A REALISTIC and simple side hustle could make you some serious money this winter, and it doesn’t take a lot of effort.
The in-neighborhood job only requires a single product and a few willing customers.
A winter side hustle could bring in thousands in extra cash for teens[/caption]
They should check out salt-pouring instead of shoveling snow[/caption]
For residents in states where it gets cold enough for snow and ice, conditions become dangerous even just outside homes.
Driveways and sidewalks start to ice over and become slippery.
That’s where you come in to assist local homeowners, according to TikToker and side hustle expert Mark (@financeunfolded) explained in a recent clip.
“There are a lot of companies that’ll shovel driveways, but not a lot that’ll pour salt,” Mark told viewers.
First, you’ll want to head to your local Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe’s, or other hardware store and get sodium chloride-based de-icing salt.
It should only cost around $20 to $30, but possibly even less at stores like Ace Hardware, with a Safe Step 3300 Crystal Halite Salt 50-pound bag for only $14, per its website.
After some door-knocking to offer the salting services, Mark advised that eager side hustlers set a rate of around $20 to $40 per house.
Considering the rates after five completed houses, that’d be around $200.
PROFIT POTENTIAL
Mark said five houses would only take around an hour as well.
Given the time it takes to travel between each residence and salt the area, he said the potential profits would be around $1,000 for a day’s work.
While the side hustle could be lucrative, the consistency of the income depends on how cold it stays and how much snow an area gets over the winter months.
This is relatively unpredictable, so it’ll all depend on the weather.
Still, with the right preparation on a particularly snowy and cold day, an extra $1,000 could be feasible for interested teens.
Another neighborhood side hustle could be used during the last few weeks of warm weather in 2024 and into the spring and summer of next year.
Side hustles and tax implications
Extra income you make from side hustles may need to be reported to the IRS.
If you receive more than $600 in gross payouts from a selling platform like eBay, the site will issue you a Form 1099-K to use in your tax return.
Individuals should calculate their adjusted gross income, taxable earnings, and deductions for the year.
Once they have that, they can use the 1040-ES form to calculate estimated taxes.
SEASONAL SWITCH
The same teens who salt driveways could adjust to cutting grass and shaping edges at the same houses.
A 17-year-old (@specialklawncare) started his own lawn care business after getting a couple of takers in his neighborhood.
He noted in a video that each yard takes him around 40 minutes to complete, and he would charge $45 for the services.
On a typical day, the teen would complete around five to six yards for about $250.
That has a potential for a monthly income of around $7,500 before taxes if he did it full-time, or $90,000 per year.
The teen also emphasized that his business was growing fast.
“I currently have 30 clients in this neighborhood and am only getting more from here on out,” he said.
The same expansion could likely be done with the driveway salting gig for those interested.
