11 Odd Jobs That Pay Insanely Well

Looking to pick up an odd job? Whether you are looking for the best unusual jobs, or small jobs as a side hustle for extra income, we’ve got you covered. Here are the best odd jobs that pay well, when you want to get paid well for your time, and not work long hours.

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Why is it called odd jobs?

Odd jobs can mean one of two things. Either it means a weird or unusual job that isn’t the typical way a person makes money. It might be something fringe, something not everyone would like to do.

Or an odd job can mean a small job of different types. Odd jobs can be similar to side hustles or side gigs, but can also be more casual.

A side hustle implies something you’ll be doing more than one time, while odd jobs you can pick up here and there and do different things to make an income.

This list of odd jobs that pay well will include strange jobs, as well as side gigs that you can piece together to make extra income.

What is an example of an odd job?

Odd jobs can be anything from cutting grass in the summer and shoveling snow in the winter, to taking surveys for money, to babysitting or working for Instacart or Doordash.

They are typically casual jobs that you can fit into your life.

The problem with some of these odd jobs is that they don’t necessarily pay well.

I wanted to round up high-paying odd jobs to help you make sure you’re getting paid well for your time.

Let’s get into some of the best odd jobs that pay well.

1. Selling Feet Pics

Yep, we’re starting with this one.

Is there really a market for selling pics of your feet?

Yes there is, and it’s a big one.

Selling foot photos is one of the easiest odd jobs that pay well.

You simply take care of your feet, take some nice foot photos, create a profile on Fun With Feet, and start making money with feet pics.

When you’re starting out, you will start with a lower price per foot pic. But as you get experience, followers, find a niche, improve your profile, etc., you can charge $50 per foot pic or more.

2. Odd Jobs that Pay Well While Helping People in Need: Sell Plasma

This odd job that pays well is not for the squeamish.

Unlike blood donation which doesn’t usually pay, you can make money selling plasma.

You would be volunteering an important service for those in need, while getting paid well.

Depending on the place and your qualifications, you could donate plasma twice in every 7 days.

There is a list of requirements before you can sell plasma. You can read about those here.

New plasma donors can make up to $500 in the first 35 days.

You can also make extra money with special promotions and bonuses throughout the year.

If you refer your friends, you can earn up to $75 for each new donor you refer.

There is more information here on how much you can get paid selling plasma.

3. Make Money Giving Your Opinion on Websites

You can make $10 usd for 20 minutes of work.

And it is easy work, requires no degree or experience.

You can apply today and start getting odd jobs as a usability tester very quickly.

When I applied, I started working that same day.

You can read more about my experience as a usability tester here.

4. Lash & Brow Artist

This business really took off during the pandemic.

When people were wearing masks, lips were covered, lipstick was worn less.

Since eyes were what showed, more women were getting their lashes and brows professionally done.

A friend of mine replaced her good teaching salary with her lash and brow business. She was able to take a 1-year sabbatical from her job for this odd job that pays well.

Here are 20 ways you can make $200 in one day

5. Arborist

If you are not afraid of heights, you could consider becoming an arborist as an odd job that pays well.

Arborists make on average $30 an hour (reference), but you can make up to $43 an hour or more.

It’s a fun, active, seasonal job where you will have lots of time off, can set your own hours, and get fit while you work.

You can become a certified arborist in a short amount of time, for only a few hundred dollars.

6. Theatrical Makeup Artist

There are many different niches of makeup artists, but one of the highest paid is theatrical makeup artists.

These are the folks that do special effects, theatrical, and performance makeup for live and filmed events.

Average pay is $29/hour and the highest paid theatrical makeup artists earn $88/hour or more (ref).

7. Sell Your Hair

Chalk this one up as one of the stranger odd jobs that pay well.

You can sell your hair for money.

This can be for wigs, and can also be for similar reasons to why people buy feet pics.

Pay can vary depending on hair length, color, texture, etc.

If your hair has never been colored, you can make a premium price for selling your hair.

Find out more here.

8. Easy Odd Jobs that Pay Well: Medical Interviews

One of the most little-known odd jobs that pay well is taking medical surveys.

Many survey companies are easy to get started with (like this one), but they don’t necessarily pay well.

But this medical survey company is legit, and has many options of surveys that pay well for your time.

From a quick search today on this site, there were interviews that paid $110/hour.

There was another interview that pays $85 for 30 minutes of time.

It’s well worth signing up and seeing if there is an interview you qualify for. Sign up here.

9. Odd Jobs as a Mystery Shopper

You can get paid to shop as a mystery shopper.

While there are lots of fake mystery shopping companies out there, and mystery shopping scams, there are also legit mystery shopping gigs.

I worked odd jobs as a mystery shopper for this company. They are legitimate and paid on time. You can apply here for mystery shopping jobs, or read more about my experience as a mystery shopper here.

Before you apply for a mystery shopping job, they will tell you what it’s about and also the pay. I kept a good hourly wage as a mystery shopper because I only accepted the high paying jobs. I also got faster as I became more experienced, so my hourly rate went up.

You can also apply for online and phone mystery shopping odd jobs, and those pay well for very little effort.

10. Odd Jobs that Pay Well for Animal Lovers: Dog Walker

Walking dogs isn’t necessarily a job you would think would pay well.

If you walk a single dog once a day, this will not be an odd job that pays well.

But if you are comfortable with walking multiple dogs at a time, you can make a great hourly wage with this odd job.

If you charge $18 a walk for one dog and you take 4 dogs for a walk at a time, your wage is $72. Most walks are half an hour, not an hour, so this is a high rate of pay for an odd job that you can fit into your life. You will also be getting in exercise with this side gig.

To apply to be a dog walker, go here.

11. Odd Jobs Assembling Ikea Furniture

If you’re good with an Allen key, you can make surprisingly good money assembling Ikea furniture for people who aren’t.

You can apply for odd jobs with Taskrabbit, like assembling furniture, picking up groceries, minor repairs, etc.

Typical projects make $68 to $172.

If you’re fast at assembling Ikea furniture, you can make a good hourly wage.

Apply for odd jobs with Taskrabbit here.