What do I mean by putting some cash in your pocket by the end of the day? I want to clarify precisely the types of things you can do to get a very quick turnaround for some cash. This is the type of thing where you begin in the morning, and your pockets are empty; when you’re done at night, you have a little cash in your pocket.
I always preach being more organized and having a nest egg, so you never get into a position where you need to make this type of cash, but if you can pull some of these things off, it will prove you have the chops to be a real hustler. I always preach being more organized and having a nest egg, so you never get into a position where you need to make this type of cash, but if you can pull some of these things off, it will prove you have the chops to be a real hustler.
This is the ultimate side hustler going to work. It’s the most basic form of entrepreneurship I can imagine. For anyone wanting to hone their chops in the buying and selling arena, this is the way to do it. I encourage everyone to do at least one of these things now and then to keep themselves sharp in the salesmanship trenches.
Side Hustle Ideas #1 | Find something of decent value at a rummage sale and turn it around for a profit on Craigslist or Letgo.
I know some people who get crazy when they see a rummage sale sign. I can take them or leave them. Regardless of the fact whether you like them or not, they can be a great way to score some good arbitrage opportunities. Some rummage sellers are getting pretty savvy and checking pricing and sales opportunities in other places before the sale. But, some are not, and great opportunities can still be had if you target the right sales and products. It boils down to knowing your market and targeting the right type of sales to find the best deals.
Estate Sales
My father is a rummage aficionado. He used to be an antique collector along with my mom. He gave me a tip or two when targeting the right type of sales. First, he likes estate sales. But, not just any estate sale. You want to find ones where a family is running it themselves.
What happens a lot of time is a family hires a company to work the sale for them. The company goes in and prices the items and holds the sale. Often, the company holding the sale has a store or antique shop, and they purchase the best items before the sale even starts. My mom worked for one of these companies for a while to learn their system.
Your best bet to find deals is to locate one a family runs on their own and be there on the first day when they open.
Concentrate on a Niche
He also tells me he concentrates on specific niches where he knows the market and can spot a deal right away. You can go through and look things up on eBay or other sales sites like Letgo as you go along, but that is time-consuming. He prefers to go quickly through sales and move to the next one. If you live in a fairly metropolitan area, the suburbs will likely be packed all summer with rummage sale opportunities, and you need to move quickly to get the best deals.
Side Hustle Ideas #2 | Find someone on Craigslist who needs something done for cash.
Opportunities on Craigslist are plentiful. In my area, there always seems to be someone looking for someone to do cash day jobs. You may be doing light labor work like cleaning out a garage or basement. Or, you could be doing some yard work. If you are computer savvy, I see a post on Craigslist all the time from people looking for someone to help them with their computers. Much of this work can be pretty basic; helping with getting set up with social media accounts, changing some settings, or what I get a lot of is, “Something just changed and I can’t figure out how it happened.”
Many times, a quick search in the morning on Craigslist will set you up for the day; especially during the summer.
Side Hustle Ideas #3 | Sell something you don’t use anymore on Craigslist for cash.
I love doing quick-sale side hustles if you have the time. This works well if your wife gives you a summer project like, oh say, cleaning out the garage. I like to sell the stuff I know I can get real money for first on Craigslist. Then, the leftover stuff I will add to my wife’s summertime rummage sale. It seems to be because if someone is searching for something in particular on Craigslist or Letgo, they will pay a little more money for it. This goes directly hand in hand with the first section. If you are looking for the killer deals, my rummage sale might not be too fruitful because I’ve already sold off the premium items in another system.
Take some time writing your Craigslist ads. Not only give as much information as you can about the item, but I like to add a little something about how well something works or that I have never had any problems with it. Think about the questions people will ask you when they call and answer them right in the ad.
The most important thing is to be totally honest and fully disclose any problems. It will be extremely frustrating for them to drive a long way and discover problems when they get there. This will make negotiating with them difficult. I always try to disclose everything to give me the best chance to get the most money. Be prepared to negotiate with people.
Side Hustle Ideas #4 | Wash cars at a car lot.
I know this one for a fact because I married into a family of car dealers. On beautiful summer days, they want their inventory to look great. Many times, the smaller used car dealers don’t have the extra staff to throw at washing the entire car lot quickly enough.
My suggestion is to show up early in the morning right when they open and ask to talk to the manager. If you like doing this type of work for a little extra cash in the summer, try setting something up with a couple of car dealers where they either call you, or you may wash their fleet every week at predetermined intervals.
If you rotated around to different lots, you could potentially keep busy for a while. At the very least it could put a couple of bucks in your pocket while you have a little downtime or need some quick money. This would be great for a student who has a flexible schedule during the summer.
Side Hustle Ideas # 5 | Collect and sell scrap metal.
Recycling scrap metal is another one of my father’s little sidelines he enjoys doing. He has quite the system at this also. He has some room to store the stuff until he needs to take it in, so it works well for him. For this to work the best, you may need to save the scrap until it brings the best price. He watches this like a hawk.
At any given time, I can call him, and he can tell me the different prices at which scrap metals are sold. The more exotic and rare the metal the more profitable it will be. Metals like copper and brass will always bring the best price. If you need to get some cash on the same day, I would scout around for copper and brass to turn in. Steel and aluminum offer the least return, and he won’t collect that unless the price gets high.
Another tip here is to know the different grades. Recycling centers will offer different prices depending on how clean the metal is. The cleaner and purer the scrap, the higher the rate will be. Old automotive batteries are another thing he looks for. But, I need to caution you. Batteries can be extremely dangerous and need to be handled with extreme care.
Do some extensive research before getting involved in recycling batteries. They are way too dangerous for the average quick cash inexperienced turnaround. Even though I spend most of my time now working on my business, there are times when some of the above techniques can be fun.
After spending the day in front of a monitor, it can be kind of fun to get out and use one of the techniques above to get a little extra cash. It’s the fun of doing it as well as the taste of victory as you fold that cash and slide it into your pocket. It’s all part of the master plan to not have to go to a regular job anymore.
Till next time, be safe,
Kevin