How to find Odd Jobs Near Me

Whether you’re unemployed or just need a bit of extra cash, finding odd jobs online is a great place to start.

If you already know what you want to do to earn extra money, such as graphic design or virtual assistant work, then sites like Fiverr and Upwork might be your best bet. They allow you to create a profile with an offer and price. Clients can then approach you and you can vet them.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do then sites like TaskRabbit and Freelancer.com are a good places to get started. They have job postings that you can dig through and find jobs that will work best for you.

Craigslist

Even though the design has barely been touched since 1955, Craigslist is still extremely popular. It gets an estimated 200 million visitors per month.

So with that said, if you are looking for an odd job near you Craigslist should be on your list of places to look. You can find everything from handing out fliers to taking pictures of houses for real estate listings.

What’s great about Craigslist, compared to the other companies on this list is that it’s free to use, free to communicate with your potential client, and doesn’t take any transaction fees.

What’s not so great is that you are on your own with no recourse if something goes amiss.

TaskRabbit

TaskRabbit is currently available in 60 metro areas across the United States. The full list of cities is available here. When you sign up to become a Tasker, you can choose the category of work that best suits you.

Once you are signed up you’ll get a text with a link to download the app. Using the app you’ll create your account including providing your skills. The app lists the most in-demand skills. I chose furniture assembly, indoor painting, and minor home repairs. I also wanted to choose “waiting in line” as a skill, because, I mean, seriously. But it warned me that this is a low-demand skill so I wouldn’t get much work in this area.

You’ll fill out some additional info and agree to a background check. There is also a $25 registration fee, so be aware of that. The background check and registration fee help keep the app full of lookie-loos and ensure that people who sign up are serious about making money.

Once you are signed up you’ll be able to see People in the community who need work done will post jobs on TaskRabbit. Then you’ll have the ability to bid on the job. If you are selected by the hirer you’ll get paid through the secure online system when you complete the task.

Fiverr

According to Fiverr, they are the world’s largest marketplace for digital services.

Fiverr differs from TaskRabbit in that you post the job you are looking for, such as web design for example, and clients contact you. While at TaskRabbit you bid on existing job listings.

Fiverr is more like being a freelancer. So if you have a specific digital skill you want to sell Fiverr might be your best bet. Tasks range from building websites and writing copy to project management and video game coaching. So if your work can be done virtually, you can sell it on Fiverr.

To get started you’ll fill out our profile and include your skills, background, and education.

You’ll then create a “gig”. This is where you will create and price your offering. When Fiverr first began all gigs were $5 and then you could include upsells to raise the price. But thankfully, they have moved away from that and you can offer your services at whatever price you wish. However, they have kept the “upsell” feature and freelancers offer a basic, a standard, and a premium offer.

You’ll communicate and get paid via Fiverr.

Rover

Rover is an app that connects dog owners to dog walkers and boarders.

If you love dogs this is a great way to make some extra money on your own schedule. You can choose to walk dogs, do doggy daycare, house sit, do drop in visits, or board dogs in your own home.

I recently used Rover to find a dog boarder while we were out of town and the whole process was very smooth. We paid $30 a night to someone who works from home. It was extra money for her and a very valuable service for us.

While setting up your profile, you’ll be able to set your own prices and rules. You can say what size dogs you’ll accept as clients and other preferences such as whether you are willing to give medication to the dogs.

Once you have your profile set, clients will reach out to you through the app. You can chat with them and set up a time to meet. After the gig is complete, you will be paid through the app.

GigWalk

The tasks on GigWalk are in-person tasks that companies post to verify their displays are set up correctly. Here’s a quote from their website:

“Gigs are primarily posted by consumer brands and retailers seeking on-the-ground visibility into the conditions of their products or events across multiple locations. They are looking to verify products are available on the shelf and displayed/priced correctly or that marketing events are done accurately and on time. Most Gigs require you to document your work and product/event compliance or noncompliance through geo-tagged photos.”

Examples of gigs are things like taking pictures of an in-store display to verify that it was put up on time. Or counting how many different types of a product are on display at a store.

The website says you can earn up to $100 per gig but users report most gigs are more in the $5 to $10 range.

Upwork

On Upwork, you set up your profile showcasing your skills and rates. Then you search the talent marketplace for jobs you want to complete. When you find a job, you’ll submit a proposal that the client can accept or deny.

You can offer any service that can be done remotely on Upwork. There are service providers offering anything from graphic design to creating customized Google sheets. I saw one freelancer offering a “short, emotional, and powerful anniversary message” for $20.

What I like about Upwork, and sites like it, is that the freelancer can set their own rates. Sites that set your rates for you, like Gigwalk, usually end up paying very little.

Freelancer.com

Freelancer.com is kind of like Upwork meets TaskRabbit.

Like TaskRabbit, Freelancer.com has a marketplace where people can list jobs they need to be done, and then you, as the freelancer, can bid on the job. This often drives down prices, which is great for the client, but so great for you as the freelancer since you are often competing with others who have less skills or live in countries with lower costs of living.

But, like Upwork, the gigs are often higher skill level such as logo design or copywriting. So at least you aren’t fighting over a job that should have only been $20 to begin with.

It gets pretty good reviews for this type of website so it’s a good place to start freelancing if you don’t already have a client base.

Rideshare and Delivery Apps

I’m just going to group all these into one since they are all very similar and if you are interested in making money with them you will likely sign up for all of them anyway.

I’m talking about:

Uber
Lyft
Uber Eats
Doordash
Grubhub
Instacart
Postmates

With any of these apps you sign up and then the app lets you know if there is work available for you. The app will let you know what and where the job is and how much you will earn. You can work any hours you wish and take or reject any job you want.

You’ve likely used some of these apps yourself so you know how they work, but just in case:

With Uber and Lyft, you will be driving people from one place to another. While with UberEats, Doordash, Instacart, and Postmates you will be delivering items, usually food, from the store or restaurant to the person’s home or office.

You can earn tips on top of the guaranteed rate as stated when you accepted the job.

Related: How to Make Money with Uber

Summary

Making extra money online with odd jobs is definitely possible. It can be a great way to pick up some extra cash on the side.

The websites listed above are a great place to get started whether you already know exactly what you want to do or if you want to try your hand at a lot of different things.