Whether you’ve been hit by an unexpected bill or simply want to sock away more into savings, earning extra money isn’t hard nowadays. The internet makes it easy to find side hustles, gigs or freelance opportunities.
Depending on your expertise and the activity, making an extra $1,000 a month is not outside the realm of possibility. You simply have to know where to look and then commit to putting in the time and energy needed.
Here are 11 options to try if you need another $1,000 in your bank account this month.
1. Do odd jobs.
2. Teach or tutor.
3. Sell your stuff.
4. Freelance your skills.
5. Deliver things.
6. Get a second job.
7. Rent your space.
8. Serve as a community guide.
9. Drive for a ride-hailing app.
10. Take up dog walking or pet sitting.
11. Negotiate with your current employer.
Here’s more about how to make each option work for you.
Do Odd Jobs
Doing odd jobs for other people has long been a way to earn extra money, but the digital age is making it easy to connect with those who need work done.
Vanessa Garcia first heard about the app TaskRabbit in 2017 when a friend mentioned it was a place to get paid to assemble furniture. “I signed up on the app immediately and found out you could do a lot more than just building IKEA furniture — everything from personal assistant work to event planning and staffing, and much more,” she says.
Today, Garcia is a full-time Tasker — as workers on TaskRabbit are called — who works in Los Angeles while pursuing an acting career. She offers 24 skills on the site and has found organizing, interior design and furniture assembly to be the most successful tasks for her.
She recommends people offer many skills, maintain a high level of professionalism and market themselves well. “It’s really important you talk about yourself in a way where (someone) would want to hire you,” she says.
Teach or Tutor
Online learning was popular before the coronavirus pandemic, but the past two years have shone a light on how much teaching can be done using the internet.
While virtual schools stateside will continue to need teachers, there are also opportunities for those who want to teach English or other subjects to students from around the world. Websites like Preply, VIPKid and QKids are a few examples of sites connecting students with English teachers. In many cases, classes are taught entirely in English.
Other earning opportunities include tutoring online or in-person via sites like Wyzant or Varsity Tutors. Those with skills or knowledge can also create and sell online courses through platforms like Udemy and Teachable.
[READ:10 Best Part-Time Jobs to Pay the Bills]
Sell Your Stuff
If you need extra money this month, you could find it by selling unused and unneeded items. A traditional yard sale or garage sale is one option, but many people prefer to sell online or through consignment shops.
“Although $1,000 may sound like a lot of money to pull out of thin air, it is definitely possible to earn that in a month,” says Marcia Layton Turner, founder and executive director of the Association of Ghostwriters. She recommends using eBay or Facebook Marketplace to sell household items. “Dishes, bedding, artwork and clothing are all in demand,” she says.
Those who have already decluttered their house could find inexpensive items at stores like Goodwill or purchase a Rescue Box from the website ThredUp, then resell those goods for a higher price.
Freelance Your Skills
Whether you excel at writing, graphic design or photography, you can find opportunities to work on a freelance basis for clients around the world. Freelance work is available in practically every field, and it can be done outside of regular business hours for those who have full-time employment elsewhere.
Diana Kelly Levey began freelance writing in 2006 while working full time as a staff editor and writer. She regularly earned between $500 to $1,000 a month freelancing and now teaches others how to do the same through her website and online courses on Teachable.
“I think a fair rate for a beginner freelance writer for an online article can be between $100 to $200 for a 500-word post,” Levey says. However, new writers may find many opportunities online pay less. “You can find some clients on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork who will often pay a lower rate, but you can get paid faster,” she says.
Guru, Toptal and Freelancer.com are a few of the other online platforms connecting freelancers to clients.
[Read: Smart Tax Moves for Freelancers.]
Deliver Things
From food to groceries, there are plenty of side gigs available through delivery apps like Instacart, DoorDash, Shipt and GrubHub. It’s also possible to make money delivering practically any other item as well.
Roadie, for instance, is a crowdsourced platform that allows drivers to make same-day deliveries in more than 20,000 zip codes. “Roadie drivers deliver … everything from lemons to lawnmowers, cupcakes to couches, paint to puppy food,” says Heather Hughes, corporate communications manager at Roadie.
Retailers such as The Home Depot and Best Buy rely on Roadie drivers for deliveries, and individuals can also use the app to arrange for deliveries. “Drivers typically earn an average of $13 per delivery and even more on longer trips and oversized deliveries,” Hughes says. “You can also take multiple deliveries along a single route, making the most of your time on the road and earning more money per mile.”
Get a Second Job
Getting a second job is another tried and true method to earning extra money.
In today’s digital world, there may be no need to commit to a specific job, and many part-time jobs can be done outside of regular business hours. For instance, the platform Bluecrew allows workers to browse job assignments and select the shifts they want to fill. These include positions as warehouse workers, event staff and housekeepers.
Rent Your Space
If you have an extra room — or an extra house — you can make money renting it out on sites like Airbnb. Just be sure to check with your local municipality to see if there are any restrictions on these rentals in your area. You should also confirm that your insurance coverage is adequate.
For those who would rather not deal with house guests, you could make extra money by renting out empty space for storage — whether that be a closet or a garage. Neighbor.com is one platform that connects hosts to potential renters.
Serve as a Community Guide
Even if you don’t have space to rent out, you can still make money on Airbnb by serving as a guide to visitors in your community.
“You can absolutely make $1,000 as an experience guide on Airbnb by providing unique experiences in the evenings or on weekends,” says Alexandra Nima, owner of The Sophisticated Geek, an Estonia-based business consultancy. “Organizing a pottery workshop for 10 people on a weekend could easily do the trick.”
Other options could include offering photography packages, food tours or assisting with visits to local attractions. Shiroube and ToursByLocals are two sites where you can make money by serving as a guide to your local community.
Drive for a Ride-Hailing App
Ride sharing was one of the first app-based side hustles to rise to prominence, and it remains a viable option today.
Uber and Lyft are the major players in this market, and each lets drivers make money by using their cars to ferry people around. In recent years, some drivers have expressed concerns about low wages and their personal safety while working for these on-demand companies so be sure to thoroughly research what’s involved before signing up.
Another option to make money with your car is to rent it out using platforms such as Turo and Getaround. Those with newer vehicles and desirable models have the most potential to make money this way.
Take Up Dog Walking or Pet Sitting
There are a lot of pandemic puppies out there that are now grown and need someone to watch them when their owners return to the office.
“Pet lovers can earn a lot of cash with regular clients,” Levey says. “You could even pet sit while working on one of these other side hustles.”
Rover and Wag are two online platforms that connect pet sitters and walkers to owners. Workers using these websites set their own rates and schedules.
[READ: How to Start a Small Business.]
Negotiate With Your Current Employer
If you need an extra $1,000 this month, the best place to start could be with your current employer. Maybe you took on additional work during the pandemic and with inflation hitting a 40-year high this year, those two factors could provide the leverage you need to negotiate a raise or bonus.
Be aware of the overall health of your company when approaching your employer for extra money and clearly lay out your case for why you deserve additional compensation. Use specific examples — such as extra duties you picked up or the results you’ve achieved in the past year — to bolster your case.
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How to Make an Extra $1,000 This Month originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 09/08/22: This story was previously published and has been updated with new information.
