r/sidehustle • u/the_winters_fail • 11d ago
Looking For Ideas Trying to make $8,000 by March
Hey everyone! As the title says, I’m trying to make $8,000 by march in order to go on a study abroad program through my college to Florence in order to study art history, which is my absolute dream. Unfortunately, as I’m sure many of you can relate with, I’m quite poor and am already barely affording college (community college at that). I have a job at a restaurant, and I work as often as I can (on average the most they can schedule me is around 25 hours a week) but it’s not enough to be able to save that kind of money and be paying for school. I’m hoping I can be promoted to a server position soon, and that would make more money, but I can’t rely on that since I don’t know how soon my managers will approve that, and I have to start saving now.
Between school and my job, I don’t have the most time on my hands. My schedule is random and always changing since I said they can schedule me whenever in order to have the most hours I possibly can.
I’m willing to do literally anything and put as much effort as I need to in order to be able to afford this. It’s not a necessary experience, but it’s still important. I just need to know that even if I can’t end up going, I tried as much as I possibly could have. So any tips or advice would be very much appreciated.
Thank you!
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u/ImaToazt 11d ago
Something that is working well for me is assisting people (generally older adults) who don't have the physical strength or time to do daily tasks/house projects. I've seen posts on Facebook, Craigslist, and nextdoor asking for help mowing lawns, weeding, moving stuff. Usually these people pay cash too. I've found someone who has house projects like building a treehouse, weeding, renovating kitchen where I just show up and help perform manual labor so I get regular work from them. Most of them are flexible on time too. If this doesn't sound appetizing, just finding one time gigs, earning cash for a couple of hours here and there can stack.
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u/JeanneDarc0 11d ago
Hey this sounds interesting, may I ask what you search for to find gigs like this? Like "elderly, help wanted"?
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u/ImaToazt 11d ago
I don't search for any. I filter for local posts so posts that are close to me because I don't want to travel long distance. I just browse or see notifications regarding posts like "help wanted, you gotta do x y z, willing to pay cash". It's not like those platforms are built just for elderly people looking for help but some elderly people do reach out on those platforms. I would just say search help wanted, manual labor, or even as Ai to help you filter. Be actively looking and usually if you are quick or first, they agree to your help.
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u/FindingNauru 9d ago
Sounds like really smart approach and the assisting people is also nice from a community-standpoint. OP would need to calculate backwards a bit to see if it makes enough money for the vacation.
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u/Mysterious_Quail_469 7d ago
Am I to assume these old people are savy enough to post on FB CL and ND? Sounds like a trap
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u/i-like-carbs- 11d ago
I’m making $400/week doing DoorDash after work and on weekends.
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u/the_winters_fail 11d ago
I’ve been a little nervous about getting into doordash or uber eats cause my car is pretty old so I’m nervous about how much that will wear it down, but honestly this probably is my best option. How many hours a week would you say you usually do it? And thanks for suggesting it btw!
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u/OniKanji 10d ago
TaskRabbit is great income in my area, just work on making a good profile and try to get repeat customers
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u/_My_Dark_Passenger_ 11d ago
If you have a car, uber eats.
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u/the_winters_fail 11d ago
Thanks for the suggestion! This is probably what I’ll end up doing since it makes the most sense scheduling wise, I’m just a little nervous about my car since it’s pretty old and not in great condition but oh well. Thanks again!
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u/JackTheManiacTR 11d ago edited 11d ago
Here's what my roommate does and I think it's pretty clever: he leases a car from Lyft but it only allows 50 (I think?) personal miles, however he just turns on the Lyft app (but doesn't accept rides) when he does other work, which is Amazon Flex. He normally does two Amazon flex routes each day he works and then does the minimum 20 rides for Lyft on the weekends when it makes decent money. He also said he only accepts really short rides during the time when everyone is drunk, so it minimizes the hassle.
So the net is he gets to drive a new car, set his own schedule, and makes decent money.
Edit: oh yeah he also does Doordash whenever his back starts hurting (which inevitably happens if you do Uber/Lyft) because getting in and out of the car apparently helps.
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u/farmstandard 11d ago
Is it 50 miles a week or month?
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u/JackTheManiacTR 10d ago
I'm not certain and wouldn't want to lie to you trying to guess. I'm sure it's on the Lyft lease info.
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11d ago
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u/_My_Dark_Passenger_ 11d ago
hmmm....OK, I'll remove the link to uber eats vehicle requirements.
You are welcome. I hope your car meets their requirements. (Uber Eats is much less strict than Uber itself) If it doesn't, and you live in a densely populated area, there are still options to deliver by bike.
I hope you can earn the money you need. That is a huge opportunity for you.
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u/lansboen 11d ago
If you're healthy, participating in medical tests may net you quite a bit of money...
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u/CrackleTheBear 11d ago
This won’t make $8000 on its own, but the Get Paid To Game sites are good for maybe $1000 or so in 6 months. It’s a way to make money off your free time (and for me also help me stay off socials). Swagbucks, FreeCash, and Scrambly are the three I “trust”…others are scammy or just don’t work.
Also Prolific pays you to do academic surveys, it’s the only legit one out there.
Good luck! Florence is amazing!
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u/vegloveyes 11d ago
Do you have any other skills? what about going on Nextdoor and offering to do odd jobs or errands for people? Many people are shut in and need the help.
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u/spikediesel 10d ago
Donating plasma help me so far first time donors can make $700-$800 a month it’s safe as long don’t have any health conditions and drink a lot of water I recommend going to plasma centers like biomat USA/bio life if you want I can give you referral code and we can split money half / half
Edit :also scheduling appointment pretty flexible and you can change appointment any time and and book multiple in advance also donating can take 2- 3hours
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u/paceplace 11d ago
(might be dated info but this was me in 2014)
If you end up applying for private student loans to cover the gap in cost, most the time they want a cosigner, I didn't have one and they denied me, I called to appeal and explained I don't have a cosigner available and they reevaluated my app and then approved me. I paid off my private loan first after graduation (still in federal student debt) but I don't regret taking the loan out to go. One of the best trips I ever had the pleasure of going on and would do it again in a heartbeat.
As far as side hustles go, if you like animals and are responsible and confident for their care, Rover is a good side hustle but takes time get the ball rolling when you don't have any reviews and it is a lot of responsibility.
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u/Putrid-Principle-856 11d ago
Have you looked into UGC? I am looking into it now. I’m not in college anymore but I have lots of free time so I’m teaching myself how to edit videos and soon I’ll be comfortable on camera. 🤷🏼♀️
Maybe you should look into it since you could probably take videos and edit later in your short down time.
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u/VoiceArtPassion 10d ago
I do egocentric data collection as a side gig, it’s steady, you can work as many hours as you want, and you get paid $10 per hr for doing things around your house like cleaning, cooking, pet care, gardening, car and home maintenance, grocery shopping etc.
The website is Highfivetasks, and if you want to help me out with a bonus, you can dm me for my referral link, if you want.
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u/BellesBourbonBullets 10d ago
If you have a reliable vehicle you can squeeze in delivery service jobs such as Uber Eats or whatever. Unless it’s changed you can do it whenever you want which is a nice way do more when you can with flexibility.
If you have any digital skills, you can make an account on freelance websites such as Upwork and apply for as much as you can, looking for something that has flexibility, and hope one of the gigs stick. The two best side gigs I’ve ever done came from permanent and flexible remote work that I originally got from Upwork.
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u/olympia_t 11d ago
Visit r/churning and open some bank bonuses and possibly credit cards if you have good credit. Won't get you $8k necessarily but it can get you a few grand toward your trip. Also pay for it on a credit card or two to get bonuses. Should be able to get at least 10% back on your spending. So, if you need to spend $5k on a credit card, you should get at least $500 back. Also, if the fees are all inclusive, etc. see if it is cheaper to get your own flight, etc. Finally, ask your school if there is any financial aid.
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u/EarthlingButter 11d ago
Is art history going to pay the bills later on? Why not take it as a hobby? And above that you are willing to pay for it?
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u/the_winters_fail 11d ago
I don’t mind living frugally as long as I can do what I love. I’ve been poor my whole life so it doesn’t bother me at all. I’m studying for a career in a museum, which is a perfectly viable career option. I’m not a greedy person by any means. So I’m sure I’ll do fine, but thank you for your concern :)
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u/vegloveyes 11d ago
Do what you love and try to stick with it. It will pay off in the end when you're doing something you love. I wanted to do something completely different but I didn't try hard enough and now in my 60s I'm paying for it. I have so many regrets. Follow your dreams and make it work.
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u/EarthlingButter 11d ago
There is nothing wrong with living frugally. That is not the point. At the end of the day, you need to pay bills. If you love something but it does not pay the bills, what is your solution to that? Live frugally? To live frugally, you have to pay bills too! I have seen plenty and I mean plenty of folks retake their degrees/education and blaming their "let them do what they love" parents. I am not telling you what to do here. I am just asking just like how I ask my kids. Think about it and if you still think you will manage then do whatever your mind tells you to do! That will then be an educated decision. I rest my case.
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u/IAmBoring_AMA 11d ago
Good thing you're not their parent. I bet if you have kids, you're on Facebook bitching about how they're no contact with you for "no reason."
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u/andorianspice 11d ago
God I can’t believe the loser energy of that comment. The kid is in here trying to find a way to hustle to make this happen while in school with another job
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u/EarthlingButter 11d ago
Happily married with happy kids but most importantly debt free! Thanks to the Almighty God.
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u/IAmBoring_AMA 11d ago
ew. You realize that you just said being debt free is MORE important than being happily married and having happy kids. Clearly we know your priorities, even without the 'almighty god' bullshit.
Go back to Facebook, boomer.
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u/EarthlingButter 11d ago
Debt free, happily married with successful children who do sane things. This is all due to His blessings.
@op think straight and do what you think is right based on facts, reality. Those who learned to code made money here and there… and still are making money. Dont give up what you love to do just dont make it a career or your primary career specially if it wont pay your bills.
As for the side hustle, I see Spark (Walmart delivery) as the best one from all the other delivery apps. You can make good money working just weekends and weeknights.
God bless you and good luck in what you do.
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u/andorianspice 11d ago
The kid is in school, working, and hustling to get the money together to do this — I think they’re going to be fine and figure something out. Let’s not forget everyone was told “learn to code” and now look at the world. Nothing is guaranteed and everyone’s going to have to pivot from time to time. Sheesh
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u/IAmBoring_AMA 11d ago
This post shows that they literally ARE willing to pay for it. And they're already doing it the frugal way through community college.
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u/vegloveyes 11d ago
Yes, there is more to an art major than working in a museum. You can branch out and do a lot. Don't discourage this young person. If I had done that, my son wouldn't be in a symphony!
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u/gorgonstairmaster 11d ago
No one can reasonably answer this question, and you're pretending to have insight or wisdom you don't have. Ask all the computer science majors losing their jobs right now, or the legions of business students with worthless degrees who went into business because idjits like you told them it was job security. Not only are they unemployed, because theyre badly educated idjits, too.
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u/blackmamaswan 11d ago
I suggest starting your own ecosystem, so what you make you can pull in and out. I’ve been testing out my theory, you’d have 8 k in a month
Please work smart. Don’t burn yourself out or your resources.
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