6 Side Hustles You Can Start for Free to Make Money

There are tons of great reasons to start side hustling, like paying off debt, building savings, or paying for more fun things in life, like a vacation. Once in a while, your side hustle might be even be the key to allow you to pursue the life you’ve dreamed of.

Grayson built a side hustle for years that allowed him to quit his job and run a business full-time. It’s not easy, but side hustles or part-time work can be a great way to get you ahead financially in many aspects of life. It can also be a little more fulfilling depending if you enjoy your current job or not.

But starting a side hustle isn’t always so easy. Some side hustles take a significant monetary investments to get started and that can be difficult to swing if you don’t know how successful you’ll be at making money, or if you have existing debt and aren’t looking to spend any more money to get your side hustle started.

Luckily there are some side hustles that you can start for free along with some time investment! Here are 6 free side hustle ideas to get you started.

Part-Time Jobs

Most part-time jobs don’t require you to spend any money to get started. Depending on the side hustle, you might have to wear a uniform (hopefully they’ll provide one) and many times you’ll have to drive to your part-time job, but other than that, it doesn’t usually take any financial investment to start a part-time job. There are thousands of part-time jobs out there. They may not all be glamorous or easy, but they do pay. Any money you earn will go toward your financial plans.

You can check out sites like Indeed.com or Snagajob.com as a good place to look through companies in need of part-time workers.

Freelance Writing

As a freelance writer for blogs, I didn’t have to spend anything on equipment in the beginning as I already had a computer I could use for my business. If you don’t already have a computer you can use for freelance writing, you might have to make an investment in one to get started. But other than that, the only things you need are the internet and a decent ability to write and articulate your thoughts in an interesting way.

BONUS – If you really want to learn how to make it big freelance writing. Take this course! Seriously, this writer makes over $200,000 a year from freelance writing. It’s very possible!!

While you can start this endeavor for free, you can really ramp it up by starting your own blog. This does cost money (less than $100), but can be very lucrative if you work hard at it.

Walking Dogs or Pet Sitting

Walking dogs or dog sitting is a great side hustle if you enjoy animals and it’s free to get started. Pet owners will provide you with all the food and equipment you need to care for their animals, so all you need is walking shoes and a love for furry friends. While you can start walking dogs today, it might take a little bit of work to find the people willing to give you a try.

My suggestion would be to check out Craigslist and see if you can find someone asking for a dog walker or pet sitter. That’s going to be the easiest way to get started and it’s free to use Craigslist. You can also advertise your services on there for free, so that’s a bonus!

Mowing Lawns and Other Yard Work

If you already have to mow and care for your own yard, you can put that equipment to use to make money doing the same thing for others. Yard work can be grueling, but it’s also a great way to spend time outdoors soaking up some sun and getting fresh air and exercise. There tends to be a lot of competition for this type of side hustle, but if you start small in your neighborhood, you can expand from there.

I’ve seen kids in neighborhoods provide this type of work for little money, but they are out there hustling to earn some cash. You can’t complain with that!

Cleaning Homes or Businesses

While cleaning homes is something that is usually done during the day, cleaning businesses is usually an evening or weekend task that can be managed alongside other jobs and side hustles. Some clients might want you to provide cleaning supplies, but if you are just getting started, you can structure your business so that your clients have to provide the cleaning supplies. This will help you avoid having to buy anything to get started with this side hustle.

Babysitting

It’s hard to find a good babysitter these days so if you provide evening and weekend babysitting and you’re good at it, chances are that you’ll be in high-demand. As a babysitter in other people’s homes you don’t have to provide any toys or supplies. In fact, you’ll often get free food if your babysitting gig includes meal time hours and you can usually watch TV while the kids are napping or in bed for the night.

Side hustles are a great way to make more money and sometimes making a financial investment to get started is worth it, but you may not always have the option to spend money to get started. These free side hustles are great ways to get started risk free.

Money Making Bonus – Get Paid For Your Time!

While I love these side hustle ideas, I’ve known many people who’ve had success making money by taking surveys. Yes, there are many bad survey companies out there, but you CAN make money by taking surveys. It’s not going to be life changing money, but if you have a few spare minutes here and there, why not make money? Seriously!

If you want a real opportunity, then check out Survey Junkie. They are one of the highest rated survey companies out there and they pay their survey takers on time.