The Strangest Side Jobs That Can Make You Real Money
Whether the rise of the side hustle is a testament to the American spirit of can-do or the decline of the American dream (why not both?), many people need it. This is not exactly a second (or third) job, but more than a hobby. A side hustle is a way to turn your free time and sweat into money and maybe have a little fun at the same time.
Most part-time jobs aren’t all that exciting: delivering food or driving for Uber can be adventurous from time to time, but they’re usually about as boring as a full-time job. But there are also very strange side jobs, the kind of side jobs that make you wonder about the state of modern civilization, but that offer real, genuine American currency, sometimes a surprisingly large amount of it. While these side hustles may seem strange at first, they provide a legitimate opportunity to make a little extra money while providing you with all the small talk material you’ll ever need.
poop
People have dogs. These dogs poop. A lot of. While many people take their dogs for walks, some people simply let their dogs run around in their backyards and feces can build up. Or, sometimes, people find that stray dogs are using their yards as toilets and they’d rather have someone else come in and clean up all the poop. This is where you come in: you can make around $50 an hour from this once you have enough clients. And in fact, starting this business is not difficult – you do not need any special equipment, and you can start by simply contacting your neighbors and offering your services.
It’s worth doing a little research to see if anyone else offers poop cleaning services in your area. There are companies like DoodyCalls that do this, so you might want to consider taking a part-time job with the company or just check their prices to make sure you’ll be competitive.
Children’s equipment rental
Do you have a bunch of old baby clothes that your kids have outgrown? Of course, you can donate it or offer it to friends and relatives who are just starting their own families. Or you can monetize it by renting it out to people.
The need for this arises mainly for traveling families: they are going to be in your area for a short time, and it is easier and cheaper to rent cribs, toys and other children’s things than to carry them yourself or buy a bunch of temporary things. Companies like BabyQuip and TravelingBaby allow you to register as an independent contractor affiliate. When someone in your area needs baby items, you are contacted, deliver the items to them, and then pick them up when they are finished. The money obviously varies depending on the volume, but TravelingBaby says you can earn up to $1,200 a month from this. Even if it’s a lot less, you’re monetizing something you no longer use, so that’s a win.
Friends services
Many adults discover this to their horror: being an adult can be incredibly lonely . But that yawning chasm of loneliness is an opportunity because it means people will pay you to be their friend or come over and cuddle with them . To be clear, both of these arrangements are clearly platonic: you are paid to chat with someone or engage in non-sexual physical contact simply to provide some comfort. RentAFriend claims you can earn “up to” $50 an hour, although they also say that renting a friend starts at just $10 an hour, with friends offering “special skills” or experience costing more. However, getting paid to talk to someone is not a bad job. Hugs that involve physical contact can earn you more money—up to $150 an hour .
Sell your underwear
Potential income can be generated from used, worn and completely unwashed underwear, socks and other intimate clothing items. All Things Worn and Male Things Worn are two marketplaces where you can sell your unwashed panties for a profit. Prices are up to you (though All Things Worn provides a helpful list of suggested prices ), but turning old, used underwear and other clothing into cash is much better than just throwing them away or spending time and money washing them.
Sell your hair
If your hair is healthy, undyed and relatively long, you can sell it. The best part is that it’s a renewable resource: you can sell a foot of your hair, wait a few months, and then repeat the process. You can get anywhere from $100 to $1,000 for your hair depending on several factors, which isn’t bad, especially if you were planning on cutting it all off anyway.
Standing on the line
It’s often said that the main benefit of wealth is time : you can pay people to do things for you, which leaves you with more time to do the things you really want to do. And for many rich people, one of the things they definitely don’t want to do is stand in line with plebeians waiting for concert tickets, fresh cereal or limited edition sneakers for their collection.
This is where you, a mobile physical entity capable of processing basic transactions, comes in. Get paid for standing in line for your economic benefits. Companies like Same Ole Line Dudes are in need of employees, and sites like TaskRabbit have detailed lists of those in line . Typically, you can earn about $25 per hour for… waiting.
Virtual juror
Everyone groans when they receive a jury summons in the mail, but you can make some serious money by serving as a virtual juror . Law firms and marketing companies conduct many mock trials as part of their research and case preparation, and they need regular people to represent real juries to sit in on these trials.
Most of these appearances are conducted from home via video conference, and fees vary widely, from $5 per low-level case to several hundred dollars for more complex cases that may take longer. There are a lot of companies looking for virtual jurors, so you can sign up with a few and just complete the assignments as they come, earning a lot of money for something that’s actually fun.
Sell your poop
If collecting dog poop doesn’t appeal to you, you might be interested in monetizing another natural resource you constantly produce: your own poop. Companies need human feces for a variety of research purposes, and they are willing to pay for it —up to $500 per “donation,” or $1,500 per month.
However, not everyone is eligible for this side hustle, so don’t start collecting your products for future resale just yet. For example, GoodNature requires feces, but limits donors to certain locations and usually requires you to have the specific disease they are studying. HumanMicrobes collects stool donations for people in need of fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) and pays well for them. But you must meet fairly strict age and health requirements. However, if you meet these requirements, you can make some serious money just by going to the toilet.