I didn't wake up one day and decide to launch a side hustle. It was a complete accident.
After my neighbor's dog-sitter ghosted her right before a trip, I volunteered to watch her dog for a few days. That's when I realized how easily I could fit dog-sitting into my life as a part-time gig.Â
Turning a passion or hobby into a second income stream is pretty common these days, even among other personal finance experts at CNET Money. My colleague Dashia Milden is a fitness lover who works as a spin instructor to help pay her student loan bill and cover leisure expenses. Another colleague, Katherine Watt, has several babysitting clients and watches kids up to four times a week to help cover rent.Â
In the past year, I've made about $4,000 simply by hanging out with other people's dogs. What's not to love about that?Â
Dog-sitting isn't for everyone, but it's perfect for me
Dog-sitting fits my lifestyle because I work from home and don't have any kids or pets. Plus, there's nothing I love more than spending time with a cute dog.Â
I have dog-sitting gigs on my calendar months in advance. Most of the time, I stay overnight. Other times, I just drop in to take a pup on a walk if their human has a long work day. It took me a while to nail down a price list that's competitive with what it costs to board a dog in my ZIP code. All of my clients have found me through word of mouth, so I've managed to build a client list without spending any time or money on marketing.Â
I usually make between $200 and $1,000 a month, depending on the season. For instance, over the holidays, I dog-sat for the entire month of December and made over $1,000. As the holiday season died down and fewer folks were traveling, I wasn't busy again until spring break.Â
Now that it's summer, my schedule is starting to pick up again. As I'm writing this, I'm watching two 100-pound rescue pups that I dog-sit regularly.Â
If you're interested in dog-sitting, sign up for apps like Wag or Rover, where you can provide dog-sitting services with personalized pricing. It's a solid way to connect with folks in your area who need care for their dogs. If you aren't interested in overnight stays, you can offer only dog-walking gigs.
What I do with my dog-sitting incomeÂ
I often share my experience balancing saving while paying off debt. For the first time in my adult life, I've been able to regularly contribute to my high-yield savings account solely because of my dog-sitting income.Â
I put about 50% of my side hustle cash into my high-yield savings account, and the other 50% goes into my checking account. Sometimes, I use that second portion for myself, while other times, I need it to supplement my monthly bills. The best part is knowing that I have a little extra padding in case there are any financial surprises.Â
A side hustle doesn't have to feel like workÂ
It doesn't matter what your motivation is for pursuing a side hustle. The majority of US households live paycheck to paycheck, so most of us need the extra cash.
Still, I would never suggest a side hustle without acknowledging that juggling one job alone can be challenging. For this reason, I never entertained the idea of getting a part-time gig.Â
If you're thinking about starting a side hustle, try spreading the word by posting on public forums like Nextdoor or local Facebook groups. You can use sites like Canva or Adobe Express to create custom business cards for little to no cost. Print and distribute them to your neighbors or post them on public bulletin boards.
Finding a side gig that you actually enjoy doing is the key to not feeling burnt out. I also understand that we don't always get to choose how or where we make money to survive.Â
If you're motivated to generate another stream of income and you have talents or interests that can be monetized, try to work it into your lifestyle. As long as it feels manageable, you might be able to grow it into something bigger.
