Side Hustles to Say Goodbye to Debt

Do you struggle with paying off debt because you don't have enough income as it is to pay bills? You're not alone. The average American has $7000 in credit card debt. That does NOT include personal loans, auto loans, mortgage, etc.

If you are one of these people that want to pay off your debt faster and get back to enjoying life, you've come to the right place!

We are so lucky to be in the time we're living in. Not too long ago a side hustle didn't exist. If you needed extra money, you put in more hours at work (if you could) or picked up a part-time job. The bad thing about a part-time job was it wasn't on your time, it was on someone else's.

Side hustles will allow you to earn more money on your time. You can work around your current full-time schedule to get you to your financial goals faster. Pay off the credit card? Boom, done. Pay off your car? Done.

Get your working hat on and come with me while I talk about different side hustle ideas that you can start now!

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Steps to Start Your Side Hustle

1. What are your interests?

When I started my blog, I had a lot of other things in my head first. I played with getting a part-time job, becoming a virtual assistant, and more. What it came down to, is I really like to write, and I love creating digital content!

When I was young, I loved to draw, color, use Paint on the computer, you name it. I even drew Simba from the Lion King so my nephew could have "pin the tail on Simba" for his birthday one year. But then I got older and this took a back burner.

Until I started a job a few years back as a bank trainer. You wouldn't think I would get to create things as a trainer, but I did and it was so fun! I developed the skill more and more and figured out that I really enjoy creating things.

So make sure you have an interest in it and if you haven't developed a skill needed for it, start now!

2. Research Market Demand

Before you dive in, make sure the market around you is looking for what you want to do.

When I started this blog, I knew there was a lot of personal finance blogs out there. However; I have a unique perspective and sure-fire ways of getting out of debt since I was once in a lot of debt and crawled out of that whole.

If you do intend to start a blog, make sure you niche down. You'll hear this a lot if you intend on starting a blog! Yes, the market is saturated with blogs, but if you hyper niche, you will be writing to a certain group of people and those people will come back and want to see more and more from you!

I started my blog first on BlueHost. This was a wonderful way to start my blog and very affordable! They also give you a free domain name when you sign up. Click here to check it out!

Once I outgrew that, I switched to FreedomKit which has been absolutely amazing because it is an all in one hosting that includes shop, email marketing and more.

One thing I didn't do when I first started was to make sure I had all the legal mumbo jumbo out of the way. I am so glad that I finally invested though and purchased these templates. These are professionally done by a real-life lawyer so you will not be disappointed! Check them out.

3. Figure Out Your Financial Goals

How much extra do you want or need to make per month? List out your debt that you want to pay off and then dedicate how much you want to put towards it. I am a huge fan of the debt snowball or debt avalanche way of paying things off. This is where you put all of your extra money toward ONE bill until it is all paid off and then take what you were paying to that bill plus the extra that you are paying, and put it towards your second debt and so on and so forth.

Any extra money that you can put toward your debt will fuel your debt-free journey. Just have a plan so you know how to get there.

4. Manage Your Time

This can be SOOO hard, but to be effective at your side hustle, you will need to figure out how to work around your current responsibilities.

I have three kids, 2 of which I homeschool, the other is potty-training, plus household duties like making dinner, going grocery shopping, cleaning, etc. Granted, I no longer have a full-time job other than this right here, but I'm just saying, you will need to manage your time wisely to fulfill our side hustle.

Top Side Hustles You Can Look Into Right Now To Pay Off Debt

1. Starting A Blog Or Doing Freelance Work

Like I said above, you can start a blog for fairly cheap and monetize it.

Content is king in today’s digital age. If you have strong writing or editing skills, you can make extra money by creating blog posts, articles, or social media content for businesses.

2. Selling Products on Etsy or Another Marketplace

If you’re crafty, consider selling handmade items like jewelry, artwork, or printables on platforms like Etsy. This can be a fun and profitable way to turn a hobby into a business.

I have my products both on Etsy as well as listed in my shop here on the blog. The best thing is, if you do digital products, there is no reason to keep any inventory and it is very cheap!

3. Ride-sharing or Delivering

I'm sure you've heard of Uber and Lyft, and/or DoorDash, Uber Eats, etc. These are excellent ways to earn extra cash.

If you don't like the idea of having people in your vehicle, sign up to deliver food instead. It's pretty low overhead, just pay for gas.

4. Virtual Assistance

Many small business owners need help with tasks like email management, scheduling, and customer support. Virtual assistants can earn a decent income by offering their services to multiple clients.

The best thing is you don't have to leave home to do this one!

5. Flipping Items For Profit

This one always seems fun to me! I love refinishing old furniture, although I never have the time to do it! My husband and I built my kiddos some bookshelves rather than buy and that was a lot of fun. We spent less than $10 on it and they look like they could go for $50 or more.

If this is something that you enjoy, look for free furniture and then upscale it using your own design expertise! There are a lot of people that do this on social media, so if you have a presence there already this is perfect.

Benefits of Using a Side Hustle to Pay Off debt

1. Pay Off Debt Faster

I mean this is a given, right? This is what we've already talked about. Your journey to being debt-free will go so much quicker when you get a side hustle which means you'll pay off debt faster and not pay so much in interest, so you will save money in the long run!

2. Side Hustles Offer More Flexibility

If you had a part-time job, you would be a slave to when that organization wants you there. If you develop a side hustle then YOU make your own hours. You choose when and how often you work and dictate how much you make. Which means there is no income ceiling and that is the best!

3. Develop Skills

You can use the new skills you learn with your side hustle to further yourself in other career opportunities. Maybe it's writing, like I'm doing now, or developing digital products, or helping businesses manage their social media.

There is so much that you can do to help others. People are always looking for ways to put less burden on their lives and looking to make it better, and they're willing to pay for it.

Ultimately, starting a side hustle will help you pay off debt, gain new skills, and crush your goals so much faster!

Don't Forget!

Sign up for my free budget bundle here so you have your budget on paper!

Read this post if you need to figure out a budget before you start your side hustle.

Read this post to pay off your debt with all the money you're making from your side hustle!

Use cash envelopes to stay on top of your budget.

Then, once you are slaying your debt, read this post about saving all that extra cash.