SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - Need some easy cash? We'll show you a few simple side jobs you can do if your income from your day job isn't completely cutting it.
Could you use a little extra money to make ends meet? More and more San Diegans are using their smart phones to land jobs on the side, commonly called side hustles or side gigs.
“It was 50 or 60 bucks a week but it was 50 or 60 bucks that I didn't have to do anything for,” said Jeff Stephenson of Lemon Grove.
For six weeks last year, Jeff’s Jeep looked more like a traveling billboard. Solana Beach company Wrapify paid Jeff to drive around with his Jeep wrapped in advertising, tracking his mileage with a smartphone app.
“I showed up. I let them put the vinyl on my car. They took the vinyl back off. All I had to do was do my normal thing and drive around,” he said.
The side gig allowed Jeff to earn some extra money and it also gave him a sense of independence. “You have to be internally driven. There's no man telling you what to do. You become the man,” Jeff said.
We heard a similar story from personal shopper Kathleen Deane, who works a side gig for the internet-based delivery service Shipt. “I prefer the freedom. I like seeing and working with different people and I'm getting out every day,” she said.
A smart phone app notifies Kathleen when someone needs her to go shopping. She picks up the groceries and delivers them to the client's door. “Lots of baby items because you have moms that have babies. They don't want to go out for diapers,” she explained.
Kathleen can set the areas of town where she wants to shop and the number of hours she works per day. “It’s kind of cool to have regular clients because you have a rapport with them. They know you. In fact, I'm now friends with one of my regulars,” Kathleen said.
Up in Encinitas, Brent Whitteker has been a GoShare mover for the past two years.
He uses his own truck to help people move things, pretty much anything that will fit in the back of a pickup. Heavy lifting is required. “When people actually need a truck to move something, generally that thing is very heavy,” Brent said.
“On a good month I get maybe 30 jobs and I make about $1500,” he said.
All of these side gigs require a smartphone because they are app based. And it helps if you have an entrepreneurial spirit.
“I think everyone should try one of these side hustle gigs because if nothing else it makes you a better worker. You learn how to motivate and control your own destiny and not just let yourself be led around by the nose,” said Jeff Stephenson, the Wrapify driver.
Many of these companies require training and background checks before letting you sign on.