Whether you enjoy curling up with a good book, being in front (or behind) the camera, or having detailed discussions with your friends, these hobbies and more can be turned into profitable ventures.
You may find that you can make a little extra money from your hobby or maybe even turn it into a full-time job. In any case, if you can still make money from something you do in your free time, it’s an opportunity you shouldn’t miss.
We will talk to you about how to turn fun hobbies into ways to make money.
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Playing games
Yes, it really is possible to make money playing games.
A good way to do this is to join Swagbucks. In case you’re not familiar with it, it’s a website and app that allows you to earn points (known as SB) by completing simple tasks including playing games.
Once you earn enough SB, you can redeem them for gift cards or PayPal money. Our Swagbucks review explains how it works in more detail.
You can also consider becoming a professional video game player. This would open up a lot of avenues for making money, such as gaming competitions and streaming on Twitch.
These are just a few of the many ways to get paid for this hobby. Click the button below for more ideas.
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Watching video
If you already spend time scrolling through videos every day, why not do it on apps that pay you for your time?
There are tons of apps that pay you to watch videos, including InboxPounds and WeAre8.
If you’re a big fan of film and television, you might also consider writing reviews or typing subtitles for filmmakers as a freelancer.
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Walking
Credits: Prostock-studio – Shutterstock
Walking has many benefits. It’s good for your health, it’s cheaper (and better for the environment) than other forms of travel and, as it turns out, it can be rewarding.
Apps like Sweatcoin and BetterPoints let you earn points by walking that you can exchange for things like gift cards. If you can get a gift card to a store you shop at regularly, it’s basically like free money!
And these aren’t the only ways to get paid to walk. As a few more ideas, you can also become a dog walker, tour guide, or hand out flyers for local businesses.
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Reading books
Like any avid reader, we could sing the praises of books all day long. We probably don’t need to tell you how effective reading can be as a way to relax after a long day of studying.
But what we are going to tell you is how to make money from this great hobby.
One way is to join BookTok. If you become famous, you could potentially land some valuable sponsorship and partnership deals for your social media content.
You can also start a book blog, proofread for freelance authors, or try one of the other ideas in our dedicated guide (link below).
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Fashion
Love clothes, but tired of a cluttered closet? There is a simple (and profitable) solution to this: sell your old clothes.
By selling your clothes, you will not only make some money, but you will also avoid them going to landfill.
Check out our guide to selling on Vinted for tips on how to make more money from your clothes.
Other good sites include Depop and eBay. These are also great places to buy cheap used clothes as you can find really good prices.
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acting
You might think it’s a pipe dream to appear on TV or the big screen… but it’s surprisingly achievable.
Admittedly, the odds of landing the lead role in a blockbuster are slim (although you’re still more likely to win an Oscar than the lottery).
However, something that is many more attainable becomes a TV or film extra.
You can earn upwards of £90 a day and could end up on the set of some exciting shows and movies.
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Caring for animals
Credit: Jaromir Chalabala – Shutterstock
You may have heard that spending time with dogs can improve your mood. But have you ever thought about turning your love for animals into a way to make money in your spare time?
Pet sitting is an amazing part-time job. It should easily fit into your university schedule during term time, and can be particularly lucrative during the holidays when pet owners are away.
Of course, caring for human animals involves great responsibility. To do this job, you must be reliable, trustworthy and considerate of animals. But if you have the necessary pet sitting skills, it could be an ideal way to earn money as a student.
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Music
If you’re always looking for new music, one option is to try Slicethepie. It’s a way to review music and get paid for your feedback.
The amount you earn per review will depend on several factors. This includes how detailed your feedback is, along with your ‘star rating’ which is based on the overall quality of your reviews.
Although Slicethepie is a way to make money from your hobby, you probably won’t earn much for your reviews. As an example, we previously earned just $0.01 (which is less than £0.01!) per review.
However, if you love discovering new music, you might find that making money from this hobby is worthwhile. And as mentioned, there is a chance to earn more as your rating increases. We explain more in our complete guide to making money on Slicethepie.
Another option is to start a profitable blog where you share music reviews.
You can also consider collaborating with musicians through sites like Fiverr. For example, if you have experience writing, producing or promoting music, these are all valuable skills you could use as a freelancer.
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Podcasting
A bit of a chatterbox? As a podcaster, you can turn hobbies like debates, comedy or meeting new people into a way to make money.
If you have a close friend or partner with whom you have tons of detailed (or hilarious) conversations, see if they’d like to start a podcast with you.
Or would you prefer to host a podcast yourself. Many successful podcasts are run by individual hosts who invite others for interviews.
Whichever approach you choose, try to find your niche and make sure your content is engaging.
There are many ways to monetize your podcast, including advertising and sponsorship deals, as well as affiliate marketing and membership plans.
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Photo
You might think that only those with top-quality cameras can make money from their photography hobby – but that’s not necessarily the case.
While you can potentially make more from your photos with a high-spec camera, it is possible to earn from photos taken with a smartphone.
If you sell your photos to image sites, there is an opportunity to receive a discount on the selling price of each image sold.
One good offer is that students who contribute to Alamy receive 100% of the sale price of their images for two years.
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Drawing and painting
Art is a great hobby to make money from because there are many ways to sell your artwork.
If you want to sell art online, two marketplaces to try are Artfinder and Saatchi Art.
Alternatively, some of the best ways to sell art offline include finding galleries to represent your work, applying to art fairs, and hosting open studio events (if you’re lucky enough to have an art studio).
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Writing
If you’re good at crafting interesting content, it’s worth looking into how to make money writing. Depending on the route you take, it can become a very profitable hobby.
Journalism is one good option. It is possible to earn as a freelancer by receiving commissions from media publications. And since it’s a flexible job, it will fit into your daily schedule.
You can also apply for transcription jobs. These are mostly paid opportunities that you can do in your spare time from home, making them ideal student jobs.
And why not start writing a blog? You would have the freedom to choose what (and when) to write, and you can earn money from the blog as it grows. It’s a great way to generate income from a website.
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Social media
We all know how easy it is to open TikTok, blink, and the next thing you know an hour (or more) has passed. In short: social media isn’t always the best for productivity.
But the good news is that your time on social media could potentially earn you quite a bit of money.
We mentioned earlier that joining BookTok is a potential way to make money from reading.
Other ways to get paid on social media include:
If you’re good at creating online content and love interacting with people on social media, becoming an influencer could be a great way to make money.
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Language learning
Do you enjoy speaking not only in one, but in several languages? This hobby could become a very good income for you.
As a few examples, you might consider creating and selling language resources or perhaps teaching English as a foreign language.
You can even spend your summer working abroad, further developing your language skills and earning money in the process!
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Crafts
Credit: Kate Aedon – Shutterstock
Crocheting, knitting, embroidery… whatever your favorite crafting hobby is, chances are you can make money from it.
By setting up an Etsy shop or your own website (or both), you can start selling your crafty creations.
Here are some examples of handicrafts for sale:
- Personalized cards
- Cushion covers
- Handbags
- Bookmarks
- Jewelry.
The key to turning your hobby into a small business is finding your niche, creating high-quality products, and marketing to potential customers (social media is ideal for this).
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Quizzes
Of all the hobbies on this list, quizzing arguably has the most potential to make you a lot of money, very quickly – at least if you’re willing to take your quizzing skills to a TV show.
Of course, you can win a bar card (or potentially a small cash prize) by winning a local pub quiz.
But for a chance to win the big bucks, you should probably consider entering the major TV quizzes.
