19 unique winter side hustle ideas you have to try!

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It’s 20 degrees outside and I’m freezing my butt off. What are some winter side hustle ideas I can explore? You may be like me. I’m not a winter fan. I try to figure out ways to keep occupied during winter. Here are some side hustle ideas to think about.

What is a winter side hustle?

A side hustle normally means an activity that you do outside of your day job. A big difference is that winter side hustles focus solely on side activities that are available in the winter. When the weather warms up in the spring and the days get longer, winter side hustles fade away in the opposition direction.

winter side hustle ideas
Winter side hustles are out there

19 great winter side hustle ideas to earn extra money

1. Sell items on Ebay or Craigslist

A lot more people watch their computer screens in the winter than in the summer. Try to monetize those eyeballs by selling things on these platforms. The cool thing about eBay is that you can sell almost anything on that platform. I personally sold a ton of items there. I’ve seen business pick up in the winter every year I sold on eBay.

how to sell on ebay for beginners
How to sell on eBay for beginners via wikihow

If you would like to understand how to get started on eBay. You can head over to wikiHow for help.

2. Testing websites

Chances are you not going to be outside. You should do something profitable with all the free time you have. Testing websites will keep your mind off how cold it is outside. You’re also providing a great service. Not everyone is great at testing their work. If this is your thing and you like it, this is a very valuable skill to have.

Testing website by Christina @ Wocintechchat
Testing website by Christina @ Wocintechchat

3. Writing an e-book

Trying to write an e-book in the summer with all the sun and beaches is probably a non-starter on your part. As it gets cold, having a topic to focus on will help you get through those winter months. Writing is a process that times time. I truly believe everyone has a little one book in them. You should write it. You never know how popular it will be until you do it.

writing an ebook by RF studio
Writing an ebook by RF studio

4. Run background apps on your phone

Do you have any old smartphones lying around? I have tons. Are you getting in use out of those phones other than being a backup incase you drop your phone? Yeah, me either.

There are some many ways to earn money on the internet. Did you know that you can install an app on your phone, share your internet bandwidth, and get paid for this? Yes, I was pretty shocked that this is real. Check out this how to guide if you would like to give Peer2Profit a try.

5. Selling your books

Most of us spend a lot more time indoors during winter. I tend to read more books in winter because of this. You can easily go to your local thrift shop and find books. Sell what you find on eBay or Amazon. I’ve done this in the past and it doesn’t take a look a knowledge and effort to do.

6. Selling your NFTs

Yes, some people think selling NFTs will burn the planet. However, many people aren’t educated that all NFTs aren’t created equal. There are NFTs on networks that use proof of stake versus proof of work. Yes, proof of work can be harmful to the ecosystem if not managed properly. If you would like to learn more about NFTs, check out our blockchain posts.

It’s very easy to create an NFT. You don’t have to be a great artist to make one. After you make an NFT, you have a lot of NFT Marketplaces to choose from. You can sell NFTs on eBay, Opensea, and even Coinbase.

7. House sit

This can be a gold mine. Many people flock to warm locations during the winter. It’s very common for people to spend a month in a warm location in winter. When a person goes for an extended winter recess, they need someone to water the plants and make sure the pipes don’t explode during a frost that rolled into the area. You can be their house sitter and deal with any problems that come up.

Can you really make money sitting houses? The short answer is yes. If you leave for vacation for a long period of time, you really want peace of mind. I’ve discussed getting paid to house sitting in detail. Can you give it a read and let me know if you have any questions. If you like this one, I encourage you to give it a try.

a person sitting on a house
House sitter by Chris Lawton

8. Remove snow

I cleared my parent’s sidewalk and driveway as a kid. I thought, wait, I think people will pay me to do this. Guess what, they did. I live in a big city. Whenever it snows, people don’t know how to deal with it. We have laws where I live to make sure the sidewalks are clear so people can walk on them even when it’s snowing outside. Many people elect to use a service to remove the snow. It’s very easy to undercut the high price options in your area. Yes, this is event-dependent, but it’s lucrative.

9. Become a personal shopper

It’s cold and people want an easy button. Going out to shop for people can be an option. I think about people that are older. Providing personal shopping services for them can be very valuable for them. Cold and rainy weather can cause a lot of older people problems. No need to go down that path, shop for them.

winter-by-Dominik-Dombrowski

Winter by Dominik Dombrowski

10. Tutoring

The school year starts in fall. By the time we get to winter, the school year is in full swing. There are tens of thousands of students studying many subjects in winter. So there’s a pretty significant market for tutoring services. Why? Because people learn differently. Some people need additional help and tutoring is a great option.

11. Drive other people around

Uber and Lyft for the win. The cool thing about these platforms is that they’re everywhere. More people are ditching cars and opt-in for using ride share. While driving for Uber and Lyft, you can prospect for customers. You potential customers are literally sitting in your car.

a person holding an android phone running lyft
Driving for Lyft by Thought Catalog

I haven’t personally driven for Lyft, but I have friends who do. All of them had pretty good experiences. One of my friends shared how she gig stacks. She drove people’s food around instead of driving around people. While waiting for food to be prepared she occupied her time by doing another gig. It’s very interesting and easy to do. I would definitely check it out if you would like to learn more.

12. Sell last season’s clothes

Unless you go to New York Fashion Week, telling the difference between this and last season’s clothes is not a skill you’ve mastered. Most people will never master this. You can use this to your advantage. Old clothes are cheaper. You can definitely work an abtritage plan for this one.

13. Start a blog

This is another activity to get your mind off the cold weather if you’re not a winter person. Blogging can be therapeutic and lucrative. It’s not that hard to get started. I really like how blogging can take you to any place you want to go. You could be in your house in the middle of a blizzard, but you’re writing about how much you love the mai tais in San Pedro.

14. Arborist

Trees need attention. During the winter is when you want to do some activities with trees. Have you heard of winter dryer or winter burn? Trees can die from this. This can make them a fall hazard. A fallen tree can land anywhere. It would be bad if the tree lands on a car or house. If you become an arborist, you can help people who experience problems.

a beautiful tree on a beach
Beautiful tree by Todd Quackenbush

15. Wilderness instructor

Teaching wildness survival in the winter to me is great proof that you mean business. You out in the cold teaching. How badass is that? I think your students will listen more attentively due to it being cold. You put people in a forest. It’s cold and light snowing. No one wants to be cold. You have tips for being there and not being cold. You are providing a wonderful service to your students.

As an instructor, this is one truth everyone needs to accept. If you want to learn how to survive in a cold climate, you need to be prepared for the cold. You’ll need some kind of shelter to protect you from the elements. You also need to have the proper equipment for the outdoors. It’s a lot of work to prepare yourself for winter, so you might as well make the most of it and learn as much as you can. Because of this, you can develop an income stream where you refer the correct gear your students need. The possibilities are endless on what type of referral deals you can cook up.

16. Make holiday cards

Many people still send Christmas cards every year. This is a tradition that people faithful follow. You can plug into this tradition but provide customized cards to your customers. If you’re artistic, you may want to give this serious thought.

a homemade happy holidays card
holiday card by Dana G. Crafts

One way to make your cards stand out is to use calligraphy for the words on the card. This is a unique way to make a card stand out. If you would like to learn more about how to make cards using calligraphy, you definitely need to check out this post. It’s the little things that make you stand out from the crowd.

17. Proofreading

It’s very hard to proof your own work. At least that is the case for me. You wrote the work and it’s easy to miss errors. Use this fact to your advantage. Find errors in other people’s work. This is a very valuable service to offer. Platforms like Fiverr have a lot of gigs that focus on providing this service. If you want to learn more about Fiverr check out my Fiverr Forum series.

18. Leaf removal

This is similar to being an arborist. When you see leaves on a lawn or sidewalk think about a few things. Leaves are slippery. They’re an accident waiting to happen. Leaves in front of a house look unsightly. If I don’t remove them, my neighbors may look at me funny. This is especially true if I’m the only house on the block that doesn’t remove leaves on my lawn. There’s nothing like social pressure to drive behavior regardless of whether you want to do it or not.

Social pressure aside, leaves are very valuable. When you see leaves, think compost. For compost, you need green and brown material. People are generating green material every day. You eat a banana, that’s green. You eat an apple that’s green. Most of the things you eat are greens. Here’s some information on composting if you need a refresher on how it works.

a person blowing leaves with a leaf blower
Blowing leaves with a blower via Stewart Landscape

Leaves are the browns you need for composting. You need a lot more browns than greens to compost quickly. This is important. People want to compost their scraps, but they don’t want to wait forever for it to happen. Here’s how you can make money.

Go to a house with a lot of leaves, ring the door, and ask to remove their leaves. Yes, offer this service for free. I’m sure you will find your first person to say yes quickly. If they ask why. Tell them you make compost. They may become a compost customer for you when summer hits our calendar. After they say yes, put the leaves in a bag and store them. When the summer comes start composting. This is super easy to do, but no one is doing it.

19. Become a Treasure Hunter

Think about how many people camp in the summer. People are having such a great time, they leave valuable items by mistake all the time. They are a lot of public campsites that go dormant in the winter. These are great targets to hunt for treasure. You can find anything from jewelry to fishing gear. People are having so much fun during the summer, that they lose things all the time.

The Garrett ACE 200 Metal Detector
Garrett ACE 200 Metal Detector image via Cabelas

The best thing you can do to be a successful treasure hunter is to use the right tools. One tool that sets you up for success is a metal detector. I recommend the ACE 200 Metal Detector as a good starter metal detector. If you would like to review an in-depth review of current metal detectors, I’ve written this review.

Thanks for making it this far!

I love talking about side hustles. Please read more of my posts on side hustles. I really appreciate it if you do. Also, don’t be a stranger. Drop a comment if you tried any of these hustles. I’m always interested in hearing what worked and what didn’t for people.