10 Unique & Fun Side Hustles To Make Extra Money
If you've been reading WebMonkey for a while, you know I'm a massive fan of side hustles.
However, many side hustles can feel like work and no fun at all. This is totally okay if you're just looking to boost your income, but adding some amusement to the mix sure can make things more enjoyable.
And as someone who's been consistently trying side hustles for the last 5+ years, let me tell you: everything's better when you're having fun.
So, this post is covering some of the best fun side hustles you can use to make extra money while also having a good time.
The Top Fun Side Hustles To Make Extra Money
1. Blogging
Blogging has to be number one on my list of the most fun side hustles because it's something I've been doing for over 4 years and I love every day of it.
The beautiful part about blogging is that you can blog about almost any niche you want. This lets you write about things you're passionate and knowledgeable about, which is pretty fun if you ask me!
I also really enjoy the numbers side of blogging; growing traffic, revenue, and backlinks to a website is a very fun challenge to take on.
Plus, as a side hustle, blogging can be incredibly lucrative. For example, WebMonkey made $92,000 in its fourth year and is on track to pass $200,000 in 2022.
Most of my blogging revenue comes from Mediavine advertisements and affiliate marketing. But you can also branch into income streams like:
- Sponsored posts
- Selling products or ebooks
- Selling online coaching
And the best part is, you can always reinvest some of your earnings into help to turn your blog into a more passive income source.
In short, blogging is an incredibly fun side job with some very high income potential. And personally, I think I'll always have some type of blog on the go for the rest of my life.
2. YouTube
Like blogging, YouTube is another fun side hustle that lets you express your more creative side while making money at the same time!
This is also one fun side job I have experience with. I started my YouTube channel back in 2020. Since then, it's crossed over 15,000 subscribers and has become one of my favorite side hustles.
What I like about YouTube is that it also largely makes money on autopilot once it gets up and running; videos from 2 years ago still bring in advertisement revenue every day.
In fact, my channel makes $50 a day or so in advertisement revenue, and I publish a video every 2 to 3 weeks.
Granted, making money on YouTube takes a while since you need to reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time to enable ads.
However, I think YouTube is incredibly fun, and it's a nice challenge to think of new video topics, eye-catching thumbnails, and good titles.
You can also start a channel for very cheap. Here's what my budget YouTube setup looks like:
- Sony A600 Camera – $495.
- Audio-Technica AT2005 USB Microphone – $80.
- Joby GorillaPod Camera Stand – $15.
Again, it might take a few months or even years to monetize your channel. But you can learn some valuable skills and have a lot of fun along the way.
3. Etsy Selling
Selling on Etsy is another example of a fun side hustle, and it's a chance to flex your creative muscles if you like working with your hands.
Etsy is pretty much the go-to marketplace for selling anything vintage or handmade. Some of the most popular categories to sell under include:
- Apparel
- Artwork
- Crafts and craft supplies
- Digital downloads
- Home goods
- Jewelry
- Stickers
And what makes selling on Etsy so great is that all of the tech work is handled for you. You just need to launch your free shop, create, list, and sell.
I actually tried selling print on demand products on Etsy back as one of my college side hustles. And let me tell you, the process was both hilarious and very easy to get up and running.
I actually tried making money with memes by selling meme mugs, and I got my store live in a few days without any experience.
Another advantage of Etsy selling is that you're selling to an active marketplace, so you don't have to go out and find customers all by yourself.
Overall, I think Etsy is a very fun side business to start, and it's also a great side hustle for couples that you can try out with a partner!
Extra Reading – The Best Etsy Print On Demand Partners.
4. Play Games For Money
If someone told you it's possible to play video games for money, you might think they're crazy. However, there are actually numerous websites and apps that pay you to play games that let you do just that.
Gaming reward apps are a dime a dozen these days. These apps work by paying you with PayPal cash and gift cards for downloading and playing various mobile games.
Some of my favorite gaming reward platforms that I've tested and used include:
- Mistplay: A leading gaming app that pays you with gift cards for trying new Android games.
- Rewarded Play: Another popular app like Mistplay that lets you earn free gift cards for playing hundreds of different games.
- Gamehag: Lets you earn free Steam games, gift cards, in-game skins, and more for playing PC games.
- JustPlay: Another popular Android gaming rewards app that lets you earn free PayPal cash.
- Buff: Lets you earn passive rewards for the time you spend gaming on your PC.
- Cash Giraffe: Another Android gaming app with numerous free gift card rewards.
These apps aren't going to make you thousands of dollars. But if you already spend time gaming, they're basically a fun and passive side hustle you can try out.
Mistplay and Rewarded Play are my two favorites since I have an Android phone, but you can try a variety of gaming apps to earn rewards.
5. Print On Demand Selling
Speaking of print on demand, you don't just have to sell on Etsy if you like the POD business model.
For starters, you can use plenty of other POD marketplaces that let you upload your unique designs to different products to begin selling.
Redbubble is the perfect example, and it's one of the most popular POD marketplaces in the world and has a catalog of over 100 high-quality products.
A lot of people begin selling on Redbubble and then list their designs on some alternative POD marketplaces like Society6, CafePress, Zazzle, and TeeSpring.
This is the fastest way to reach more customers too since once again, you're selling on a marketplace and not your own online store.
The main downside to POD selling is that your margins are usually a bit lower because you're outsourcing the manufacturing.
But if you like designing products, POD selling is definitely a fun side hustle, and a single viral design can make a ton of money!
6. Sports Coaching & Refereeing
I started playing soccer when I was about 5 or 6 years old, and I eventually ended up playing for my city.
Along the way, a lot of my teammates ended up getting their refereeing certificate by completing a short course. They then made money every summer by coaching or refereeing little-league games.
Sports refereeing is an awesome, fun side job that's perfect for teens, college kids, and anyone with a love of sports.
You can also make great money; it's not uncommon for hockey and soccer referees to make $20 to $25+ per hour. Plus, you gradually earn more as you coach more competitive leagues.
I think it's an awesome summer job for students as well, and if you love a certain sport, you should definitely look for some coaching or refereeing opportunities.
7. Start An Ecommerce Store
Like selling on Etsy or POD marketplaces, another fun side job to try out is to launch your very own ecommerce store.
This is also something I tried back in college when I gave dropshipping a try. But that's just one business model, and nothing stops you from creating and selling your own branded products online.
All you need is an idea for a physical or digital product to sell, a simple storefront, and to put in the work to gradually build an audience and brand.
But the good news is that the technical side of ecommerce stores is pretty simple.
I actually used to work with Shopify stores for my day job when I worked at an advertising agency, and you can set one up and begin selling without any prior experience.
Sellfy is another incredibly easy-to-use ecommerce store builder that I've used in the past. It takes about 5 minutes to set up your online store, and Sellfy also has a POD catalog you can add your designs to.
And besides, this is the sort of project you can be proud of, and the income potential is immensely high.
8. Dog Walking & Sitting
Have a love for animals and dogs? If so, one fun side hustle you can try is to start your own dog walking and sitting business.
People need help watching or walking their dogs all the time. And if you have experience with pets and love dogs, you can offer this service to people and make some quick money.
The simplest way to start this side hustle is to canvas your town or to offer your services to friends and family. This is also a great teen job if you're looking for some cash without a job.
Alternatively, you can sign up with gig apps like Rover that help connect dog walkers and sitters with pet owners who need assistance.
Rover is the perfect middleman since it saves you the hassle of having to find clients all by yourself.
And, Rover walkers and sitters can set their own rates, schedules, and even the type and size of animals they work with. For pay, it's not uncommon to earn $15 to $25 per hour.
You can read our post on the best Rover headlines if you want a helping hand with setting up your Rover profile! And my post on the best side hustle ideas that pay weekly has even more ideas you can check out.
9. Event Photographer
Another great example of a fun side hustle is to become an event photographer.
Of course, you need to have an eye for photography and the right equipment for this side job. But if this describes you, this side hustle could be perfect for making some fast cash while also attending fun events.
Weddings, birthday parties, corporate events, and fundraisers are some common examples of the gigs you might end up at.
However, this usually means you get some free food, get to listen to decent music, and can also network and meet new people.
This is a fun side job if you're a people-person, and it's also a great way to turn a hobby of yours into a potential income stream.
10. Busking
One final and fun side hustle you can try out is busking. This is also known as “street performing,” and you can basically take any unique skill of yours and head to the streets to try and make some money!
People typically do this with instruments like guitar, violin, or even instruments like the saxophone that you can carry around easily.
And you can make some decent cash if you know what you're doing and attract a decent crowd.
For example, in this YouTube video, YouTuber Tim Newman shares how they made about $135 after a day of busking and playing guitar.
People also busk with skills like juggling, break dancing, and magic tricks. But as long as you can show off and captivate a crowd, you can probably make some money.
Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Make $500 A Day.
Final Thoughts
I hope our list of the best fun side hustles helps you increase your income while also enjoying the process.
There's honestly so many ways to make extra money, ranging from online ideas to in-person gigs. But many hustles can feel like a grind, especially if you keep at them for a few months.
However, as someone who has blogged every day, more or less, for the last few years, I can tell you with certainty that some side hustles are immensely fun and rewarding.
Hopefully, one of the fun side gigs in this article ends up working out for you just as well!
Looking for even more ways to make money? Checkout:
- The Best Free Online Jobs That Pay Daily.
- The Best Side Hustle Ideas For Women.
- The Best Apps That Pay You To Drive.
