskRabbit is a great place to find yardwork customers.
14. Waiting tables and bartending
Waiting tables doesn’t sound as sexy or en vogue as having a “side hustle.” Still, waiting tables is a reliable, consistent, and lucrative way to earn and many businesses are very short-staffed.
Trendy or high-end restaurants will obviously pay more, but local dives can be surprisingly good money too.
Another option is banquet serving or bartending for formal events. There may be fewer tips, but the hourly pay is higher and as a perk, you can often leave with extra food.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the most profitable side hustle?
The most profitable side hustles are ones you can scale over time for passive income once you have set up the needed infrastructure, such as a blog, podcast, online courses, dropshipping, or affiliate marketing. It’s always best to choose one with minimal to no upfront costs.
Other profitable options are full-time freelance work where you are your own boss, freelance writing, social media management, or virtual assistant work.
How can I make $1,000 a week on the side?
It’s doable, but $1,000 is a significant amount of extra income. You would likely need to do a side hustle stack of multiple gigs to bring in this amount of money.
Influencer and affiliate marketing (from a blog, YouTube channel, or social media account) are proven options, but there is a significant build-up.
If I needed to make an extra $1,000 a month, here’s how I would approach it:
- Serving job (weekends, evenings): $300 – $600 (tip dependent)
- Drive for Shipt or Instacart: $150 – $300
- TaskRabbit: Lawn clean-up or snow removal, garage clean-up: $300 – $600
I would select this combination because I have experience in the food and beverage industry and I have used TaskRabbit to hire taskers and know the demand for them is very high in my area. Then, I would layer on a delivery gig for extra cash and to have another “safety” iron in the fire.
How can I make $1,000 a month passively?
Earning $1,000 a month passively takes upfront effort, but it’s absolutely achievable. One option is renting out property — or even a single room — on platforms like Airbnb.
If you’re not keen on hosting travelers, you can explore renting storage space on Neighbor. It’s a hands-off way to earn money without much ongoing effort.
Another idea? Start a print-on-demand business. Sites like Redbubble or Printify let you upload custom designs for T-shirts, mugs, or stickers, and they handle the printing, shipping, and customer service for you. Once your designs are live, you can earn royalties every time someone buys your product, with little to no maintenance required.
Likely, you will need to stack different sources of passive income to reach $1,000.
Even small income streams, like online surveys, can help if you can refer friends and family who become active earners. Swagbucks, for example, will give you an upfront cash bonus for each referral and then 10% commissions for life on your referral’s earnings.
Bottom line
The best weekend side hustle is one that fits your skills, schedule, and financial goals, and most importantly, one that you find enjoyable (or at least tolerable). Because if you hate your weekend side hustle, you’re not going to stick with it. And you shouldn’t have to; life is too short to tether yourself to something loathsome — especially when there are so many different side hustle options in the gig economy.
Whether you want to earn a little extra cash or build a steady side income, there are some flexible and achievable options to get you started.
For more inspiration, check out these 15 surprising jobs that pay $100K+ a year.
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