7 side hustles you can start this weekend with less than $100
I bought a $14 stack of coffee sleeves at a café in Prague and spent an afternoon designing a simple logo. That weekend I listed them on Etsy. By Wednesday I’d sold eight units to a roastery in Oregon and made $37 after fees. The lesson wasn’t that coffee sleeves are a goldmine. It was that most people overestimate what a Best side hustle apps make money needs to cost and underestimate what a single weekend of focused work can produce.
You don’t need a LLC. You don’t need a website with animations. You don’t need to read a 300-page business book. You need a skill or an asset people will pay for, a platform that connects you to buyers, and about sixty hours of concentrated effort to find out if the idea has legs. The list below includes things I’ve done personally and things I’ve watched friends build from nothing. Every entry costs less than $100 to start. Some cost nothing.
Some links below are affiliate links. If you sign up through one, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend Best digital product platforms side hustlers I’ve used or watched succeed in real life.
#1 - Notion template shop
Cost to start: $0 (Notion is free; Gumroad takes a small fee on sales).Time to first dollar: 48 hours to two weeks.
The market for Notion templates is weirdly large. People will pay $15 for a neatly organized personal budget tracker or a content calendar they could have built themselves in two hours. They pay because they don’t want to spend two hours. I sold a freelance project tracker template for $12 and moved 200 units in six months. The template took me three hours to build.
Start by solving a problem you already solved for yourself. If you track your gym routine in Notion, package that. If you manage your job search in a database, clean it up and sell it. List on Gumroad, which handles payments and delivery automatically. You keep about 90% after fees. No inventory. No shipping. Build once, sell repeatedly.
Why it works
Digital products have zero marginal cost. Your hundredth sale is as cheap as your first. Gumroad deposits directly to your bank account weekly. You don’t need to handle customer service beyond occasional refund requests, which are rare for templates under $20.
Where it gets hard
The market is crowded. You need a clean thumbnail, a clear title, and a short demo video or GIF showing the template in action. If your listing looks like a spreadsheet screenshot, nobody buys. Spend an hour on the preview image. It matters more than the template itself.
If you want a platform with built-in traffic instead of relying on Twitter posts, Etsy allows digital downloads and has search volume for planner templates. Their fees are higher (listing + transaction), but the organic traffic compensates for it.
#2 - Micro-task freelancing on Taskrabbit or Fiverr
Cost to start: $0.Time to first dollar: same day to one week.
This is the fastest path to actual cash, but it trades time for money rather than building an asset. On Taskrabbit, you list services like furniture assembly, grocery delivery, or virtual admin help. In dense cities, tasks get claimed within hours. I helped a friend move her Taskrabbit profile to the top of search by adding same-day availability and a professional headshot. She booked three tasks in her first weekend.
On Fiverr, the model is reversed. You list a service and wait for buyers. The fastest-selling gigs for beginners are data entry, PDF conversion, resume formatting, and short video editing. These aren’t glamorous, but buyers need them constantly. A friend of mine charged $25 to convert 50 PDF pages into editable Word docs. He did it with free online tools and spent about twenty minutes per order. That scaled to $400 in his first month.
Why it works
You get paid for effort, not credentials. No one checks your degree to assemble an IKEA bookshelf. The reviews build your profile, which lets you raise prices later.
Where it gets hard
You’re selling hours. If you stop working, the income stops. The rates are also low at the start. Your first few Fiverr gigs might net you $5 to $15 after the platform’s 20% cut. The goal is to use the early tasks as proof of work, then pivot to higher-ticket services once you have ten reviews.
If you want higher starting rates and don’t mind writing proposals, Upwork has better-paying admin and data entry jobs, though the competition is tougher.
#3 - Print-on-demand T-shirts and stickers
Cost to start: $0 (Printful or Printify integrates with free store tiers).Time to first dollar: two days to three weeks.
Printful and Printify let you upload designs and sell them on T-shirts, mugs, stickers, and phone cases without touching inventory. When someone buys, the platform prints and ships. You keep the markup. A $24 T-shirt might cost you $8 to produce, leaving $16 before platform fees.
The catch is design. Most people upload generic text slogans and wonder why nothing sells. The designs that work are niche, specific, and visually clean. A shirt that says “Freelance Writer” in Helvetica won’t sell. A shirt with a typewriter illustration and the words “Deadlines > Sleep” might, if marketed to the right Facebook group or subreddit.
Why it works
No upfront inventory cost means you can test ten designs for the price of one hour of work. If a design flops, you lose nothing but time. If it hits, you scale it to hoodies, mugs, and stickers automatically.
Where it gets hard
Profit margins are thin. After Etsy or Shopify fees, shipping markups, and occasional returns, your $16 margin can shrink to $9. You also need to drive your own traffic early on. Print-on-Best print on demand platforms side hustlers doesn’t sell itself until you have reviews and social proof.
For faster built-in traffic, Redbubble is simpler than Etsy + Printful and handles its own marketplace search, though the margins are lower and you have less control over pricing.
#4 - User testing and research studies
Cost to start: $0.Time to first dollar: same day.
Websites like UserTesting, Intellizoom, and Userlytics pay you to record your screen and voice while you complete tasks on apps and websites. A typical test takes fifteen minutes and pays $10. Some longer studies pay $60 or more.
You sign up, complete a sample test, and wait for screening emails. I did three tests on a Sunday afternoon and earned $45. The work is mindless but easy. You’re not evaluating the design like an expert. You’re narrating your confusion. “I don’t know where to click.” “This button looks broken.” That’s literally the job.
Why it works
You don’t need a skill beyond speaking English and owning a computer with a microphone. Payments arrive via PayPal within a week. It’s the closest thing to instant side income without leaving your house.
Where it gets hard
The volume of tests is unpredictable. You might get five invites in a week and then none for ten days. The screening questions also filter aggressively by demographics. If you’re not the age, income bracket, or profession they’re looking for, you get disqualified in thirty seconds. Don’t count on this as reliable income. Treat it as a rainy-day fund builder.
For a similar model with longer studies and higher pay, Respondent.io connects you to corporate research interviews that pay $50 to $200 for an hour of your time, though the screening is even stricter.
#5 - Reselling thrifted or clearance items
Cost to start: $20 to $80.Time to first dollar: one day to one week.
This is the oldest side hustle in the book, and it still works because people are lazy and algorithms are weird. Buy items from thrift stores, clearance racks, estate sales, or Facebook Marketplace. List them on eBay, Poshmark, Mercari, or Depop at 2x to 4x your cost.
I watched a friend buy a vintage Yamaha receiver for $18 at a thrift store in Ohio. She listed it on eBay for $140 and sold it in four days. She knew nothing about audio equipment. She just searched the model number on eBay, saw what completed listings looked like, and bought the unit because it powered on.
Why it works
You’re arbitraging information gaps. The person selling at a garage sale doesn’t know what it’s worth on eBay. The person buying on eBay doesn’t want to drive to garage sales. You’re the bridge.
Where it gets hard
Shipping and returns eat profit. You need a cheap postal scale, padded envelopes, and packing tape. You also need to learn what sells. Clothing moves slowly unless it’s a recognizable brand. Electronics move fast but carry higher return risk. Start with hard goods under two pounds. They’re cheap to ship and easy to photograph.
For clothing specifically, Poshmark has built-in shipping labels and a community that expects used fashion, so the bar for “new” is lower than on eBay.
#6 - Pet sitting or dog walking on Rover
Cost to start: $0 (Rover takes a 20% service fee).Time to first dollar: one day to five days.
Rover connects pet owners with sitters and walkers. In most US cities, demand outstrips supply for weekend and evening slots. Set up a profile with photos of yourself with animals, set your rates slightly below average for the first five bookings to accumulate reviews, and accept every request that fits your schedule.
A former colleague made $340 in her first weekend by house-sitting two dogs while their owners traveled. She brought her laptop, worked remotely from their kitchen, and slept in a guest room. The dogs needed two walks a day and food twice. The rest of the time she did her normal job.
Why it works
Pet owners are paranoid and will pay a premium for someone who looks trustworthy and writes complete sentences. Once you have five reviews, you can raise rates by 30% and still get booked. Repeat clients are common because dogs prefer consistency.
Where it gets hard
You’re trading time for money again, and pets are unpredictable. One anxious dog can ruin your sleep schedule. You’re also responsible for someone else’s home, which means insurance questions if something breaks. Rover provides liability coverage, but read the fine print before you take on a Great Dane with separation anxiety.
For faster onboarding and slightly lower fees, Wag is an alternative, though Rover has more market share in most cities.
#7 - Short-form video editing for small businesses
Cost to start: $0 (CapCut and Canva are free).Time to first dollar: one week to two weeks.
Every local café, gym, and real estate agent now wants Reels and TikToks. Most of them have no idea how to edit. If you can cut a 30-second clip with text overlays, trending audio, and a clean hook, you can charge $25 to $75 per video.
Start by making three sample videos for imaginary businesses. A coffee shop montage. A gym transformation clip. A property walkthrough. Post them on your own TikTok or Instagram as a portfolio. Then DM ten local businesses with a simple pitch: “I make short videos for [industry]. Here’s a sample. Happy to do one for free to show you what it looks like with your content.”
The free one is the hook. If they like it, propose a batch of four videos for $100 to $200. Most small businesses won’t blink at $150 a month for four posts.
Why it works
Small businesses know they need video but don’t want to learn editing software. You solve that for less than the cost of a part-time employee. The work is creative and portable. You can do it from anywhere with Wi-Fi.
Where it gets hard
Clients are disorganized. They send footage in weird formats, miss deadlines, and rewrite briefs after you’ve already cut the video. You need clear boundaries up front: two revision rounds, 48-hour turnaround, payment before delivery. Get those in writing.
If you want structured learning before pitching clients, Skillshare has beginner editing courses that cover CapCut and Canva video in under three hours. Most offer a free trial month, so the actual cost is zero if you cancel.
How to pick the right one for you
The best side hustle is the one you’ll actually do this weekend, not the one that sounds most impressive at a party. If you have design skills, start with Notion templates or print-on-demand. If you have no skills and need cash fast, start with user testing or Taskrabbit. If you have patience and enjoy hunting for deals, try reselling.
The common thread is that every option above requires action within 72 hours. Research is procrastination dressed as preparation. Pick one, spend Saturday working on it, and see if anyone pays you by Wednesday. If they don’t, you’ve lost a weekend and learned something. If they do, you’ve built a bridge to extra income that most people never cross.
FAQ
Do I need to register a business to start a side hustle?
No, not for any of the options above. You operate as a sole proprietor by default. Once you’re earning consistently (say, $500+ a month), talk to an accountant about whether an LLC makes sense for liability and taxes in your state.
How much can I realistically earn in my first month?
User testing and Taskrabbit can net $100 to $300 in the first month with minimal hours. Notion templates and print-on-demand might earn $0 or $50, or they might hit $500 if one product gets traction. Reselling has the widest range: $0 if you buy the wrong inventory, $1,000+ if you find undervalued items consistently.
Can I do more than one side hustle at once?
Yes, but I wouldn’t. Start with one until it either earns or fails. Splitting your attention across three hustles usually means none of them get enough effort to work. Momentum matters more than diversification at this stage.
What if I don’t have any skills?
User testing requires no skill beyond speaking clearly. Taskrabbit requires no skill beyond showing up on time. Both pay real money and teach you about client expectations, which is a skill in itself.
How do taxes work for side hustle income?
In the US, any income over $600 from a single platform usually triggers a 1099. You report it on Schedule C. Save 25% to 30% of your profit for taxes, depending on your state and total income. Consider opening a separate checking account for side income so you don’t mix it with personal spending.
Conclusion
You don’t need permission to start. You don’t need a perfect plan. You need one weekend, one idea from the list above, and the willingness to look foolish for a few days while you figure it out.
If you want a platform to sell digital products, Gumroad is free to start. If you need quick cash without skills, sign up for UserTesting this afternoon and do your first test tonight. If you want something scalable, build a Printful store and upload your first design tomorrow.
Related guides: Best email marketing solopreneurs tested.
The only wrong choice is waiting until next month. Start this weekend. Figure out the rest as you go.