Gig Work: Make the Most of the Long Summer Days

Long summer days are finally upon us – literally. June 20^th marks the longest day of the year, and it won’t be until the fall that we’ll start to experience those dreaded 7pm (or earlier!) sunsets again. So, with all this extra daylight time, what can you do to make the most of it?  Sure, there are parties and beach days and barbecues and evening walks – and those should all be enjoyed – but the longer days are also a great opportunity to earn some extra money this summer with easy gig work. Those long weekends have to be funded somehow, and picking up some gig work is a better solution than dipping into savings, or worse – racking up the credit card bill. Here is how you can earn some extra cash this summer and make the most of your longer days:  

Delivery and Driving:  

If you have a car or live in a city that allows for easy transportation with a bike, you can sign up for deliveries this summer in your spare time. Fortunately, with today’s accessibility to various apps, you can sign up for multiple options: Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, or even local courier gigs for companies like Amazon.  

Tips to boost profits from delivery jobs

Did you know that the average net profit (after cost of gas, vehicle maintenance, and taxes) for a delivery gig is anywhere between $12-$20/hour?  It’s not “quit your job” money, but it can certainly be enough to enjoy your summer without feeling the credit card stress. Luckily, there are easy optimizations you can make to make sure you’re earning the top end of that range: 

• Sign up for multiple apps. Rather than sticking to just Uber, sign up for other services too, like Instacart and Amazon Flex. If one is slow during your chosen gig time, you can pick up the other or optimize which service you’re working for during different times of the day or week, where you can earn the most.  

• Figure out the best hours to work in your area. This may take a little trial and error and will also fully depend on your current work/family schedule, but you can try to optimize the hours you work for maximum tips. For example, lunch (11am-2pm), dinner (5pm-9pm), and late nights & weekends are ideal times for bonus cash.  

• Log mileage for tax deductions. Take advantage of tax season next year by keeping logs of your mileage (2024’s standard IRS rate was $0.67/mile). 

• Determine if you need a new phone plan. With the extra data being used by these apps, you may want to look for a new phone plan that will fulfill your data needs at a cheaper price. Luckily, that’s a much easier task than it seems, with plenty of affordable unlimited data plan options available that are easy to switch to.  

Outdoor & Physical Gigs:  

If you don’t have the transportation means to try out a delivery gig, summer is also a great time to find temporary work helping neighbors or other community members with their outdoor chores:  

• Lawn care/yard work. Many (especially elderly) homeowners will pay for help with their lawn maintenance, including mowing, weeding, trimming, and even watering. You can usually find such jobs in your local Facebook groups.  

• Pressure washing. In the same vein, you can also rent out a pressure washer and offer services to clean decks, driveways, or patios.  

• Junk hauling/moving. If you’re up for it, you can also offer physical help with cleaning out garages/houses, or helping people move through apps like TaskRabbit, or again, local Facebook groups.  

Family & Community Gigs 

Now, thankfully, these types of gigs can continue beyond the summer, but demand for babysitting or pet sitting help during the summer is much higher, so it’s a good time to establish some relationships now:  

• Babysitting or child activity helper. Parents need help during the summer holidays (code for: they would like a break from their kids), and they’re willing to pay for babysitting help!  

• Pet sitting/dog walking. With summer vacations on the rise, a lot of pet owners need help with pet sitting or dog walking while they’re out – a great little side gig. The best part is that there are already apps built just for this ( Rover, Wag!, Sittercity) that can help you easily set up a profile with your rates and find jobs.

• Tutoring. If you’re qualified, you can also offer tutoring help for students preparing for school in the fall or taking summer classes. 

Longer summer days are for play, but if you need to work a little more to earn that play, know that there are plenty of options available. And remember, if all you’re looking to do is save a little more to make room for summer activities in the budget, you can also consider switching to an entirely free phone service and gaining up to $120 back in your pocket to fund your summer instead. The world is your oyster – just choose your pearl!