12 Summer Side Hustles That Guarantee You Extra Cash

Ahhh summer, the time for doing lots of travel, chilling by the pool and for picking up a couple of side hustles.

Now you might be wondering why you would want to pick up a side hustle in the summer? A recent survey found that nearly half of all-American workers take part in the gig economy, earning an average of $1122 per month from their side hustle.

With that extra income coming in, you’ll be able to live the good life of summer vacations and pool days, or maybe pay off some debt or save up some money!

Curious to know more? Keep reading to find out 12 summer side hustles that will guarantee you extra cash.

1. Become A Lifeguard

Spending your time at the pool or beach and helping people while you’re at it – this is a dream side hustle!

A couple of things to know before you sign up:

• you need to be a strong swimmer, and
• you’ll need to learn CPR and do training on how to respond to emergency situations.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to earn around $12 an hour, which is the average hourly rate for a lifeguard in the USA.

2. Staff Music Festivals – One Of The Most Fun Side Hustles You Could Do!

Here’s your chance to check out some epic summer music festivals and earn money while you’re at it.

Festivals require a whole lot of staff to help them run smoothly. This can include staff to help with scanning tickets, serving food and beverages, setting up and packing up and making sure the crowds don’t get too unruly! How much you make will depend on the specific role you do.

Remember that, while you can enjoy the music festival, you are there as staff so you need to be professional at all times.

3. Be A Gardener

Are you a fan of helping plants and vegetables grow? Then this is the summer side hustle for you!

Helping people to tidy and organise their gardens is a high demand job, particularly during the summer months.

Depending on how you organize garden, and how big it is, you could make up to $18 per square foot. Not bad for a side hustle.

4. Tutor (For When You Want Side Hustles That Really Make A Difference)

Just because school’s out for the summer, doesn’t mean learning has to stop.

Summer is the perfect time to help students who may be behind in a subject, or those who need to get up to speed on a topic before the summer break is over.

So, pick your area of expertise and sign up to be a tutor. You’ll definitely be making some extra cash with this gig, with the average hourly rate for a private tutor sitting at around $17.

5. Sell, Sell, Sell!

Channel your inner spring cleaner and clear things out during the summer!

It’s a great way to earn extra cash, and you’ve got a few different ways to actually sell your things.

You could have a classic garage sale – which is perfect if you’re wanting to be outside and meet new people.

Or, you could go down the online route and sell your things via eBay or Facebook Marketplace.

How much you make will depend on what types of items you’re selling, and how many things you actually sell. 

6. Mystery Shop

You’ll need to get new things after you’ve done a big clear out, right?!

Mystery shoppers earn anywhere between $5 – $25 per shop. Plus if you make a purchase during your shop, you’ll get reimbursed for the item (either the whole amount or a portion).

Bear in mind that you will have to write up a report after your shop, which is generally a 30 minute time commitment (on top of your time spent in the shop).

This is one of those side hustles that’s great if there are lots of shops near where you live, as the more shops you visit, the more your earnings increase!

7. Use Your Car (Or Let Others Use It)

We’re talking about ride sharing! More people are out and about during all hours of the day in the summer. Throw some tourists into the mix and you’ve got a lot of people wanting a ride to get around. So, it’s time to pick up the side hustle of all side hustles.

By becoming a driver for Uber or Lyft you could earn between $13 – $18 and hour. Plus the hours you work are completely driven by you (see what we did there!), so you can work around your summer schedule.

If you don’t want to drive people around, you could rent your car out on Turo. How much you make will depend on the model and age of your car and the distance people are driving it for. But, your car will be insured for up to $1 million, so that’s a win.

8. Be A Sitter

Whether it’s for homes, pets or kids!

More people tend to go away in the summer, which means they need someone to look after their house and pets (and sometimes their kids).

Likewise, with school being out for the summer, some parents need babysitters through the week if they’re working. 

Depending on the sitting role you take on, you could be earning $25 – $45 per day for house sitting, $25 – $90 per day for pet sitting (overnight sitting usually pays at the higher end of this scale), and around $10 – $20 per hour for babysitting.

9. Airbnb Your Place – Side Hustles Have Never Been Easier!

If you own your own house or apartment and are planning on traveling a bit over the summer, why not become and Air BnB host and rent your place out to other travelers?

The average Airbnb host earns around $924 a month, so you’ll literally be making money while you are sleeping (or traveling). All you’ll need to is set up your Air BnB host profile, hire a cleaning company to keep your place clean between guests, and arrange for a rental-company or close friend/family member to oversee your property. Easy! 

Pro-tip: if you’re renting your house or bedroom and are planning on traveling for shorter periods of time, you could talk to your landlord about subletting your house/room. It’ll mean you don’t have to worry about paying rent while you’re away, and you’ll have a place to come back to!

10. Event Planner

Summer is the time for endless parties, weddings, graduations and any other type of fun event!

So if you’ve got a knack for planning and organising events then this could be one of your summer side hustles.

Event planners make around $20 per hour on average, though you will be able to scale your hourly rate depending on things like the size and scale of the event.

11.  Organize People’s Lives

’Tis the season of Marie Kondo!

Personal organizers are all the rage right now, so if you’re good at cleaning, organizing and tidying up then this is your opportunity to make some extra cash.

Depending on your experience, you can earn between $30 – $80 an hour. Not bad if you get a kick out of pulling apart people’s closets and putting them back together in order of color!

12. Freelance (It’s One Of The OG Side Hustles)

Freelancing is one of those side hustles that’s easier now that it’s ever been thanks to the internet.

The possibilities are also endless here. If you can read, write, program, make videos, or are open to learning a variety of skills, you can make money freelancing online as your side hustle.

How much you earn will depend on what profession you freelance in, but there is a lot of earning potential. Keen to know more? Check out websites like Upwork and Fiverr to help you find a freelancing job. 

Which of these summer side hustles appeals most to you? Let us know in the comments below!

If you’re planning on using your hard earned side-hustle money on travel, don’t forget to follow these travel money saving tips. Alternatively, if you’re keen to make money while you are traveling try out one of these jobs you can work while traveling!