I made over $175 in one hour from my easy online side hustle – it only took a visit to Craigslist

A FINANCIAL content creator has shared how she profited $175 in just one hour with a simple side hustle.

With a quick visit to Craigslist, she has managed to make thousands by participating in research studies.

TikTok/investwithnat

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Natalie Fischer ( @investwithnat ) shares financial videos with her nearly 60,000 TikTok followers.

In a video from January, Fischer explained how she made thousands of dollars from an easy side hustle .

“This side hustle just made me $175 for one hour of my time and it’s none other than doing research studies,” began the content creator.

In the video caption, Fischer shared that she made $2,700 by participating in research studies in 2022.

“I’ll be doing this side hustle in 2024!” she wrote.

She explained that for most of the research studies she has participated in, she has tested out a product or service and given her feedback.

“Companies will pay for your opinion and feedback,” she shared in the text overlay.

Fischer said she found research studies through Craigslist, which she admitted “sounds so shady.”

She advised her followers to locate the studies via the advertisements website and fill out the corresponding surveys.

The TikToker noted the surveys would likely ask demographic questions such as your employment status and experiences with a specific product.

“If you fit the bill, they will call or schedule you to come in and do the research study,” she said.

She shared that she has been paid as gift cards such as Visa gift cards or Amazon gift cards, direct deposit, or cash.

Fischer pointed out two drawbacks of research studies, including that there are not many of them and that you need to qualify.

MORE MONEY

Another entrepreneur shared how he makes up to $3,000 monthly by offering up his opinions to large brands.

Filipe, a 30-year-old entrepreneur , began participating in online focus groups four years ago and has since made a business out of it.

The first focus group he participated in was about social media. He was paid $175 for spending 90 minutes on a Zoom call.

Two weeks after the focus group, the entrepreneur was mailed a check for $175.

Side hustles and tax implications

The extra income made 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.

“While it didn’t necessarily sound like a scam, I wondered how and why I would get paid to do something as fun as sharing my opinion on a specific topic,” he said.

Filipe noted that the focus groups could be one-on-one or group interviews and that they varied in length, ranging from 10 minutes to a full day.

He shared that the average pay was $150 for 90 minutes and that his pay benchmark was at least $50 for 30 minutes to an hour.

From November 2023 through April 2024, Filipe made an average of $2,845 monthly.

Payments are handed out in several ways, including virtual Visa gift cards, direct deposits, in-person checks, cash, PayPal, mailed checks, Zelle, or Amazon gift cards.

One woman makes $750 in one month with her donation side hustle – you only need to do it twice per week and it helps “save lives.”

A 14-year-old makes $5,000 monthly with his summer side hustle – and he doesn’t even leave his neighborhood.