With the cost of living ever increasing, now is the time to diversify your income streams and start exploring side hustle ideas.
Having your own side hustle can be great for generating extra cash or even providing the starting grounds for your very own small business.
A lot of them could start outdoing your wages from a full-time job!
If you are after a side hustle of your own and running your own schedule every day sounds dreamy, then read on.
Table of Contents
Get your FREE Money Action Plan - Take Our Quiz Now ?
1) Digital Products
Right now I think digital products is the best side hustle for 2026.
Firstly because you can make products in a niche you’re actually passionate about so you’re instantly monetising something you love.
Secondly, you can make sales super quick through social media using the algorthims of these big platforms to reach your dream customers for FREE!
Thirdly, it’s not hard and they’re so cheap to make. You could have a low-ticket digital product live in a matter of hours if you wanted and use things like AI to help you speed up the process.
The beauty of digital products is you make it once and sell if an infinite amount of times.
Learning how to sell digital products is something you will need to learn but all you need to do is solve a problem for your audience, target them with content and you will 100% make money.
Join over 1,000 others learning how to go from £0-5k with just 60 minutes work a day.
Includes everything you need to create, build and sell profitable digital products in a niche you're already passionate about.
2) Cashback and rewards
Cashback apps will give you money back after every purchase you make, including groceries, medicine, clothes and gadgets.
If you look into Topcashback and QuidCo you’ll see most major retailers are listed on there which means you can save money on almost every shop you make.
For things you’re buying in-store, Gains is perfect for your food, clothes, household goods and entertainment spending through instant gift card cashback.
Over time that balance builds up!
I’ve written a full post about the best cashback apps right now.
Gains App brings you AI-powered budgeting tools plus cashback rewards all in one place.
No more juggling apps - manage your money and earn more of it with Gains.
Personalised cashback offers help you get more for your money without changing your spending habits.
- Free to use
- Personalised offers
- Instant giftcard cashback
- Overview of all your spending
- AI assistant for money questions
- Secure connection to 60+ UK banks
- Budgeting and rewards in one place
- No affiliate cashback
- No bill switching (yet)
- No direct savings accounts
Most major retailers are on these apps meaning you can basically get a discount on everything you buy.
Now it’s unlikely you’ll be making £500 a month from this alone unless you’re a seriously big spender, but earning cashback on everything you buy is an easy way to make extra from your day to day spending.
Combine this with a couple of other methods in this guide and you’ll be well on your way to £500 extra a month.
And if you want to make the absolute most from your daily spending, check this out ?
3) Make money from handmade goods
If you’re handy with crafts it may be worth exploring using some funds to invest in supplies for handmade goods.
If you have a creative streak and are a little crafty (not the deceitful version of course!) then there is plenty of money to be made.
It could be that you can design and make jewellery. Maybe you’re great at producing one-off paintings. No matter what your talent, you can monetise it.
One of the best side hustle websites to make money from handmade goods has to be Etsy. This is a marketplace that specialises in these types of products.
Of course, it is always worth exploring using your own website, but while you’re growing your audience you may as well take advantage of the huge exposure that Etsy offers.
As one of the more creative side hustle ideas crafting does require some skill, practice and funds to purchase goods so don’t expect to make money of it if you’re just starting out.
4) Pet sitting
If you have a day job that lets you work from home then pet sitting is a great way of increasing your income.
You can get paid to work from someone else’s house!
Apps like Rover make it easy to find jobs in your local area and while it can be a bit difficult to get started when you have no reviews, as soon as you get going you should find plenty of work.
With the huge increase of dog owners since 2020, there are loads of people who had to go back to work and need someone to look after their beloved pets.
5) Print on demand
Another great hustle for creative types. You can design things such as t-shirts, mugs, or even keyrings.
Once you’ve got a mock-up of your design you can start to advertise. As soon as you make a sale, you get the print on demand company to produce the product, with the artwork, for you and ship it to your customer.
This is another great side hustle where the risk is minimal as there is no stock to hold and no need to buy any expensive equipment.
That being said you will need to learn how to advertise via social media, maybe a website and have some design skills so your online store looks great.
6) Freelancing
If you’ve not heard about Fiverr, then say hello to your new money-making app!
Just some of the services that people offer on Fiverr are web design, logo design, and writing.
There are even people getting paid just for singing happy birthday!
The opportunities are literally endless here – if you can do anything at all, the chances are that Fiverr will allow you to get paid for it.
Equally, as you grow, you may look to outsource some of your own work, so hire a freelancer to help you out!
Hire a freelancer on Fiverr to help you build the brand of your dreams. Whatever it is you need help with there's a freelancer waiting for you to reach out.
7) Get investing
While not quite the same as a traditional side hustle, investing just small amounts each month can have a massive impact in the long run if you keep it up.
The power of compound interest which Einstein called the 8th Wonder of the World is truly mind blowing.
Sure, if you invest money it means your capital is at risk but if you invest with a long term mindset, this risk is mitigated based on historical results.
The rise in the number of investing apps means that this is now accessible to everyone. There are now do it yourself investing apps which you can do from your smartphone and also expert managed / hands off approaches from others.
If you want to get ahead then you should be thinking about investing in some capacity. A lot accounts now let you start with just £1.
You can also get free shares just for signing up to some investment platforms – giving you a nice boost to your portfolio from the start.
This post does not constitute financial or UK tax advice. Always do your own research before making financial decisions and your capital is at risk when you invest.
Stop waiting and start investing with the best UK investing apps on the market right now.
We've covered all levels with expert managed and DIY options available.
8) Online surveys
Now, you’re unlikely to ever find yourself getting rich on the back of online surveys, but that doesn’t mean that they should be ignored.
Especially when it’s a side hustle you can do while you sit on the sofa!
One site worth taking a look at is Prolific. Here, you’ll find plenty of surveys and the best thing is that there’s no minimum payout.
Another great site is Oh My Dosh which also has access to lots of deals and different ways to make money.
These allow you to contribute to ongoing research via questions and tasks. You’ll find that these pay far better than run-of-the-mill survey sites.
Check out our podcast episod with Emma from Bee Money Savvy, who earned £45,000 from side hustles in 2023.
9) Get into blogging
Blogging has lost a bit of it’s shine but it’s still possible to make some side money especially if you combine it with social media.
You do it by combining copywriting and website building to make money online.
Bloggings appeal is that you can write about anything you want to and if people are searching on Google or YouTube you can make lots of money from it.
Personal blogger Adam Enfroy made over £1 million last year all from his blog and according to data from ZipRecruiter the average established travel blogger makes £73,000 per year.
You can make money blogging in a few ways which include:
- Affiliate Marketing
- Display advertising
- Physical / Digital Product Sales
- Sponsorship
- Coaching & Courses
You only need a laptop and an internet connection to make money online and that’s why blogging is attractive. All you need to do is pick a niche and start writing and learn the rest as you go.
Once you’re up and running it’ll be important to to learn about SEO (search engine optimisation) and how to build basic websites so your blog has a home and you can start to generate some website traffic.
Without traffic (people) coming to your blog there’s no money!
If you have a passion for travel, food, or anything else and enjoy writing, this is the side hustle idea for you!
Now, being honest, blogging will not make you money overnight, but stick with it and the rewards are certainly worthwhile.
From personal experience it take up to a year before you start making any money but once it gets going earnings can take off quickly
10) Sell your own stuff
We’ve all got money tied up in our cupboards, garages and attics.
It can actually be quite incredible just how much you could get for putting some of your old stuff on Facebook Marketplace and seeing what happens.
Plus if it goes well you might get the knack for it and be able to turn this into a more long term side hustle by buying and selling things for profit.
More on that here:
What is a side hustle?
A side hustle is a money-making activity that is carried out alongside your usual job and is a great way to give your earnings a boost.
Despite the term sounding like something associated with the once-popular TV series, we can assure you that there are no cons here! Instead, a side hustle is all about making extra money.
While some people are quite happy to keep a side hustle as just that, others seek opportunities that can be developed into a successful business.
You may also hear of the term passive income which is what some side hustles can createfor you.
Passive income is the money brought in from your side hustling essentially doing all the work upfront and sitting back to rake in the dollar dollar bills.
In reality though – side hustles take effort and upkeep so the income is rarely passive but at least it’s on your terms.
We want your hustle a to grow and become your main source of income so you can hopefully walk away from the day job.
Essentially we all side hustle to make money to help further ourselves so let’s jump in and start to look at some of the amazing options out there.
What are some other side hustles you can also do?
- Rent your spare room
- Dog walking business
- Sell online courses
- Car boot sales
- Rent your parking space
- Start a life coaching business
- Attend focus groups
- Become a graphic designer
- Start a YouTube Channel
- Learn affiliate marketing
- Part-time delivery driver
- Mystery shopping services
- Become a virtual assistant
- Sell products online
- Open an Etsy shop
- Deliver food
- Offer local tech support
- Sell digital products
- Cashback apps
- Pet sitting
- Data entry for larger companies
FAQs
What side hustles pay the most?
This really depends on how much time you put into a side hustle. The highest-paying side hustles are freelancing in high-paying roles and online tutoring. People are also smashing it on social media channels like YouTube and Instagram.
You can check out our guide to making money on YouTube here.
What's the best side hustle for 2026?
As technology evolves side hustling has gone online. With the right online business, and if execute it correctly then your potential is just endless.
Just look at some of the top YouTubers and brand owners to see how much they’re pulling in.
Online businesses will take time before they make you some extra cash let alone the big bucks but the margins through digital channels are the highest available in any industry.
What's an easy side hustle?
Crafting – creating, making and then selling goods with skills you love to have makes this the easiest. You can sell these goods to friends, family and customers promoting your business at markets or online.
How do I start a side hustle?
Firstly, take a look at what you either have skills in or what you’re good at. Then highlight what it is that people might pay you for doing so you can earn extra income – this can be your base side hustle idea.
If you’re struggling to find something then start with hustles like online surveys, mystery shopping and focus groups.
The key is just to get started and figure it out along the way. If you sit thinking about it for too long then nothing will happen.
Get your FREE Money Action Plan
Take Our Quiz Now ?
Take Our Quiz Now ?
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. We hope this articles has inspired you to start making some extra cash.
Your goals might just be saving money but they could also be world domination. The age of the side hustle is here!
A lot of side hustles are just a few hours of your spare time – find one that works for you so go hard and start to earn money!
It’s important to note that nothing comes easy and it will often require a good few months and in some cases a year or two to really get your hustle going.
If you’ve been searching for side hustle ideas UK then these are some of the best ideas we can find for making some extra money right now.
That being said, once some of these start taking off you could be earning more than your day job and have a big decision to make! The DREAM!
Disclaimer: Content on this page is for informational purposes and does not constitute financial advice. Always do your own research before making a financially related decision.
