Everyday we’re hustlin’ 💰

Side hustles in San Jose, CA

A skyline shot of Downtown San Jose from an airplane.

San Jose has a bunch of opportunities to begin building up extra funds. | Photo via @lensendaryphotography

Now that it’s the season of gifting, ever wish you had more spending money lining your pockets? If your holiday fund is looking a little low, we’ve got four leads for a side hustle that you can implement now.

And for those of you already bringing home the bacon — if you need extra storage space, a place to park your car, or help with your summer lawn, this conversation is for you, too.

💸 Turn that empty garage, attic, or shed into moola

A parking spot on Santa Clara Street is practically worth gold. Become a storage host on Neighbor to rent out anything from closets to parking spots + driveways to sheds. Listing your space is free, and you’ll give another San Josean the storage space they’ve been needing (if that’s you, surf the local listings here).

💸 Get into the Airbnb game

Spruce up a spare room, apartment, or house for an extra cash stream, plus the opportunity to tell visitors about the great shopping around Santana Row or the views atop Mt. Hamilton. Just make sure you familiarize yourself with restrictions within certain city limits. List on Airbnb, or if you’ve got an entire private residence vacant, list on Vrbo. Draw inspiration from staycation destinations like this guest house with a Zen garden.

A woman in a yoga pose with the sunset in the background at the Municipal Rose Garden. — There are many ways to make some extra money on the side.

💸 Convert your hobbies into services for hire

Picture this: You’re leading a yoga class in the Municipal Rose Garden or snapping engagement photos at Hayes Mansion, and you’re getting paid. Land local gigs by advertising your services for free on Thumbtack. You can list pro skills like dog training, notarizing, and assembling furniture — basically, the sky’s the limit. And for those looking for hired hands, browse local pros for jobs like house cleaning or interior painting.

💸 Dash dinners for dough

We all know hungry San Joseans love nothing more than getting a dish from Dia de Pesca or some Sicilian-style pizza delivered from Tony & Alba’s, so sign up to be a Dasher with Doordash. You can choose your own hours and ride around town on your car, scooter, or bicycle. If all that food talk just made you hungry, here are the highest-rated restaurants available for delivery near you.

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Monday, Dec. 19

Menorah Lighting | Monday, Dec. 19 | 5:30-8 p.m. | Westfield Oakridge, 925 Blossom Hill Rd., San Jose | Free | Join Westfield Oakridge and Chabad of San Jose as they celebrate Hanukkah.
Karaoke Nights | Monday, Dec. 19 | 9 p.m. | O’Flaherty’s Irish Pub, 25 N. San Pedro St., San Jose | Free | Sing your favorite tunes with friends at this weekly karaoke night.

Tuesday, Dec. 20

Spirit of The Row | Tuesday, Dec. 20 | 6-7 p.m. | Santana Row, 377 Santana Row, San Jose | Free | Enjoy guest performances by local community groups and schools, including excerpts from “The Nutcracker.”
Lindsey Stirling - Snow Waltz Tour | Tuesday, Dec. 20 | 8 p.m. | San Jose Civic, 135 W. San Carlos St., San Jose | $45+ | A choreographed violin performance that features a combination of music styles.

Wednesday, Dec. 21

Let’s Get Lit Christmas Bingo Party | Wednesday, Dec. 21 | 7-9 p.m. | Britannia Arms Almaden, 5027 Almaden Expy., San Jose | Free | Enjoy holiday food and drink specials while playing bingo for cool prizes.
A Child’s Christmas in Wales | Wednesday, Dec. 21-Thursday, Dec. 22 | 8 p.m. | Tabard Theatre, 29 N. San Pedro St., Ste. 200, San Jose | $37+ | An imaginative and playful telling of the unexpected delights of Christmas from the view of a child.
Joey Avery | Wednesday, Dec. 21 | 8 p.m. | San Jose Improv, 62 S. Second St., San Jose | $20+ | Laugh with the rising Bay Area comic who frequently tours with Andrew Schulz and Mark Normand.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

PLAN YOUR WEEK

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Life should be a balance of adventure and relaxation — not balancing finances. Enter: Working with a financial advisor. But choosing the wrong one could potentially wreak havoc on your retirement and investments.

Avoid these 7 common mistakes when hiring a financial advisor so you can get back to the balance that matters most.

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Weather

58º | Mostly cloudy | 9% chance of rain

Development

A curved-shape, mixed-use tower will come as another addition to planned housing and office developments within downtown. The “Energy Hub” would be 21 stories, featuring 194 residential units and 30,800 sqft of ground floor retail space. A construction timeline has not yet been announced. 🏙️ (The Mercury News)

Civic

San Jose City Council recently approved the 13 residents who will sit on the Community Stabilization and Opportunity Pathways Fund Commission and decide how Google’s grants totaling $155 million will be divided. The group will create a five-year plan to distribute funds — which should be ready by 2024 to 2025. 💰 (San José Spotlight)
Now that Columbus Park has been cleared of homeless encampments, San Jose City Council will consider renaming it in the spring to honor former Mayor Janet Gray Hayes. Redevelopment of the 12.5-acre site will begin in the fall. 🌳 (San José Spotlight)

Community

For its third year in a row, downtown’s Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph is hosting a projection art show on the building every night at 6 p.m. Pro tip: The music that accompanies the show is best heard on the west side of Market Street. ✨ (East Bay Times)

Try This

Starting Friday, Jan. 13, 2023, the Winchester Mystery House will host flashlight tours every Friday night until Friday, Feb. 24. Navigate through the maze that is the mansion in the dark — tickets are available now. 🔦

Job

We’re hiring a Sales Executive to lead our advertising relationships across all 25 of our cities. This exec would lead prospecting initiatives, maintain a full and active client pipeline, and prepare and deliver sales presentations — all while earning a competitive salary with unlimited PTO. Learn more + apply.

Shop

Give the gift of a quality shave month after month with a Harry’s trial set and blade subscription. Choose your handle color, refill frequency, and let the good shave days roll in for as little as $5 on sign-up (yes, you heard that right). 🪒*
If you’re looking for a last-minute gift for someone on your list, look no further. Let us introduce you to gift cards from our SJtoday shop, Six & Main. Purchase a gift card today. 🎁

Real Estate

When the dream job came knocking, the Abernethys needed to sell their house and move — quickly. See how they were able to sell in record time.*

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THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Alyson.

Editor’s pick: Is there any reason to cause chaos on a Monday? No, but here it is — La Vic’s orange sauce or Iguanas Burritozilla orange sauce? (If I get enough responses, maybe I’ll share my answer.) Let me know. 🌯

Missed the last newsletter? We embarked on a SJ scavenger hunt through East San Jose.

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Editorial: Alyson Chuyang, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

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