6 Safe Side Hustles to Help You Get By During the Coronavirus Crisis

By Deb Hipp, Debt.com

With millions of workers laid off or unemployed due to the coronavirus pandemic, now is no time to look down your nose at manual labor or other jobs for which you’re overqualified. Instead, it’s the perfect time to set pride aside and do what you need to do to get by.

That’s because earning money with a little sweat and a lot of humility is better than being evicted, foreclosed or ruining your credit because you can’t make credit card payments.

Driving for Uber is no longer an automatic go-to, since you may not want to expose yourself to the risk of infection by working with the public. But work still needs to be done, even during a health and economic crisis. There is nearly always some kind of work out there if you know where to look.

Mow lawns

The good thing about an impending recession in the spring is that grass still grows, even in a troubled economy. And lots of people hate to mow their lawns.

You can make good money mowing lawns as a side hustle. Put the word out to friends and neighbors and on neighborhood Facebook group pages. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can earn enough to pay rent and other monthly bills.

Clean gutters

Gutter cleaning is a dirty job, but somebody has to do it. Why not you? For an hour or two of work, you can earn anywhere from $30 to $200, depending on the size of the house and how long the job takes.

You’ll need an extension ladder with stabilizers, which could set you back $100 to $200 initially, but you can easily recoup that money and more in a single weekend. Don’t know how to clean gutters? No problem. You’ll find plenty of instructional videos online.

Haul thrift store donations

If (or when) thrift store donation sites are open, earn money by picking up and transporting (from a safe distance while wearing gloves or other protective gear) items that your self-quarantined friends, family, and neighbors set outside for you after decluttering while stuck inside.

Put flyers on neighbors’ doors. Announce availability on your Facebook neighborhood group page. People will happily pay you to load their unwanted stuff and take it away in your van, SUV or pickup to donate.

Tend flower beds

Now that it’s spring, flower beds all over your neighborhood need flowers planted, weeds pulled and beds cleaned. Most people hate doing the job themselves and will gladly pay $30 and up for someone else to do it for them, early in the spring and all summer long.

Working with earth is calming, and it’s hard to be in a bad mood around a bunch of flowers. Listen to music while you work. Wear sunscreen. Be grateful for the work, and keep in mind there are much worse ways to earn money to pay the electric bill.

Tutor ESL students online

Did you know you can earn up to $22 an hour teaching English as a second language (ESL) online to Chinese students?

Online tutoring could be an option if you speak native-level English, have a bachelor’s degree, a good internet connection and a decent laptop with a camera, microphone, and earphones.

Answer customer service calls remotely

Even in a troubled economy, some industries are busier than ever. For example, health insurance companies probably need more people to take calls and review claims. You may be able to find part-time remote call center work in many industries, including credit cards, technology, order fulfillment, marketing and cable, and streaming providers.

You won’t get rich on $10 to $15 an hour but you’ll have a steady income, and that’s worth a lot during troubled financial times.

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