Like to voice your opinions on everything from tobacco to health care? L&E Opinions invites you to sign up and browse the site’s many surveys and studies. These studies can pay generously for your time.

What is L&E Opinions?

L&E is a North Carolina-based market research firm that operates more than a dozen offices in major cities around the country. The site enlists consumers for in-person focus groups, as well as online research that can be done from anywhere.

Here’s how it works.

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Jobs for burned-out nurses

There’s huge national demand for nurses of all stripes to work in hospitals. But nurses say there’s one big thing that holds them back: burn-out. Spending 8 to 12 hours handling one life-or-death situation after the next is stressful and exhausting. Burned-out nurses often seek less stressful jobs.

But given the time, education and training that goes into becoming a nurse, it makes sense to limit your search to jobs that pay well for your expertise. These six side gigs fit the bill. And while some are decidedly part-time, others can become full-time careers.

Low-stress side-gigs for nurses

When nurses advise each other about finding less stressful work, one of the first questions they’re likely to ask is the type of stress is the job seeker attempting to avoid? In some cases, nurses are fleeing 12 hour days where they’re constantly on their feet. In others, it is toxic managers and paperwork demands that push them into the red zone. Others complain about patient counts that jeopardize the quality of care. And still others complain that the physical and emotional demands can be overwhelming, from lifting disabled patients to spending long days constantly on the move.

No matter which of these stresses affect you, one of these jobs is sure to help.

Got two or more side gigs and looking for more? You’re in good company. A recent study by HiringLab.org, a division of job-search site Indeed, found that 16% of job seekers are already working multiple jobs. That’s a sign of a workforce that’s under “quiet, persistent pressure,” the site says.

Naturally, juggling multiple jobs can be remarkably stressful. But there’s a way to ease the pain. Pair side gigs that complement each other. Like what, you ask? These 5 side gigs go together like peanut butter and jelly. Not only are they well-matched, they can often be done at roughly the same time, giving you the ability to profit from your free moments and earn two paychecks during the same working hours.

Side Gigs That Go Together Like PB&J

What makes paired side gigs work well together? In some cases, it’s because they involve the same skills or activity. In others, they allow you to add revenue streams for products you’ve already created. Finally, some simply allow you to use free time that’s factored into one gig to fuel another money-making endeavor.

Here are a few that fit the bill.

If you're a doctor, nurse, psychologist or psychiatrist who wants to work from home, Teladoc may be the next logical step for your career. Here’s what you need to know.

Knowledge is power, or so goes the old saying. But it can also translate to cold hard cash with these side gigs that pay for knowledge.

And, while some specifically pay for academic smarts, others pay for the kind of knowledge that you gain through experience. Better yet, the pay is good and the working conditions are whatever you want them to be. Most of these gigs are done remotely from wherever you are.

Here’s where to find these gigs and what they pay.

WhatNot: Selling Platform for Anything

If you’re a collector or a reseller, who has a large inventory of almost anything that you’d like to sell, you ought to know about Whatnot.

Whatnot is an international marketplace where people can buy and sell thousands of different items primarily through live shows and auctions.

Here’s what you need to know.

5-Star Side Hustles

Less than 5% of the 500+ side gigs reviewed on SideHusl.com earn 5-star ratings. To a degree, that reflects shortcomings in the side gig industry, that frequently pass all of the risks and only a portion of the rewards to the freelancers who do the work. (And SideHusl.com’s ratings are focused on how the sites serve freelancers, not customers.) But it also reflects our view that a 5-star side hustle ought to be outstanding.

What makes a side gig a 5-star hustle?

• The potential for exceptional earnings.

• Reasonable fees that are only triggered when you make money -- or are paid by the client, not the freelancer.

• Rewards that far outweigh any risks.

• Geographic reach that gives our readers a good chance to participate, no matter whether they live in a small town or big city.

• Enviable working conditions.

• A set-up that allows freelancers to make the gig their business, if they want to.

Gigs that make the grade

Although these side hustles are outstanding, they aren’t for everyone. Some are exclusively for homeowners; some enlist specialists; and some require a learned skill. That said, almost anyone can find at least one viable gig from this list. Since they’re all equally great, they’re listed here alphabetically. (But when one great gig is similar to another, they’re grouped together.)

Veho Review: Warehouse to Consumer Delivery Gigs

Got a mid-sized sedan and want to profit by using it? Veho would like to enlist you as a driver. But beware of their unrealistic hourly pay projections.

Here’s what you need to know, if you’re considering driving for Veho.

Stay-at-home parents often look for ways to make a few extra bucks. After all, living on one income can be tough. But finding time to do extra work can be equally difficult for parents juggling household chores with the many other demands of parenting. One solution? Make money doing what you’re already doing.

A laundry list of online platforms offer the chance to make money providing household services -- like laundry, kid transportation, tutoring, cooking and even coaching kids in sports. If these are things you’re already doing -- and you don’t mind adding a few loads to the washer or additional trips around town -- you can make good money doing more of what you’re already doing. Here are the gigs; how they work; and where to find them.

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Maybe you’ve got a house with a pool -- or a recreational vehicle that you bought during the Covid era when RVs were the only way to travel. You can make these -- and many other luxuries -- pay off thanks to a host of peer-to-peer rental platforms.

In fact, it’s so easy to make your luxuries pay off that you might decide to buy one for both fun and profit.

Here are the online platforms that can help you make your luxuries pay off.

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If you listen to the radio, you’ve doubtless heard advertisements for a site called Trashie that promises to pay you for sending in used goods for recycling. But it’s a pay-to-play system that makes no economic sense for donors. Even if you’re into the idea of recycling, this isn’t the best way to do it.

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There are hundreds of side hustle sites that can help you find work in everything from restaurants to tech. But most of them offer work on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. The site -- or its clients -- set the wages. You only decide whether or not to accept the gig. However, some side gig sites let you set your own pay.

The set-your-own-pay sites are great for freelancers getting started, as well as for those with vast experience, and those who are great at what they do. They allow freelancers to publish detailed profiles that differentiate their services from the competition. And that sets you up for success.

Better yet, these sites exist in a wide array of work categories, allowing everyone from dog-sitters to tech experts the freedom to set their own pay. Here’s where you can find set-your-own-pay gigs.

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Making Money on Two Wheels

Think you need a car to make money with delivery apps? Not necessarily. While many gig workers rely on cars, a growing number are making money on two wheels -- delivering food, groceries, and small packages by bike, e-bike, or scooter.

Data from delivery platforms shows the shift clearly. In the United States and Canada, the share of deliveries made by bikes, e-bikes or scooters has tripled since 2022 on major platforms such as DoorDash. The trend is particularly pronounced in dense urban areas such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D. C.

Everybody wins

The reason bike and scooter-based delivery is soaring is because it benefits everyone. Cities like it because it reduces congestion at peak traffic hours, such as lunch and dinner times.

Restaurants and their customers like it because two-wheel deliveries can be faster than deliveries by car. That means diners get their meals faster while they’re still hot.

The speed of delivering via two wheels is also a major plus to the freelancers doing the deliveries. After all, you get paid by the delivery, not by the hour. So, if it takes less time, you make comparatively more. Moreover, customers are more likely to be satisfied -- and tip -- when you’re fast, too. Meanwhile, you’re saving the cost of gas and car insurance.

What you need to know

But the job also comes with trade-offs. There are physical demands. Demand is highest when the weather is at its worst, which subjects you to freezing temperatures and rotten road conditions. And, of course, pay is unpredictable, relying on both demand and customer tips.

What do you need to know about making money on two wheels?

The process

Most riders sign up through app-based delivery platforms such as DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub, Instacart or GoPuff. These platforms typically require:

• A smartphone capable of running the delivery app

• Identity verification and a background check

• A bike, e-bike, or scooter (depending on the platform and city)

• An insulated delivery bag or backpack

Notably, where freelancers wanting to deliver with a car also need auto insurance and a driver’s license, these requirements are waived for those delivering on two wheels. That can make the onboarding process a little quicker and easier.

Once approved, riders can log in and start accepting orders within the app.

Practical issues

Two-wheel deliveries primarily make sense when they’re short hauls -- both the pick-up and delivery are within a few miles of each other. So delivering on two wheels is only going to work for a freelancer who is within a few miles of city amenities, such as supermarkets and restaurants.

Moreover, if you want to deliver groceries, as well as restaurant meals, you’re likely to need an expensive e-bike or have the strength to cart heavy groceries in a bike basket. This can keep you in great shape. But it’s also a physical demand that many people can’t meet.

Finally, because you (and, possibly, your bike) have a limited capacity to haul big orders, you need to be careful about the gigs you accept. Sites like Instacart and GoPuff that pick-up and deliver groceries can also be problematic, when a customer asks for additional items while you’re shopping.

The benefits

That said, there’s no gas or parking expenses. And, because drivers can use short cuts, bike lanes and, sometimes, sidewalks, they can deliver faster and more efficiently.

A study by Axios estimates that deliveries made via bike or scooter were done 10% faster and, thus, delivered better hourly pay to the freelancer doing the work.

Where to Find Gigs

Most bike delivery work comes through national delivery platforms. The most popular delivery apps and what they specialize in are:

Uber Eats

Uber Eats delivers restaurant takeout, fast food, groceries, and convenience items. Most bike- friendly orders are short restaurant runs in dense neighborhoods that earn riders $15 to $25 per hour before expenses. However, hourly earnings are affected by location, time of day, order volume, and tips. Riders say lunch and dinner shifts perform best.

DoorDash

DoorDash delivers food, groceries, alcohol, and other convenience items. Pay typically ranges from $2 to $10+ per order, depending on distance, time, and demand. The platform frequently offers promotions that can boost earnings.

Grubhub

Just like Uber Eats and DoorDash, Grubhub delivers restaurant takeouts, groceries, and items you can buy from convenience stores. Most riders make about $14 per hour, according to Indeed. But pay can rise to $20 in high-demand cities, depending primarily on tips.

Instacart

Instacart delivers groceries, food, household items, and convenience items. Full-service shoppers earn $7–$10 per batch, depending on order size, item type, distance, and effort.

Gopuff

Gopuff delivers convenience items like snacks, drinks, household essentials, over-the-counter medicine, and alcohol. Unlike most delivery apps, it uses its own local micro-fulfillment centers instead of third-party stores.
Riders pick up orders directly from these centers and deliver them to customers. According to Zip Recruiter, the pay range is $10.10 to $30.05 per hour.

If two-wheeled delivery gigs appeal to you, SideHusl.com recommends that you sign up for all five of these platforms to increase the chance of getting an appropriate gig during hours that work for you.

Most side hustles can be done at any time of the day or night, which makes them great for people who need lots of flexibility. However, some side hustles favor early risers for a variety of practical reasons.

If you happen to be an early bird and are looking for productive and profitable ways to use your time, these side hustles for early risers may be just the ticket.

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Looking to earn a few bucks taking surveys? YouGov may be just the ticket. But the operative term is “few” bucks.

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Being good with people makes you more than just the life the party. Those connection skills are a super-power that are in great demand. Dozens of side gigs can help you monetize your social skills.

Here are a handful of great people-person side gigs, where to find them, and what they pay.

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Looking for Remote Work? Skip this site

Remotasks purports to pay freelancers to train AI models. But this site forces you to engage in unpaid training before every assignment, which drastically reduces the hourly rate you earn.

What is Remotasks?

Remotasks is one of many research firms that aim to teach artificial intelligence models to be more intelligent. They do that by enlisting freelancers to “train” AI to do things it is bad at -- like recognizing and separating specific items in photographs, categorizing things and evaluating AI answers to various questions.

A subsidiary of Scale AI, Remotasks works almost identically to Outlier -- another Scale AI division. And, indeed, the sites largely merged in 2024, with Remotasks workers getting gigs through Outlier and vice versa.

How it works

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Find a side gig

Are you looking for a side gig but don’t know what you can do? Check out SideHusl.com’s quiz. It asks you questions about the type of gig you’re looking for and then recommends some of the best side gig platforms of the more than 500 that we’ve reviewed.

You can find the Quiz here.

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Massage Jobs

If you’re a trained massage therapist, Zeel may be able to help you earn extra income.

What is Zeel?

Zeel is an on-demand wellness marketplace that contracts with employers, health plans, spas and hotels to provide an array of wellness services, including medical massage, Covid tests, yoga and some physical therapy services. Services are provided through a network of freelance providers, who receive a portion of the fees, plus 100% of the tips paid by clients.

However, massage therapy appears to be the primary service for which Zeel seeks freelance help.

How it works

If you want to sign up as a provider, you’ll fill out an application, providing your professional experience, certifications and proof of insurance. You must have at least a $3 million liability policy, with up to $1 million in coverage for each “occurrence.”

The site will review your information and, if you’re accepted, contact you with information about how to start getting work. You’ll fill out a calendar, showing when you’re available and Zeel will send you notifications when someone in your area requests services that fit your skills, region and availability.

Each notification will specify what the job involves; where it’s located and what it pays -- both to Zeel and you. The site generally adds an 18% tip onto client bills that also goes directly to the service provider.

Zeel review (for freelancers)

Zeel promises some of the best massage therapist pay in the industry. And it certainly pays better than most store-front massage outlets such as Massage Envy. However, massage therapists also have more expenses when working for Zeel.

That’s because they must travel to the client, rather than the client coming to them. And, they’ve got to bring whatever equipment is required. Zeel’s insurance requirement also adds costs. And, because you’re freelance, you may also have a higher tax obligation.

Pay

That said, the pay difference can be startling. Where Massage Envy pays about $20 - $25 per hour, Zeel typically pays between $70 and $85 per hour. Freelance therapists get paid once weekly by direct deposit.

Zeel Spa payments are based on two factors, with providers receiving the higher of the two. One method is based on a rate per minute of hands-on time, plus tip. The other formula is a guaranteed minimum payment, plus tips.

The guaranteed minimum is a safeguard in case a spa books a provider for a block of time but doesn’t fill all appointment slots. Even if no massages are performed, the provider would still receive the guaranteed minimum payment. Therapists see both calculations in the appointment details before accepting gigs.

Working conditions

Aside from the better-than-average hourly pay, Zeel therapists have complete control over their time. You are in charge of your personal calendar, which states when you are and are not available. Zeel will only offer you gigs that fit your availability.

However, it’s important to pay close attention to where the gig is located, since you will be spending your own time and gas getting there. One of the main complaints we see about this site is that you can spend as much -- or more -- time traveling to and from gigs as you do working. That significantly impacts your real hourly rate.

Client cancellations

If a client cancels within 4 hours of your appointment time, Zeel will provide you with partial payment. The amount you get will depend on when the client cancels. If it’s 2-4 hours prior to the appointment, the therapist gets $20. If it’s between 1 and 2 hours before the apointment, you get $40. If it’s less than an hour before the appointment, or if the client no-shows, you get $50.

Inappropriate behavior

Unfortunately, massage therapists -- particularly those working in homes and hotels -- frequently report that clients “misunderstand” the service being provided and act inappropriately or ask for inappropriate services.

Zeel takes complaints about clients seriously. Not only are clients “rated” in the app, you have the ability to leave an appointment at any time, if you feel threatened. If you do, however, make sure to report the problem to the site’s Trust & Safety team.

No guarantees

Although Zeel operates in most states nationwide, the site offers no guarantee about how much work it will send you. In some cities, business is brisk. In others, it’s nearly non-existent.

That said, you don’t need to guarantee them any specific amount of time, either. So, this can work well as a side gig to generate occasional added income.

Recommendations

Since you’re not committed to spending any specific amount of time working with Zeel clients, there’s little downside to signing up here. (You can sign up with Zeel here.)

You may also want to check out Priv, which books clients for cosmetologists, massage therapists and other wellness services.

What their therapists say (from Indeed):

It’s all based on you accepting clients or not or when you want them. They remind you of your insurance is going to expire or your license they are very supportive and care about the safety of their massage therapist

Great mobile massage company. Always busy and pay is above average. Been with them for over 5 years and will keep going even if I decide on a spa massage job

Decent opportunity for therapists seeking the most autonomy and independence in their work, but depending on the location, may not be reliable for full-time income. Support team is always helpful.

Costs vs. pay

The pay is competitive only if compared to an average or low paying spa. The difference however is that unlike a spa, Zeel commissions do not accurately factor in commuting time, commuting expense, supply costs. Actually, spas also don’t do that, but spas are less expensive for employees and independent contracts for the detail of not sitting in traffic between clients, having to do or pay for laundered massage table bedding.

It’s a lot of work being an owner operator but working as a contractor gave me a ton of flexibility working around my school schedule. Dollar for Dollar I always made more per hour which is why I never went back to spa employment afterwards. What I made in 2hrs at a spa I could always make in 1 with Zeel ( or any of the other app based massage sites for that matter)

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Ghost Jobs: How to Sidestep Fake Job Listings

Nothing is more frustrating to a job seeker than to answer a help-wanted advertisement to only find out that it was fake. And yet, “ghost jobs” -- jobs that are advertised, but not real -- are ubiquitous.

Ghost jobs fall into a variety of categories, ranging from outright scams to HR white-washing. And they’re on the rise. Indeed, a recent study by ResumeUp.Ai says that roughly 27.4% of the jobs posted on LinkedIn are phantoms -- listings by real companies that have no intention of hiring. And that doesn’t count the scam listings that the Better Business Bureau (BBB) says cost job-seekers some $840,000 in 2023 -- a 250% increase from the year prior.

Legitimate Causes

Why would legitimate companies post help-wanted advertisements that they don’t intend to fill? The reasons are myriad. Some companies want to give the impression that they’re growing, even when they’re not. Others have a preferred internal candidate, but their human resource rules require them to search more broadly. Additionally, some companies are simply trolling for candidates for potential future hiring, even though they don’t have current openings. And, a portion of the advertisements are simply stale, reflecting a job that was legitimate but has already been filled.

Nefarious causes

Meanwhile, scammers capitalize on job-seeker frustration and desperation by posting advertisements too. Often these are aimed at either conning applicants into paying up-front fees or providing personal information that the scammers later use to gain access to credit in the victim’s name.

Social media boost

Notably, social media sites ranging from LinkedIn to TikTok benefit from the fake ads both directly and indirectly. After all, even scammers pay for their advertisements, which creates a direct boost to the social media company’s bottom line. But the indirect benefits are equally significant.

Job posts -- even fake ones -- generate significant user activity. People will click, view, apply, and even share with friends and relatives. All this fuels engagement algorithms that the platforms use to justify their advertising rates and their stock prices.

Moreover, every person who interacts with the listing provides valuable behavioral and demographic data. The social media platforms use this data for targeted marketing and sell it to third parties.

Red flags

Don’t want to get taken in by fake job listings? Then take a few steps to verify that the listings are real.

Double-check: If the post lists a specific company that’s seeking workers, verify the job listing on the “careers” page of that company’s official website. (Most legit listings include a link to the company’s careers page, but go to it independently using your favorite search engine to make sure you’re not follow a scammer’s fake link.)

If the job is on Indeed, Facebook, or LinkedIn but not on the company’s official career page, it is likely a placeholder, stale listing or a scam.

Too-good: Scam listings often fall into the too-good-to-be-true category. They will offer extremely high pay for low-skilled, easy, flexible, or remote work. Ask yourself why someone would pay thousands for a few hours of work per day. They wouldn’t, unless they expect you to do something illegal, right?

Suspicious application process: Scammers also may ask for unnecessary personal info, direct you to external sites, or ask you to pay. No legit employer will ask for your Social Security number, driver’s license, or bank details before you have gone through a formal interview and accepted a written offer. Similarly, real employers don’t ask you to pay for training, software, application processing fees, or equipment.

Vague descriptions: Job descriptions with no specific details about responsibilities, team structure, or required qualifications are often red flags.

Evergreen postings: A job listed for 30-60 days or more is likely a ghost job. Also, those that appear repeatedly over months without updates. Even if it’s real, why would you apply for a role that keeps hiring and firing within months? It may be a toxic work environment.

Using SideHusl to verify Gig Jobs

The one time evergreen listings may be real is when the job listing is for a part-time gig -- such as Uber, DoorDash or another gig platform. These companies are constantly on the lookout for new workers, since most people who engage in gig jobs work only part-time at their own convenience. For this type of job, you can use SideHusl.com to check out the company.

To know if a company or job listing is legit, type the name in the search bar on SideHusl.com’s home page. If you do not have a specific company in mind, browse by work category (e.g., teaching, driving, selling, renting) to find vetted, legitimate options.

Each company review includes 1- 5 ratings (Husl$cores) to gauge how well each platform serves workers, factoring in job availability, pay, risks, and working conditions. Companies with stronger ratings are legitimate, pay well, and treat workers fairly. A company with a low score -- 1 or 2 in the rating system -- is likely a scam, has extremely low pay or has poor working conditions. You can also read user reviews and complaints to understand how former and current employees feel about the company.

If you’re not sure where to start, click the SideHusl Quiz to discover various ways to make money based on your interests, resources and skills.

Here’s what can you do.

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Teachers looking for remote work may want to consider K12 Learning, a division of Stride Learning. The site hires teachers for both part-time and full-time remote positions around the country.

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Astrology is admittedly a pseudo-science, with no real studies to prove it accurate. Nonetheless, people often laugh about how well Astrological signs describe people born under them. That makes it fun to speculate about the best side gigs based on your astrological sign.

So, we looked at the top characteristics of each sign to match them with side hustles that play to that sign’s strengths.

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Do you have vast experience and compassion for the child birth process, either because of personal circumstances or your profession? You may want to look into becoming a doula.

Doulas advise and assist expectant parents on everything from pregnancy aches and pains to the birth itself. They can also offer babysitting, lactation consulting, sleep training advice and a variety of other services to parents of newborns.

A site called DoulaMatch can help you find these gigs, which are both rewarding and highly-compensated.

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Holiday bills are coming due, which may make you want to consider a side hustle. There are plenty of great side gigs for 2026 that can help you pay off that holiday debt and then some.

We’ve broken them down month-to-month, showing some of the gigs that are in highest demand during that month or season. However, most of these gigs are available year-round. So if you find one that works for you, stick with it. And maybe add a second, if you have the time.

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Mystery shopping can sound like a dream side hustle. After all, who wouldn’t love getting paid to shop, dine, or visit a spa or theater while secretly evaluating their service? But it’s not all nice meals and movies. Mystery shopping is a real job that requires being reliable, detail-oriented and prompt.

And while the jobs can sometimes be fun, some of the gigs are tedious and poorly paid. Worse, a sea of scammers and exaggerated promises can make it tough to find legitimate companies that treat their shoppers fairly.

How do you tell the trustworthy companies from the tricksters?

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Tim Fung has seen his share of odd jobs -- really odd jobs. Indeed, the website he operates -- Airtasker -- specializes in them.

Airtasker, a site that’s well-known in Australia but relatively new to the U.S., invites clients to post job listings that say what they want done, what they want to pay, and then pick and choose among the freelance workers who offer to do the job.

While nothing in the site’s terms stipulate that the jobs need to be unique or different, most have something that’s not exactly standard, says Fung. After all, if you just wanted someone to clean your house, you’d probably hire a cleaning service, like Turno. If you wanted bookcase assembled, you might enlist someone from Taskrabbit.

Really odd jobs

But, if you needed help decluttering after a difficult break-up or a death, and wanted some emotional support while you worked, that’s the type of job that you’d post on Airtasker. If you needed the bookcase to fit into a tight corner, which might involve a little imagination and power tools, you could explain that assignment here too.

“It’s not that the jobs are odd, but a lot of them are unique,” says Fung. “Our platform is there for people who want something done that doesn’t necessarily fit into a standard package.”

For instance, one Australian posted a job looking for a freelancer willing to fly from Sydney to Dallas, all expenses paid, to pick up an engagement ring and fly back.

Initially, Fung thought that job was so odd that it was likely to be a scam and Airtasker deleted the post. But the poster, a prominent surgeon, contacted the site’s support team complaining that he could find no better way to courier expensive jewelry across continents. They reposted the gig and a very happy freelancer got a free trip to the U.S. and $1,000 in pocket change for taking the assignment.

Common requests

However, everyday issues with a twist are far more common. For instance,

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