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The couple that side hustles together stays together, right?
If you and your partner share the common goal of improving your finances, a side hustle is certainly one way to do it. And when you work together, you may be able to strengthen your relationship at the same time.
Struggles with money are the leading cause of stress among couples, and sometimes the best solution is to simply make more money.
But starting a side hustle as a couple can put a new strain on your relationship. Your business is a new “baby” to find time for, to nurture, and to share responsibility of.
With that in mind, here are our suggestions for the best side hustles for couples. We picked these based on their earning potential, time required, and the “togetherness” factor.
1. Reselling Mattress and Furniture Returns
You know how every new mattress seems to come with a “100-night-better-sleep-or-your-money-back” guarantee? It turns out 7% of those bed-in-box mattresses get returned.
In those cases, the companies don’t really want the product back. So instead they partner with Sharetown, a “reverse logistics” company, to pick them up, clean them up, and sell them on secondhand marketplaces.
Where the side hustle for couples comes in is signing on as local Sharetown reps. For Staci Aburto and her husband, the side gig adds $2,000-4,000 a month to their bottom line.
She described earning $150-$250 per item, and they don’t have to pay for the inventory until it sells.
2. Furniture Flipping
Furniture flipping is another great side hustle for couples. The typical process might include:
– Sourcing a piece of furniture worth flipping on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist, or in local buy/sell groups
– Picking it up
– Refinishing it
– Photographing it and listing it to be sold — at a profit
Ryan Cron reported that he and his wife routinely earned $150-250 per flip and enjoyed the sweat equity of working with their hands.
His advice? Start with simple items like dressers to practice your skills.
With an eye for what’s popular and some workshop space, this can be a great money-making hobby.
3. Start a YouTube Channel
Starting or growing a YouTube channel can be a good option for couples who love capturing moments together and teaching others.
There’s a lot of work that goes into producing great video content, but many couples find it to be a fun, creative outlet.
For example, Amon and Christina are the husband and wife pair behind Our Rich Journey, a popular YouTube channel. The couple retired early from their careers and moved their family to Portugal.
Their YouTube channel, which focuses on personal finance content, earns an estimated $500 per video.
To monetize your channel with YouTube ads, you’ll need to hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time, but if you’re creating evergreen content, the income can become quite passive.
And ads aren’t the only way to make money. Other video creators monetize with affiliate partnerships, brand sponsorships, and their own products and services.
4. Create a Podcast
Another content-based platform that can be an excellent side hustle for couples is to start a podcast. For example, I connected with Garret Kruger and Sabrina Ricci, who co-host the I Know Dino podcast.
It’s a podcast that shares the latest dinosaur news!
The couple just loves talking about dinosaurs — they even had a dinosaur-themed wedding. The podcast makes money from sponsorships, product sales, and a listener-supported membership through Patreon.
You don’t need to be the world’s leading expert on your topic, either. (Neither Garret nor Sabrina are paleontologists.)
Creating a podcast is less work than YouTube, and can still be a powerful way to build an audience and strengthen your relationship.
5. Credit Card Rewards
Taking strategic advantage of credit card sign-up bonuses has made my wife and I thousands of dollars over the years. You just have to be responsible and pay the balance off each month.
Credit cards like the Capital One Quicksilver Cash Rewards Credit Card offer a $200 sign-up bonus after you spend $500 in your first 3 months — with no annual fee. That’s up to 40% cash back!
If you know you’re gonna spend $500 in the next 3 months, that’s #freemoney. This card also gives you one of the highest cash back rates, with unlimited 1.5% back on every dollar you spend.
6. Real Estate Investing
One of the most popular ways for couples to build wealth is through real estate. There are many different types of real estate side hustles, but most couples start with a single rental property. As landlords, couples profit from the spread between monthly rent and carrying costs, which include mortgage payments, property taxes, insurance, and maintenance expenses. The “1% Rule” is a good guideline to follow when looking for houses, aiming to get 1% of the purchase price in monthly rent.
In more expensive real estate markets, platforms like Arrived can be worth considering. Arrived makes it easy to shop for income-producing properties around the country, allowing investors to buy shares in houses for as little as $100. This provides the benefits of tangible real estate without the hassle of managing it directly.
Another option for couples is renovating houses, which can be profitable but requires hard work and expertise in construction, crafting, or design. Alternatively, couples can consider starting a helpful website, building an e-commerce business, or selling print-on-demand products as creative ways to earn extra income.
Teaching online courses or offering online group classes can also be lucrative side hustles for couples with subject matter expertise. Flipping products, becoming virtual assistants, or exploring other side hustle opportunities can also be viable options for couples looking to make extra money together. Some potential side hustles for couples to consider include:
1. Working as Virtual Assistants: Tasks may include scheduling business trips, responding to customer service requests, running reports, and managing someone’s calendar and inbox. Rates typically range from $20-40 an hour.
2. Starting a Cleaning Business: The residential cleaning industry is growing by 20% a year, and you may not even need to do the cleaning yourself. Some couples contract with local professional cleaners and earn a percentage of every job.
3. Running a Backyard Nursery: Selling plants grown in your backyard can be a fulfilling way to earn extra income. Some individuals make around $10k worth of plant sales every year.
4. Self-Publishing: Turning ideas and expertise into a product on Amazon can be a lucrative venture with minimal upfront costs. Selling digital downloads like printables on Etsy is another option.
5. Pet Sitting Services: Starting a dog walking or pet boarding service can be profitable, especially when using platforms like Rover. Working as a couple allows you to handle more pets than a solo operator.
6. Voice Over Acting: Voice acting can be a low-risk, low-cost business that couples can do together. Platforms like Fiverr and Voices.com can help you find voice over work.
7. Photography and Videography: Photographing weddings and events can be a lucrative side hustle for couples with photography skills. Rates can vary but can be substantial for high-quality work.
8. Storing Other People’s Stuff: Renting out extra space in your home or property through platforms like Neighbor can earn you passive income.
Ultimately, the best side hustle for couples will depend on your interests, skills, and goals. Consider what you enjoy doing together and explore opportunities that align with your strengths. For certain pairs, engaging in a side hustle like house flipping could be a smart move. However, for others, it may seem like a daunting prospect.
I trust that this list has sparked your creativity and exposed you to some potential new side hustles. In my personal experience with my spouse, the most significant shift in our mindset occurred when we realized that achieving financial independence is a joint effort. Working together towards this common objective made navigating the small decisions along the way much simpler.
Best of luck with your side hustles! Please rewrite the sentence for me.
