If you have ever been in a tight spot financially, you know how frustrating it can feel. You may feel like your money is gone as soon as you get your paycheck. It may feel like you will never escape the endless cycle of living paycheck to paycheck.
But how would an extra $100 a month improve your financial situation? What about $500? Or even $1000?
Making an extra thousand dollars a month might feel far fetched, but I assure you it is completely attainable with some focus, hard work, and a learner’s attitude.
Here are 10 ways you can make an extra $1000 a month.
1) Rent Out Living Space
Renting out living space is a great way to earn extra money each month. Whether you have a spare bedroom, a private apartment, or want to rent the house while you’re out of town, you can make substantial money by allowing others into your home. Live in a small space? You can even rent out your couch.
Whether you choose to rent out your space through AirBNB or have a long-term tenant, there is good money to be made.
2) Start a Blog
Perhaps our favorite side hustle, blogging allows for so many opportunities to make money. There are many ways you can make money through blogging, such as accepting sponsorships, allowing advertisements on your blog, and earning commission through affiliate marketing. Best of all, you can blog about whatever you would like from the comfort of your own home.
If you are interested in starting your own blog, you can read Young Adult Money’s free tutorial here.
3) Freelance Write
The demand for freelance writers is increasing every year, and freelancers are reaping the benefits. Freelance writing allows you to choose which clients and projects you want to work on. Though you have deadlines, you are able to work on your writing whenever works best for you, making it ideal for a flexible side hustle.
Many freelancers make well over $1,000 a month by offering their writing services. In fact, many individuals find that they could make more by freelance writing than they could at their full-time job.
4) Sell on Etsy
Are you creative and crafty? If you enjoy making DIY crafts, you can start your own Etsy business.
Etsy is an online marketplace where you can open your own digital store. Etsy gives you a customer base, so it’s just up to you to create marketable products. Whether you make decorations, clothing, wedding items, art, or jewelry, there are endless possibilities to make money on Etsy.
5) Become a Consultant
Are you an expert in your field? Whether you can build websites, understand marketing, technology, human resources, fashion, or other, there is a demand for your knowledge and skills.
If you are committed to becoming an expert, you can market yourself as a consultant in your field. To be a successful consultant, you not only need to possess an in-depth understanding of your field, but you also need to be able to operate a business and relate to others in order to share that knowledge with them.
Consultants can easily earn over $100 an hour for their services. Not only is consulting a profitable side hustle, but it is a way to keep your skills current and market yourself towards higher paying full-time jobs.
6) Become a Photographer
Photography can be very lucrative. Whether you want to photograph families, couples, weddings, animals, artistic shots, or stills, there is always a need for photographers.
To be a successful photographer, you need to be artistic and technically skilled. You also need to work well with others and give clear instructions. While photography is often started as a hobby, when the switch is made to think of photography as a business, it has the potential to earn substantial extra cash.
7) Work as a Virtual Assistant
The need for virtual assistants is also ever increasing. Virtual assistants are hired by companies or small-business owners to help with a variety of administrative tasks, all from your own office. Common tasks virtual assistants perform include updating social media, booking travel, data entry, and more.
8) Tutor
Tutors need to have substantial knowledge about the subject at hand and the skills to be able to teach that knowledge to others.
Tutors can charge upwards of $50 an hour for their services, and have flexibility in their schedules and what topic they choose to tutor. To earn $1,000 in extra income for one month, you only have to tutor for 5 hours a week.
9) Drive for Uber
Uber can be an easy and profitable side hustle if you don’t mind driving. To be an Uber driver, you need to live in a city where Uber is offered, a tidy car, and a clean driving record.
Uber pays you depending on how in-demand drivers are at any given time. If you are available to drive during typically busy times of the day, like after work and bar close, you are paid a higher rate. On average, Uber drivers can expect to earn around $12/hour, which means you would only have to drive 20 hours a week to make an extra $1,000 a month.
10) Flip Items from Craigslist
Craigslist flippers have the opportunity to transform junk into treasure. With a little time and a good eye, Craigslist flipping can become an extremely profitable side hustle.
To get started flipping items from Craigslist, you can purchase run-down or broken items for cheap (or find them for free), fix them up, and resell for a much higher cost. To be successful, you need to be able to find items that can be fixed fairly quickly and cheaply.
Want more ideas? Here’s 50 ways to make extra money and DC’s book on how to start a successful side hustle, Hustle Away Debt
Have you started a side hustle yet? If so, what proved most successful for you? If you haven’t started a side hustle, what’s holding you back?
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All great options Rachel! I’ve done a few of these myself with writing and blogging being the most effective. That being said, there are so many ways to make extra money. In fairness, many of them will require work to create and establish, but can be life changing if you do it right and manage the extra funds wisely, of course. :)
Thanks, John! It does take a lot of hard work to make money $1,000 a month, but the beauty is that you can choose to make money off something you enjoy. I know when I made my first $1,000 from freelancing/blogging, I was astonished. It took work, but it seemed to happen so quickly because I truly enjoyed doing it. The beauty of side hustles :)
Hi Rachel, I love photography and I am good in it.. but where I can sell my photographs and what type of photographs can help me to get good rates. thanks
Really interesting for side hustle I tend to work in cafe during week end from the end of September till middle of June and do dog sitting plus sometimes I sell books on thrifty store near home… but point 2,3,4 and 8 are really good, great tips
Great tips, Rachel! And they are right on time. One of my goals for 2017 was to make an extra $1000 per month by the end of the year. Although I have a while to go, I am trying a few of the things you have listed.