Need to know some *realistic* ways to make an extra $1,000 a month? You are in the exact right place, because so have I over the years!
Michelle at Making Sense of Cents has an amazing post on 75+ ways to make extra money. I created the infographic above based on her post so you could quickly get ideas on how you can go about making extra money.
Head over to her page to read her full post too! On this post, I decided to dive deeper into 8 of the ways listed above that I have personally tried!
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As you will read below, there has been more than a few instances where my bank account balance was a big fat ZERO. Or worse, I was terrible at tracking my money and it was in the negatives!
Ever been there? Yeah, no judgement here!
The two times in my life where I was the most broke was after I graduated college.
The first time being when I moved to San Diego with a friend right after our last day of classes (we didn't even bother attending the graduation ceremony) so while we were VERY happy campers to be living life and moving to a new, fun city, we were also VERY broke.
The second time I was the most broke was when I moved to San Francisco to start graduate school. I had issues getting my financial aid to pay my tuition, my VA money wasn't coming in on time to pay rent... it was a mess.
So all that to say, I had to get scrappy and creative many times in my life to get caught up and avoid the negatives!
And you know what's funny?
I'm incredibly grateful for those times that I struggled.
Why?
Because while it took me a LONG time to finally become much smarter with my own money management, I eventually did.
Now I budget each month, I make as much as I can so I can SAVE and PAY off those pesky student loans from graduate school and credit card debt from those low times!
I don't even HAVE credit card debt anymore! The only debt left is my student loans which is while I'm still hustling today.
If my story resonates with you and you need to make extra money fast, then keep on reading. I'm happy you stumbled upon this post!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Full disclosure here.
75+ Ways to Make An Extra $1,000 A Month
How to Make An Extra $1,000 A Month From Home
1. Private Tutoring
Tutoring is my current side hustle (did I mention I’m the queen of side hustles?) I can’t remember a time when I simply had one job and let myself enjoy the rest of my free time doing normal people things.
I always have 2-5 jobs at once! Right now I currently have 4 jobs: my
"main" nanny/tutor job where I work 25 hours per week and three other tutoring "side hustles" because I’m a work-a-holic and somehow end up finding a new client every month or two.
I put tutoring first on the list on purpose: it has been the most lucrative for me over the years and has allowed me to pay off a $3,800 credit card balance that had been hanging over my head for 2 years AND in three months I will have paid off my $7,000 Sallie Mae loan thanks to my tutoring gigs.
How much I make: $570 per week for 15 hours of tutoring.
The breakdown:
Student 1: $40/hour for 10 hours per week (in person)
Student 2: $40/hour for 3 hours per week (online)
Student 3: $25/hour for 2 hours a week (online)
How I got started: I have gotten the MOST jobs from Care.com and highly suggest making a profile! You might just think of it as a place to find nanny gigs (or maybe you've never heard of it), but they have a separate section just for tutoring where you can find great jobs! You only have to pay for a background check to get started and you will make that money back easily once you get started.
My best tips for success:
Other places to find jobs: Craigslist and tutors.com.
I don't personally love the set up at tutors.com, BUT at the same time I did find my last tutoring gig there so I guess it is worth it. You have to buy credits though to respond to potential tutoring clients and for a while I thought the whole thing was a scam because no one responded to my quotes.
I think it took me 10 "pitches" I guess you could call them, before getting hired and getting that job definitely paid for the $26 I spent to buy credits.
2. Rakuten
While Rakuten may not make your wallet start busting at the seams with extra money, I still like it a lot because it is free money!
How much I've made: $48.35! How you ask? Well when you sign up you automatically get $20 when you use a link like mine below!
Then I made another $20 just by having my boyfriend sign up and make a purchase (he was going to buy a new pair of running shoes anyway and got $8 cash back on his purchase). And lastly, you have to make a purchase to actually get your initial 20 bucks.
Petco had 12% cash back at the time (I think the percentages fluctuate) and we needed to buy a bigger crate for our dog. I ordered one from there, got free next day delivery, and got $8 cash back!
Why I love it: You can hit up your friends to try it and each one that makes signs up and makes a purchase earns you $20. That can definitely add up and I personally plan to have all my family members sign up to help fund my student loan payments!
Why you might find it annoying: The money doesn't hit your bank account right away. Some may find it annoying to wait a few weeks to get paid that $40 that would be really helpful. If you don't mind this though, it is a great option!
3. Edit Articles
My Story: So I haven't edited articles in the sense that I'm editing blog posts, but I DO edit personal statements for medical school. Despite working one main job and 3 side hustles, I'VE GOT GOALS haha. So yes, I still do random things like offering to edit personal statements for even more extra cash.
Anything helps when you are trying to pay off a school loan as fast as you can, am I right?!
How much I've made: I charge $25 for two rounds of edits which takes about an hour of my time.
How I got started: I have a separate Instagram account where I share my premed journey and how I got into medical school. I didn't even have to offer any services, other premeds like myself just started asking so I went ahead and started!
Similar ideas: If you aren't a premed like me, what else are you good at? If there is a skill you could teach or service you could offer, then run with it! Maybe you are a grammar expert and you could edit essays for friends. If you got into law school you could charge to help others do the same! Vet school, PA school, any kind of grad school you have experience getting into is something you can help others do too!
Ways to Make Money An Extra $1,000 A Month From Side Hustles
When times get tough, side hustles become your best friend! At least for me anyway, and I have found a few that not only pay quite well but I also really enjoy!
4. Walk Dogs & Pet Sit
Alright, if tutoring isn't your thing but you love pets I highly suggest signing up for Rover!
My story: When I graduated college and moved to San Diego with my friend, I was as BROKE as broke gets. Not kidding, I spent most of the money I had on our rent deposit and the rest was quickly gone after moving there and not having a paycheck for the first 3ish weeks of living there.
I quickly found a day job, but before I started getting paychecks from it I was able to find some dog sitting gigs and it was my saving grace!
I thought that living in such a big city (with a million gazillion other pet sitters that already had tons of 5 stars reviews) I would never get any requests.
I was desperate though and spent my last $10 to pay for the background check and created a profile.
Once week later I got my first gig and made over $100! That was gold to me at the time. So anyway, that is why I will forever suggest Rover to anyone who needs a way to make money FAST like I did back then!
How much I've made: Over $2,000! Holy moly! I honestly didn't know that until I was writing this post and went to my account to get a screen shot for you guys.
On average I think I usually charged around $30 per night and I would stay at other people's houses to take care of their pets when they went out of town. They were also always really nice places so it's like living in a nice hotel with pets to snuggle with!
I did this in grad school and unlike when you are watching kids, pets just need fed, walked, and played with. After that you are free to just hang out with them and work on school work!
How I got started: I have always used Rover and definitely suggest it! Wag.com is another option, but I have never personally used it. You can head to Rover to create an account with the link below!
Why I love it: I'm a HUGE pet lover and if I weren't so broke when I was living in San Diego, I would probably have done it for free. I was dying to have a pet of my own but it definitely wasn't possible for a while. I absolutely loved pet sitting and the extra money really saved my broke booty more than a few times!
My best tips for success:
5. Nanny Children
My Story: Working as a nanny has actually been my main source of income for the past 3 years (minus 7 months when I was working as an EMT). My first nanny gig was during grad school when, shocker I was broke AF, and I really needed to make some extra money.
I found a job that paid $28.50/hour and I thought I was a freakin' millionaire!
Not really of course, but that seemed like SO much money to me at the time I really couldn't believe it! It seemed too good to be true, but it wasn't I actually got paid that much!
Best of all, it was only 20 hours per week in the mornings so it worked perfectly around my class schedule.
How much I've made: I have no idea how much I've made altogether from my nanny jobs, but when I was in grad school I made roughly $2,000/month. Not too shabby for a part-time job!
How I got started: Once again, I have used Care.com! Aside from that, I have found a couple jobs from a local nanny Facebook group I joined so I suggest searching to see if there are any good groups in your area!
Why I love it: The schedule variations are endless! Need some work just in the mornings? Just in the evenings? Part-time? Full-Time? Only the weekends?! I have ALWAYS been able to find a nanny gig that works perfectly around my main schedule!
6. Become a Caregiver for a Person with Disabilities
My Story: When I was working as a full-time nanny in San Diego, over time the family had less and less hours they needed me for. I went from making the perfect amount of money (finally! with no side hustles) to being right back where I started: broke and in need of an extra $1,000 a month!
I started searching for a second side job and found a mom who was quadriplegic and needed a caregiver every other weekend. It was perfect! I could still work my "main" nanny job where I wasn't getting enough hours and start working this job on the weekends.
Plus, the shifts were 48 hours so I got a LOT of extra side income from just working two weekends. I started at 5 pm on Friday evening and finished at 5 pm on Sunday.
How much I made: Just working every other weekend I made an extra $1,632 per month! Granted I had to completely sacrifice half of my weekends, but liking the family helped make it not so bad. Plus, I needed the money so I wasn't really complaining!
How I got started: Surprisingly I did not find this job from Care! The person I worked for posted her job on Craigslist and we connected that way. So if you are afraid of just a bunch of scammers on Craigslist, I am definitely living proof that you can still find some great jobs on there!
Why I love it: This job was incredibly rewarding. Not only did it put my own life in perspective and really teach me that despite what I think is a struggle, there is someone out there that has had it worse than you and is doing just fine. But made me so happy to have such a meaningful job! The care that I gave her helped her live as normal a life as possible, and I truly loved that.
7. Sell to Secondhand Stores
My Story: Any time I was desperate to get my hands on extra money fast, I would resort to rummaging through my closet and getting some money out of the clothes I never even wore anymore.
While this won't get you an extra 1000 a month on it's own, every little bit counts!
Where you can get paid: I have mostly went to Plato's Closet over the years, but there are other options depending where you live. When I lived in San Diego, there was a local second hand clothing store that I went to instead. Just search "places to sell clothes near me" to see what is closest to you!
How much I've made: I usually make around $25 - $30 when the store takes some of my clothes. Just be prepared to make nothing if the things you are trying to sell are a few years old. They like new-ish things and when I've had a bag full of clothes that were all 3+ years old I'm usually not successful!
Why I love it: As you maybe can tell by now, I have been super broke at times so this is an easy way to get another $20 in your bank account when you need it!
How to Make More Money At Work
If you already have a decent and reliable job, why not find ways to make more money doing what you already do?!
8. Ask for a Raise
My Story: Like many people I'm sure, talking about money is awkward and sometimes your so broke you'll take anything. Or maybe the fact that we are never taught to negotiate in school (lame!!) has made you think you can't ask to be paid more, but you totally can!
For example,
When I got the offer for my current job, I countered and requested to be paid $4 more per hour!
Granted, I only had the guts to do this because I already had a full-time job and didn't technically need this job. I really wanted it, but I was fully prepared to not take it if they didn't want to pay me more.
On the other hand, even if you are willing to take the first offer why not just ASK for a little more? Asking never hurt anyone and it is not taboo to do so!
You might get a yes and make some extra money without needing to even work more! Or you get a no, and oh well... at least you asked right?!
How much I've made: I work at my current "main" job 25 hours per week which means each month I am making $400 more than I would have if I had just accepted their first offer! 1000% worth asking!
The images below are the perfect pins for your favorite Pinterest board!
Final Thoughts
I hope between the infographic, Michelle's post, and my personal experiences, you have realized there are more than a few ways to make an extra $1,000 a month. Let me know in the comments below which side hustle you're going to try!
Keirsten says
These are great tips for all circumstances. I’m sure everyone has something around the house that they don’t use and that they could sell. Thanks for sharing this 😊
Susanne says
Your website looks awesome! And I love the effort that was put into the post creating the infographic and structuring all this info in such an easy read. Also, inspiring how much you can do to earn some extra $$ many options I’d never think of. Very insightful!