A Year’s Worth of Side Gigs for 2026

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Side gigs can be a helpful way to increase your income, whether you’re working to pay down debts or are saving up for a special item or trip. Since there are so many side gig options, you can find gigs that use your skills and interests and you might explore several different side gigs throughout the course of a year.

Certain side gigs are in greater demand at times than others, so if you pivot, chances are you can successfully sell your services all year long. GOBankingRates created the following guide to 2026 side gigs to help you get started.

January

• Prime side gigs: Organizing and decluttering

As the new year begins, many people are looking for a new start. Offer organizing and decluttering services to help your customers feel refreshed and ready for the new year.

In addition to helping organize and declutter physical spaces, like homes, garages and offices, think about digital decluttering, too. Helping people digitize photos and files and even showing less tech-savvy individuals how to organize their digital files can help them feel empowered and can cut down on the physical documents they have to store.

February

• Prime side gigs: Baking and food prep

If you’re skilled at baking, demand will increase around Valentine’s Day. Consider offering Valentine’s Day cookies, cakes, chocolate dipped strawberries and pretzels within your local community. Items like chocolate-dipped strawberries and pretzels are simple to make, but you can sell them at a markup, increasing your profits.

Before you start selling food, make sure you’re following your local laws. You may be able to sell certain items with a cottage food license, but check to make sure that you meet the requirements and can get that license before you start selling items.

March

• Prime side gigs: Spring cleaning

March is the month to start promoting your cleaning services as spring arrives. You could offer numerous cleaning services, including deep house cleanings, car detailing, yard cleanups and more.

You can promote these services on platforms like Nextdoor.com, but also try posting on local social media groups and putting flyers around town.

April

• Prime side gigs: Landscaping and gardening

You can help property owners clean up their yards in April with landscaping and gardening services. Offer a spring cleanup special where you remove fallen branches, leaves and debris from yards, then offer ongoing yard maintenance or spring garden plantings to those same customers to extend your side gig.

May

• Prime side gigs: Graduation photography and graphic design

If you have strong photography skills, consider offering graduation photography services. In addition to holding photo shoots, you can upsell your services by offering to shoot graduation ceremonies and graduation parties. Families may also need help with graphic design to create banners celebrating their graduates. Make sure that you have a quality camera and buy photography insurance before offering these services.  

June

• Prime side gigs: Babysitting and pet sitting

As school gets out for the year, many parents have to balance full-time summer work schedules with caring for children. Plus, when families go on summer vacations, they often need pet care. You can potentially pick up recurring work through the summer.

To get started, you’ll need a few references. You can create a profile on sites like Care.com and Rover.com, but word of mouth can be valuable in helping you get gigs, too.

July

• Prime side gigs: Reselling

As prime yard sale season arrives, take advantage of the opportunities and focus on reselling. Head out to yard sales early in the day for the best deals and keep your phone close to comparison check prices to make sure you can sell the items you buy at a profit.

Clean up any items that may need it, then take clear, quality photos in good lighting. Then, list the items on sites like Facebook Marketplace and eBay.

August

• Prime side gigs: Resume and cover letter development

Many people start looking for new jobs toward the end of the summer, so if you’re detail-oriented and a strong writer, you can offer resume and cover letter development services. Offer to work on a few resumes and cover letters for friends and family first to build up some samples and references, then offer these services within your community and online.

Since you don’t necessarily have to meet with customers face-to-face, you could promote your services anywhere, meeting over Zoom and then working remotely.

September

• Prime side gigs: Tutoring and lessons

September is a prime month for tutoring and teaching lessons. With kids going back to school, parents are often looking for ways to provide them with extra educational support. You can tutor in a topic that you’re knowledgeable about, plus you can offer lessons, like art or music lessons.

Platforms like Wyzant can help you find clients, but also check with local schools to see if you can post a flyer on their bulletin boards.

October

• Prime side gigs: Fall decor design

If you have a creative nature and an eye for detail, offer up your skills designing fall-themed porch decor. From creating wreaths to creating an entire Halloween porch setup, chances are there are many ways you can earn extra cash by decorating porches. Take some photos of your past decorating work and post them on your town’s social media groups or create flyers to get your first clients.

November

• Prime side gigs: Crafting

With Christmas right around the corner from November, there are many opportunities to make and sell your crafts and gift items. Try to focus on unique crafts that aren’t easily found elsewhere and make sure that your items’ prices include the cost of your materials and the value of your time. Consider posting your items online and going to local craft fairs to drive sales.

December

• Prime side gigs: Delivery and concierge services

December tends to be a hectic, busy month for many individuals, so it’s the perfect time to offer delivery and concierge services. Advertise your shopping services and be willing to go pick items up at stores, gift wrap them, deliver them and perform other services that clients might need. Once you establish a connection with a client, indicate the other types of services that you can offer, such as child care, house cleaning, party preparation and other seasonal tasks.

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