Caregivers and retirees often feel the financial pinch. This can be even worse these days with the coronavirus crisis and a higher level of stress all around. But, there are still many good money making hobbies for retirees and caregivers, ones that give you the chance to make some money on the side.
Many of these can be done around the home. Some are simple, while others can be expanded into a more serious way of making money, if you’re interested.
The focus on hobbies is important. After all, people who are homebound have learned that having hobbies are essential to help keep their minds sharp, but also to create a space of wonder and distance from their daily routine.
Even though elders and retirees have more free time to chase the creativity muses, they also realize that once the spare time for hobbies becomes full-time activity, hobbies can become boring as quickly as their motivation decreases.
Making money from your hobbies is one way to keep them interesting. Some hobbies that you can monetize include cooking, sewing, knitting, woodworking, jewelry making, arts and crafts, and writing. There are many other hobbies that you can earn from too; the only question you need to answer is how you would like to do so.
These aren’t the only options either. There are other good ways for retirees to earn, ones that can easily be tweaked to meet your needs. In this post, we’re highlighting 10 different approaches that you can take.
Money Making Hobbies For Retirees
- Sell on Etsy, Amazon, or eBay
- Create YouTube Tutorials
- Become a Homebody Entrepreneur
- Take Advantage of Your Passion for Food
- Teach Online
- Upcycle and Resell Old Items
- Start a Blog
- Become a Handyman
- Become a Mystery Shopper
- Become a Personal Grocery Shopper
1. Sell on Etsy, Amazon or eBay
You can sell almost anything on the internet, and there’s generally an audience somewhere.
There are two approaches that you can take. One is to create items and sell them. The other is to sell things that you already own. Etsy, Amazon, and eBay can all help you to earn.
Etsy
Etsy focuses mostly on handmade or vintage items.
The types of products being sold include jewelry, bags, clothing, home décor and furniture, toys, art, as well as craft supplies and tools. Some products that are very popular these days include homemade soaps and shampoo bars, handmade candles, repurposed clothing, kids’ hair bows, jewelry, art, decorative pieces.
All vintage items must be at least 20 years old, so you can go through your antiques or list grandma’s vintage wooden box collection you never knew what to do with.
Amazon
You don’t have to create a business to sell on Amazon; you can sell on Amazon as an individual seller.
Several used books businesses on Amazon started as people going through their home library and posting the books for sale. The same applies to all objects we mentioned above.
Amazon has generated such great sales volume for individuals that there are free courses and tools available everywhere on how to start selling on Amazon. Their official guide for beginners that want to sell in their platform can be found here.
You can also check out YouTube videos or courses on Udemy for more details.
Please be careful with selling on Amazon. Much of the advice out there focuses on using a tool called Amazon FBA to make selling more efficient. The idea of buying and reselling is popular too. While these approaches can be effective, it’s also very easy to end up out of pocket.
Be especially wary with any marketing that claims you can easily make money through Amazon. There are a lot of scams out there.
eBay
eBay facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. Some of the top items selling on eBay are home décor, home tech, branded tech, fashion, shoes, jewelry, and watches. eBay sells vintage and new items.
You can go through all home techs (if it is branded even better) you have and list them on eBay. You can get an estimated idea of the price searching for similar items. Some people choose to list their items as an auction, with a minimal price to start with.
You can find more details about how to get started with eBay here.
Regardless of whether you make selling a big endeavor or a small one, there are many benefits to be had. Even if you don’t make much money selling items from your home, think of the idea as the start of an entrepreneurship possibility.
Learning how to navigate their sales systems and interact with customers will definitely increase your self-confidence. You may find new approaches to take in the future.
2. Make Youtube Videos
Another useful way to monetize your hobbies is by filming and posting on Youtube. Video content is the most consumed content globally and YouTube has become wildly famous in the last few years.
YouTube reaches more than 1,5 billion users, and it is the second most visited search engine, just behind Google. Daily, more than 4 billion videos are watched worldwide. So, tutorials and videos that you publish to your account or channel would have to be unique to attract a following.
Thankfully, YouTube has all types of videos for all types of people, and if you work it well, you will find your community. Inside Youtube, you can search for videos that will teach you how to sell your craft on the platform.
Many skills can be demonstrated through tutorials, and two of the most popular types of tutorials are cooking and makeup.
Vlogs (video blogs) of any topic or educational videos of any matter have a huge following and loyal fans.
Several YouTube channels use the platform as part of their strategy to sell their products. You can create a video showing how to make a bow tie and have a link in the description box directly to your product. You can also earn from YouTube itself if enough people watch your videos.
The possibilities are almost endless.
When you’re looking at YouTube, think about what you could do that is a little different. For example, a senior reviewing video games might be a fun angle, especially as senior gamers is a growing demographic.
3. Become a Homebody Entrepreneur
Money making hobbies for retirees don’t need to be on a small scale. You can start a fully fledged business from home.
Your business can focus on almost anything. Think about what you’re passionate about and where your skills are. Do some research about the demand in your local area. What are people looking for?
For this business, you can use Facebook as a launching platform and even get your friends and family to spread the word. Craigslist is a great way to post your services or crafts. You might even build your own website in time.
Through your home business, you can sell your products and services. It may sound as a too big endeavor, but it can be as simple as you want it to be.
- Caregivers with time on their hands could start a business that provides companionship or support for seniors. This could include tasks like driving people to doctor’s appointments, running errands, or fetching groceries.
- How about cat, dog, or even house sitting?
- You could put your skills to use too, such as with cooking, meal planning, cleaning, dishes you cook, woodwork, gardening, and landscaping.
- If you are a gifted gardener or like getting your hands dirty, you can sell the goods you produce, like fresh produce from your backyard, or you can focus on growing and selling plants or compost. You can even provide delivery services for the products you sell.
Any business can start small and simple and grow organically as much as you want to depending on the services you offer and on the local demand.
4. Take Advantage of Your Passion for Food
As one of the most valuable skills to have is cooking, you can start your own catering company from home. You can cater for smaller scaled parties and audiences and eventually grow your company as your popularity increases.
Such catering companies are actually in high demand these days, and they usually cater to birthday parties, bridal and baby showers, block parties, and even small scale weddings.
One of the best ways to try out this business without great commitment is to bring your specialties to church or local community events. You can test the waters telling around you are about to start a home based catering business that will include the dish you just brought.
If people seem interested and ask for your contact information, it will be clear that there is an opportunity for you to start the business. Cooking businesses have the advantage that they can be launched with low investment and you don’t need to do the work for an order until after the sale has been made.
And, while we’re talking about food-based making money hobbies for retirees, there are other angles that you can try too, such as:
- Selling food at a local market or similar location. This works well for baked products, but you can take the same approach with other types of food too.
- Start a service that cooks and delivers meals to retirees who cannot cook for themselves.
- Host dinner events where people pay for a seat.
Be sure to research local laws and requirements for food prep and selling. There are often more restrictions for selling food than other types of products.
You’ll also need to think about your pricing carefully. You don’t want to find yourself out of pocket because some of your ingredients cost more than you expect.
5. Teach Online
Pass your skills and hobbies on to other people and spread awareness about what you love through online tutorials and tutoring.
You can commit to teaching people a new language that you already know or other skills that you have acquired, like baking, writing, applying makeup, etc.
Online courses have also become a new trend in the global community as such courses help to bridge the gap between learners and resources by offering the resources at an accessible place, that is, the internet.
If you want to become an online tutor, there are several platforms to try out, including Chegg Tutor and Khan Academy. These are two of the most well-known and reputable online tutoring platforms.
For teaching English around the world, Cambly, Vip Kid, Italki, Lingoda, or Preply are just a few.
Skillshare or Udemy are platforms that host all types of courses, from coding to writing, meditation, time management, or almost any topic you can think of.
Online courses can create a steady source of income; once the material is developed, curated, and posted, there is almost no maintenance. There is also the chance of interaction and socialization through such courses, which could be perfect for seniors and anyone else who is housebound.
6. Upcycle and Resell Old Items
If one of your favorite things to do is to take something old and make it new, then you can certainly use this skill to resell items that you buy and refurbish.
- Some people buy old cars, fix them and then sell them for a profit.
- Others redesign old clothing and stitch something new out of them.
- There are even people who reupholster old furniture and sell that.
The possibilities are endless when it comes to reselling old items and making them more valuable than they once were.
Some places you can advertise what you are selling are eBay, Etsy, Craigslist, local Facebook buy/sell/trade groups, ThredUp (for clothes and accessories), eBid, Mercari, or Bonanza. Always search local on these sites to advertise your products.
7. Start a Blog
You can also monetize your hobbies by starting a blog about them and gaining readers who are interested in what you do.
You can even write about how others can join in on your hobbies or even tutorial pieces with step-by-step instructions. You might even be able to teach other people about making money hobbies for retirees.
Making money from a blog takes time, effort, and a good deal of patience. Still, many people are successful in this field. You may also find that your blog becomes a good starting point for a different type of business.
There’s a lot of information online about learning how to blog – and the information can get overwhelming fast. We recommend choosing one blog or author to focus on as you get started. The site Full Circle Digital has a list of free blogging courses that you can use to get started.
For blogging, it’s always best to look for online sources of information, rather than a book on blogging. Books aren’t a good medium for this field, as best practices can change quickly.
Several very successful “hobby” blogs started just as a way to share their passion and craft with friends and families and in time transformed into a booming business.
Take a look at these blogs for some inspiration:
8. Become a Handyman
If you love fixing things and have a knack for being handy, you can become an on-call handyman. All you would need to become one is a toolbox and a phone number. It would be even better if you advertise your business and get more people around your city or town to call you through such advertising.
You can also expand upon your skills and make your business more profitable by learning more from YouTube tutorials or even online courses. This YouTube channel is all about tools and tutorials.
This webpage has a guide that teaches you 10 profitable handyman services you can offer without a contractor’s license.
Platforms such as Task Rabbit connect you locally to people that are looking for what you offer. A local search on a search engine will display similar places where you can find jobs that suit your availability and skills.
9. Become a Mystery Shopper
If you love shopping and can sniff out a great bargain from miles away, then becoming a mystery shopper is one of the best ways you can monetize your shopping habits.
Many people hate shopping, and they often pay through the nose to get someone to shop for them and even save them some money along the way. Thus, your love for shopping can come in handy, especially if you want to make money out of it.
There is always the question if mystery shoppers are a legit side hustle. Yes, some companies pay you for shopping. You can’t make a career of that, but you definitely can earn some money while capitalizing on your love for shopping.
Run from any company that says you have to pay an application fee or deposit or wire money on to someone else.
Several companies pay through gift cards but have payment options that are well known such as PayPal or even to bank accounts. You can be called to assignments on restaurants, electronic stores (such as Best Buy), salons, car dealerships, movie theaters, or phone calls where you survey the person who answers the phone.
Check these companies that have good reviews:
- BestMark
- Second to None
- Market Force
- GAPbuster
- A Customer’s Point of View (ACPVIEW)
- Secret Shopper
- About Face
- A Closer Look
- Confero
- Amusement Advantage
10. Become a Personal Grocery Shopper
Finally, you can become a personal grocery shopper. Some seniors, retirees, and caregivers love to go grocery shopping. They developed skills like couponing, finding promotions, and know the best times of the day to buy. They know all the deals. However, there are just as many people that don’t like to go grocery shopping at all.
Personal grocery shopping offers flexibility, and it’s perfect for people that are good at time management, organization and are always looking on how to improve things. If you’re a master level doing groceries, this is a very laid back way to make money from it.
Companies like Instacart are perfect for older adults that want to make money to pay the bills, set their own schedule and hours while having fun and socializing with customers or clerks.
Personal grocery shoppers feel that the job is so simple and rewarding that don’t feel like a job at all.
Another great option is Dumpling; even though it is not as known as Instacart and Shipt. Dumpling offers a great opportunity for shoppers to be entrepreneurs as much as they want to be. Shoppers set their own rates, availability, and determine what stores they are willing to shop.
This hobby works better using online platforms but also works well if you advertise through your Facebook community, local grocery stores, or among your social network. All that it takes is you making some flyers, getting a calendar, having your car ready, then being good at selling and customer service.
Last Thoughts
Although some of these ideas do not demand that you use the Internet to transform your hobby into money, they all benefit greatly and make it easier from the use of the internet.
From learning business skills to advertising, finding buyers, buying material to simply creating a website to sell your crafts, the Internet opens up so many more possibilities.
If you are not tech-savvy or are familiar with some of the features necessary to have this type of business, the good news is that you can learn how to become a pro step-by-step by relying on the information available online.
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