How Couples Can Make More Money to Create Their Dream Life Together

“We’re looking to make some more money as a couple. What should we do?”

I’ve been hearing from many couples who are looking to find ways to make more money. Whether you are saving up to buy your first home together or to pay for your wedding, if you’re trying to achieve a money goal making more money always helps, right?

If 2020 taught us anything, it’s that life can be filled with surprises. Due to various unexpected circumstances throughout the last year, many of us have been forced to try to make sense of our finances. Most of us are relying on only one job (and therefore one single stream of income) to take care of us in the long run. But unfortunately, as some of us can attest to, that’s not a great strategy– so it’s important to be prepared with a backup plan, or at least another income stream.

We need to start by looking for ways to make more money. This is why we’re going to look at how couples can find ways to earn more money together! Before we look at how to make more money, let’s look at the benefits of increasing your income compared to focusing on cutting back on expenses.

Why should you focus on making more money as a couple?

More options. More money means that you get to do more. This includes everything from travel to treating yourself to a new restaurant in town on the weekend.
Pay off debt faster. You can pay down any debts you have faster, allowing you to save or invest more, sooner.
Retire sooner. You may not want to work forever. Perhaps your goal is to retire at a decent age. This is where growing a side hustle will definitely help you achieve more financial freedom.
Keep busy. If you’re living in a part of the world that has pretty strict lockdowns, you’re likely looking for something to do that doesn’t involve trying to find another show to binge-watch.
Something to work on together. This side hustle could be that project that you work on together as a couple. It’s fun to have projects that allow you to work towards something bigger as a unit.

These are the main benefits of working together to growing your income. Now let’s get started…

How couples can make more money by building a new income stream

There are several different income sources that lead to profit almost immediately. Then there are other income sources that take more time to build up but are definitely worth the commitment in the long-term. We’ll share some ideas and options for both!

What are the options for making money in the near future?

Freelance work.

As a freelancer, you get paid to perform a specific service with a set price and a timeline usually. Where things get interesting as a couple is that you can team up to offer a packaged service or work together to create the ultimate product. Here are a few other examples of how you could do freelance work with your partner:

Build and design websites.
Home-cooked meals and delivery service.
Personal training services.
Write freelance articles. One person could do the writing while the other does the editing.

Those are just a few ideas that I could think of. I’m positive that you could brainstorm how to make money together based on your unique skills between the two of you. The power of working together as a couple is that you could combine your skills to create the ultimate offer.

Where can you find freelance work?

These are the most popular places to find freelance jobs that are posted. You can also find work by posting on Facebook, Kijiji, or any other social media platform that you’re on.

How can you start freelancing for money?

Think of a very specific service that you will offer. Jot down at least 3-5 ideas and see what the demand is like out there.
Create a portfolio of your work. This could be anything from a PDF to using Instagram! You just want to create something so that prospective clients can see what you have to offer.
Offer your services and look for offers on job boards. Start off with a few lower budget projects until you have a portfolio that allows you to find higher-paying freelance gigs.

Once you nail down your product offering and land a few clients, your customers will do the marketing for you with referrals if you do exceptional work. The trick is to get started with a freelancing service that matches your skillset.

Sell items on Etsy.

Have you considered selling on Etsy? You can sell crafts that you make or you can create digital printables. There are many examples of printables that sell well, so the two of you can get creative together.

How can you start making money on Etsy?

Check out the platform to see where you can create something.
Work on creating your product.
Start an Etsy shop.
Test things out.

Etsy is an interesting way to make money if you have a creative side. As a couple, you can mix and match. One person could create while the other works on the back-end/marketing aspects of setting up a shop. The best part is that there are so many ways to make money with an Etsy shop!

Starting an Airbnb Experience.

Have you heard of Airbnb Experiences? I started my own coffee crawl in 2019. On this crawl, I take guests to interesting coffee shops in my community to sample coffee from around the world. There are many couples running experiences together around the world and online.

What’s an Airbnb Experience?

According to the official website:

“Experiences are one-of-a-kind activities hosted by inspiring local experts. They go beyond typical tours or classes by immersing guests in a host’s unique world.

Online experiences can be hosted from anywhere through video, and in-person experiences are hosted on location.” As a host, you’re allowed to have a co-host. So you could run a digital experience or something in-person together. I’ve seen many couples run tours together.

What are examples of experiences that you can host together?

Anything that’s outdoors. I’ve seen everything from hiking sessions to bike rides around town.
Something on the water. We did a stand-up paddleboarding experience with a couple in Toronto.
Wine tasting classes. You can also mix wine with an activity like painting.
Coffee sampling. You can work together to teach coffee techniques while enjoying this magical beverage.
Arts and crafts sessions. There are many folks who offer unique sessions.
Exploring town. Any kind of food tour, walking tour, or drinking tour usually does well.
History walks. I’ve been on historical walks and ghost tours. There’s a market for any kind of walk.

You can host any kind of experience that you like. There are so many categories to choose from or you could even create your own category! I met a couple who runs an online coffee tasting experience. I also met another couple who offers arts and crafts sessions. When you team up together, you can also host more guests on an experience. So, those are extra income options for couples who want to start making money right away. In the next section, we’re going to build an income for the future.

What are some long-term ways to build an income stream?

If you have the time and are looking to build a sustainable long-term income source, you have a few different options that could be potentially lucrative. Here’s what you can consider working on to build income for the future…

Start a blog.

Over the years blogging has almost become like a “get rich quick scheme” in the sense that there are many gurus promising you riches if you start a blog. I’ve been blogging since 2008 and can confirm that there’s money in blogging, but you definitely won’t get rich overnight. With that being said, you can still grow a blog and create a future income source that has the potential to turn into a real business. There are many stories out there like this one on Forbes about couples who starting making money together with blogging.

What are topics worth blogging about?

Relationships.
Health and fitness.
Spirituality.
Any unique niche that you can think of.

How do you make money from blogging?

Advertising. You either get paid to promote products you believe in through affiliate marketing or you sell direct advertising.
Selling your own products. You can create your own products that you sell to your audience (books, courses, coaching, etc.).
Unique opportunities that I arise. I honestly don’t even know what kind of opportunities will present themselves in the future.

While blogging is a long-term game, it’s worth it when you have your own digital asset that produces income for you. When you create a digital income for yourself, you can make money anywhere in the world. There are bloggers who get paid to write about life insurance and a variety of other topics that would probably surprise you!

Have you guys spent any time on a particular social media platform? You can focus on creating a helpful page that brings in money down the road.

Choose one platform to go all-in on.
Create entertaining and engaging content together on that topic.

I personally follow many couples on Instagram who post training videos and date night ideas.

How do you make money from this?

You sell advertising. Sponsored posts and promoting affiliate offers are great ways to monetize a social media page. The more specific or niche your content, the better for targeting products to your followers.
You create your own products. Digital products like ebooks or courses are a great option because they don’t have the same hard costs as a physical product. Not to mention, you don’t have to worry about inventory or shipping.
Anything else that pops up. The world is changing and new income opportunities are always coming up. I’ve had some unique offers come from speaking at events to getting paid to have my own action figure made.

Start Making Extra Money with Your Partner Today!

That’s how you can bring in some extra cash with your partner. I wanted to give you a variety of options so that you have some ideas.

Here’s a quick summary of how you can make money as a couple:

Consider income options that require long-term commitment (growing a blog or social media channel) if you have time.
Find ways to make money in the near future with a side hustle if you’re looking to make money now (freelancing, starting an Airbnb Experience, etc.).
Combine your skills to make more money.

What side hustle will you be pursuing? Join our wedding planning community to chat all things side hustles!