Tutor an after-school class
A grammar school, junior high, high school or social center near you runs a range of classes. Provided you have some skills in a desired area and that you enjoy being responsible for a group of children or youths, you make money after hours doing everything from teach twelve year olds how to write short stories, to teaching aikido. When applying for this sort of job, keep in mind that impressive teaching skills aren’t as important as a genuine ability to understand and relate to young people while challenging them and setting boundaries.
Dog walking
Leave flyers in your neighborhood mailboxes and noticeboards, letting people know who you are and when you’re available. The more dogs you can exercise at the same time; the more money you’ll make each time you do it.
Bartend
Most bars don’t open until after office (or school) hours anyway, so if you’ve got lots of energy and nowhere to be a few evenings each week, working at a bar can be a really fun way to supplement your income.
Go busking (playing music in the street)
If you’re really good with an instrument, or medium good at a really unusual instrument, hit the streets. Gage the crowds and pick a spot where people seem to genuinely appreciate you. Your weekly practice time is guaranteed to get more fun – or at least more interesting – and you’ll be making money while you’re at it.
Grow your own
This one’s a double whammy – the more food you can grow at home, the more money you save, and you can also sell your extra produce. If your patch of land is better at growing just one or two crops rather than a variety, make contact with your local markets and neighborhood swaps to trade your excess lemons for lemonade.
Sell your art
Even non-serious art can bring in the bucks, all while adding joy to other people’s homes and lives. Check out Redbubble.com – the platform that lets you upload designs, sell a huge range of merchandise to adoring fans, and collect 80% of the profit while someone else does all the hard work.
Freelance
There are lots of skills that people offer online, for the price that suits them, and at a time that suits them. You could do graphic design, voice acting, subtitling, or even ghostwrite paranormal romance novels. There are a couple of competing platforms that create an easy-to-access market for clients and freelancers, through which you get to keep about 90% of what you charge.
Make clothes
Many fashion start-ups began as garage operations with a full-time parent making the most of their time and resources. Start small, focus on quality, not marketing, and then your customers will start to find you.
Bake cakes
A short-term bake sale has saved many a floundering college club, but long term baking can be profitable as well. If you know your flatbread from your focaccia, or if you love making adorable desserts, you could transform a relaxing evening activity into a tasty cash-crop. Make up a sample selection of your best recipes, and take them down to local cafes and eateries to see if anyone wants to commission you once or twice a week.