“Raindrops on roses
And whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things.”
The holiday season which is one of my favorite things is fast approaching. But before we skate right onto the season of peppermint and onesies, let’s take a stop in the current season, fall.
Visions of Black Friday shopping might be dancing in your head but the reality is that it usually takes months to pay off those holiday debts. Why enter the season of spending by swiping when you can make a little extra money right now for your big shipping expenditures.
The Hustle Crew and I are busy thinking of ways to score some extra money this season, so I thought that I would share some of my top ways to make a little extra money in the fall!
Winterization Specialist
The upcoming winter means that it’s time to put away all things summer. That means that boats and summer vehicles, even summer homes and plumbing lines need to be winterized. If you know how to do that, you can advertise your services and make serious money in a short time.
Fall Foliage Guide
Fall travel can be a special time for those who enjoy watching leaves change colors. If you live in the north-eastern part of the country, there are plenty of people willing to travel to where you live just to drive through an area where the colors are their most vivid. If you know of a special place and can put together a tour, this might just be for you.
Fall Yard Cleanup
Yes, we discussed winterization, but for many people, fall also means that it’s time to clean! All of those beautiful leaves will eventually fade and fall to the ground where they’ll need to be swept up, and either put into a mulch pile or out for the trash. There are people who are physically unable to do this work or people who just don’t have time. Market your services well and ask for referrals to grow your client list.
Dog Walker
A dog’s gotta walk and as it gets colder outside, people like me get more willing to pay someone else to walk our fur babies for us. This gig is popular with the Hustle Crew since you don’t need much more than a love of animals and a willingness to pick up poop to get started.
Crystal Stemberger founded her company, Crystal’s Cozy Care, and quickly began earning more than $30,000 a year as a pet sitter. Crystal’s advice is to try to get as many clients as possible in one area so that you can stack visits at one time.
The best sites for landing gigs are Rover and Wag. If I’m being honest, it’s a little hard to get booked if you don’t have referrals so try starting with a neighbor’s pet or by offering your services to your local senior living centers where pets are allowed.
Drive Kids Around
Fall means lots of activities for children of all ages. With parents super busy, someone needs to shuttle kids around to their after school activities. You might not want to be Uber for adults but being a kiddie Uber might just be the thing for you. A new service called Zūm provides rides, childcare, or chaperone services to kids and they need drivers like you! Of course, you must pass background checks and the like, but if you love to bring the mom with all of the kids in her car, this might be right for you.
Tutor or Homework Help
Speaking of kids, there’s another opportunity that involves children. Children need homework after school while parents are commuting home from work. You can be the hero helping kids score A’s all throughout the year. You’ll need a love of children and knowledge of the information taught at the grade levels that you would like to target. This is perfect for college students on up.
Seasonal Decorator
The holiday season is just around the corner and nothing says holidays like a nicely decorated home. To be quite honest, not all of us are decorating geniuses but if you have a magical touch you can offer seasonal decoration services.
If you have all of your own supplies it might be lucrative for you decorate home for parties and events throughout the season or for you to decorate the outside of homes with lights. Think of yourself as one of Santa’s little helpers. Not sure where to offer your services? Angi has a section just for tree decorating alone. You can also offer your services on Thumbtack. They’re both great places to start.
If that fails, you can always snag seasonal employment any of the many retail store chains that beef of their staff for the winter holiday. Stroll to your neighborhood mall to scope out who is hiring. Happy hustling.
