Just because we reach our golden years doesn’t mean we’re ready to just lie on the couch all day. Some of us, whether due to desire or necessity, will want to do a bit of work, something to fill in the gaps between hobbies and other activities. We just may not want that work to be full-time, or maybe not even part time for a boss. We may also be facing physical limitations that leave out options requiring physical labor or lifting. And some of us will want to avoid anything that requires more than a passing knowledge of technology. Many side hustles are perfect for this level of employment desire. They’re generally not too time consuming and many don’t require physical labor, or a deep knowledge of technology. Plus, you often get to be your own boss and set your own hours.
(Please note: I’m not implying that all seniors have trouble with technology, or that they are all physically incapable. I know many who can program younger people under the table, or put the thirty-somethings to shame in the gym. The point of this post is simply to provide ideas for those (senior or otherwise) who’d like to make a little extra money, but who might be looking for something less reliant on physical labor or technology.)
Arts & Crafts
Are you good at some sort of art or craft work? Try selling your wares. If you want to sell online, an Etsy shop requires minimal tech know-how to set up (and you can probably find someone to help you at the library or senior center). If you want to remain offline, look around your area for craft fairs, festivals, church bazaars, flea markets and the like that will give/rent you a retail space.
Writing
Writing is a wide open side hustle. You can try blogging, freelance writing (think articles for magazines or websites), books, short stories and novellas, poetry, and commercial forms of writing like grant writing or marketing copy. You’ll need a little tech know-how if you want to self publish, but many blogging and self-publishing platforms are easier to use than most word processors. Most offer tutorials, as well.
If you’re a crafty wordsmith (or know someone with whom to partner), you can combine the two skills and make things like greeting cards, illustrated books, decorative posters or signage, etc.
Printables
If you have some basic graphic design ability, you can create “printables” to sell on Etsy. There is a market for pre-made pages that people can buy and print for journals, calendars, crafts/coloring pages, homeschool activities, and checklists. This does require a bit of tech know-how, but there are many graphic design programs and websites that are basically drag and drop. You can even create some impressive printables with nothing more than a word processing program.
Photography
If you’re good with a camera, there are lots of options to make money. You can do portraits, wedding/party/prom photos, baby pictures, animal portraits, stock photography, real estate photography, catalog pictures, or artistic photos that you frame and sell. You could also partner with local businesses to photograph products and events for their websites.
Gardening/Landscape Consultant
The heavy labor end of gardening or landscaping may be beyond you, but if you can offer your expertise to others, you can still carve out a niche in the business. Let your client do the hard work, while you do the fun part of envisioning and planning a beautiful yard or productive garden.
Pet Sitting
People often need trusted others to take care of their pets while they’re out of town. You’ll feed them, let them out to do business, administer medications, and maybe play with them a little bit. If you’re physically able, you can add dog walking to your services. Otherwise, you might do well to stick with cats or older dogs that don’t need as much exercise.
Consult on whatever you did in your career
Chances are that you can continue to work at whatever you did in your career, only on a consulting or part-time basis. If you have any skills that help other businesses (accounting, marketing, programming, website design, network infrastructure, social media branding, as examples), you can probably find work with a small business that’s willing to take you on as a consultant.
Teaching/Tutoring
Anything that you can teach or tutor like music, language, math, science, etc. is a good side hustle. You can teach kids in your neighborhood, or possibly get hired at an extension program or community college. If you’re a bit more tech savvy, you can create an online course and market that.
Handyman/Fix-It Service
If you can repair anything, you can make some side money. Computers, clothing repair/alterations, light handyman services, clock repair, small engine repair, bike repair, appliance repair or shade tree mechanic services are all examples of repair services you could operate.
Baking/Cooking
As long as you’re willing to comply with local regulations for commercial home kitchens, there is money to be made in birthday cakes, premade meals, light catering, treats for bake sales, and other baking and cooking services. Just make sure you don’t skimp on those regulations. A lawsuit for food poisoning isn’t helpful.
Child Care
If you have the physical ability to keep up with little kids, in-home childcare or babysitting might be an option. Again, just check local regulations so you don’t run afoul of any laws about in-home daycares.
Retail Arbitrage
If you enjoy shopping and are handy enough to fix up items you find, you can make money buying items cheap from thrift stores, yard sales, and online, fixing them up, and then reselling them. There are people who make money at this when buying new items as well. They hold them for a while and resell at a profit once stock dries up. (This works best for collectible or limited run items, and you need to have storage space while you wait for prices to appreciate.)
Of course, if you’re up for physical labor or tech-intensive activities, the side hustle market gets even bigger. You could do programming, graphic design or web site design, landscaping, heavier arts and crafts like metalworking or cabinetry, or deliveries. However, if you want to keep things on the lighter side, the list above is a good place to start.
Do you have any other ideas to share? Please let us know your side hustles for seniors in the comments below!
Read More:
Side Hustles That Might Make You $100 In A Day
How To Start A Profitable Side Hustle
Best Places To Put Savings From A Side Hustle
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