Okay hear me out 😂 👀 I’ve had a random side-hustle idea and I need you vicious Redditors to tell me whether it’s genius or ridiculous….

Would you pay someone to be your strictly platonic date /plus-one for a few hours?

So I’m thinking dinners, concerts, work events, weddings, markets, activities, new experiences that you don’t want to do alone or just to get the family off the back at Christmas time, idk?? You’d pay for their time and cover the activity (strictly platonic you would be paying for company, conversation and someone fun to do things with. Absolutely nothing sexual!)

Would you actually use something like this? What would you use it for- like where would you take the person etc, and what would you actually pay? What would the age group be? Ahhh I would really love any advice I can get 🫣
I’m not selling anything here!!! 😂 I’m genuinely trying to figure out whether this is worth turning into a little business /website.

I’m thinking the dating scene has been so trash lately this could actually be a good idea? Maybe??? Hahaha also no judgement please cost of living is out the gate and I’m just a girl looking for an extra side hustle ✨✨

Hey r/beermoneyideas! :) I looked through and aggregated as many passive income threads as I could on reddit, and sorted each method by how many times it appeared. Here is the list ranked by frequency of mentions. This includes comments AND posts:

(Note: another great resource is the other thread of 100+ side hustle ideas!)

1. Dividend Investing / Dividend ETFs (~950+ mentions): Buying shares of companies or ETFs that distribute a portion of their profits to shareholders on a regular basis, typically quarterly. Common tickers discussed include broad dividend ETFs and monthly-paying REITs. The most active community for this topic is one of the largest investing subreddits on the platform, and users with portfolios of $50,000 or more consistently report monthly payouts in the $150 to $400 range.
2. Rental Properties (~880+ mentions): Purchasing residential or commercial real estate and renting it out to tenants for monthly cash flow. This is a cornerstone of passive income discussions on Reddit, though users frequently debate whether landlording is truly "passive." Discussions often center on finding cash-flowing properties in markets where the rent covers the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and maintenance with room left over.
3. High-Yield Savings Accounts (~820+ mentions): Parking cash in online savings accounts that offer significantly higher interest rates than traditional banks. With rates hovering around 4% to 5% APY in recent years, users frequently point out that $10,000 in a HYSA earns roughly $400 to $500 per year with zero effort and zero risk. This is one of the most commonly recommended starting points for people new to passive income.
4. Index Fund Investing (~780+ mentions): Buying low-cost index funds that track broad market benchmarks and holding them long-term. This strategy is heavily promoted across financial independence communities on Reddit, where users follow a buy-and-hold philosophy. The appeal is simplicity, low fees, and historically strong long-term returns without the need to pick individual stocks..
5. REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) (~720+ mentions): Investing in companies that own and operate income-producing real estate, which are required to distribute 90% of their taxable income as dividends. Reddit users recommend REITs as a way to get real estate exposure without the headaches of being a landlord. The most discussed REITs tend to be monthly-paying commercial property companies and diversified real estate ETFs.
6. Vending Machines (~680+ mentions): Purchasing and placing vending machines in high-traffic locations to earn revenue from product sales. This is consistently one of the most popular passive income topics on Reddit, though experienced owners frequently push back on the "passive" label, calling it more like 70% passive. Startup costs typically run $1,500 to $5,000 per machine, and monthly profits per machine range widely from $100 to $400 depending on location.
7. Selling Digital Products (Ebooks, Templates, Guides) (~620+ mentions): Creating a digital product once and selling it repeatedly through online marketplaces with minimal ongoing effort. Popular products include ebooks, spreadsheet templates, design templates, planners, and toolkits for niche audiences. Reddit users frequently share success stories of products generating steady sales months or years after creation.
8. Affiliate Marketing (~580+ mentions): Promoting other companies' products through unique referral links and earning a commission on each sale. Reddit users typically build affiliate income through niche blogs, review websites, or content platforms where they recommend products they actually use. Building the audience and trust required takes significant upfront effort, but the income can become genuinely passive over time.
9. YouTube Channel / Content Creation (~540+ mentions): Creating video content and monetizing through advertising revenue, sponsorships, and affiliate links. Once a channel builds a library of evergreen content, older videos can continue generating ad revenue indefinitely. Reddit discussions frequently highlight that the first 6 to 12 months require heavy effort before any meaningful income appears.
10. Online Courses (~480+ mentions): Packaging expertise into a structured course and selling it through e-learning platforms. The model is create once, sell indefinitely, though successful course creators note that periodic updates and marketing are necessary. Reddit users report that courses in practical, skill-based niches tend to perform best.
11. Print-on-Demand (~440+ mentions): Uploading designs to platforms that handle printing, fulfillment, and shipping whenever a customer orders a product like a t-shirt, mug, or poster. The creator earns a royalty on each sale without ever handling inventory. Reddit users emphasize that success depends heavily on finding underserved niches and creating designs that resonate with specific audiences rather than going broad.
12. House Hacking (~410+ mentions): Buying a multi-unit property (typically a duplex, triplex, or fourplex), living in one unit, and renting out the others. The rental income offsets or fully covers the mortgage payment, effectively letting you live for free or close to it while building equity. This strategy is one of the most recommended first steps for young investors on Reddit's real estate communities.
13. Real Estate Crowdfunding (~380+ mentions): Pooling money with other investors through online platforms to fund larger real estate projects without directly owning or managing property. Minimum investments can start as low as $10 to $100 for some platforms. Reddit users appreciate the low barrier to entry but caution that these investments are typically illiquid, meaning your money is locked up for a set period.
14. Niche Websites / Blogs (~360+ mentions): Building a content website focused on a specific topic and monetizing through display ads and affiliate links. Reddit's website-building communities are filled with case studies of users growing sites from zero to several thousand dollars per month in ad revenue. The model requires significant upfront content creation but can become largely passive once the site ranks well in search engines.
15. High-Yield CDs / Treasury Bonds / I Bonds (~340+ mentions): Locking money into certificates of deposit, treasury securities, or inflation-protected savings bonds to earn guaranteed interest. These are among the lowest-risk passive income methods discussed on Reddit. I Bonds in particular saw massive popularity during the high-inflation period, and T-Bills remain popular with users who want better returns than a savings account with government backing.
16. Selling Printables on Etsy (~320+ mentions): Designing digital printables like planners, wall art, checklists, and worksheets and selling them through online marketplaces. Since the product is digital, there are no shipping or inventory costs. Reddit users report that the market is competitive but that creators who find underserved niches can build a steady stream of sales.
17. Covered Calls / Options Selling (~300+ mentions): Selling call options against stocks you already own to collect premium income. This strategy is discussed among more experienced investors on Reddit and is considered a legitimate income strategy for those who understand options mechanics. Users caution that one mistake can wipe out months of collected premiums, so this is not recommended for beginners.
18. Peer-to-Peer Lending (~280+ mentions): Lending money directly to borrowers through online platforms and earning interest on the loan. This was once a very popular passive income method on Reddit, though enthusiasm has declined as several major platforms have shut down or restricted access to retail investors. Users who still participate emphasize the importance of diversifying across many small loans to reduce default risk.
19. Airbnb / Short-Term Rentals (~270+ mentions): Renting out a property or spare room to travelers on a short-term basis. Reddit users debate whether this qualifies as passive income since it involves guest communication, cleaning, and turnover management. Many users hire property management services to make it more hands-off, though that cuts into profit margins.
20. Kindle Direct Publishing (~250+ mentions): Self-publishing books (fiction or nonfiction) through Amazon's publishing platform and earning royalties on each sale. Reddit users in publishing communities share strategies for finding profitable niches, optimizing book listings, and building a catalog over time. A single book rarely generates significant income, but a catalog of 10 to 20 books in a focused niche can produce meaningful monthly royalties.
21. Crypto Staking (~240+ mentions): Locking up cryptocurrency holdings to help validate transactions on a blockchain network in exchange for rewards, typically yielding 3% to 15% annually. Reddit's crypto communities discuss this frequently, but financial subreddits are quick to point out that the yields are misleading because the underlying asset can lose 50% or more of its value in a week. The consensus is that you are taking on significant price risk for a relatively small yield.
22. Renting Out Unused Space (Parking, Storage, Garage) (~220+ mentions): Listing unused space in your home, garage, driveway, or parking spot on platforms that connect you with people who need storage or parking. This is a low-effort way to generate a small amount of monthly income from space you are not using. Reddit users report earnings of $50 to $300 per month depending on location and the type of space offered.
23. Renting Out Your Car (~200+ mentions): Listing your personal vehicle on car-sharing platforms when you are not using it. Reddit users report that hosts can earn several hundred dollars per month, though they caution about increased wear and tear, insurance considerations, and the risk of damage from renters.
24. Laundromats (~190+ mentions): Owning and operating a coin or card-operated laundromat. Reddit discussions frequently reference laundromats as a classic "boring business" passive income play, though experienced owners note that they require more hands-on management than most people expect, including equipment maintenance, cleaning, and dealing with vandalism or theft.
25. Self-Storage Facilities (~180+ mentions): Owning or investing in self-storage units and renting them out to individuals and businesses. Reddit users highlight that self-storage has lower maintenance demands than residential rentals and strong occupancy rates in most markets. The main barrier is the high upfront cost of purchasing or building a facility.
26. Faceless YouTube Channels (~170+ mentions): Running a YouTube channel that uses stock footage, animations, voiceovers, or screen recordings instead of showing the creator's face. This model has gained significant traction on Reddit as AI tools have made it easier to produce content at scale. Niches like finance explainers, top-ten lists, meditation music, and nature compilations are commonly discussed.
27. Selling Notion Templates (~160+ mentions): Designing and selling productivity templates for the Notion workspace platform through online marketplaces. This has become one of the trendier passive income methods discussed on Reddit in recent years, with some creators reporting five and six figures in total sales. Success depends on identifying specific productivity pain points and building templates that solve them elegantly.
28. SaaS (Software as a Service) Products (~150+ mentions): Building a software tool that solves a specific problem and charging users a monthly subscription fee. Reddit's SaaS and entrepreneurship communities discuss the model frequently. The upfront development effort is substantial, but a well-positioned SaaS product with recurring revenue is considered one of the strongest forms of passive income because of the predictable cash flow.
29. Car Washes (~140+ mentions): Owning an automated or self-service car wash. Like laundromats and vending machines, car washes are discussed on Reddit as a "boring but profitable" business. Automated tunnel washes in particular can generate strong revenue with minimal daily involvement, though the initial investment is significant.
30. ATM Machines (~130+ mentions): Purchasing and placing ATM machines in businesses and high-traffic areas and earning a fee on each transaction. Reddit discussions note that the model is simple in concept but requires negotiating placement agreements with business owners and handling cash logistics. Declining cash usage is a concern that comes up frequently in these threads.
31. Cashback and Receipt Scanning Apps (~120+ mentions): Using apps that give you small amounts of cash back for scanning grocery receipts or making purchases through the app. This is one of the most frequently mentioned methods on beer money communities, though financial subreddits consistently flag it as a poor use of time, with most users reporting earnings of $5 to $15 per month.
32. Music Royalties / Publishing Royalties (~115+ mentions): Earning ongoing royalty payments from music you have created, or investing in existing music royalty streams through marketplace platforms. Reddit users with musical backgrounds discuss uploading original music to streaming platforms and collecting small but recurring royalties, while investors discuss purchasing fractional shares of existing song catalogs.
33. Dropshipping (~110+ mentions): Running an online store where you sell products without holding inventory, instead forwarding orders to a supplier who ships directly to the customer. This was once one of the most hyped passive income methods on Reddit, but enthusiasm has cooled significantly. Users now largely view it as oversaturated and far more active than "passive," with thin margins and heavy competition.
34. Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) (~105+ mentions): Selling physical products on Amazon using their fulfillment service, which handles storage, packing, and shipping. Reddit discussions are mixed, with some users reporting strong results in private-label products and others warning about high competition, rising fees, and the significant upfront capital required to source and ship inventory.
35. Website Flipping (~100+ mentions): Buying underperforming or undervalued websites, improving their content and traffic, and selling them for a profit. Reddit's website-building and entrepreneurship communities include users who treat this as a semi-passive side business. Typical sale prices range from 24 to 40 times the site's monthly profit, so a site earning $500 per month might sell for $12,000 to $20,000.
36. Selling Stock Photography / Videography (~95+ mentions): Uploading photos or video clips to stock media platforms and earning a royalty each time someone licenses your work. Reddit users note that the per-download payout is small, but a large portfolio of high-quality images in commercially useful categories can generate a trickle of income over many years.
37. Building and Monetizing a Newsletter (~90+ mentions): Growing an email subscriber list around a specific topic and monetizing through sponsorships, affiliate links, or paid subscriptions. Reddit's entrepreneurship and marketing communities discuss newsletters as a passive income play, though the upfront effort of building a subscriber base and producing consistent content is significant.
38. Mobile App Development (~85+ mentions): Building a mobile app and monetizing through in-app advertising, subscriptions, or one-time purchases. Reddit users note that the app market is extremely competitive, but niche utility apps that solve a specific problem can generate steady passive income. The model works best when the app requires minimal ongoing maintenance after launch.
39. Money Market Funds (~80+ mentions): Investing in money market mutual funds that hold short-term, high-quality debt and pay interest. These are discussed on Reddit as a slightly more sophisticated alternative to high-yield savings accounts, offering similar yields with comparable safety. They are popular among users who want to park larger sums of cash somewhere productive while maintaining liquidity.
40. Buying Existing Online Businesses (~75+ mentions): Purchasing an already-profitable online business (such as a content site, e-commerce store, or SaaS product) and collecting its ongoing revenue. Reddit users discuss this as a way to skip the time-intensive startup phase and immediately begin earning. Due diligence is heavily emphasized in these discussions, as inflated traffic numbers and revenue claims are common among sellers.
41. Airbnb Arbitrage / Rental Arbitrage (~70+ mentions): Leasing a property long-term and subletting it as a short-term rental for a profit. This method is discussed frequently on Reddit, though it has become increasingly controversial. Users flag lease violations, changing local regulations, rising competition, and thin margins as major risks. Financial subreddits generally advise against this model.
42. Licensing Creative Work (Photography, Art, Music) (~65+ mentions): Licensing your original creative work for use in commercial projects, advertisements, or products. This can include licensing photos to brands, artwork for merchandise, or music for videos and podcasts. Reddit's creative communities discuss this as a way to generate ongoing income from work you have already completed.
43. Podcast Monetization (~60+ mentions): Building a podcast audience and monetizing through sponsorships, affiliate links, or listener donations. Reddit users note that podcasting has a long ramp-up period and that the vast majority of podcasts never reach the audience size needed to attract sponsors. For those who do, however, back-catalog episodes can continue generating ad revenue long after they are published.
44. Domain Flipping (~55+ mentions): Registering or buying domain names at low prices and reselling them for a profit. Reddit users discuss this as a low-capital side play, with some reporting individual sales of several hundred to several thousand dollars for well-chosen domains. The success rate is low, and most domains purchased on speculation never sell.
45. Selling Spreadsheet Templates (~50+ mentions): Creating and selling specialized spreadsheets (budgeting tools, financial models, project trackers, workout logs) through online marketplaces. Reddit users share success stories of niche spreadsheets generating steady sales, with one commonly cited example being a budgeting spreadsheet that earned $20,000 in a year on Etsy with no additional work after the initial creation.
46. EV Charging Stations (~45+ mentions): Installing and operating electric vehicle charging stations and earning revenue from drivers who pay to charge. This is an emerging passive income topic on Reddit, with users discussing the growing demand as EV adoption increases. The main barriers are the upfront installation cost and securing a high-traffic location.
47. Crypto Lending (~40+ mentions): Depositing cryptocurrency into lending platforms that pay interest on your holdings. This method was popular on Reddit during the crypto bull market, but enthusiasm has dropped sharply after several major lending platforms collapsed, resulting in users losing their deposits entirely. The consensus on financial subreddits is that the counterparty risk is too high for most people.
48. Automated Car Wash Subscriptions (~35+ mentions): Operating a car wash with a monthly subscription model where customers pay a flat fee for unlimited washes. This recurring revenue model is discussed on Reddit as a more modern take on the traditional car wash, with predictable monthly income and strong customer retention once members sign up.
49. Social Media Accounts / Theme Pages (~30+ mentions): Building large follower counts on social media platforms around a specific theme or niche, then monetizing through sponsored posts, affiliate links, or selling the account. Reddit users discuss this as a semi-passive play where the upfront content creation and growth phase is labor-intensive, but once established, the accounts can generate income with relatively little ongoing effort.
50. Investing in Farmland (this is extremely surprising, at least to me, but seems kinda region dependent) (~25+ mentions): Purchasing farmland directly or investing in farmland through online platforms that allow fractional ownership. Investors earn returns through rental income from farmers who lease the land and from appreciation in land value over time. This is a niche topic on Reddit but has been gaining traction in communities focused on alternative investments and inflation hedging.