5 Side Hustles You Can Do Just 1 Night a Week

Can't devote too much time to a side gig? That's okay.

Between rising living costs (thanks, inflation) and holiday expenses, you may be thinking of getting yourself a second job in the near term to scrounge up some extra cash. A side hustle could also be your ticket to meeting bigger financial goals, whether it's paying off a credit card balance you've held for a long time or saving enough money for a down payment on a home.

But some side hustles require you to be available multiple nights a week. If a local restaurant or retailer is looking for someone to work evening shifts, chances are, its owner wants someone who can commit to several shifts per week, not just one. But that doesn't mean there aren't side hustles that come with less of a time commitment. Here are five side hustles you can do just one evening a week.

1. Babysitting

Some parents need consistent childcare in the evening. But you may find a family that's looking for a date night sitter -- someone to come over on a Friday or Saturday night so the grown-ups can escape. That's a good way to boost your income without having to overextend yourself.

2. Tutoring

If you're really skilled at a given academic subject, you may be able to line up a few tutoring gigs. Often, students will benefit from a weekly tutoring session, so if you carve out one night a week to do that work, you could earn a nice payday without eating up too much of your free time.

3. Writing web content

If you're tasked with creating or updating web content, you may have a choice -- spread your work out over several days, or really hammer away at it one night a week. If you'd rather get the job done in a single night and have the attention span to write for multiple hours, that may be more than feasible.

4. Be a personal chef

Not everyone loves dining at restaurants (especially not during a pandemic). If you're a culinary wiz, you may be able to market yourself as a personal chef -- someone who comes to people's homes and whips up custom dinners for them to enjoy. And since you'll have the option to set your own schedule, you could limit yourself to one client a week if that's what works best for you.

5. Drive for a ride-hailing service

When you drive for a ride-hailing company, you get to set your own hours. The more time you put in, the more money you're apt to earn. But if you only want to dedicate one night a week to your side hustle, that's totally your choice. That said, if you expect the bulk of your customers to be people needing rides to and from bars and restaurants, you may want to choose to work on a Friday or Saturday night, as opposed to a Monday or Tuesday.

Holding down a side job doesn't have to mean spending every free hour working. These gigs could boost your income in a meaningful way without wrecking your schedule or causing you undue stress.