The Hustle Diaries - November 2024
Welcome to The Hustle Diaries, where each month our in-house Hustle Tester gives you the honest scoop on what it’s really like to dive into the world of side gigs.
Note: Many side gigs have non-disclosure agreements preventing specific company names or clients from being referenced. Also, to remain objective it is important that our Hustle Tester doesn't get any special treatment. For that reason, specifics have been redacted.
Highlights
My November side hustle testing was mainly spent eating, with 14 free meals for evaluating a variety of restaurants and takeaways. The standout experience was a top steak dinner valued at over £150, which I got through a Mystery Shopping evaluation.
Another highlight was being paid to test drive a luxury car (again, through Mystery Shopping). While fun, the insurance excess for scratching the car was more than my monthly earnings, so when the parking sensors went haywire, I started wondering if I’d made a significant mistake in taking the job.
Finally, the ever-reliable side hustle of AI Training continued to provide a steady—if less exciting—stream of £20–£30/hour work. As winter rolls in, it’s becoming increasingly tempting to stay inside and stay warm with this remote work. But it really is hard work—check out any of my AI training site reviews to see what to expect!
Lowlights
As the Verified Hustles guinea pig, it’s my job to evaluate side hustles for the site—the good, the bad, and the downright terrible. November was no exception. I spent a significant amount of time testing the paid survey websites Eureka Surveys and Connect by Cloud Research. While low paying, Connect by Cloud Research had the redeeming quality of offering university-backed studies that provided some interest.
However, Eureka Surveys made me feel like I lost a part of myself that I would never get back. The surveys, once I made it past the "pre-screening," paid between £0.20 and £0.70, with £0.01 for answering a poll and a massive £0.02 for watching a 45-second advert 😞. The app currently has a 4.6 rating in the Apple App Store, so maybe I'm missing something - if you've had better luck then please share your experience!
"Eureka Surveys made me feel like I lost a part of myself that I would never get back."
Until next time, happy hustling.
