This summer, I knew I had to save money for my next semester here in Austin. There was only one issue … I couldn’t find a job, and after a month of trying I gave up and decided to take matters into my own hands. I did extensive research on what side-jobs existed, by which I mean searching on TikTok. After my best friend and I dedicated our summer to doing these side-jobs, we truly felt like experts in the subject and now I must share my wisdom for those also struggling to find a job.
Instacart
Instacart is a grocery delivery app, you can order from places like H-E-B, Walgreens, Costco, etc. Orders did not come through too often, but that may be because my hometown is sort of small. For me, it was quality over quantity- I got paid really well for the orders that did come in and you get a good amount of time to complete the orders. We got $15 to go to PetSmart just to get a bag of dog food and we were ecstatic. Although we never got to get an order from Target or Natural Grocers, which we wanted so badly, I would totally recommend Instacart.
FAVor/Uber Eats
Favor is a Texas only delivery app, in which you can order from local restaurants or get H-E-B groceries. Favor was my favorite out of the three delivery apps because not only did we always have an order to complete, but they also paid really well. By the end of the summer, my best friend and I knew exactly what row and section an item was at our H-E-B because of how often we were there. Some orders were just errands such as delivering flowers to someone, and we got $20 for that. I grouped this one with UberEats because it is also a food and grocery delivery app, and our method was to have both of these and Instacart all running at the same time- we would go home with $200 in profit after just driving around town together all day. My advice would be to do all three, but never just UberEats. It had an insane abundance of orders, but the pay was not too good. We decided to only accept orders that were $7 or more, so our acceptance rate was not too great. For these three apps, you get a base pay and then added tips, so think of this next time you order from a delivery app!
Depop/Vinted
I started posting on these apps later in the summer, but I am still on them til this day. On Depop and Vinted, you can sell secondhand clothing, accessories, shoes, and more- they’re like online thrift stores! You just take photos of your items, list the brands and sizes, and set your own prices. Always search what your item goes for before listing it, in case it’s a rare or vintage item. I also set the prices a bit higher because people can offer to pay less, and I often accept offers. For Depop, there is a seller fee but it’s only about 3%, and if you want to boost your shop (advertise) that’s a 12% fee which is also not too much. For Vinted, there are absolutely no fees, you can pay to advertise but it’s not really necessary. My method is to post my items on both apps and see where it sells. I’ve made about $200 in 2 months of selling stuff that I just didn’t need anymore.
It’s so easy to feel stuck and anxious when going through financial issues, but know that there is always something you can do- these are just a few of the many things that can get you some extra cash.