Lisa O
When you retire, you might notice your living expenses are steeper than you thought. Even with a solid budget in place, things like inflation and market ups and downs can make it tougher to handle your monthly bills. That’s when picking up a side hustle, which can help you bring in some extra cash. Here are 15 awesome side hustles perfect for retirees.
Customer Representative
Some companies hunting for customer service reps might be cool with you working from home. With all those years of experience, seniors usually have killer people skills. You could take calls and help people out right from your kitchen table. If you’re great with people and like helping out, this gig could be a pretty sweet side hustle.
Pet Sitter
If you’re all about animals, walking the neighborhood dogs a few times a week is a fun way to rake in some extra cash. Plus, it’s an awesome excuse to get outside and hang with some furry buddies. Some gigs even involve looking after indoor pets like cats or birds while their owners are off on trips. There are plenty of sites online that can help you jump right in.
Consulting Business
Think about all those years of experience in your field—the challenges you’ve faced, the lessons you’ve learned, and all the insights you’ve gained. Companies are always looking for people like you to step in as consultants. Whether it’s helping a startup with its marketing strategy, guiding a small business to run smoother, or advising a non-profit through its growth phase, there’s plenty of opportunity.
Writing and Blogging
Writing and blogging give you a great way to share your experiences, thoughts, and insights. You could write about your adventures, gardening tips, or your take on life. From there, you can self-publish on various platforms or start your own blog. Plus, lots of well-known websites and publications are always looking for guest contributors.
Selling Crafts and Handmade Items
What’s better than spending your afternoons making awesome jewelry, baking, or crafting cool home décor? Sharing your handmade creations with the world and making some cash from your creativity. Sites like Etsy, Gumroad, and local craft fairs are perfect for selling your things.
Photography
The world through your lens is gorgeous—it’s time to turn that into a side hustle. Whether you’re capturing the beautiful sunset for an Instagram morning post or for sharing some natural shots with your family, your photography skills can lead to endless possibilities. There’s nothing like the thrill of seeing your own photos on a website or hanging up in someone’s home.
Virtual Assistant
Your organizational skills and admin experience can be a lifesaver for busy people and small business owners. As a VA, you can help manage schedules, handle all emails, organize files, and take care of other tasks—all from the comfort of your home. There are websites connect virtual assistants with clients who need their help.
Interior Design Consulting
If you’ve got a knack for turning plain spaces into stylish, functional areas, interior design consulting could be the perfect side hustle for you. Homeowners or businesses who are looking to refresh their interiors will totally pay for your skills. With tools like Pinterest, you can create design boards and digitally share your ideas with customers.
Food and Nutrition Ventures
Your cooking skills could totally be the perfect side hustle. You could kick off a food blog where you share your favorite recipes and cooking tips or even run online cooking classes. Another idea is to whip up a line of homemade goodies like baked treats, sauces, or jams and sell them at farmers’ markets. Once your business gets rolling, you can dive into organic products or vegan recipes.
Home Cleaning Services
As a home cleaning and organizing expert, you can help people keep their places neat and tidy. From giving kitchens and bathrooms a deep clean to organizing closets and pantries, your work can seriously make someone’s life easier. You could offer one-time deep cleanings or set up regular cleaning schedules for clients.
Bookkeeper
Keeping track of data and making sure payments hit on time can be a great retirement gig if you’re detail-oriented. Working as a bookkeeper lets you stay sharp while managing finances. Plus, if you’ve got experience in this field, you could even help train newbies stepping into the role. And it’s a rewarding career, so you can save money for your retirement plans.
Health and Wellness Coach
Maybe you worked as a dietitian or fitness instructor during your career and found you love helping others hit their health goals. If that’s the case, you can totally turn it into a side hustle by coaching people in person or over video calls. Whether it’s giving out meal plans, workout routines, or just general health advice, there’s definitely a need for this kind of help.
Errand and Delivery Services
As an errand and delivery service pro, you can make life much easier for people by handling tasks they don’t have time for. Whether it’s picking up prescriptions, dropping off dry cleaning, or delivering groceries, your help can really come in handy. Some services online offer delivery jobs, and you can also provide personalized errand help through local ads or word of mouth.
Landscaping and Gardening
Landscaping and gardening can be the perfect side hustle after retirement. A lot of homeowners just don’t have the time or know-how to take care of their gardens. Your expertise can help them get the beautiful, green yards they’ve always wanted. You can offer services like lawn care, planting flowers, designing garden layouts, or trimming and pruning the plants.
Remote Tutor
With online education platforms taking off, you can totally share your knowledge by teaching courses. There are sites let you teach students right from your own home, which is pretty sweet. Whether you’re teaching English to kids in other countries or helping students with school subjects, it’s super flexible. If you’re not into the whole online thing, some retirees might like offering one-on-one tutoring in person to local students.
