I’m sure that when you reach retirement it’s probably a relief knowing that you’ll never have to work again and you can enjoy the rest of your life now – you can travel a bit or spend some time with the kids and grandkids.
But, after a while of being in retirement, you might notice things beginning to go sideways a bit in terms of money (and perhaps even boredom).
Even just inflation can become a big issue and it can become difficult to plan your finances; certain luxuries you could once afford might begin to slip away.
Added to that, you might incur expensive medical costs and house expenses that you weren’t expecting and hadn’t planned for, making planning out your monthly expenditure and sticking to a budget even more difficult.
This is the reason that side hustles have become quite popular recently among older people.
In this article I’ll explain everything you need to know about side hustles and what the best ones are that you can even venture into as a grandma!
What Is A Side Hustle?
First I’ll begin with what a side hustle actually is, because it’s very possible you might not have even heard of it before and I understand it might sound like a bit of a dodgy, illegitimate term!
It’s true that the term was originally used to describe scams – as well as some legitimate jobs – back in the 1950s.
But, today it’s evolved to mean something different and it simply means any job that allows you to earn extra money than what you’re already earning with your main income – whether that be your pension or a full-time job.
How Many Older People Actually Side Hustle?
It’s a lot more common than you might think, and actually Boomers tend to side hustle even more than younger people, such as Millennials, do.
A platform designed for gig work called Wonolu conducted a survey about side hustling on its site, and from it discovered that one in three Boomers actually do at least three different gigs per week on its platform.
Whereas, only one in five Millennials did the same.
Another survey conducted by Bankrate also discovered that Boomers made up around 28% of the total number of side hustlers.
What Are The Benefits Of Side Hustles?
Side hustles are a great way to simply earn some extra money without having to dedicate your life to work.
This means you can still have plenty of time to enjoy your retirement, whilst also having something to do whenever you begin to get a bit bored and want some routine back in your life.
Here are the few ways in which you can benefit from side hustling as a grandma:
- A sense of purpose – it will give you something to focus on and you can get into a good routine again to alleviate boredom
- Socializing – side hustles can entail you working with other people on certain projects – whether that be clients or co-workers – so you can get to know some new people
- Mental stimulation – engaging the mind is a necessity to keep you feeling healthy and it will also stop you becoming bored
Are There Any Risks Involved In Side Hustles?
As with anything, side hustles have their risks, so you need to be aware of these so you don’t end up losing more than you end up gaining. Below are a couple of examples of the risks involved.
Indemnification Clauses
Indemnification clauses are fairly common when it comes to side hustles. Basically, if a customer sues you, you’ll be fully responsible for paying out the legal costs and any other costs associated with it.
This clause is usually in the agreement you make with a client or customer, so watch out for this and search how to remove an indemnification clause from the contract if you see it come up in an agreement.
Serious Tax Implications
You might be retired, but naturally side hustles still require you to pay taxes on what you earn.
Most platforms issue a 1099 form so they aren’t withholding taxes. You need to make sure you pay them off so you don’t incur any interest or penalties that will break the bank.
If you end up making a lot of money from side hustling you could end up in a tax bracket that is fairly high without even realizing it, so it’s extremely important you keep up to date with your taxes.
Best Side Hustles For Grandmas
Below I’ve gone about listing what I think are the best side hustles to try out if you’re a grandma and have retired from work but are now looking to earn a little bit of extra money on top of your pension income.
Rent Out A Space You Already Own
Starting with a nice and easy one – if you already own a space that you can rent out, for example a holiday home that you only use at certain times of the year, or even a spare room in your own home if you want some company, then use it to your advantage and you could gain quite a good income from renting it out to people.
You can use a website like Airbnb, or you can also use a private agent, to advertise your property to people – it’s completely up to you how you decide to get tenants so do whatever is easiest for you personally.
Offer Child Care
If you’re a grandma and love looking after kids, providing child care is the perfect job for you to do because you’ll actually have lots of fun whilst you do it.
It’s also ideal because there are so many young families who have kids but also have extremely busy schedules with work, so child care is always in high demand.
To get work for this you can join sites like Care.com or Sittercity, where you can then upload a profile detailing your experience and credentials working with children or just generally babysitting – so even if you’ve never worked as a babysitter before, you can still put down your experience of simply being a grandma!
Use The Skills You Already Have
Perhaps one of the best ways to side hustle is to simply use the skills you already have that you’ve acquired throughout your life. As a retired grandma, you’re bound to have a plethora of different skills that you’ve picked up in various jobs along the way.
Whether you were a writer or a teacher, you can use it to your advantage but this time without being tied into a professional and permanent contract for it.
To do this you can go onto sites such as TaskRabbit, Upwork or Fiverr and essentially go freelance by offering your services – it could literally be anything – and people using the site to look for people to work for them will hire you and pay you.
Sell Things You Don’t Need Anymore
If you have anything that’s been lying around for years that you don’t use and don’t have any attachment to, then it might be time to get rid of it!
But, instead of just throwing it out, you can choose to sell it instead on sites like Ebay, Etsy or Amazon.
We’re all bound to have accumulated a certain amount of junk throughout our lives that we no longer want or need but have never bothered to actually get rid of.
You might think it’s junk and not worth anything, but you’ll be surprised how much people can be willing to pay for certain things that you’ve regarded as worthless for years!
Buy And Sell Things For Profit
If you really want to get your teeth into something to earn more money, then get into the art of buying items at a cheap price and then selling them on for a higher price in order to gain profit for yourself.
For this, you can buy cheap items – anything you can find that you think other people might want to buy – at stores like Marshalls or TJ Maxx or get things elsewhere that are on a heavy sale.
Then you just have to sell them on for more money on sites like Amazon or Ebay. You can learn how by listening to podcasts and watching YouTube videos on the topic; there are tons to choose from!
When you’re ready to give it a try, you can sign up to sell on Amazon here. If you want to try your hand at selling on eBay check out this article.
Self-Publish a Book
I know several people who love to write and always dreamed of publishing a book. Now it’s not only possible but you can do it for free!
If you have knowledge of any subject matter there’s a book you can write. Or maybe you want to write a novel or children’s book. You can even publish “low content” books like journals or coloring books.
There are no guarantees of income publishing a book, but if you have a passion give it a try. Here is a step-by-step guide if you’re interested.
Final Thoughts
When you’re a retired grandma, money can become tight and it can be extremely hard to stick to a financial plan, as you might incur unexpected costs, such as medical or house expenses, and inflation can also be tough to deal with.
If you find yourself becoming anxious about your financial situation, don’t worry, because you can easily side hustle to earn a bit extra to keep you on your feet.
Side hustling is great because you aren’t working full time and can still enjoy your retirement, but you also won’t get bored and can keep your finances on track.
I hope this guide has told you all you need to know about the best side hustles for grandmas!