Last year, when I was unemployed for a bit, I had to think of ways to make some quick, easy money. I tried surveys that paid, but they did not pay well enough to cover even the smallest bill. Through the suggestion of friends and family, I found a couple side-hustle jobs that require little to no effort but still bring in some money.

My biggest money maker is as a dog sitter on Rover. This is not enough money to live on but is a nice chunk of change for groceries, the electric bill and a night out on the town. All I have to do for this gig is play, cuddle and feed a couple of dogs. For the most part, the dogs I watch are energetic in the morning, sleep all afternoon, and then we make a trip to the dog park for some exercise before dinner. I am lucky enough to have a calm, easygoing dog at home, so he does not mind the company. It is a win-win with earning money, getting some extra exercise and knowing I’m helping owners enjoy their vacation.

Another way I make some passive income is through RedBubble. This website allows users to upload digital artwork to be printed on various items. I opted to open a shop for bachelorette party designs. Having many friends get engaged this past year, I know a lot of them are looking for cute, matching designs for shirts, mugs, stickers, masks and other items for their bachelorette weekend party. This took me about a day to set up with some designs created on Canva. I have made a couple of sales but, once again, not that much thus far.

Lastly, I brought in some extra dough by selling homemade pasta. Who doesn’t love fresh egg noodles made from scratch? Around the holidays, this brought in a couple hundred dollars. I placed ads on various Facebook pages and made each order per request. As summer is almost here, people are focusing on their summer bods, so pasta sales have been down. Making your own pasta is so simple, easy and cheap, but it tastes amazing!

— Audrey Lee, assistant editor