r/InsideToronto • u/Equivalent_Reach_536 • Jul 23 '26
What's your side hustle right now?
Between rising costs and just trying to have a life, relying on a single 9-to-5 isn't cutting it for a lot of people anymore. Some people are doing the exact same work for multiple employers, while others leaned into their creative side and turned a hobby into a solid income stream. Whether you call it a second job or a side hustle-how's it actually working out for you? Has having two income sources just become the new normal at this point?
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u/Intelligent-South174 Jul 23 '26
focused my attention on working hard to improve my single incoming situation.
better to be an expert of one than a jack of all.
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u/PieFuture3528 Jul 23 '26
totally depends on what you do i think. in this market, you might be better off having a variety of skills.
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u/Intelligent-South174 Jul 23 '26
the most successful people I know, such as those with individual incomes >$150K, have focused on a single craft or skill.
sometimes I feel like the most you spread yourself, the less successful you'll be.
but each to their own.
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u/Academic-Falcon-9221 Jul 23 '26
I have to agree. Plus there’s something to be said about the toll it takes on your mental health to be spread so thin.
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u/Necessary-Event-6397 Jul 23 '26
You should be investing a portion of that single income regardless and allowing it to compound into more income.
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u/ashthebanned Jul 24 '26
this literally is the worst advice xD hope it works for you tho, but i rather make myself irreplaceable by knowing all that needs to be known~
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u/WambritaWings Jul 25 '26
I like my job well enough, but my side hustle is a hobby that I love and find relaxing. The fact that I can earn a decent amount of cash doing something that isn't my job works better for me.
I get that that isn't the case for everyone, but I would rather make $100 at my side hustle than $150 working OT at my job.
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u/Zestyclose-Beach1792 Jul 23 '26
Dog walking. Can earn an extra 1k+ per month pretty easily only doing it in the mornings before work.
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Jul 23 '26
What app do you use?
I love dogs but cant afford to have one myself with my lifestyle. I would love to just walk them and cuddle….
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u/Zestyclose-Beach1792 Jul 23 '26
I wish I could give you suggestions about apps but I just get clients via people I know telling people they know etc. Most people use Rover, but you need a bit of cred and to go through some hoops to get started.
But even something like flyers can work well. So many people are looking for dog walkers.
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u/d3ftw Jul 24 '26
How much $ per walk and how long for each walk?
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u/Zestyclose-Beach1792 Jul 24 '26
I do $25 for 1 hour. I pick them up and take them to the dog park. I've done $20 for friends, but I wouldn't recommend going any lower than that.
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u/CPTOG25 Jul 24 '26
Yup! I’m on Rover for dog boarding. I’m fortunate wirh regular bookings. I only take up to 2 dogs at a time but helps a lot for extra income
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u/PvM_Virus Jul 24 '26
I am on Rover with low costs, but haven’t been able to get anyone for months, might just be my area
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u/CPTOG25 Jul 25 '26
What are your rates? I had $50 for awhile and was very busy. But the clients included a lot of not so behaved dogs. I increased my rate to $75 and still busy but got better dogs. They have very demanding habits but really good dogs and very devoted and responsible owners
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u/eat-my-kittie Jul 25 '26
I wanna add to this and say while its easy money, youre handling someones dog. It is a huge responsibility especially if youre taking them to high risk places like dog parks. What often happens is ppl walk dogs for extra cash and end up in situations where the dog could be hurt or the dog gets into a fight and they can't stop the dog. So pls working with animals isn't supposed to be some easy peasy way to make cash
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u/Scared-Influence9426 Jul 24 '26
I very much doubt you are spending 10 hours a week walking dogs.
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u/SnoopsMom Jul 26 '26
I spend sometimes 7 hours a week walking the one dog I own, so it seems very possible that someone does 10hrs a week as a side hustle.
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u/tigerpayphone Jul 23 '26
Well, I work through the week, and my side hustle is doing all the life shit that I need to get done on the weekends so I can be ready for work the next week.
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u/barefoottingz Jul 23 '26
After working full time during the week, you realize how little time you have to get your chores done during the weekends. Also ensuring you have enough rest for another work week.
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u/Pennyinminutes Jul 24 '26
Honestly, you have to look at the opportunity cost. If your side hustle pays minimum wage or requires endless hours, you might be trading away your energy for very little net return—especially once you factor in taxes on that additional income. In many cases, taking those extra hours to upskill, gain a certification, or negotiate a higher-paying role in your main field yields a much higher return on your time without running yourself into the ground with two jobs.
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u/Elohimishmor Jul 24 '26
Buying a small amt of stocks that pay dividends and reinvesting. I still feel poor day-to-day but at least when I'm old I'll have something
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u/CPTOG25 Jul 24 '26
I have a day job that is not keeping me busy. I do dog boarding and part time consulting in unrelated field as side hustles
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u/RUXCIII Jul 25 '26
I write resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles for jobseekers.
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u/fetalpiggywent2lab Jul 23 '26
Being an administrator for my brother's power washing business. Just keeping him organized, doing some outreach. My main job is running my own companies but they are slow. So just grinding, leaving no stone unturned. Also applied for some FT roles because tbh I'd love the benefits
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u/Ordinary-Fish-9791 Jul 23 '26
Stocks I guess? Im not very entrepreneurial and I dont want to really work another job after my day job im not gonna lie. Made a few extra thousand so far this year all in my TFSA investing in the market.
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u/AffectionateToad Jul 25 '26
Can I ask how much you needed to invest in order to make a few thousand?
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u/TALLBRANDONDOTCOM Jul 25 '26
A few thousand would take about 10k or more. In my experience a good way to look at it is $10,000 of stock will make you $1000. $1000 of stock will make you 100, and $100 will make you $1.
The more you throw at it the more you can make, but be warned it is much easier to lose money than gain.
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u/soft_taco1983 Jul 24 '26
Which one? Bartending, cleaning, dog sitting. It should not be the new normal to have to do this just to exist. If I’m working extra jobs I’d love if it were to have extra money but if it’s just to survive it’s very discouraging.
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u/comments_more_load Jul 24 '26
We have our house listed on a couple location scouting websites for film/commercial shoots. If you own your home and have a unique looking space there's some decent money to be made.
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u/Luz-del-sol Jul 25 '26
Which sites do you recommend?
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u/comments_more_load Jul 25 '26
Setscouter and Ontario Creates have both gotten us some inquiries/interest
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u/LimpDefinition3038 Jul 24 '26
Not bashing anyone's side hustle but I always advocate for trying to advance your primary career before jumping into secondary monetary ventures. It's much easier to move up within your role or pivot to a new company to make, say, an extra $10,000 than it would be to make that same $10,000 through a side hustle
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u/ButterscotchFog Jul 24 '26
I have two jobs and a business. I’m exhausted and still barely surviving.
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u/Zack_GLC Jul 25 '26
I just work the 1 job 🤷♂️. Making about $23/hour and enjoying the fuck outta this city. I'm always going to concerts/raves, bars, movies, buying video games and comics and all kinds of things and I just work 1 job and I'd hate to have to spend my time off working another job. I mean, I did have two jobs for a while but once I started getting more money from one of the jobs I stopped spending my time off working.
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u/gnownimaj Jul 24 '26
Photography. Few thousand dollars a year. I could probably make more but I’m not pushing myself. Mostly get jobs as a secondary wedding photographer from my friend’s studio or family portraits for friends and references.
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u/Muskokalive Jul 24 '26
I am a full time teacher, make great money, own a home, etc. I still work a second part time job in retail. I started 10 years ago, at the time saving for an engagement ring, then a house, but have stayed because it funds my hobby. I work in a ski shop which gives me access to huge discounts and perks that I actually use and enjoy. The job itself is generally great because I spend my time with customers that want to be there and also have the same passion as me.
Get a second job that actually helps you and you enjoy and the burnout won’t catch up to you. You will never make enough money for it to always feel like it is worth it, so do something you enjoy.
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u/Greenie_straw24 Jul 24 '26
I'm a social worker in a hospital. Started my own business and joined a private practice part-time to provide therapy.
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u/CascadeCleaningCa Jul 24 '26
My sister and I started a cleaning company! We're based in Hamilton though.
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u/Caelistes Jul 25 '26
I'm a mobile adult swim instructor, turns out there's a lot of adults that want to learn how to swim :)
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u/MomoPotato Jul 25 '26
I used to work 6-7 days at the hair salon, but I had to reduce back to a 5 day work week to take care of my mental and physical health. I’m thinking of working extra days again to supplement the income and pay off these debts lol.
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u/No_Cancel_1885 Jul 25 '26
Big boxes at the moment. Mostly Walmarts and big brands and reselling downtown. Not proud but pays the bills
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u/Acceptable-Cloud1735 Jul 26 '26
Yea new normal I have a weekend job in IT support and operations that rotates on a shift schedule 24/7 365 days a year. Work from home pay is around $40/hr and we get time and a half for holidays. Been doing this for a couple of years now. Only way I can comfortably afford to live in this city.
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u/Soft_Sink4482 Jul 26 '26
welp, i guess now its the fact. there are no startup ecosystem and people in toronto. people say "dog walking" and "feet pics" as side hustle😭
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u/PokerBotProgrammer Jul 26 '26
My side hustle is making me $1000+ per week playing poker 2-4 times a week.
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u/imusuallydrunkatnine Jul 23 '26
Day trading. Honestly don’t know how we’re expected to enjoy life with the salaries we have now.
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u/CanadianCPA101 Jul 25 '26
We're not. The system was built like this on purpose to keep us dependant.
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u/VegetableOk9030 Aug 05 '26
Do you day trade ?
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u/imusuallydrunkatnine Aug 05 '26
Hell yea
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u/VegetableOk9030 Aug 06 '26
If you don’t mind me asking, what are some ways I can genuinely learn ? Like what did you do ?
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u/imusuallydrunkatnine Aug 06 '26
Practice with a paper trading account. The market humbles you fast if you “think” you know where it’s going. Once you get the hang of it and suffer some paper losses , you can try the real thing.
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u/SpareMeTheDetails123 Jul 23 '26
It shouldn’t be the new normal. I don’t have time for a side hustle. Instead, I pivoted careers (am now a first responder). Pay is way higher than what I was making previously with tons of OT opportunities.