Why I Hustle (And You Should Too)

This post may contain affiliate links. View our disclosure.

$20 Bills

Let’s just put it out there that I wasn’t your typical kid. While other kids were busy playing, I was busy scheming. Coming up with business ideas, and then getting my friends to help me with them. I organized carnivals and haunted houses in my backyard. I sold handmade earrings at lunch and recess, and when I was old enough, I babysat (a lot).

All of those early work experiences taught me that there’s always a way to make money, if you’re willing to look for it (and to work for it). And that lesson has served me well. When I was a freshman in college, and I needed money for a plane ticket, I took a temp job as a greeter at CVS. When I was 20, and I wanted to buy my first sofa set, I took on a second job, working in an aluminum plant. And when my second daughter was born, I covered the hospital bills by writing a bunch of articles for eHow. Over the years, my income has gone up, but my hustling ways haven’t changed.

And that’s because hustling works.

Whenever an extra expense comes up, my husband and I start scheming ways to cover it. Because you know what? Paying for things with extra money is a lot less painful. And often times, it’s even fun.

Here are some of the things that we’ve done over the years to cover extra expenses:

Mystery shopped
Answered surveys
Participated in consumer test panels
Taken holiday jobs
Taken temp jobs
Held yard sales
Sold things on Ebay
Sold scrap metal
Sold gold
Taught classes
Babysat
Reviewed websites
Participated in consignment sales
Entered sweepstakes

Curious about any of the side hustles that I just mentioned? I’ve written about some of them already, and I’ll be writing about more of them soon.

Check out my making money section, for ideas on how you can get started hustling.

Do you have an interesting side hustle? I’d love to hear about it.

Similar Posts

2 Comments

  1. I have tried Blair, PartyLite (candles), and Melaleuca all 3 which cost more money to get started than I ever earned, nothing against their products or the company but unless you have a lot of friends it is not worth the money you have to invest.

  2. When I was unemployed, I started a blog… which turned into a book… which turned into a software business. This side hustle gives me enough income to pay for tech gear, and the education needed to build my new career.

Leave a Reply to John Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *