Are you bored and have time on your hands to kill? Why not start a side hustle and make some extra cash?

Assuming you do not need the money urgently, there are several ways to add to your retirement fund.

Heads up, though, these are not get-rich quick schemes. They are five side hustles that require time to build, and sometimes create, before you earn you first few dollars.

DIY and homemade crafts

Love to sew, paint, crochet, or knit? Ever looked at a piece of damp paper and thought about turning it into a basket?

Knitting a sweater can take days, but you can make a healthy sum if people are willing to pay to have theirs customized to their preference.

A made-to-order painting also may fetch a good price from customers in search of unique birthday or wedding gifts.

Bonus points available

If your partner often nags that you are spending too many hours indulging on your crafty hobbies, this will be a good way to appease them. You can sell that rainbow-colored knitted jumper online and use the money to buy your partner a special gift.

Grow a plant, or nursery

If growing something from scratch is more your kind of thing, why not plants?

Homegrown herbs are increasingly popular as more look to consume organic foods. A pack of seeds usually cost no more than a dollar, so it is not expensive to acquire a bunch of them.

Just pop them into a pot of well-fertilized soil and see them grow from seedlings to fully-grown plants.

Sure it can take months before the seeds reach adulthood, but you got time on your hands! And what could be more therapeutic than watching something you painstakingly cultivated from a pack, become useful edible produce.

The monetary returns are also high, since you can potentially generate dozens of plants from a single pack of seeds. Each plant can be sold for four to eight times the cost of a single pack, so there is strong multiplier effect here.

Bonus points available

Fill your balcony with peppermint, Thai basil, and lemon balm, and breathe in the natural air freshener every morning.

Create a blog, post a video

Love telling stories or sharing your life experiences out loud? Then why not start a blog?

And if you are good at something, such as cooking, you can use the blog to share your expertise and recipes. You can also post videos to demonstrate how these dishes should be prepared.

Producing a video or writing a blog may take several hours to create, but if they provide useful tips, you can slowly grow a strong following.

While it may take months and sometimes years, to do so, the returns from online ads and sponsorship deals can be potentially high.

Bonus points available

Along with the extra cash, you can also gain online fame and recognition. And who does not want to be famous, right?

Affiliate marketing

And if you do manage to grow your blog or online channel, you can generate even more income through affiliate marketing.

Successful affiliate marketers can pull in a sizeable monthly income, but it will take time to grow your network before you do so.

Good news is, there are several ways to start your journey. There are affiliate programs across different markets you can choose from, including e-commerce, web hosting, and events.

If you are an expert in forex trading, you may want to check out platforms such as Forex4you. Its affiliate program provides various commission payouts depending on the type of traders you attract.

Bonus points available

Put in the time to grow your network and you can earn a sizeable income from affiliate marketing. This can be further augmented if you already have invested time building a blog, which you can tap to push your affiliate links.

Start a mega business

The pinnacle of most side hustles is to create a multimillion-dollar business, from scratch.

That will require sweat, blood, some luck, and plenty of patience. It takes time to build and grow a business, so you will need to hang in there for this ride.

Thanks to web platforms and technologies, it is now easier to do so.

There are also several online businesses that have been proven to be quite lucrative. Dropshipping, for instance, can reportedly churn up to US$100,000 per year. You can sell and ship products to online shoppers without having to keep physical inventory, so it is relatively hassle-free. Just pick the right wholesalers and goods, and you can slowly grow the business.

Bonus points available

When you make it big in business, it can mean millions in dollars. If you are willing to invest the time it takes to grow one, this has one of the biggest returns.