Side hustles have become trendy but also make sense for people who want to pursue hobbies or passions outside of their full-time gig. If you feel like you need something more to do for extra cash but don’t know where to start, here are eight side hustles that you can start this summer.
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If you have a creative and crafty idea, start your own personal shop easily on Etsy. Pro-tip: create an Instagram account that works in hand with your Etsy shop for maximum exposure. Take Toronto based graphic designer and Etsy owner Lauren Schroer; her shop is dedicated to pins she designs herself and she shares updates about her shop on Instagram, @laurenschroerdesign.
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If you have a service to sell rather than a product, then you might want to consider creating an Airbnb experience. You can offer guided hikes, specialized classes, an Instagram-worthy tour or something unique to you.
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If you have a deep passion for animals, offer a pet-sitting or pet-walking service. Connect yourself with furry friends and their owners to work out the ideal pet-sitting schedule.
If you have or you’re pursuing a degree, or you have an expertise in a specific subject, start tutoring. Often in-person tutors are more common and found through word of mouth, but you can also tutor online based on your own schedule. All it takes is some research, like on indeed, to find the best fit for you.
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If you’ve got an eye for design, websites like 99designs make it simple for you to find people online who are looking for designers. You can also list yourself and your work as a designer on 99designs and possible clients can easily get in touch with you.
If you have a skill or passion for web designing, you can turn this hobby into your summer side-hustle! Web designers are often hired on a freelance bases making it easy for you to work on projects around your own hours.
Do you play the piano? Guitar? Violin? Offer lessons in the instrument you know how to play. If you don’t necessarily want to teach an instrument but still have a passion for music, try teaching the theory portion of music! There are so many paths you can take to bring your music hobby into a side hustle to bring in extra cash.
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Nothing beats a classic blog. This can not only become a platform for extra cash, but also a fun project to learn how to build a website and build yourself your own slice of the internet.
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Autumn in Ontario comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Take advantage of all the fall events this year with these must-do activities.
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Buy fresh groceries from one of the many incredible farmers’ markets around Ontario. We’ve discovered the top spots: ByWard Market in Ottawa has over 194 vendors; the Hamilton Farmers’ Market with over 60 vendors, and Niagara Falls’ Farmers’ Market at The Village with ver 30. Don’t forget your pumpkin spice latte!
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Trick or treat! Get your Halloween spook on at one of the best Toronto’s haunts, the Legends of Horror at Casa Loma. This year, for the first time ever, Legends of Horror will feature the Vampires Circus cabaret – think of a haunted Cirque du Soleil as envisaged by Tim Burton, so don’t miss out!
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Nothing compares to a classic Fall activity than carving a pumpkin. Make it an all-day activity by visiting a pumpkin patch, snapping a couple picks and baking pumpkin goodies.
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Raise your glass of beer, dress in dirndls and lederhosen, and eat all the German pretzels during Toronto’s Oktoberfest throughout venues in the city from September 27 to October 15.
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A classic Toronto fair takes place on the exhibition grounds and has been an annual tradition since 1992, attracting 300,000 visitors per year. The fair features animals, live performances, vendors, and competitions. Visit between November 4-12, 2018.
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The colourful lush leaves only stay for a short amount of time. Take a tour through Algonquin Provincial Park, Muskoka, Caledon Hills or even a part near your home to experience all sorts of Fall foliage.
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Take your Instagram-game to new heights by going on a ride in a hot air balloon. There are hot air balloon companies in the Kitchener and Waterloo area.
Bundle-up in blankets, stock your car with snacks and visit a drive-in movie theatre, a different approach to visiting a classic movie theatre.
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The Bala Cranberry Festival is a fun-filled festival in Bala, Ontario celebrating, you guessed it, cranberries! The festival is 33 years old and has since brought in 500,000 attendees. It takes place the weekend right after Thanksgiving, this year from October 12-14, 2018.
Featured image: Instagram/ @raychelmaac
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Attracting 480,000 people annually, the Toronto International Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals of the year. It draws in the most talented artists with celebrities scattered throughout the city. Keep an eye out, you never know who you’ll come across.
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The first food market in Canada located within a premium shopping centre environment at Upper Canada, officially opened its doors on September 7th. From authentic Neapolitan pizza at Canada’s first MidiCi The Neapolitan Pizza Company, to fresh oysters at Pier 87 Fish Market & Grill’s raw bar, Market & Co. features 20 artisanal merchants with a focus on fresh, local fare.
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An ephemeral hotel filled with beauty secrets in every room and with its own beauty shop and club, the YSL BEAUTY HOTEL is made for beauty addicts. Following in the footsteps of the successful YSL BEAUTY CLUB hosted in Toronto in May 2017, get ready for a hotel like no other. From the minute you arrive until you leave, prepare to be entranced by the latest YSL Beauty launches and kick back and enjoy YSL Beauty-on-tap, with beauty room-service. Buy tickets here.
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Your favourite comedians are coming to Toronto for Toronto’s Comedy Festival. With headliners including Seth Myers, Wanda Sykes, and Ken Jeong, you won’t want to miss this festival filled with laughs.
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Why get on a plane to Germany to experience Oktoberfest when you can participate in the city! Celebrate German culture through food, music, and of course, beer for the event’s 7th annual year in Toronto. Due to high requests, they’ve also added an additional date this year. Grab your tickets soon!
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Nuit Blanche transforms the city of Toronto into a celebration of contemporary art, from sunset to sunrise. Entering its 12th year, there’s always something new to experience. So bundle up and grab a coffee because you’ll be up all night exploring the magic that is Nuit Blanche.
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Buffer Festival is presenting its sixth annual festival. It’s the largest film festival created in mind for elevated YouTube content, by creators for creators. Along with showcasing categorized screenings at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, the festival will also be hosting a day for their Insight Series at the Glenn Gould studio. Buy a pass to Buffer Festival to enjoy a weekend filled with celebrating talented creators.
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Featured image: Instagram/ @nuitblancheto
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Toronto’s vegan eating scene is flourishing now more than ever. With so many new restaurants opening in the city, it feels like there’s a new dish to try every weekend. But sometimes, our budget doesn’t allow us. So, why not challenge yourself and cook vegan dishes at home?
These Toronto-based influencers transformed their lifestyle into eating vegan food and they share just how easy it can be. Here is who you have to check out for inspiration and recipes on innovative vegan dishes.
Watch any of Lauren Toyota’s videos for easy vegan dishes. If you’re really committed, pick up her cookbook, Hot For Food Vegan Comfort Classics: 101 Recipes to Feed Your Face. You definitely won’t be wondering what to cook for dinner next.
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Lisa’s vegan-themed videos will inspire you to try it out for yourself. She creates awesome vegan recipes while sharing bits and pieces of her life with her audience.
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Maddie shares tons of vegan recipes from pulled BBQ jackfruit tacos to green pea hummus on her website, maddielymburner.com.
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Scroll through Ally Kestane’s Instagram feed and your mouth will water. She shares her vegan eating journey while also being gluten-free, making it a bit more challenging but that much more unique.
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Chef Doug McNish is the head of Toronto’s first vegan diner, Mythology. He shares new menu updates, food inspiration, and more on his Instagram account. Check out his book Vegan Everyday: 500 Delicious Recipes for more recipe ideas.
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Kirstie shares her vegan eats while being a student. View her Instagram feed for all the inspiration.
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Featured image: Instagram/ @maddielymburner
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Canada is filled with hidden treasures, one of them being the northern towns of Vancouver Island. We recently took a trip to the island with Buick to drive through the mountains and discover all its gems.
These are our top 10 reasons to go to northern Vancouver Island and everything in between Nanaimo and Tofino this summer.
Located at the tip of the main island is Tofino, known as Canada’s surf capital. Surf competitions are held here frequently especially closer to the summer season. If you do try surfing, Surf Sisters will help you out with surf gear rentals and lessons.
Wolf in the Fog is a restaurant in Tofino’s town centre that was named Canada’s 48th best restaurant by Canada’s Best 100 this year. You’ll taste some of the best seafood from Halibut and oysters to muscles and squid. Their chocolate mousse cake dessert is also to die for.
Located among the mountains on the side of the roads is Coombs, one of Canada’s oldest candy factories. Everything is made in-house and sold fresh. It’s easily known as Vancouver Island’s sweetest secret.
To get to Tofino, we recommend starting at Nanaimo and driving the three hours. This way, you’ll experience the essence of the mountains around you and you can easily stop by Coombs Candy 45 minutes into your road trip.
Surrounding Vancouver Island are roughly 30,000 more islands with plenty of oyster farms, float houses and water creatures to spot. Take a boat tour through the various marinas to experience the other islands around.
The wild pacific trail was rated the number one activity to do on Vancouver Island by Trip Advisor. The trail is a light hike with multiple viewpoints of the ocean, beaches, and forests surrounding the area.
From seals to eagles to whales, you can spot an abundance of animals wherever you are on Vancouver Island. Don’t forget your binoculars!
Practicing yoga in a confined room may feel a bit restricting, but on the islands, you can practice yoga wherever your mat lays like by the beach, on a pier, or on the balcony of your hotel room. Tofino Yoga in Tofino host classes all around the area. They really do an amazing job incorporating the natural surroundings in the practice while keeping you focused on meditation.
Nothing says relaxing like spa time. Treat yourself during your stay with a spa treatment in between all your outdoor activities.
There’s so much more to see on Vancouver Island and the best part is depending on your mode of transportation, you’ll experience its beauty differently every time.
Featured image: Lucas Scarfone
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Vegan cinnamon bun chain Cinnaholic finally opened their doors on August 10th.
Cinnaholic is set to open three locations around the GTA between August and September, with the first being in Promenade Mall, another near Chester Station, and a third near Steeles and Markham Road.
The San-Fransisco based bakery creates 100% vegan, lactose, and dairy-free cinnamon buns, also known as Cinnacakes. They also offer over 20 different and vegan frosting and topping options to choose from. Their frosting options include almond, banana cream, maple, and chai with toppings such as cookie dough, pie crumble, brownie bites, and chocolate chips.
Upon Cinnaholic’s appearance on Shark Tank, it has since grown to build 23 locations in the United States. They’re Canadian locations so far include one in Manitoba and Alberta with a goal to open 70 more locations across the country in the future.
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Featured image: Instagram/ @cinnaholic
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Toronto’s start-up scene is thriving, with incubators and innovators all around the city. We rounded up a list of the six Toronto start-ups that you need to know about and that you may not have known were born and based in Toronto.
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Mejuri mastered the balance between affordable luxury jewellery for millennial women. Co-founded by Noura Sakkijha, former Ryerson graduate student, Mejuri offers affordable fine jewellery made with quality materials like gold and silver and ethically by jewellers in Seoul and Toronto. Visit their newly opened store in Toronto at 906 Dundas Street West.
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Chef’s Plate saves you time going grocery shopping and decreases our food waste. Customers choose meal plans that work best for them, and Chef’s Plate will curate an insulated box with fresh and local ingredients that customers can prepare at home in under 30 minutes.
Wave helps take the ease off of the financial component of your business by offering services and software like payroll, payments, invoicing, and accounting. They’ve grown to handling roughly 3 million customers, have sent $20 billion dollars in invoices annually and more.
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inkbox revolutionized the temporary tattoo industry. They created tattoos that don’t last forever but also last beyond one wash while actually appearing like a real tattoo. You can get yourself a pre-designed tattoo from $14 + dollars or just the ink if you prefer to freehand. So if you really want a tattoo but can’t commit, definitely try inkbox.
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Ritual helps cut the time from customers waiting in line to order food or coffee. The app allows customers to order and pay straight from their phone.
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TopHat is an education tool connecting students and instructors in a smartphone platform by delivering online homework, educational content, and encouraging collaboration in creative and engaging course material.
Featured image: Instagram/@mejuri
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The food culture in Toronto is thriving – there are always new innovations to try. When it comes to comfort food, the city hardly disappoints. We rounded up the best and affordable comfort food spots across the city.
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Borrel opened under a year ago and is a cute little restaurant in the depths of the Danforth. The cozy atmosphere, authentic Dutch food, and delightful people all make you feel like you’re in the Netherlands. We recommend trying poffertjes and kaassouffle!
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It’s hard to beat fried chicken and waffles, especially when it’s served by the restaurant that does it the best in the city. You can find Dirty Bird Chicken + Waffles in Kensington and near Bloor and Bathurst.
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On Bloor Street West you’ll find the Hogtown Vegan, where they serve poutine, wings, chili cheese fries and more but without any animal products, of course. You really have to try it out for yourself to believe that their dishes are really all vegan.
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Another vegan hotspot is Parka Food Co. located at Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue. Parka Food Co. has fast vegan eats rather than a sit-down restaurant style for when you want a pick-me-up on the go.
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Loaded Pierogi knows how to innovate the classic pierogi. You’ll find kimchi, seafood, chicken, wild mushroom, or even BBQ Philly cheese steak style pierogis. Plus they’re often open until 11pm on the weekends for even later night cravings.
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For the best Canadian comfort food like pot roast and brisket burgers, go for Brooklyn Tavern on Queen Street East.
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This list wouldn’t be complete without the iconic and (arguably) best burger spot in Toronto. With five locations scattered around the city, you can never go wrong with a good burger from Burger’s Priest. If you’re feeling adventurous, try some burgers from their secret menu.
Featured image: Instagram/ @loaded_pierogi
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Let us guess, you’ve been trapped at your summer job, craving to go on a summer adventure before the fall hits but don’t have time to plan a trip? Going away, either nearby or across the ocean, doesn’t always require months of planning, or bookings in advance. In fact, there are many great last-minute trips you can take. We broke it down for you based on pricing from Toronto.
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Niagara-on-the-Lake: If you’re really stuck on time, a quick two-hour drive will take you to Niagara-on-the-Lake. The area is filled with cute shops, restaurants, and wineries around.
Prince Edward County: If you’re craving a beach day, gather your friends and make a road trip to Prince Edward County. Only 2.5 hours away, you’ll get to slide down the sandbanks, take a dip in Lake Ontario, and come back with a gorgeous sun glow. To make it even more affordable, pack your own lunch and snacks so all you’ll really have to pay for is gas.
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Tobermory: Reserve a Saturday and Sunday to visit Tobermory, Ontario’s hidden gem with clear, turquoise water, cliffs, beaches, and boats galore. You can make it a day trip with its four-hour drive, or stay in a nearby AirBnB for a night and relax over the weekend.
Chicago: Sometimes we don’t realize how close major US cities really are in proximity to Toronto, so why not take advantage this summer. Chicago is about an eight to nine-hour drive with tons to do and see like the bean, navy pier, the Chicago Riverwalk, and a tilted glass looking down on the city from the 94th floor.
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Miami: A short three-hour flight from Toronto with reasonably priced airfare can get you to the gorgeous beaches of South Beach and tasting the wild menus of Miami’s restaurant for a fair cost.
Dublin: If you’re dreaming of an adventure across the ocean, why not visit Dublin. There are frequent flights going to Dublin from Toronto with non-stop flights getting you there in 6.5 hours. It’s one of the most entertaining cities in UK, with authentic Irish traditions all around, and tons to do for cheap.
Featured photo by Janine Maral
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SpinCo hosted two classes at REBEL yesterday evening in celebration of their champagne birthday.
With tickets at $50 and over 200 riders combined, proceeds from the event will be donated to Right To Play, a global organization educating children facing adversity through sports and helping them build essential life skills towards better futures.
SpinCo is Canada’s largest indoor spin studio, with 10 locations across Canada including studios in Montreal, Halifax, Kelowna, and Ottawa, and three in Toronto – downtown, uptown, and at Summerhill.
The Canadian full-body spinning class is “designed to strengthen the body, energize the mind and feed the soul.” This is done with constant peddling, pushups, and dips on the bike, with a few minutes of intense dumbbell exercise during every class.
The classes are created with intention of movement being in unison, with curated, upbeat music in a nearly dark room with controlled lights and a disco ball.
I like to compare SpinCo classes to being like one giant workout party in a club. This time, they really brought that to life by hosting it at REBEl, Toronto’s latest, and largest, nightclub venue on Polson Street.
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The music was mixed by special guests and DJ duo, Loud Luxury. Classes were taught by Hayley Steinberg and Rebecca Moskob for the 6:30 pm class and Michelle August and Adam Bateman for the 7:30 pm class.
What made the event that much more special was the attendance of an instructor from every SpinCo location across Canada and spinning together at the event.
Every attendee received a complimentary goodie bag with healthy post-workout snacks and skincare products. In the bottle holder of each bike was a complimentary Flow water as well. The class ended with a burst of confetti and a ton of positive spirits.
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One SpinCo class costs $25 with discounted packages like their 5 class pass for $110 and an unlimited monthly pass for $250. The spinning shoes are included with any class card purchase.
Featured image: Instagram/ @spincoottawa
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