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15 Ways To Make An Extra $1000 Each Month

Sheree

While most of us dream about making a million dollars a year, the truth is that many of us would be thrilled to make another $1,000 each month. Wouldn’t an extra $12,000 a year make a huge difference?

There’s so many different things you can do to supplement your income. And it’s not that difficult. It’s a matter of commitment more than anything else. 

Getting off on the right foot will help to ensure your success as you take on a new money-making venture. But before making your first dollar, remember to do the necessary preliminary work. That way, you’re more likely to do well and make much more money in the future.

Table of Contents

Here are some factors you want to consider FIRST before diving into a side gig.

1. Create a list of your unique skills and knowledge.

It’s not necessary to know or be able to do anything special to make an extra $1,000 each month, but it doesn’t hurt. Having a unique skill-set can allow you to charge more for your time. 

2. How much free time do you have?

Do you have to earn money outside of a regular job? Are your weekends free? What about your weekday evenings? How many hours are you willing to work?

3. Do you have any friends or family that you can help with?

Maybe you have a friend with a construction business that needs help on the weekends. Think about everyone, you know. They might have something that would be perfect for you.

4. Are you willing to try something new?

It’s possible to force your will on the marketplace, but it’s a lot easier to provide what it needs. What do you hear people complaining about in your area? Find a need and fill it!

5. Prepare to become a marketing machine.

Many of the methods I’m going to suggest require finding clients. The work itself is quite simple, but finding the clients is the harder part.

6. Have fun.

It’s one thing to make yourself miserable for a few months to reach a goal, but it’s quite another to do it long-term. Find something that you enjoy doing.

Anyone can make another $1,000 each month. You might even be able to do a few different side jobs and eventually replace your full-time income. Even one successful venture might be enough in some cases.

The Money-Making Methods

Depending on where you live, all of the ideas in this guide could be viable options. However, some are more suited for certain areas than others. Hopefully, you’ll find a method that appeals to you.

Create A Website And Sell Something

With WordPress, it’s never been easier to set up your own website. Gone are the days of needing to be a programmer to create a great looking site.

Selling something on a website is fairly simple:

1. When people come to your website, sell them something. Find a topic that interests you, and then capitalize on that interest. 

2. The real key is doing the marketing to get customers to your webpage. There are plenty of resources available to help you market your website. 

Even if you’re not technologically inclined, a website can be a great way to boost your income in your spare time. 

Sell A Technical Service

I know many people are intimidated by internet technology. But there are many easy and simple services you could offer to people and businesses that they might not think they can do themselves.

Selling technical services can could look like:

1. Create websites for businesses.

A reasonable website can be created in just a couple of hours, and it wouldn’t be difficult to find someone willing to pay at least a few hundred dollars for a website. 

2. Create Facebook pages for small businesses.

Smaller businesses often have no designated marketing employees. Many of those businesses are also too small to justify hiring a full-blown marketing firm. 

3. Create YouTube videos for small businesses.

A few simple shots with a digital camera can be made in to a slideshow with free software and a little bit of time.

4. Create and operate Twitter accounts for businesses.

Many small businesses would love to have a Twitter account, but they are unsure how to go about setting it up. (This applies to any social network as well. Hence, “social media manager!”)

The common methods for finding customers (in order of effectiveness) are in-person visit, phone call, email, and snail-mail. You might be surprised how easy it is to find a client if you can muster the courage and stop by or pick up the phone.

These services are all much easier than you probably realize. You can teach yourself everything you need to know very quickly.

It is not the creation of wealth that is wrong, but the love of money for its own sake

Margaret Thatcher

Do Taxes For Others 

With the software that’s now available, nearly anyone can do some else’s taxes. You won’t require a degree in accounting to put some numbers into a software program.

Many of the people working for the big tax firms each spring are just regular people working part-time.

In the rare event that someone’s taxes are too complicated once you start doing them, simply tell them the truth. Just as all lawyers aren’t qualified to handle all cases, it’s okay to admit you can’t do the taxes of a multi-millionaire with extensive offshore investments.

This method won’t work all year. It’s going to be limited to a couple of months, but you can easily make more than $1,000 each month during that time. 

Think about other services you can offer to the same clients. If they’re happy with your tax preparation services, maybe they’ll give you the opportunity to do something else for them during other times of the year. 

Remember to ask for referrals. The easiest way to find new clients is by receiving a recommendation from other clients you’ve worked with. 

 All I ask is the chance to prove that money can’t make me happy

Spike Milligan

Rent Out Your Extra Room On Airbnb

Airbnb.com is a unique website that allows people to rent out space they own. It can be space in a tree house, a walk-in closet with an air mattress, an entire vacation home, or a room in your home. If you have a livable space, someone would probably be interested in renting it from you. If the space isn’t currently being used, it’s really just a wasted resource. Make the most of it!

Here’s a couple of tips:

1. Have a proper lease in place.

Laws and customs can vary from state to state. Contact an attorney or your local real estate investors club for assistance.

2. Do a thorough background check before letting a stranger move into your home.

There are services available to run background checks, credit checks, and every other type of check you can imagine. At the very least be sure to scope out their Airbnb profile!

3. Ensure you’re comfortable with someone new living in your space.

If you’re uncomfortable, there’s not a lot that can be done, depending on the terms of the lease.

Why waste space you’re not using? Monetize it instead!

Helpful: darlingsteps.com/how-working-moms-manage-time-like-a-pro

Write for Extra Money

Are you good with words? Do you like to write as a hobby? If so, capitalize on those writing skills. With all the content available online, there’s a tremendous need for people to write that content. 

Try these options:

1. Freelance.

Approach website owners and offer to write some content for them. Pay rates can vary dramatically. Some writers can make a few hundred dollars per article.

2. Join a content providing service.

There are many websites that are always looking for writers. Two of the more popular ones are Textbroker.com and iWriter.com. Fiverr and Upwork are other great alternatives as well.

3. Write an eBook and sell it on your own website.

Many people have made millions of dollars by selling information. We’ll cover more about writing and selling books on Amazon later.

4. Offer to write ads for eBay sellers.

Contact the sellers of high-ticket items such as homes, cars, motorcycles, and boats. Offer to write a top-notch ad for them, in exchange for 1% of the selling price. You won’t get paid unless it sells. 

Writing can be hard work, but it has very flexible work hours. You can easily work it into your busy schedule.

There are people who have money and people who are rich

Coco Chanel

Tutor Or Give Lessons 

Some tutors are making over $100 an hour! If you’re good at piano, golf, tennis, painting, or anything else that’s marketable, consider giving lessons.

The best tutoring jobs tend to be in the nicer neighborhoods since mom and dad are likely to have more disposable income. 

Get in touch with schools and even post an ad on Craigslist.com. Research the average fees for the service you’re providing and offer a competitive price. 

He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money

Benjamin Franklin

Mow Lawns or Offer Other Home Maintenance Services

This could go along well with taxes. You could do the taxes in the late winter and early spring and then move into basic landscaping. It’s not difficult or uncommon to make $20 or more per hour mowing lawns.

These things will make everything easier:

1. Stick close to home.

You want to avoid having your profits eaten up by gas and other traveling costs.

2. It requires minimal equipment.

All that’s really required is a lawnmower, trimmer, and transportation. The mower and trimmer can be purchased used for very little money. However, you might be able to use the ones you already own. 

3. Create flyers and pass them out around your target neighborhoods.

As you are passing out your flyers, be friendly. Also, offer a fair price. 

4. You can also offer to do other “outside” services.

Other than mowing lawns, there are other services you could offer. For example, you could do edging, planting flowers, picking up dog poop, washing cars, or cleaning out gutters. 

After a certain point, money is meaningless. It ceases to be the goal. The game is what counts

Aristotle Onassis

Provide Pet-Sitting Services

Many individuals work all day, and their pets need to be let outside for obvious reasons. Some people go out of town and prefer to leave their pets at home instead of boarding them at a kennel.

If you like caring for pets, consider: 

1. Offer additional services.

Since you’re already at the house, think about other things you can do that would be helpful. Some examples would be dog training, picking up dog poop, housecleaning, or mowing the lawn.

2. Be the vacation solution.

If your customers leave town, offer to take care of their pets. Remember that you’ll have to let the dog out at least 3 times each day. Consider keeping the pets in your home or charge for each of the 3 visits. Even offer to get the mail.

3. Stick with clients that are close to home.

It’s not worth driving 20 miles each way to make $11 for letting the dog out.

4. Expand your animal services.

Try not to limit yourself to just dogs. With a little reading, you could easily learn how to care for cats, birds, hamsters, an iguana, and just about anything else.

Taking care of other’s pets is a low stress way to spend your time. Call around and find the rates of other pet-sitters before you decide on your own rates. Advertise everywhere you can think of. It makes the most sense to advertise at dog parks, pet stores, and veterinarians. 

Related:

Flip Items on Craigslist 

This can be a very lucrative part-time business. In a nutshell, you find items on Craigslist.com that you’re confident you can resell at a profit.

The following items will all but guarantee a profit:

1. Look for poorly written ads.

Many sellers create poor ads that lack pictures. With a better ad, you can expect to resell the item at a higher price.

2. Limit yourself to a few different types of items.

Maybe you have some knowledge of or interest in guitars, appliances, and jewelry. If you have knowledge in a certain area, you’ll be able to spot a good deal on Craigslist when you see it.

3. Make a lot of offers.

Many people price their items appropriately but are in a hurry to sell. That could be good for you because many of them will take nearly any offer to make some money quickly. You’ll never know if you could’ve gotten a bargain unless you ask.

4. Check on the free items.

It’s competitive, but sometimes there are valuable items given away for free. Even a $20 item might be worth getting and reselling, since it’s all profit that goes straight into your pocket.

5. Avoid getting involved with lower-priced items.

There’s only so much profit to be made on a $10 item, but it’s not hard to make $50 on a used refrigerator. Your time is valuable.

6. You might need a truck. Some items, like large appliances, will require a truck. But there are plenty of other items that are suitable buys if you don’t have a truck.

I’d like to live as a poor man with lots of money

Pablo Picasso 

Babysitting After School Hours

There are many children that go into after-school programs. Many other children are forced to spend the afternoon home alone until their parents return from work. 

If you like children, babysitting could be a profitable endeavor. You could offer to look after kids between the time they are finished at school up until their parents return from work. 

You can either pick them up from school or meet them as they get off the bus. All you’d really have to do is fix them a snack and supervise them while they do their homework. 

Consider these ideas:

1. Try to watch multiple children.

Watching two children pays better than one. Watching five pays better than two.

2. Think about the third shift crowd.

Many single parents work third shift and someone has to watch those children. What could be easier than putting a child to bed in your home and getting them ready for school in the morning? You could easily make $30 per night per child.

A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart

Jonathan Swift

Give Swimming Lessons

This is another gig that would dovetail well with the tax preparation idea. Many pools offer group lessons, but each child spends most of their time just watching while the children take turns swimming for the instructor. 

Many parents are happy to pay for private swim lessons. It would be easy to make $20-$50 per hour. Get certified as a swim instructor and get in the pool. If you’re a parent, you can even bring your children to the pool. 

While you’re at it, get certified as a life guard. This will give you even more job opportunities. In warmer climates, both of these can be done year-round.

Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons

Woody Allen

Be A Freelancer Online

If you already have a regular job, there’s a good chance you can get paid to do the same thing at home. Someone out there wants help doing whatever it is you do. 

Elance.com is a great place to find clients for your services. You can do anything from writing to setting up websites, to transcribing, doing spreadsheets, or providing voiceovers. 

Avoid selling yourself short. There are many potential clients looking for the cheapest deal. If you have something of value to offer, ensure you’re making the money you deserve. 

There are many other comparable sites that offer similar opportunities. Odesk.com is another example of a site where freelancers can get work.

A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can prove that you don’t need it

Bob Hope

Become A Photographer 

Photographers can make impressive money. If you have the skill, you can photograph weddings and other formal events. Family portraits are another way to make a decent buck.

Consider the following:

1. Many websites utilize photographs.

Typically, you won’t get rich selling one or two copies of individual photos. But if you think about it, if you sell 3,000 photos at $0.50, it can really add up. You can also sell each photo one time for $30 or more.

2. Sitting fees.

One way photographers can get paid, independent of photo sales, is by charging a sitting fee for taking the photos. Many photographers go to people’s homes for a photo shoot. You can charge an additional fee for the convenience of traveling to your clients.

3. You can also create calendars and other items with your photographs.

Take pictures of your travels and make a calendar.

Becoming a photographer doesn’t have to require extra fancy equipment. If you have a decent camera, that should suffice. Depending on the type of phone you have, you might even be able to use that for some jobs.  

Liking money like I like it, is nothing less than mysticism. Money is a glory

Salvador Dali

Write An eBook And Sell It On Amazon

Some people actually write a new book every week! While you might not write a bestseller, if you pick the right topics, it’s possible to make $1,000 or more from each book.

We already discussed writing, but this is a little different. The previous example was when you write an eBook for someone else and get paid just one time for that work. Although it is your work, you’ve been hired by someone to write it and therefore are turning over the rights. 

In this case, you’re going to keep control and ownership of your writing. You will be selling it on Amazon.com. The best part is that you’ll have the opportunity to get paid multiple times for the same work. Once an eBook is up for sale online, you can continually capitalize on every book for years to come. 

This is more speculative, since you’re not guaranteed to make anything. However, the potential rewards are many times greater. Also, this is a more involved job than all the other suggestions.

Follow this process if you are interested in writing your own eBook:

1. Fiction or non-fiction.

First you need to decide if you’re more comfortable writing fiction or non-fiction. Non-fiction will be easier, since you can use other books as source material.

2. Determine the best sellers in your niche.

Think about personal areas of interest and check to see which topics are doing well in sales.

3. Purchase the top three books in your chosen category and read them.

Make some notes as you read. What you’re ultimately doing is writing your own book from what you learned from those three. However, you’ll also need to add unique ideas of your own.

4. Start writing.

Keep in mind that a book doesn’t necessarily have to belong. Some of the best-selling books have been very short. The best length, however, seems to be 125-175 pages. This may seem like a lot. But, keep in mind that one page in a word-processing program is almost 2 pages in a Kindle book.

5. Read your book.

After your book is written, go back through and actually read it! Look for ways to enhance your work. 

6. Hire an editor.

You should always consider hiring someone else to edit the eBook for you, even after you’ve read it over. 

7. Kindle books require specific formatting.

There are many templates that you can find online. Information about formatting your book can also be found on Amazon.com.

8. A good book cover is imperative. A book with a poor cover doesn’t sell well. Take the time to secure an attractive cover. The first option is to buy a cover.

9. Now, it’s time to upload your book to Amazon! Uploading a book requires an account with Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP). You can set up an account at http://www.kdp.amazon.com.

10. It’s advisable to set the price of your book between $2.99 and $9.99. Amazon allows you to claim 70% of the price as your commission within this price range. That commission drops to 30% if you price your book higher or lower.

11. Marketing your book is the next step. KDP will allow you to offer your book for free. Three days is long enough to get your book out there. You’re aiming for at least 2,500 downloads during that time.

12. Have your own blog. Every author should have a website dedicated to his writing. In order to be taken seriously, an author requires a website. 

If you’re planning to continue writing books and want to write on a variety of topics, it’s suggested that you create a pen name for each topic. It’s hard to claim to be an expert on dog training, international investing, building model boats, and tutoring math. If you were to write all those books under the same name, no one is likely to take you seriously. 

You’ll require separate email, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn accounts for each pen name. 

Writing and selling eBooks is a very viable way to make some real money. Remember to pick a topic that’s already selling well. There’s no reason to reinvent the wheel.

Money is a strange business. People who haven’t got it aim it strongly. People who have are full of troubles

Ayrton Senna  

There are many ways to earn an extra $1,000 each month. The most important step is to commit to the method that best suits you. Consider your circumstances. If you live in a rural area, writing an eBook probably makes more sense than being a dog-sitter. If you live in a suburban area, but have a full-time job, being a dog-sitter may not be practical. 

Committing to a method means exactly that. You’re planning to stick with that method and make it work. Most of these methods require expertise that you probably already possess. If it’s not a perfect fit, try to mold the method to your strengths.

Remember that marketing is the key. The work itself is quite simple. The challenging part is finding clients, so you’ll want to concentrate on doing some marketing every day. Marketing needs to be done regularly if you’re looking for the most benefit.

Use every possible form of marketing. Focus on the methods that are likely to be the most successful, but there’s no reason to be afraid to branch out into other methods over time.

Always ask for referrals after you’ve made a customer happy. Give them a couple of extra business cards to hand out to friends, family, and colleagues.

An extra $12,000 a year could make a huge difference in your life. How will you spend your new-found funds?

When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is

Oscar Wilde
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