Table of Contents show

Are you starting to feel stir-crazy in retirement? Are you looking for a way to earn some extra cash on the side? Thankfully, there is plenty of great side hustles for retirees between driving services, tutoring, selling your own creations, and more. Below we’ve put together a list of the 11 best side hustles for retirees so that you can find the ideal side gig for your golden years.

1. Pet sitting

If you’re a lover of pets, becoming a pet sitter is a great side hustle for retirees. Walking dogs is a good way to stay active and enjoy the outdoors. There’s a lot of flexibility in pet sitting as you can choose what type of pets to watch, where you’ll watch them, and whether they’ll be with you 24/7 or getting checked on occasionally. If you’re limited on physical capabilities, pets like cats and caged animals need very little sitting and are less physically demanding to take care of.

2. Delivery driver

Delivery driver jobs are all the rage these days. Beyond classic delivery driver jobs, you now have the option to drive for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, GrubHub, and more. Delivery driver jobs through companies like DoorDash are super flexible so you can work whenever you want and for however long you want, making this job one of the best side hustles for retirees. If you love to grocery shop, becoming a delivery driver for Instacart or a similar company is a dream job!

3. Sell locally-grown produce or flowers

For retirees that have a green thumb, and room for gardens, growing produce or plants and selling them on the side is a great way to earn some extra cash. Fruit, vegetables, flowers, and plants can be sold at a local farmer’s market or even online through Facebook Marketplace or other local groups. This is a great side hustle for retirees who don’t necessarily want to work all year long but would enjoy staying active and bringing in extra income in the warmer months.

4. Turn your hobby into a business

Do you have a hobby that you can turn into a business? Maybe your creations can be sold locally or via an online platform like Etsy? If you don’t already have a hobby, now is the best time to give one a try. Hobbies to consider include woodworking, painting, jewelry-making, baking, photography, and more. You could also consider the needs of your community and what type of business would be helpful to those in your area.

5. Tutor

Offering to tutor students is a great side hustle for retirees because you can put all your years of knowledge and skill to use. With tutoring, you can choose to help students in-person or even virtually. If you’re primarily wanting to tutor as a side hustle, you may want to set your own hours and rate rather than getting hired by a business. As you tutor a few students to get your feet wet, you’ll probably find that word of mouth will get you more tutoring jobs as you go! 

Related articles:

6. Provide childcare

There is a huge demand for childcare so if you love children and are open to watching kids in your house or someone else’s home, it should be easy to find childcare jobs pretty quickly. Websites like Care.com and Rent a Grandma (yes, this really exists!) allow you to post your profile information online so that parents can locate, interview, and hire you for childcare services.

7. Rent your home on Airbnb

Do you have a home that you could rent out on an as-needed basis or when you’re out of town? If so, posting your home on Airbnb is one of the best side hustles for retirees as it can make you extra cash extra fast. Once you’ve gained a good reputation and even become a “Superhost,” you’ll get more requests to rent your space. If you can’t rent your entire home, consider renting a room or two.

8. Deliver baby gear

Want to rent and deliver baby gear to local families? By becoming a Quality Provider with BabyQuip, you can make life easier for traveling parents by providing them with baby gear including car seats, high chairs, strollers, toys, and more. This is one of the best side hustles for retirees who love to connect with families and find joy in being a hub for important baby items. On average, QPs make about $1000 per month. Not a bad side-gig if we do say so ourselves!

9. Substitute teach

There is high demand for substitute teachers in practically every school district so if you meet your state’s requirements, you’re almost guaranteed to get a job. The best part of this side hustle for retirees is the hours and flexibility. Substitute teachers can opt to work as much or little as they want (as needs arise) and the hours are typical school hours so no late evenings or weekends! 

10. Become a freelance writer

If you’d like to stay home (or work wherever you’d like) and you enjoy writing, consider becoming a freelance writer. A perk of this side hustle for retirees is that you can set your own hours and your own rate. There are many freelance websites where you can offer your skills for hire such as Upwork and Writers Work.

11. Clean houses

Cleaning houses on the side is a good way to stay active and put your cleaning skills to good use. Young families and busy folks are especially in need of house cleaning because of a lack of time to do it themselves. If you enjoy cleaning (especially other people’s homes) and would like to get out of your own home more often, offering cleaning services to local families is a great side hustle. 

As you can see, there is a huge variety of side hustles for retirees that you can get yourself into if you want to make some extra cash on the side. The best part of side hustles is the flexibility to set your own hours and rates rather than working a part-time or full-time job again. After all, you are retired! 

What’s a great side hustle for retirees that we may have missed? Let us know below!