Lived off side hustles for years. Here's what actually worked for me.
I come across some side hustles and it requires coding or specific skills, which I know people don't have a background for. Just think I would share some side hustles that help me in downtime. It doesn't require special skills, just no BS-hustle that actually helps me live off for years in different places.
To be clear, at different points I also had a full-time job. The combo of a steady income plus even one of these gigs is what lets my family of 4 live comfortably. The hustles alone were enough during gaps, but employment is necessary.
1. Liquidation furniture (Craigslist/eBay) Walk into furniture warehouses and ask directly for return items; most managers will sell them cheap. Loaded up my pickup, stored them, and flipped locally as is. 3-5x margins when you pick right.
2. WFH office affiliate referred remote workers to a WFH tiny house. It worked out really well for me after COVID.
3. Restored vintage bikes Bought neglected steel road bikes for $40-150, cleaned and tuned them up, and sold them for $300-600. Highest enjoyment-to-income of anything I've done.
4. Flipped vintage watches: mostly from thrift stores, or "untested" lots. Compact, easy to ship, great margins. Seikos from the 70s-80s are my favorite.
5. Subleased rooms near campus Rented a 4BR near a university, furnished the extra rooms, and subleased month-to-month to students. Covered my rent in a good neighborhood throughout the year. Careful with the lease, which is non-negotiable.
None of these alone paid the bills. The combination did. Happy to go deep on any of them.
Edit: Since people dm me for the affiliate link of the house. Here you go: https://www.autonomous.ai/workpod-dealer-program