Want to make extra cash this year? Some of these money-making hobbies and crafts may be for you.
By earning through a hobby you truly enjoy, you can supplement your income without “overworking” yourself. And luckily, today’s gig economy has made it easier to monetize regular hobbies and crafts-making skills into money-making machines.
When I started blogging a few years back, it was nothing more than a side hobby for me. Today, it pays me more than my day job.
Read on to learn about the best hobbies that make money right now.
Hobbies That Make Money
In this article, I cover 17 profitable hobbies that make money in 2022.
| Hobby | Summary | Skills/Experience Needed | Sites/Apps to Get You Started |
| Blogging | Start an online journal or informational site for personal or business use and monetize it. | Writing skills, creativity, understanding of blog monetization | Bluehost |
| Petsitting | Earn money by providing services like dog boarding, walking, and pet sitting. | Love for dogs, reliability, ability to set schedules and prices. | Rover |
| Driving | Use your car for ridesharing or food delivery. | Valid driver’s license, reliable vehicle, smartphone, pass background check. | Uber Eats, DoorDash |
| Market Research | Get paid for taking surveys on market research platforms. | Willingness to take surveys and share opinions on products/services. | Survey Junkie, Swagbucks |
| Proofreading | Get paid to correct errors in publications. | Strong proofreading skills and attention to detail. | Proofread Anywhere Course |
| Play Games | Make money by playing games online. | Gaming skills, ability to engage an audience if streaming. | Mistplay, Lucktastic, GameHag |
| Web Design | Design websites using drag-and-drop themes. | Basic web design skills and creativity. | Divi from Elegant Themes |
| Freelance Writing | Write for blogs, magazines, or businesses. | Writing skills, portfolio. | Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork |
| Grocery Shopping | Get paid to pick up and deliver groceries for other people. | Attention to detail and reliable transportation. | Instacart |
| Exercise for Rewards | Monetize the fitness journey tracked by your apps. | Working out regularly, ability to motivate others (if you want to be a paid trainer). | Sweatcoin, Step Bet, Lympo |
| Investing | Build wealth through stock market investments. | Basic understanding of investing and research skills. | Wealthsimple Trade |
| Social Media (Affiliate Marketing) | Use social media for affiliate marketing and sponsorships. | Social media presence, ability to market products/services. | Platforms like Facebook and Instagram |
| Photography | Sell photos online or offer freelance photography services. | Photography skills, portfolio. | Shutterstock, Etsy, Adobe Stock |
| Sell Your Crafts | Sell handmade crafts on platforms like Etsy, Artfire, eBay, etc. | Crafting skills, creativity. | Etsy, Artfire, eBay |
| YouTube Channel | Create and monetize content on YouTube. | Video editing skills, content creation, and audience engagement. | YouTube |
| Baking | Sell baked goods or teach baking skills. | Baking skills, creativity. | Baking tutorials on platforms like YouTube |
| Handyman | Offer services for small tasks around homes, such as painting or plumbing. | Handyman skills, reliability. | Advertise services locally or through platforms like TaskRabbit |
1. Blogging
A blog is an online journal or informational site that is available to readers on the internet. It can be used to present personal or business information.
Starting a blog is easy, and if writing is your hobby, you can have a well-established blog and a following within a few months.
What you write about is up to you, and pretty much any topic of interest can be monetized.
Options for making money with your blog include brand sponsorships, display advertisements, product sales, site memberships, and more.
Here’s a free 6-step guide on how to start a profitable blog.
Web hosting is cheap, and you can get started with a $5 per month (or less) hosting plan through Bluehost.
2. Petsitting
If you love dogs and don’t mind pet-sitting dogs owned by your friends and family, this passion can make you some money.
A site called Rover.com pays you to provide the following services:
- Dog boarding
- Dog walking
- Pet sitting
- Doggy daycare
To start, create a profile on Rover and set your schedule, prices, and pet preferences. When people in your area need petsitters and dogwalkers, they see your profile and can hire you through the app.
This hobby can make money for stay-at-home moms since you can also offer dog daycare services.
Learn more about Rover in this review.
3. Driving
Love driving? You can use your car to make money by driving people around or by delivering food orders.
Resharing companies like Uber and Lyft pay you to drive people to their destinations during your spare time.
If you’d rather not have strangers in your vehicle, you can also deliver restaurant orders within your city using Uber Eats and DoorDash.
DoorDash is an online food ordering and delivery platform operating in more than 4,000 U.S., Canadian, and Australian cities.
You choose your schedule and can work whenever you like.
How much do delivery drivers make? An average of $21.20 per hour, as per Indeed Canada.
Become a Delivery Driver With Uber Eats
Uber Eats is one of the best food delivery platforms available in thousands of cities worldwide.
You can sign up to become a delivery driver with Uber Eats if you have a valid driver’s license, a 2- or 4-door car less than 20 years old, proof of vehicle insurance, and are at least 21 years old. You will also need to pass a background check.
You can deliver as many or as few hours as you want on your schedule and cash out earnings easily. You also keep 100% of the tips you get. This side gig is a great way to bring in extra income.
4. Participate in Market Research
If you already take surveys for free and don’t mind answering long questionnaires, this side hobby is for you.
Companies and brands pay for market research that gives them insight into consumer trends and feedback from their target market.
To obtain this data, they use survey companies like Survey Junkie and Swagbucks.
After you join, you receive invitations to participate in surveys and can do so whenever possible.
Some of the most popular market research panels include:
- Survey Junkie
- Swagbucks ($5 bonus)
- Branded Surveys
- Pinecone Research
5. Proofreading
Good at catching grammar, punctuation, spelling, or formatting errors in publications? You could get paid to work as a proofreader.
You can easily do proofreading from home or remotely, and it doesn’t require a lot of upfront investment. Per PayScale, proofreaders earn an average of $20.96 per hour.
If this is a gig you are seriously considering, the Proofread Anywhere course is one of the best around.
6. Get Paid to Play Games
This pastime can make you money even if you are not a professional gamer.
If you are in this big time, you can stream your plays on YouTube or Twitch and develop a community.
If you only play games on your smartphone, there are many game apps that pay you to play. Examples include Mistplay, Lucktastic, and GameHag.
Mistplay: You earn points when you play various games and can redeem your points for free gift cards. Get Mistplay for Android phones.
7. Web Design
You don’t need to be an expert coder to make money from web development. I owned a web design company for a while, even though I have no background or formal education in IT.
All sorts of businesses require some sort of online presence to thrive, and this generally means they need a website.
“Drag and Drop” themes combined with their pre-designed templates have made it possible for newbies to design a stunning and functional website within hours.
I used to use Divi from Elegant Themes; however, there are many other options out there as well.
8. Freelance Writing
Maybe you like writing but don’t fancy having your own blog; your creative hobby can be very profitable.
Freelance writers are in high demand. You can write for blogs, magazines, businesses, and more. To find jobs, start with freelance sites like Fiverr, Freelancer, or Upwork.
You can also combine your writing with other gigs, such as virtual assisting or ebook writing.
9. Grocery Shopping
Some people enjoy shopping and don’t mind spending hours walking the aisles in big box stores. If this is you, you can join Instacart and get paid to pick up groceries and deliver them.
You visit the store, pick out groceries based on a shopping list, and deliver the groceries to a customer’s doorstep.
Visit Instacart or read my review of the platform.
Mystery shopping is another option for making money if you are a die-hard shopper.
10. Exercise for Rewards
Fitness buffs can monetize their passion in so many ways.
Exercise apps: There are apps that pay you to exercise. For example, Sweatcoin rewards you when you walk, and you can cash out the points you earn for cash or sports merchandise.
Apps that work like Sweatcoin include Step Bet, Lympo, and Achievement.
Weight-loss apps: Platforms like HealthyWage allow you to make bets on your weight loss. If you lose the weight as planned, you win money.
You could also monetize this hobby by helping others get fit through personal training/classes or by starting an Instagram or YouTube channel.
11. Investing
Investing in the stock market can help you build wealth passively over time. Take some time to research the products you invest in and watch them grow.
For example, if you are comfortable buying stocks and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs), you can use a discount brokerage account and save on investment fees.
A platform like Wealthsimple Trade has $0 trading commissions for thousands of stocks and ETFs, and its mobile app is user-friendly even for beginners.
Here are other passive income ideas and commission-free brokers.
12. Social Media (Affiliate Marketing)
Social media platforms are tools you can use to reach thousands or even millions of people. If you are active on social media (e.g., Facebook and Instagram), you can use your account to make money.
For example, you could sell and promote products and services using affiliate links.
Depending on your following, brands may also be eager to pay you for sponsorships or endorsements.
13. Photography
Monetize your photography passion by selling your photos online.
Platforms like Shutterstock, Etsy, Adobe Stock, iStockphoto, and Smug Mug allow you to list your photographs and sell them.
You can also offer your services on evenings and weekends as a freelance photographer and get jobs to cover weddings, graduations, baby showers, etc.
14. Sell Your Crafts
Do you enjoy making handmade crafts? You can easily sell them online using sites like Etsy, Artfire, eBay, Bonanza, Craftsy, and Handmade at Amazon.
Crafts you can sell online include paintings, jewelry, wooden toys, scented candles, beauty products, scarves, body scrubs, perfumes, and more.
You can also design T-shirts.
Some other ways to market your crafts include starting a blog or creating an online store using Shopify.
15. YouTube Channel
If you don’t mind going live on camera and have decent video-editing skills, you can use a YouTube channel to make money.
YouTube can be used to provide tutorials, advertise products, discuss issues, create entertainment, play music, and more.
You can use you’re your YouTube channel to make money from ads and by selling products or services.
16. Baking
If you love baking, you can sell your wares or teach others how to bake.
You can also start a food blog that attracts visitors who are looking for interesting recipes.
17. Handyman
Are you good at fixing things? If you are handy, you can make money helping people with small tasks around their homes.
For example, you can provide painting, plumbing, carpentry, remodelling, assembly, and installation services.
Hobbies That Pay You Money – Conclusion
You may have hit a goldmine if your hobby can be monetized to make you money. This has been my personal experience since my blog took off.
You enjoy what you do and get paid in the process.
For more ideas on how to make money online and from home, take a look at the resources listed below:
