Fly (Like an Eagle) With These 16 Flexible Side Gigs in Philly
All right, Philly. You’re proving 2018 is going to be a successful year after that big Super Bowl win.
Heck, you even managed to climb greased street light poles. And you partied outside a Wawa.
Very Philly. Very delicious.
But now it’s time to focus on yourself — and your finances. If you’re looking for flexible ways to make money in Philadelphia, we’ve got you covered.
16 Ways to Make Money in Philadelphia
Perhaps you already work a full-time job. Or maybe you just want to make some extra money without putting in full-time hours. Whatever your situation, you’re bound to find some income in this list of flexible jobs.
1. Share Your Space
Have a spare room? Might as well try to earn some money by listing it on Airbnb.
If you’re a good host with a desirable space, you could add hundreds — even thousands — of dollars to your savings account with Airbnb.
And there’s no reason you can’t be creative. We found a guy who earns $1,380 a month listing a backyard tent on Airbnb!
A few simple steps can make the difference between a great experience and a less-than-satisfactory one.
Here are some tips:
- Make your space available during high-demand times in your area. Think: concerts, conventions and sporting events.
- Be a good host, and stock your place with the toiletries you’d expect at a hotel — toilet paper, soap and towels.
- Be personable. A lot of travelers turn to Airbnb for the personal touch they won’t find at commercial properties.
Here’s the link to sign up as an Airbnb host.
(Hosting laws vary from city to city. Please understand the rules and regulations applicable to your city and listing.)
2. Take a Drive ’Round Town
Need a fun, flexible way to earn money while also meeting lots of new people?
Try driving with Lyft.
Demand for ride-sharing has been growing like crazy, and it shows no signs of slowing down. To be eligible, you’ll need to be at least 21 years old with a year of driving experience, pass a background check and own a car made in 2007 or later.
We talked to Paul Pruce, who’s been driving full-time with Lyft for over a year. He earns $750 a week as a driver in Philadelphia.
Best of all, he does it on his own time. You can work days, nights or weekends — it’s up to you!
Because it’s easy to switch between apps, Lyft drivers often also sign up to drive with Uber.
As a partner driver with Uber, you’re an independent contractor. You set your own schedule and drive as much or as little as you want.
If you want to give it a try, here are a few things to keep in mind: You must be at least 21 years old, have at least one year of licensed driving experience in the U.S. (three years if you’re under 23 years old), have a valid U.S. driver’s license and pass a background check.
Finally, your car must be a four-door, seat at least four passengers (excluding the driver), be registered in-state and be covered by insurance.
Here’s a link to apply with Uber.
3. Taste What’s Brewing
The craft beer industry is hoppin’ in Philly, so take advantage of it by, well, getting paid to visit breweries.
When you sign up as a mystery shopper, it’s your job to go to a grocery store, gas station, restaurant or, in this case, a bar, and provide anonymous feedback.
Now, you can get paid to mystery shop — and drink — at breweries in your area through Secret Hopper. (Clever, right?)
The company is looking for detail-oriented beer-drinkers to hop around to different breweries and objectively rate and review their experiences. One Penny Hoarder gave the gig a try. He paid $16 on his visit to a local brewery. Secret Hopper paid him $20 via PayPal within a few days.
So, no, you’re not going to get rich, but you will get free beer, and that makes us hoppy.
All you have to do is sign up, then it’ll contact you when you’re needed.
4. Rent out Your Parking Space
If you have an extra parking space in the city, you might be establish a stream of passive income.
“Parking in the city is a hassle and expensive, so if someone has a parking spot in a good location, they could make a killing,” Penny Hoarder Kathleen Garvin, a native Philadelphian, says.
Look for online platforms that allow you to list your space. Craigslist seems to be a popular platform in Philadelphia. It boasts more than 350 parking and storage listings. A reserved parking spot on Frankford Avenue is listed for $150 a month.
Not bad for a slab of asphalt, right?
5. Sell at Flea Markets
As soon as the snow melts and the weather warms, flea markets start popping up. Rather than perusing the tables and spending way too much money on tchotchkes, why not set up a table and start selling?
The startup costs are minimal, and really, you can sell such a wide range of items.
If you’re not sure where to start, The Penny Hoarder contributor Steve Gillman shared his tricks of the flea market trade.
You could even find some unique Craigslist freebies to resell.
6. Take a Breather (and Some Surveys)
You get home from work, or you put the kids down for a nap… ahhh, sweet silence. Rather than sitting idly and scrolling through Instagram, why not make some money by taking surveys? Heck, you can even watch Bravo.
No, you won’t get rich quick, but you can stockpile a few dollars here and there. Plus, it’s fairly mindless… and there’s the couch.
Here are a two survey sites we like and trust:
- PointClub is awesome because you’ll get points for every single survey you take — guaranteed. Plus, the company gives you $5 just for signing up! Once you accrue enough of them, you can redeem those points for gift cards to a ton of useful vendors like Walmart, Amazon and PayPal.
- Survey Junkie’s clean look and “cashout wheel” keep you motivated to take as many surveys as you want. They’re relatively quick to complete and reward you with points. Once you earn 1,000 points — or $10 — you can cash out for gift cards or cash paid via PayPal. Pro tip: Take all the profile surveys to help you earn an easy 200 points or so up front.
Some of the top-end surveys can pay up to $95, but those are rare and can take awhile to complete. Most surveys pay a buck or two and only take 10 to 15 minutes.
Also, i-Say rewards you with points you can redeem for cash via PayPal or gift cards to Amazon, iTunes and others. (For example, you can redeem 1,000 points for a $10 PayPal deposit).
8. Work an (Eagles?!) Event
If you’re looking for a side gig, try finding one through Shiftgig. It’s available in several major U.S. cities including — ding, ding! — Philadelphia.
The online platform works to pair people with work-on-demand opportunities at events and companies. To get started, apply for an interview through the app. If you seem like a good match, the Shiftgig team will get in touch.
9. Sell Your iPhone Photos
If you have a smartphone and a good eye, you’re in luck. Philadelphia is obviously a beautiful city chock-full of landmarks. Use that to your advantage.
An app called Foap lets you turn your smartphone photos into cash.
Here’s how it works:
- Download the free app and create an account.
- Take a quality photo and upload it to Foap’s marketplace.
- Someone buys the license to your photo for $10. You make $5.
If your photo sells 20 times, you make $5 each time and end up with $100 in your pocket — all for about five minutes of work. Pretty cool, right?
10. Serve as a Mock Juror
Like every other person these days, we’ve become obsessed with true-crime podcasts. “My Favorite Murder,” anyone?
If you want an insider look at what happens when a case hits the courtroom, you can serve as an online mock juror. As a mock juror, you’ll help lawyers prepare for real cases. You can earn $10 to $60 for about an hour of your time.
From your computer, you’ll review evidence including documents, videos and photos.
11. Walk Adorable Pups
Love dogs? So does everyone else in Philadelphia, it seems. And who wouldn’t?
Find dog-walking gigs through Rover, an online network of dog walkers. (Ahem, also backed by the beautiful Ashton Kutcher.)
When you create a Rover profile, you’ll gush over how much you love dogs. Then you’ll set your availability and rates. You can commit to a full-time gig or earn a few bucks during your lunch break.
As for income, you can set your own rates. You might want to start with a lower rate, like $10 per 30-minute walk. Then, once you become an established walker, you can start increasing it to match your market’s demand.
Before we get too carried away, note a few requirements:
- Be at least 18 years old.
- Have the latest Rover app for iOS or Android (It’s free!).
- Pass a background check.
- Be available to work on weekdays.
Ready to snuggle every single dog in Philadelphia?! For more information, check out our guide to Rover.
12. Pick up Cash at the Convention Center
Our native Philadelphian Penny Hoarder, Kathleen Garvin, let us in on an easy way to pocket some cash in a few hours’ time.
Head over to Craigslist. (Beware of scams.) Next, search Pennsylvania Convention Center under gigs. There, you’ll find various conventions and events looking for sales reps, brand ambassadors, product demonstrators — you name it.
At the time we wrote this post, a few listings included:
- Demonstrator at the Philadelphia Flower Show (pay not listed).
- Event personnel at the Philadelphia Auto Show ($20 per hour).
- Sales assistant for a large conference (starts at $200 per day).
Garvin says she’s made good money just spending the day at fun conventions.
13. Work From Someone Else’s House
Working from home is wonderful, but sometimes it’s nice just to experience a new space — perhaps in a new town or a new country.
Consider house sitting. You can make big bucks by keeping someone’s house company. There are tons of websites out there that’ll help you find the perfect, gig, too. Check out a few of these house-sitting marketplaces.
14. Play Trivia
If you’re one of those people who can pull seemingly useless pieces of knowledge from out of nowhere, you’ll want to download this app.
It’s called HQ Trivia. With more than a million players logging on at 3 p.m. and 9 p.m. EST each day to play, you might’ve heard of it.
“Quiz Daddy” Scott Rogowski is the game’s main host. He asks 12 questions. You’ve got three multiple-choice options and 10 seconds to answer. If you get all 12 questions correct, you’ll split the grand prize (around $2,000 lately, though up to $25,000 on randomly chosen special occasions) amongst the other winners.
At the time we wrote this, the all-time leader had banked $6,000. And hey, even Dan Rather is playing — and winning.
The HQ Trivia app is available for iOS and Android.
Pro tip: Share your personalized referral code with friends and family to get an extra life. Trust us, you’ll want it.
15. Release Your Aggression and Throw Axes
Axe-throwing is a new trend taking over America. And, no, we’re not kidding. It’s typically paired with beer and flannel. Also not kidding.
Philadelphia has picked up on the fad. Last summer, we chatted with Lily Cope, “axe master general” at Urban Axes, located in the East Kensington neighborhood.
Right now, Urban Axes is looking for “axeperts” to help lead group events. “Sick of delivering pizza or working in a coffee shop? Want to throw axes for a living?” the job description reads.
It even encourages those who’ve never thrown an axe to apply. Read the full listing on Urban Axes’ website.
16. Break out the Snow Shovel
It’s snowing, and you’re stuck inside. But you can make some extra money by downloading an app called Shovler.
It works similarly to Uber but, um, for shoveling snow. Basically, folks who are in need of a shoveling will post a request. Whenever you have free time to work, just accept a job.
Daniel Miller, the app’s CEO, told The Penny Hoarder via email the average pay in Philadelphia has been about $44 per job this winter. But big storms bring big profits — up to $100 per gig, not including tips.
Not snow bad, right?
Ready to Be Almost as Rich as an Eagles Player?
Just kidding. That likely won’t happen any time soon… unless you break into the U.S. Mint. Just kidding again. We don’t recommend that.
What we do recommend is taking on a side gig here or there to help pay for rent, fund a much-needed vacation or maybe start saving for next year’s Super Bowl tickets.
See Also >> How To Make Money (From Anywhere!)
Carson Kohler (@CarsonKohler) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. Her travel bucket list includes a trip to Philadelphia.
