Many people today struggle with the income they make from their normal day job. That’s why they’re looking for ways to make additional money to pay for their expenses and support their family. Plus, diversifying your income streams is always a great idea. In this blog post, we want to show you some of the most popular side hustles for beginners for free that you can do without experience.

Popular Side Hustles for Beginners for Free

Alright, now let’s jump right into the list with side hustle idea number one:

1. Sell Items

This is also one of the easiest ways to make money fast. We all have stuff at home that we don’t need anymore. That can be old electronics, books, clothing, or even furniture. Go through your attic or garage and check what you can easily live without.

Now take photos of these items, write appealing descriptions and upload them on websites such as eBay, Craigslist, or Poshmark. You will be surprised how much money you can make with the things you already have at home.

2. Flip Items

Very similar to the last idea but this time you don’t sell things you have at home. Instead, you buy them first and then resell them at a higher price. You can specialize in a certain product niche, like fashion or jewelry, or you can test different items.

The key here is to buy products that are generally popular and that you can improve in some way. For instance, you can buy a worn-out coat and then improve it by replacing the buttons or cleaning it properly. This increases its value and can sell it at a higher price.

Or you don’t change the product itself but improve the marketing. If you see a product online that has poor quality photos and hardly any description, you could resell it at a higher price simply by taking better photos and writing a more detailed and convincing description.

3. Dog Walking or Pet sitting

If you like being around animals, this could be the perfect side hustle for you. Many people need help taking care of their pets either because they have to work, are physically impaired, or are away on vacation.

You could take dogs for a walk in the morning, during your lunch break, or in the evening and make money as a dog walker.

Or you could watch pets during the day or at the weekends because their owners are out of town and they can’t be left alone.

Check out websites such as Rover or Craigslist to find pets to watch near you.

Side note: This side hustle for beginners for free is also a very popular and convenient way to make money for teenagers!

4. Rent out a Room

Do you have a spare room in your house? You could make money by renting it out to tourists or business travelers. If you live in a popular area, this could bring in a lot of money. And you don’t have to welcome guests all year around. Maybe only during the summer holiday or Christmas season?

Check out platforms such as Airbnb or booking.com.

Of course, you could also rent out your room long-term. Maybe to students or young professionals? List it on your regional renting platforms and get a regular income from it.

5. Vehicle Advertising

If you have a car and use it frequently, this could be a great way for you to make passive income. Here you put stickers or wraps on your car to advertise certain companies. But don’t worry, of course, it’s all removable at any time.

The companies you advertise for could be local restaurants, service companies such lawyers or carpenters, or big companies like Coka Cola or Netflix.

Have a look at websites like StickerRide, Wrapify, or Carvertise to find the right placement for your car and driving behavior.

6. Mystery Shopping

While you might not get rich with mystery shopping, it surely is the most fun side hustle for beginners. Here you get an address with a store you have to visit and test.

After your shopping trip, you report back how you rate things like cleanness, service, how friendly the staff was, or how long the waiting time at the cashier. You then get rewarded for your feedback with cash or gift vouchers.

Check out websites such as Market Force, Secret Shopper, or BestMark to register as a mystery shopper.

7. Drive for Uber or Lyft

Another idea to make money with your car: You could drive for lift services such as Uber or Lyft.

You could easily drive passengers in your spare time and just for a couple of hours per week. Simply download the app, register, get verified, and start bringing customers around town.

Depending on your area your income here can range from about $10 to $20 per hour plus tips.

8. Local Tour Guide

Do you live in a touristy area and know your town like no one else? Then you could consider becoming a tour guide.

Show tourists around either in a walking tour, a bike tour, or maybe even with your car or a minivan. You could go for private tours or take bigger groups with you; Make a general city tour or specialize in a certain theme, for example, night tours, tours around a certain district, food tours, or history tours. Whatever your town has to offer that’s interesting to tourists!

9. Teach Classes

There are so many things you could teach as a side hustle. It all depends on your skills. The classics are, of course, teaching school subjects to students, like Mathematics or Chemistry.

Languages are also very high in demand. You could teach English to foreigners or, if you are fluent in another language, teach this one to locals.

But there are also plenty of other classes possible. Think of cooking classes, dancing, teaching instruments, singing, makeup, finances, or car repair classes.

Whatever you’re good at and think others might be interested, too, you could teach either in one-on-one lessons or group classes.

10. Nanny Services

Are you good with kids and experienced in taking care of them? You could watch kids in your neighborhood for a couple of hours every week.

There are always families or single moms and dads who could need some help either because they have to work, go to appointments, or simply because they want to go out for the night and can’t bring their kids.

If this sounds like something you could be good at, check out websites such as Care.com or SitterCity.

11. Sell Photos

If you love photography, you could turn your hobby into a fun side hustle. You could take landscape photos, photos of animals, architecture,  portraits, or whatever you can think of and sell these to stock photo websites such as Shutterstock or iStockPhoto.

Alternatively, if you’re more advanced, you could also take bookings for private photograph sessions and take photos during birthday parties, bachelorette parties, or graduation events.

12. Flyer Distribution Service

This is definitely one of the easiest side hustles for beginners you could do and you also get to walk quite a bit which is good for your health. Check with local newspapers or other media outlets and see if they are currently in need of distribution staff.

Here you get a bunch of flyers, or free newspapers which you need to deliver to every mailbox in the streets you’re responsible for. An easy and very flexible side hustle!

13. Food Delivery Service

This is another great side hustle for people who have a car. First, you need to register with services like Uber Eats, InstaCart, or DoorDash.  Now all you need to do is to pick up the meals from the restaurants or cafes and bring them to the customers’ homes.

If you don’t have a car but live in a dense district, you could also use your bike. Some people even use e-scooters to get through the busy city traffic.

On top of your payment, you could also make additional money from tips.

Start Your Side Hustle Today!

As you can see, there are some great side hustles for beginners out there. These jobs don’t require experience, are super flexible, you don’t have to stare at a computer all day long and you can help people in your community.

It doesn’t matter if you start with selling items you don’t need anymore, taking care of dogs, teaching classes, or driving for food delivery apps. There are plenty of opportunities out there to increase your income. Have fun with it!

Do you know any other side hustles for beginners for free that you can do from home? Let us know in the comments below!