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It’s no secret that my husband and I are working our butts off to pay off these student loans early. Student loans are crippling; sometimes I feel like I am being crushed from the weight of all of them. I’d had enough, and decided to push it into overdrive by paying off our student loans early. This brings me to this list of side hustles I’ve used to generate extra income to throw at our student loans. If you’re looking for some ideas to pay off your debt early, or maybe just need some extra cash, then read on!
- VIPKid – by my favorite side hustle. VIPKid is a company that connects elementary aged students in China to teachers in America and Canada to learn English. Essentially, you go through the presentation (that VIPKid uploads) with the student, correct their pronunciation, and encourage them with high energy. Then you write your feedback for the lesson. I’ve been teaching with VIPKid since May of 2019, making between $700 – $1100 extra dollars a month, depending on how much I choose to work. You can read more about VIPKid in this post here, and you can read about their hiring process here. It’s a lot of fun, and if playing with kids comes naturally to you, you will be great at this job! Check out VIPKid at this link.
- Essay Grader – I recently picked up another side hustle that also ranks highly on my favorites list! I am working as an essay grader to a company that sort of works like an online community college. The classes are online, so there is no instructor. For this job, the requirements are a master’s degree and experience teaching college. It pays $7.50 per essay, and sometimes offers bonuses up to $9.50 – which is awesome! I love the flexibility this side hustle provides me – I log on after the baby goes to bed or before she wakes up, and make some extra money! You could search online for ‘Grader’ positions if this is something that interests you.
- Summer Camps – My husband and I both have taken advantage of our summer time availability to teach a summer camp or two. I’ve done all sorts of camps – Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Day Camps, etc, and they have all been a blast. Basically, you pick what you’re interested in, design a curriculum around it, and hang out with kids for the week…it’s awesome! They are usually a week commitment and pay anywhere from $500 – $800 a week for 3 hours of work a day. This is ideal if you are a teacher, but could work if you have the ability to take PTO or vacation time. It’s a great way to make extra money on top of your existing paycheck or full time job 🙂
- Survey Junkie – I know it’s absurd, but I love taking surveys. Absolutely love them. Anytime I get an email asking to take a customer satisfaction survey, I’m in. When the gym emailed asking about the new classes, and what I’d like to see in the future? I took it. I take surveys for free. I take surveys for fun. And now, I take surveys and get paid. This is not a primary side hustle for me; it’s more of a way to make a couple extra dollars of spending money. I usually do this while I’m relaxing in front of the TV (currently re-watching House, any other Hugh Laurie fans?), watching Netflix, and drinking a cup of yummy tea. Delightful.The surveys relax me and let me unwind from the day. I also like to take them while I’m waiting in the doctor’s office – I did this a lot while I was pregnant. Rather than scrolling through Instagram, why not make a dollar or two while you wait to be seen? It’s a perfect way to make a couple extra dollars of spending money on a given day. Click the link below to check it out!
- Etsy Shop – an Etsy shop is a great way to generate some income if you have a product to sell! In the past, I’ve sold planner stickers and planner kits to decorate and pretty-fy your planner. (Check this blog post here to see what I mean). Right now, I’m selling a few printables focusing on helping others with their debt free journey. One of my goals is to grow this shop and offer more printables to help people! Take a look at my little Etsy Shop Here.
- Teachers Pay Teachers – this is another place I’m hoping to grow and offer more resources to help teachers. I love shopping at TpT because I know the money I spend is going directly to another teacher. Being a teacher is not easy! The ratio between the amount of time you put into your job versus your actual salary is ridiculously warped, so I love that I am supporting another teacher financially. I’ve been working really diligently this school year to create beautiful worksheets that I can sell on TpT. Here’s my little TpT Store!
Whelp there you have it! These are the 6 side hustles we use to make extra income to pay off our student loans. What are your favorite side hustles?
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