For most people, an extra $1,000 a month is a huge deal.
After all, this type of money can help you pay off debt, begin investing, or just help you make ends meet if money is tight. And this was the exact situation I was in a few years ago back in college.
That's why in this post, I'm covering some of my all-time favorite ways to make an extra $1,000 a month if you're looking for actionable ways to boost your income.
My Favorite Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 A Month
I'm going to start this guide with some methods I've personally used to make $1k a month, or even more. Then, I'm wrapping it up with 20+ other ideas that have this type of income potential.
1. Make Money Blogging
A blog is one of my favorite income-generating assets. And as a full-time blogger, I wanted to start off with this idea since the income potential is immense.
For example, I only made $1,700 in my first year of blogging at WebMonkey. But fast forward a few years, and my blog makes $1,000 a day or more and is on track to earn $600,000+ this year.
My blog generates income with Mediavine ads and affiliate income. But you can also make money with sponsorships, selling courses, online coaching, and so many other ideas.
I also like this business model since it's easy to start. I started WebMonkey for under $150 and just bought a cheap WordPress theme and some SiteGround hosting.
The downside of blogging is that it takes months to scale your income. However, reaching $1,000 a month is definitely possible if you learn SEO and stay consistent.
2. Deliver Food
Food delivery services are a dime-a-dozen these days. But if you have a car, bike, or scooter, this side hustle could be for you.
Uber Eats and DoorDash are two popular options I'd start out with. Both can be quite lucrative, especially if you live in a large city or town and deliver around lunch and dinner.
You can also make money by delivering groceries with gigs like Instacart or Shipt. The only catch with these gigs is that you need a car since you're delivering groceries, so a bike or scooter won't work.
That said, all of these gigs can pay $15 to $25 per hour or more with decent orders and some tips. This means working 40 hours or a bit more could reach the $1,000 monthly goal in many markets.
3. Freelance Writing
I make a lot of my monthly income as a freelance writer these days. In fact, this is one of the first successful ways I began earning income online when I was still in school.
I like this gig since even beginner writers can make an extra $1,000 per month if they land just one or two decent clients. And as you gain experience, you can steadily raise your rates.
For example, I used to write for about $0.07 per word and make about $50 to $100 an article. These days, I earn $500 a day when I have freelance writing assignments. This just goes to show the income potential as you become a niche expert.
Pro Tip: You can check out my Freelance Writing For Freedom eBook to learn the steps I took to go from $0 to $100,000+ in writing income.
4. Rent Out A Spare Room
Do you have a spare room or even a rental property? If the answer is yes, then renting out your space is worth considering.
In a popular tourist area, a handful of rental bookings can mean $1,000 a month or more. And this can also be a nice source of passive income if you have a property you can rent out and you outsource the cleaning and guest management side of things.
Airbnb is the go-to platform for this. But you can also host on platforms like VRBO.
5. Become A Microworker
Microtask websites pay people for completing short tasks, like data entry, image annotation, transcription, and content moderation. And they're a flexible, beginner-friendly way to make money online.
The top microtask sites also pay around $7 to $12 per hour, or a bit more if you're fast. This means you can stack a few sites alongside your day job and grind out that extra $1,000 a month.
In my experience, sites like Appen and Clickworker are the best options to try. You can also sign up for Amazon MTurk if you want even more options.
6. Try Flipping
Do you have an eye for spotting valuable items that are underpriced? If the answer is yes, you could try flipping things for money.
A few of my friends actually do this. One of them flips thrift store clothing and shoes. The other one finds old furniture and sofas, fixes up the pieces, and then resells them for a nice profit.
A flipping hustle takes some skill and work. After all, you need to know the niche you're in pretty well so you can spot a lucrative flipping opportunity. But this hustle can scale to $1,000 in monthly income or much more.
7. Get A Part-Time Job
One simple idea to make an extra $1,000 a month is to just get a part-time job. And there are some pretty lucrative options out there.
For example, if you have a day job, you could consider a weekend side hustle like bartending or serving. Many people I know do this in their early twenties, and they make a couple hundred dollars extra every single weekend.
If you prefer working online, you can search for part-time freelance gigs or temporary roles. I suggest using FlexJobs to begin your search since it has thousands of jobs, including many beginner-friendly ones.
The main downside to starting a second job is burnout. So, I don't advise doing this for years on end.
8. Answer Online Surveys
Survey websites are a super easy way to make more money per month. And I've been using survey sites ever since my college days and have tested out dozens of them over the years.
You won't get rich by answering online surveys. But it's an easy way to pad your income while watching TV or in your spare time. My favorite sites I suggest using include:
I don't think most people can earn $1,000 a month with just survey sites. But you can stack a few sites with some of the other hustles in this guide to reach your goal.
9. Invest For Income
Investing for daily income might sound like something only the rich can do. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Here's how the math works out: let's say you have a basket of dividend-stocks and ETFs yielding about 5% on average. To make $1,000 extra a month, or $12,000 per year in distributions, you need about $240,000 to invest.
You can play around with MarketBeat's dividend income calculator to see the results. And the screenshot above shows what happens to your $240,000 portfolio at a 5% return after 20 years, and this is without investing any more money and just reinvesting your earnings.
This is obviously a lot of money. But it's not impossible. And some dividend portfolios can pay 6% to 7% or even more, so you can be more aggressive.
Personally, I think investing is one of the best ways to earn passive income for young adults. And even if it takes years to reach $1,000 per month, the math makes sense.
And this is just dividend stock investing. You can also invest in bonds, CDs, or even income-generating real estate if you use companies like Arrived. So, there are plenty of options.
Pro Tip: If you live in the United States, you can start investing with Stash. It makes investing in thousands of securities easy, and it has a nice $5 bonus right now for new members.
10. Start A YouTube Channel
One of the newer hustles I'm using to make over $1,000 a month is my YouTube channel.
I started making YouTube videos back in 2020. I started my channel with a budget camera, USB microphone, and no prior experience. These days, my channel makes $100 a day or more, at least lately. But it's passed the $1,000 extra a month mark this year which is really cool to see.
My favorite part is that the channel makes money on autopilot. This is because videos I published years ago still get views every day and generate advertising revenue.
Even More Ways To Make An Extra $1,000 A Month
I've used the 10 ideas above to earn an extra $1,000 a month. But now I want to share even more ways you can reach this goal:
- Tutor people online
- Deliver packages for money
- Sell stuff on Amazon or eBay
- Launch an Etsy shop
- Become a freelance website designer
- Walk dogs with apps like Rover
- Make money babysitting
- Clean houses for money
- Start a print on demand business
- Become a rideshare driver for Uber or Lyft
- Offer landscaping services to people in your city
- Make money as a graphic designer
- Make money with cash game apps
- Become a virtual assistant (VA)
- Editing YouTube videos or short-form content for people
- Manage social media profiles for local businesses
- Get a gig in construction
- Sell digital products like eBooks, courses, or printables
- Make money with odd job apps like Steady
- Become an influencer
- Make money as a freelance photographer
- Become an editor or proofreader for media companies or bloggers
- Make money with consulting
- Take part in focus groups and studies
- Make money renting out your car on Turo or Getaround
- Become a bookkeeper
- Become a personal trainer
- Make money with retail arbitrage
- Become a DJ for events
- Help people move
- Make money writing on Medium
- Make money with junk removal gigs
- Start a dropshipping business
- Earn with cash-back reward apps
- Become a customer service agent
- Start an at-home daycare service
- Become a real estate agent on the side
- Help people as a handyman with apps like Handy
- Try busking as a street performer
- Find part-time, temporary labor gigs with Wonolo
- Start a niche Amazon affiliate blog
- Earn by renting out storage space with Neighbor
- Get a job picking up trash
Final Thoughts
Well there you have it: over 50 reliable ways you can make an extra thousand dollars a month, or even more.
I've been testing out different money-making apps, side hustles, and business ideas ever since college. In this time, the one lesson I've learned is that consistency is the common ingredient for success.
It doesn't really matter which idea(s) you choose. As long as you put in the effort and consistently improve, you can make a meaningful difference for your finances.
Best of luck!
Want even more money-making hustles? Checkout:
