How To Get Paid To Do Your Own Chores
Tags: Small Business, Entrepreneurship, Hustle, Side Hustle, Dog Walking

How To Get Paid To Do Your Own Chores Libby Apr 7·5 min read

How I Get Paid To Walk My Own Dog

Here's a way to earn money while doing your own chores and turn those everyday mundane tasks into earning potential. This is how I did it, with walking my dog, and how you can too.

Photo By Atoms on Unsplash

Okay, so I guess technically no one is paying me to walk my dog, but I am getting paid for the time that I am walking my dog, which is along the same lines.

Let’s be clear; I don't think you need to make money from everything you do. You don’t need to justify how you spend your time based on a monetary value. I just knew a way to turn those 5 hours in my weekdays into a way I could at least recover the costs of taking an hour out of my working day to go on a long walk with my dog.

This is not about finding a service that you can provide as a freelancer; this is about analysing your current lifestyle and parts of it that just aren’t worth doing at the moment and working out a way to leverage this time.

This is your sign to think about the types of things you do every day or at least every single week and work out a way to turn that time into cash or at least cover your expenses.

For me, this was dog walking. For you, it may be completely different.

Take my example and run with it. I want you to take this as inspiration to go ahead and find a way that you can earn money doing something that you already do.

How to turn a chore into a profitable part of your day

Whatever you’re doing, whether that be a hobby or just going food shopping, I’m confident that you could use that as a way to actually earn money for the time while you’re doing your own ‘chores.’

I encourage you to think of an aspect of your life that you have to do every single week and try and think if anybody else needs that service in your local area.

Step 1. Analyse Your Daily Tasks

Run through what you do on a typical day or week. Is there any aspect of your day you hate doing? Find a few things you would consider a ‘task’ that other people may actually need help with too.

Step 2. Make an Advert

Put an advert on a local site that acts as a bulletin board for you and your neighbours (if you’re in the UK, the app I use is called ‘next door’ or try local Facebook groups). Now more than ever, it couldn’t be easier to use your phone to connect with local people in your area.

Step 3. Meet Potential Clients

Set up a meeting with your potential customers. For me, this was local dog owners. Then be clear on your experience and what service you can offer. Maybe even offer a couple of free test runs. In total, this will take a few hours per client to get everything set up and show your interest. But it will be worth it long-term.

Step 4. Set Up A Regular Schedule With Them

Regularity is key here. The initial set up of this will take some time and effort on your part. You want something you can do daily or weekly basis because that is where the real difference will come from.

To recap, initially, you will have to do some groundwork to find clients, meet with them and, hopefully, organise a schedule. You may also have to invest in some extra equipment. For example, I had to buy car seat covers, extra lead, etc. But with some initial time and money invested into this, I’m now able to make a few extra pennies (~$14–17 per dog) in my side hustle every week doing something that I was already doing.

The reason I love this way of earning and how much it benefits my lifestyle is that I am able to take my dog with me; therefore, I can give her the walk she needs while also providing this as a service to other people.

Other Ideas:

Food shopping

Put out an advert online suggesting that you could also someone's food shop. Since the pandemic hit, a growing number of people would rather have someone else do their food shop. Plus, while you charge them for the time you are picking up their shopping, you can do your own.

Lift-sharing

If you have to drive to commute to the city for work from your area, try and find somebody doing the same commute at a similar time. Ok, yes you may not want to speak to somebody early in the morning, but you can split the cost of the petrol and charge them for the convenience of having somebody driving to work and the use of your car. You could not only save money on your commute, but you are also earning doing something that you literally have to do anyway. It is all about finding the right person to set up a regular service for that is mutually beneficial for you both.

Cooking

If you know someone who hates spending any time in the kitchen, offer to cook for them if they cover the cost of the meal. Making double the portion will be little extra work on your end, but having the other person front the food bill will benefit you both. In exchange for you saving them time in the kitchen, they can pay the food bill to cover both meals. Meaning you can eat for ‘free’ in exchange for spending time in the kitchen, which you would have to do anyway.

Take-Home Message

I hope this article inspired you to go ahead turn your chores into your own side hustle to cover your living expenses or even turn a profit.

Again, this is not me saying that every part of your life needs to make your money. I am saying that if there is something that you can easily implement, with just a few hours of upfront work, it might be worth doing, so you earn money just doing what you’re regularly doing anyway.