Are you looking to set yourself up for financial success next year?
With economic uncertainty, rising prices and interest rates lingering in the 7 and 8% percent range, heading into 2025 is a great time to get your finances in check and start earning extra money.
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Here are the five quickest side gigs you can start to build a financial buffer in 2025.
You can also learn about five side hustles that can earn you an extra $1,000 before next year.
Cash In On Items Sitting Around Your Home
Have you ever stopped to consider how much the unused items in your home are actually worth? You might be shocked. It might be time to start decluttering your home and getting paid for it.
“Many people don’t realize the value of the items that are already sitting around in their drawers,” said Brandon Aversano, founder and CEO of Alloy Market. “Whether it’s old gold jewelry, coins or other items containing gold or silver, it’s possible to resell these items for a significant amount of money.
“The best part? The condition typically doesn’t matter if you’re selling gold or silver jewelry to a reputable precious metals buyer as they’ll accept your jewelry in any condition. Those broken bracelets and single earrings could fetch a lot of cash in 2025.”
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Driving for Dollars
Despite what you might believe, Uber and Lyft aren’t oversaturated. This means there are plenty of opportunities to make it one of your side gigs.
Similarly, you could start a food delivery side gig, like DoorDash or UberEats. Spending one or two nights a week taking rides and delivering orders are great ways to earn extra money.
There are only a few requirements to start a driving side hustle, such as having a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance and a reliable vehicle.
“Driving for a rideshare service in 2025 offers a valuable way for individuals to create a financial cushion while maintaining flexibility and control over their work hours,” said Sergio Avedian, senior contributor for The Rideshare Guy.
“With the gig economy expanding and evolving, rideshare driving allows people to earn on their terms, catering to their financial needs, whether it’s covering monthly bills, saving for future goals or having a backup income source.”
Paid Reviews
If you aren’t interested in driving for extra money or selling the items around your home, consider writing paid reviews.
Sites like Writers Work, Review Stream, and InboxDollars are a few common platforms. These providers pay you in exchange for completing surveys, playing games, reading emails, or reviewing products.
Not only can you receive free merchandise, but you can earn cold-hard cash from the comfort of your living room.
Data Entry
Countless companies still need a human to enter data, even with technology automating different tasks. For one, you could start a transcription side gig, which involves typing scanned documents into an electronic format.
Another data entry option is to transfer spreadsheet data to accounting systems or vice versa. There are dozens of data entry platforms that offer paid positions, such as AccuTran Global, Clickworkers, Fiverr, Upwork, and FlexJobs.
Pet Sitting and Walking
What better way to build your financial buffer and work on your personal health than to walk dogs and pet sit? Platforms like Rover and Wag Walking make it easy to find paw parents who are looking for someone to take care of their animals during the day. The amount you earn is based on the weather conditions, the length of the walk, and the type of dog.
Freelancing
Freelancing is a broad term used to describe exchanging your skills for money.
Do you have a passion for graphic design? How about enjoying writing blogs and books? Regardless of what your day job is, you have skills.
Think of different ways you can leverage these skills to earn extra money.
For example, if you’re a teacher, you could offer online tutoring. Popular freelancing websites include Fiverr, Upwork and Guru.
The Bottom Line
Which of these side gigs can you start? It might take trial and error to find a side gig that sticks.
Remember, with any side gig, it’s important to think about the tax considerations. As a general rule of thumb, set aside 30% of your earnings in a high-yield savings account for tax time. You don’t want to be blindsided by a large tax bill!
Nevertheless, these can be great avenues to build your financial buffer in 2025.
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Experts Predict: The 5 Quickest Side Gigs To Build a Financial Buffer in 2025
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
