15 real side hustles you can use to pay off debt and make extra cash

Need extra cash? If so, you are not alone. According to statistics, 44 million people carry student loan debt. Those with student loan debt are having to find ways to balance paying down their loans with budgeting for home rentals, paying for utilities, and covering the basics. Many find there is little money left over. Many students also carry credit card debt and other debts, but luckily a debt consolidation loan from a company like Credible can be taken out to make the payments easier. For this very reason, many people are looking for ways to earn money in addition to their employment salary. Having a side job is understandable and becoming quite common.

If you are already working a full-time job, you most likely do not have time to work a second job. The good news is that today’s side hustles allow you to work when you have time and on your own schedule. They allow room for more flexibility than a traditional 9-to-5 job, and many of these jobs are also enjoyable and will allow you to pay off your student debts faster.

To help you get started, we’ve put together this list of fifteen real side hustles you can take on to pay off debt.

1. Help with Tech Problems: Technology is a source of frustration for many people, so people are often willing to pay someone to make their technology problems go away. If you are a tech pro, use your skills to alleviate their frustrations and make some money.
2. Sell Products on Etsy or eBay: For the makers out there, why not turn your hobby into a profitable side business? You can sell what you make on Etsy or eBay. There are plenty of ways to package products beautifully to boost your seller ratings. If you go this route, be sure to secure rights for the products you design.
3. Work as a Mystery Shopper: If you love to shop, look for opportunities to be a mystery shopper. Companies pay shoppers to shop and report back to them. To make sure the company is reputable, check out MSPA-NA (formerly known as the Mystery Shopping Providers Association of North America).
4. Teach English: Even if you do not have a degree in English, you can still teach English to non-native speakers. Many ESL students simply need someone to practice conversational English with them. However, if you do have some teaching experience, you could land a lucrative side gig teaching English online to students in China or other countries.
5. Become a Virtual Assistant: If planning and organizing tasks come easy to you, then you can find great success working as a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants do everything from organizing their client’s daily schedule to managing emails to booking a client’s travel arrangements.
6. Take Care of Pets: Have you heard of Rover? It is like Care.com, but for pet sitting. If you prefer to watch people’s pets rather than their kids, then this is the service for you. You simply create a profile and apply for pet-sitting or dog-walking jobs in your area.
7. Become a Freelancer: Use your marketable skills as a freelancer from home. If you have a skill that allows you to work from anywhere, then consider joining an online platform like Upwork. The website helps connect graphic designers, writers, web designers, transcribers, photographers and more freelance professionals with companies looking to hire.
8. Start a Subscription Box Service: Subscription boxes are all the rage! Think you have an idea for a subscription box that people will love — collectibles, outfits, pet items? If so, you can sell subscription boxes and make a pretty penny.
9. Drive for a Ride Sharing Service: If you have a driver’s license and your own vehicle, you can sign up to become a driver for ride-sharing services like Uber or Lyft. With these services, you choose when and if you want to drive others around.
10. Pick Up Extra Skills: A great way to boost your résumé and your income to is to pick up extra skills. By taking courses such as first aid or CPR certification, you will make yourself more valuable to employers. Plus, being CPR-certified will make it easier to land babysitting and lifeguarding gigs on the weekends.
11. Tutor or Coach Others: Do you have a special talent or a hobby that you love? Use what you know to teach others! Do you play basketball? Consider coaching basketball on the side. Do you play an instrument? Teach music lessons. Does math come naturally to you? Tutor math students.
12. Provide Babysitting Services: If you love kids and have availability in the evenings, weekends, and school holidays, you can earn a decent amount of money babysitting on the side. Just remember: The more qualifications you have (certifications, experience, education), the more money you can charge.
13. Organize and Clean Spaces: Those who love organizing or cleaning can use their organizational skills to turn a profit. People are always looking for people to clean their homes and businesses, but there are now more people using their talents for organization to help others organize their homes, studios, businesses, and other spaces.
14. Deliver Groceries: Another one for the shoppers! You can sign up to be personal shopper through companies like Instacart and Shipt. These people get paid to shop for groceries and deliver them to someone’s home.
15. Or Deliver Food: Along the same lines, if you have your own vehicle and the time, you can sign up to deliver food through services like UberEats. When someone places a meal delivery order, you simply pick it up and deliver it to their location.

When you’re peeking from behind a mountain (or even a molehill) of debt, it can be hard to see a solution. But with some thought and planning — and the occasional boost from technology — you can find ways to make extra cash. Taking advantage of any of the tips above can help you begin whittling a mountain of debt down to level ground.