2025 was, for me, a quietly educational year.
I didn’t overhaul my life or suddenly become “good with money” overnight. What I did do was shift from someone who bought things on credit, dealt with the consequences later, and hoped for the best… into someone who saves first and thinks about the future before spending. That alone felt like a small but important pivot.
Alongside that, I started dabbling in side hustle money. Nothing dramatic. Bits here and there. What surprised me, looking back, wasn’t the cash itself. It was the skills I picked up without really noticing. Learning how platforms work. Getting more comfortable tracking money. Building confidence in starting things without knowing how they’ll turn out.
I wanted to carry that mindset into the next year.
The ChatGPT Method (Controlled Chaos)
I did have some notional ideas scribbled down for 2026. But, if you’ve read a few of these posts, you’ll know I often hand the wheel over to ChatGPT. I do this partly for structure. Sometimes it’s for fun.
With a fairly structured prompt, I was willing to see what came back. As a result, I ended up with a full 2026 roadmap. It includes one small side-quest per month. Each quest is designed to be low-pressure, low-cost, and genuinely doable alongside a full-time job.
- January – Paid Market‑Research & Focus‑Group Work
- February – Print‑on‑Demand (POD) Designs
- March – Data‑Labelling & AI Micro‑Tasks
- April – Voice Licensing & Audiobook Narration
- May – Launch a Newsletter / Substack
- June – Create and Sell an Online Course
- July – learn calligraphy
- August – Freelance Professional Skills (Safety & Leadership Consulting)
- September – Design and Sell Digital Products & Templates
- October – Build a Theme‑Based Social Media Page (No Face Required)
- November – Seasonal Reselling & Black‑Friday Flips
- December – Mystery Shopping & Seasonal Service Jobs
July: The Options I Didn’t Expect
July’s original suggestion was practical enough: rent out the driveway or garage.
Unfortunately, neither of those exist in my world.
So the plan recalculated and came back with three alternatives:
learn calligraphy and offer wedding invites grow microgreens for local restaurants or… pick up dog poo for money
I’ll pause there.
The microgreens idea did catch my attention. I’ve recently bought a small hydroponic system for the kitchen, and there’s something appealing about growing things. That said, I can’t quite see myself knocking on restaurant doors with bundles of herbs and radishes just yet.
The third option needs no further discussion.
A Familiar Skill, Revisited
As it turns out, calligraphy wasn’t new to me at all. I learned it when I was younger and had recently started picking it back up again — pens, paper, ink and all. That meant no startup costs and no pressure to “monetise immediately”.
Which makes it perfect for this project.
So that’s July’s side quest. Practise. Learn. Maybe take on a small job. Maybe don’t. The point isn’t instant success — it’s curiosity, momentum, and seeing what’s possible when you keep showing up.
Looking Ahead
This is very much a “check back later” situation. I’ll be sharing what worked, what didn’t, and what surprised me — without pretending any of this is financial advice or a guaranteed path to income.
Just small experiments, stacked gently over time.
Leave a Reply