I Tried These Side Hustles So You Don’t Have To (But Some Are Worth It)
- earngrowgo
- 18 minutes ago
- 8 min read
Honest reviews from someone who's done the trial and error for you
When I first started looking into side hustles, I was a stay at home mom who was desperate to make some extra money without sacrificing my time with my kids. Our finances were very tight and my husband was starting to ask when I would be going back to work. I saw people posting on social media about all the "easy" ways to make money from home, in your spare time.
The problem was... I had no money to spend, no fancy equipment, and absolutely zero clue where to start. Over time, I tried just about everything that promised quick cash or "passive income" — some were surprisingly decent, others were a total waste of time. So I’m laying it all out for you: what worked, what didn’t, how much I actually made, and what I’d never do again. If you're feeling overwhelmed by all the options out there, this post is for you.
What I Was Looking For in a Side Hustle
My main priority was that the side hustle allowed flexibility. I'm a stay at home mom, so no matter what I needed something I could pick up or put down whenever I needed to. I needed something with low start-up cost because although I could swipe my credit card, we really had no way of paying it off unless I actually made money with the side hustle. Which brings me to my next point: I needed something that ACTUALLY had income potential. Not something I would spend hours doing to make pennies. This is also why I was super hesitant about scams. There are still several " "side hustles" I've heard of but never tried because I was sure they were scams or MLMs.
The Side Hustles I Tried — My Honest Reviews
Transcribing
Why I tried it: I searched Google for jobs that you could do from home without having to apply or interview. At the time, there was no way I would be able to get time away from my baby to interview for a job but I desperately wanted and needed some income for our family. Transcription seemed like a LEGIT job, something my husband would take seriously if I said I needed some alone time to do it. It also seemed like something I could easily do whenever I had spare time.
Time invested: I spent about an hour just doing the entry exam to apply for the job. While it wasn't a normal application where I had to enter all my previous work history and then interview, there were still some requirements to get approved for work. The entry exam. Once I was approved for work, I spent hours working on my first paid task. The task was simple: listen to an audio clip and write a script for what they were saying on the clip.
Money invested: No money spent or invested because I already had a laptop and headphones. If you don't have a computer or headphones, you will have to purchase some to start.
What worked / what didn’t: I was easily accepted into making money with a transcription website. The first time. When I first tried this side hustle, it was 2016 and not as prevalent on social media. I tried applying again years later (after 2020) and it was so full, that instead of being allowed to start working I was put on a waitlist. Indefinitely.
Once I was able to work again, all the work I was allowed to complete were terrible audio clips that were all muffled and hard to hear or understand. I spent hours listening to them. Playing and replaying over and over.
How much I made: In 2016, I made maybe $10 total. I'm not sure why I tried again because once it was completely saturated with other transcriptionists I made literal cents for hours of work. I think my grand total after 2020 was $0.15. Not even enough to withdraw to my bank account.
Would I recommend it? Who is it best for?: No. I wouldn't recommend it unless it's something you want to do long term and make a career of.
Amazon reselling
Why I tried it: I saw one of those Instagram reels where someone "made $10k last month with one easy side hustle" and thought... Okay I can do that.
Time invested: I spent about a week learning how to get started and how to make listings on Amazon. Then I spent hours shopping and looking for clearance deals (ones that Amazon would even allow me to resell). Then when someone would purchase a product from me, I spent about an hour packaging and labeling it. Then I had to drive the package to my local UPS. Overall, I probably spent about 40 hours total on this side hustle to get it started. I did sell about 5 products before I moved on to the next side hustle.
Money invested: I had to purchase the items to resell, which cost money upfront. I also had to buy packaging items like boxes, bubble wrap, etc. Lastly, I had to buy GoGone because I had to remove the sales tags off of the products I purchased and resold. Altogether it probably cost me around $100.
What worked / what didn’t: If I had stayed consistent and not let my account go inactive (I went on vacation one year and simply forgot to keep it going) I do believe this side hustle could have worked. The main issue was FINDING products that Amazon allowed me to sell. A lot of the time, I would scan an item and Amazon would tell me I was ineligible to sell that item unless I got approval from the company. Knowing I was new to reselling I wasn't going to be approved to sell them. So I had to stick with items that were not as popular, not as well known, not as searched for. This made it difficult to sell because you solely relied on Amazon to drive traffic to your products.
I think it might have worked better if I treated it more like a business and marketed my products somehow, but at the time I just didn't think about it.
How much I made: I would say that my profits were around $300-400 for the products I did manage to sell. However, there were products I purchased and never sold. So I have to take into account the cost of those products and the cost of packaging that I never used... I probably made around $250 total in about 6 months of trying.
Would I recommend it? Who is it best for?: I would recommend giving it a try if you can. I've been thinking of starting back up, honestly. But this time I would invest more time in sharing my products with social media or advertising them somehow. It's best for people with a great eye for deals and clearance. Also someone who has time to go shopping for those deals.
Playing games on apps that pay you
Why I tried it: Simple. Because it seemed simple. Play games on free apps, like Solitaire, get paid when you win.
Time invested: I probably played at least one hour a day for a couple months.
Money invested: None
What worked / what didn’t: I did end up winning like $30 but some of it was "free" money you weren't allowed to withdraw and the amount I could potentially withdraw was only like $15 and I ended up using it to keep playing. It got me hooked because once I started winning I thought I would keep winning. I did and then I didn't. The better you get, the better your competition gets and the harder it is to win.
How much I made: $0
Would I recommend it? Who is it best for? Just for fun. If you want to play games on your phone and have the slight chance at winning a small amount of money, go ahead! Why not? But it won't replace your day job.
UGC Creation
Why I tried it: I saw people on social media making money creating videos at home. I thought it seemed fun and like something I could do when I had free time.
Time invested: A LOT. I would assume at least 100 hours. At LEAST.
Money invested: I ended up multiple buying ring lights (a total of 5 because they kept breaking. So that's probably around $150). For some of the jobs, I also purchased the products and the brand paid me back. So it didn't technically cost me anything to buy, but if you have NO extra funds then this is not the side hustle for you to start with.
What worked / what didn’t: I found that using free apps that connect you with brands worked the best. My favorite app WAS WeSponsored, but they have gotten really terrible at customer service lately and the jobs only pay about $15 for 3 pictures and 1 video. Way undervalued if you ask me. But there are other apps that work wonderful for quickly applying to UGC jobs. I also found that having an engaged following on Tiktok really helped me land other jobs as well. If I wasn't using apps to find jobs, companies were finding me and reaching out to me.
I did create a portfolio and tried reaching out to brands myself. This worked occasionally but not consistently. The UGC apps are the best option for consistent work, in my opinion.
How much I made: Easily over $2,000. Just in pay. That's not even counting all the awesome free products I was gifted! I am going to guess that all the free products I've received equal somewhere in the $7-10,000 range. For example, last week I was sent a brand new air fryer. I wasn't even expected to make content for the air fryer. The brand simply gifted it to me.
Would I recommend it? Who is it best for? If you're good at creating high quality, well lit content then I would HIGHLY recommend looking into UGC creation. Check out my blog post specifically about UGC creation. You don't even need to BE IN the videos or photos. They can sometimes JUST feature the products. You just need a good quality camera (I use my iPhone!) and good lighting (even just a window works!) plus the ability to edit videos if they company wants a completed product. Sometimes they literally just want footage and you don't need to edit at all!
The Ones That Actually Paid Off
For ME personally, the only ones that paid anything at all were the Amazon selling and the UGC Creation.
What I’d Never Do Again (And Why)
I would never transcribe again. I spent too long for pennies. No thank you.
Red flags: if a side hustle requires a major investment to start. Or if they say you NEED to get other people to "join your team". Sound like a triangle scheme, in my opinion.
What I’ve Learned Trying All These Hustles
Setting realistic expectations
How to know what works for you
Why "easy money" is rarely easy. Even playing games on my phone was work because you still need to focus on winning to make any money at all
Conclusion: My Honest Advice If You're Just Starting
Trying all these side hustles taught me that there’s no one-size-fits-all answer — what works for someone else might not fit your life at all. Some hustles were great learning experiences, others were just dead ends. But every attempt taught me a little more about how to earn money my way. If you’re just starting out, my advice is simple: don’t chase every shiny new idea. Instead, figure out what you want your life to look like, and find a side hustle that supports that.
I’ve linked to the few things that actually helped me below, and I hope my trial-and-error saves you time, money, and frustration!
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