If your regular job isn’t quite cutting it anymore in terms of having enough income to pay the bills, pay off debt, and start saving, then it’s time to start thinking outside of the box.

There are plenty of ways you can earn money outside of a traditional job to give you the income you need to afford what you have and live comfortably.

And, you can do it either online or offline, depending on what scenario works best for you, your work schedule, and your family.

Need an extra $1,000 a month?

We have 30 practical, completely realistic ways for you to get the job done and start feeling better about your financial health.

Ways to Earn 1000 Dollars Online

Working online can give you the flexibility of doing things from home and still getting paid.

The internet offers a lot of creative and fun ways to make money.

And, if you love what you do, there’s always the option of scaling your efforts online to end up with a business eventually!

Find a Remote Job

First, you might want to head over to some online job boards to see what’s available.

Not all, but some, remote jobs have very flexible hours that can make them work well for you even if you have a regular job.

Plus, being able to do your work from home where it’s most convenient for you can come in handy.

Less commute time means more time you can spend making money!

Personally, I like Indeed.

It makes it easy to search for remote jobs by entering “Remote” or “Home-Based” into the location bar.

Just be sure to read through the description of the job to make sure the scheduling will fit with your needs.

Set Up a Fiverr Gig (or Three)

Fiverr is an online marketplace that lets you create your own gigs in pretty much any area you want to.

You can offer writing, web design, programming, editing, video creation, and more.

Your gigs can start as low as $5, depending on what you can do for that amount, but you can boost up your prices by adding more work to your gigs.

Fiverr allows you to have multiple gigs running at one time, so if you have a few different skills, use them.

It does take a little bit of time to get going with Fiverr because most people won’t want to pay for a gig with no reviews.

Your best bet is to start off small and at least get a couple of low-paying gigs to earn some reviews.

Freelance with Upwork

Upwork is another marketplace that’s for freelancers with a variety of skills.

You need to sign up for the platform using the main skill you want to work with (like app development, for example), but you can add skills to your profile once you’re accepted.

On the platform, search for gigs in your skill category and apply to them by sending a proposal with your rate and scope of work.

If the client chooses you to complete the work, then they’ll set you up with a contract and you can get started.

Write for Online Magazines or Websites

As a freelance writer, the sky is the limit on the income you can earn.

You can pitch your ideas to magazines and websites that pay writers and get paid to turn in your stories.

Some publications pay low, around $50 per article, but others are known for paying writers $1,000 or more just for one story.

Of course, you have to be skilled in journalism and writing to make the big bucks, but if that sounds like you, then it’s time to get started.

You may have just found your true calling!

Listverse is one that pays $100 for listicles. You can submit your article and, if it’s accepted, you’ll get paid with PayPal.

You can also try Copyhackers and Cracked to start getting paid.

Sell Stuff You Don’t Need on eBay

eBay is the online place to be if you have some extra stuff hanging around your home that you don’t need.

In the past, I’ve sold things like electronics, old CDs and movies, video games, computers, clothing, toys, books, and collectibles.

eBay is so easy to use and get your listings up and running that even a complete beginner can do it (it walks you right through the process!).

The fees are minimal to start selling, but just make sure you price your shipping costs correctly to avoid having to pay for them yourself.

Sell Your Hair

Do you have more hair than you know what to do with?

Sell it online!

Hairsellon lets you set up an account for free and list your locks to sell.

The longer your hair and the better condition it’s in, the more it can sell for.

And, rarer colors like blonde and red can net you some more cash too.

Of course, you won’t be able to do this every month because your hair won’t grow that fast!

But it can still be an option if you are in need of an extra $1,000 this month.

Transcribe or Translate Audio Files

Rev.com lets you transcribe and translate audio files and get paid.

You definitely need a special set of skills for this work, like fast and accurate typing skills and excellent listening skills, so it won’t be for everyone.

But if you’re one of the people that excels at this work, you can definitely earn $1,000 a month easily (the more files you can churn out each hour, the better for your rate).

Translation tasks tend to pay more than transcription, so utilize your bilingualism as much as possible!

Sell Crafts on Etsy

Craft up some goodies and start selling them on Etsy.

This platform was designed for handmade goods, so it’s perfect for creatives who love to craft.

You can even make digital items to sell, like artwork, logos, or website themes, if digital stuff is more in your wheelhouse.

You’ll need to pay a monthly fee for your Etsy shop plus listing/selling fees, so keep those in mind when you’re pricing your items.

You can market your items on social media, your website, or even in Facebook groups specifically focused on Etsy makers.

Start Coaching

Online coaches are becoming a big thing on the internet.

Whether it’s life coaching or business coaching, they make money helping others.

If you have a particular set of skills that you might be able to offer to someone else as a coach or consultant, go for it!

Coaches usually price by the hour for their services and charge upwards of $50 per hour, although I’ve seen some even price their rates into the hundreds.

Become an Online Tutor

VIPKID is one of the hottest names you’ll hear online nowadays, and with good reason.

Its online tutors are making enough income every month to replace their traditional jobs – and even surpass what they were making there.

Of course, this is only true for top tutors with excellent reviews who have a lot of students who keep coming back to them.

VIPKID also helps people earn money by referring others to the platform as qualified tutors, so you could also have more earning opportunities there.

There are other platforms, too, like Chegg and Tutor.com, that you might want to browse and see what one works best for you.

Rent Your Extra Space

Use sites like Airbnb or Liquidspace to turn your extra space into cash each month.

Rent your whole house, a room or two, some office space, a garage, or even your parking spot and bring in income without having to do anything but find a renter.

Become a Virtual Assistant

As a virtual assistant, you can help others with their business tasks, like generating leads, setting appointments, data entry, and writing blog posts.

Charge by the hour – at least $25/hour seems to be the starting rate – and watch your earnings rise!

You can find clients by reaching out to business owners on social media or joining companies that match virtual assistants with business owners, like Zirtual, although you probably won’t get your desired rate when another company is the middleman.

Sell Photography

Have an eye for good photos?

You can sell your best photography on stock photo sites for big bucks.

Many sites pay royalties, or a portion of the selling price, every time your photo sells – you can earn 50% royalties, for example, on a photo that sells for $100 to give you $50!

Try 123RF, Alamy, and Shutterstock to get started.

Ways to Earn 1000 Dollars Offline

If you like in-person connections with others more than online connections, then making money offline is probably best for you.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Find Gigs on Craigslist or Facebook

Search Craigslist or Facebook for some gigs you can do around your neighborhood.

On Craigslist, you can browse the Gigs section in your area to find some one-time work opportunities.

On Facebook, post a message to your friends or browse local Facebook groups to see if anyone is need of some help for quick cash.

Offer Sitting Services

Babysitting, pet sitting, housesitting – they’re all ways you can make extra money quickly.

You can charge by the hour for babysitting and pet sitting, and by the day or week for housesitting.

Put an ad in the paper or in local Facebook groups to advertise your services.

You can also sign up for Care.com to be matched with opportunities in your area.

Start an In-Home Daycare

You might also consider setting up an in-home daycare, although the process for actually setting one up can be lengthy depending on where you live.

You’ll need to register in your locality and go through inspections to ensure that you and your home are adequate for a daycare.

However, once you get going, you can quickly make enough money to live on full-time, depending on how many hours you’re open and how many children you watch each day.

Walk Dogs in Your Neighborhood

Using apps like Wag! Walking and Rover, you can find people in your neighborhood who have dogs that need their daily walks.

Rover also lets you dog sit, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to earn $1,000 or more every month.

Landscape for the Neighbors

Have some neighbors whose yards look like they could use a little help and you have the expertise to give them help?

Put it to your advantage and do some on-the-side landscaping or yard work, like mowing, snow shoveling, planting, etc.

This is something you can do year-round!

Offer Repair Services

You might also offer to help neighbors, friends, and family with small repair or renovation tasks, like painting, installing appliances, fixing a handrail, or doing some light electrical work, depending on where your skills lie.

There’s usually no shortage of people who will take someone up on their offer to fix something at a better rate than they’d get quoted for a professional to do the job.

Wash or Fix Cars

Set up a small car wash in your driveway or fix vehicles, if you know how to do that sort of thing.

You can also offer small maintenance tasks, like changing oil, topping off fluids, or rotating tires.

A few hours each weekend doing this work should give you the money you need.

Dress Up for Themed Parties

You can get paid $20 or more per hour just for dressing up as a costumed character for a themed birthday party!

Spiderman, a princess, a dinosaur, you name it – they all pay and all you need to do is wear a costume and entertain kids for a couple of hours.

Again, posting an ad in the newspaper or on Facebook or Craigslist might get some opps sent your way.

Become a Rideshare Driver

Rideshare with Uber or Lyft to rake in the money you need when you have spare time.

If you live in a busy area or can work the weekends and evenings when ridesharing is most needed, you can maximize your time and earnings.

If you’re not into driving around your car to get paid, you might consider renting it to someone else to use instead.

You can do that with HyreCar to have your car help you make some extra cash.

Clean Houses

According to HomeAdvisor, the average hourly rate to clean houses is between $50 and $90.

Spend a couple of hours cleaning a home in the evening and you can potentially make $100 to $200, depending on the tasks involved.

You can even offer some deep cleanings on weekends to boost your earnings.

Help People Move

Moving is not an easy task, which is why some people would gladly pay someone else to do it.

And since it’s not an easy task, you can get paid well for helping!

Pay by the hour or project, depending on whether you’re also packing up items and how far you’ll be moving everything.

It’s possible that just one or two moves can get you your 1000 dollars.

Tutor Neighborhood Kids

Tutoring online isn’t your thing?

How about tutoring kids in person?

You might contact local schools to see if you can host tutoring sessions after school or hand out a flyer advertising your costs and hours.

Become a Delivery Driver

Use Instacart, an app that pays you to grocery shop for people and deliver their groceries to their home.

Or, you can use a delivery app like GrubHub or Postmates, to pick up stuff people need and deliver their items to their home.

Sell Blood Plasma

Donating blood is usually free but donating your blood plasma gives you money because the process is more involved.

You’ll need to be in excellent health and go through a screening process to donate, but once you do that, you can donate plasma up to twice each week depending on the center you use.

Plasma donations generally pay $20 to $50 for each one, which means you can get up to $100 per week.

It won’t give you the full amount you need in a month, but when combined with some other tasks, you can get enough extra cash to make ends meet.

Participate in Medical Trials

Use ClinicalTrials.gov to find open medical trials and studies in your area looking for participants with specific medical concerns or conditions.

If you qualify, you’ll have to follow a very specific set of rules during the trial, which can last several months or years, but you’ll get paid well for your time.

Think of it more like a long-term strategy to get $1,000 per month instead of a short-term strategy.

Donate Eggs or Sperm

If you’re a woman who’s thinking, “I need 20 000 dollars as soon as possible to pay off this debt!” then this is about the quickest way you’re going to make that happen.

Donating eggs can get you paid a lot of money but be aware that the process is anything but simple.

In fact, it’s not even that quick – it could take a few months in total – but it’s quicker than waiting years to save that kind of money by working your regular job.

Although the average donation is around $8000 to $10000, some women are able to make more than that depending on the number of eggs they produce, their age, their egg quality, and other factors.

Men, on the other hand, can opt for donating sperm.

This process is extremely easy and quick and you can donate several times per month.

Most men can earn anywhere from $40 to $100 per donation.

Cook for People

Do you have amazing cooking skills and enjoy cooking meals?

Turn that passion into cash by cooking for others.

You can start a catering side hustle or host paid dinner parties in your home.

You might even create a recipe book to sell online or offer to teach a cooking course at a community college.

So many possibilities!

Conclusion: How to Make Extra 1000 Dollars in a Month

Now you know some short and long-term strategies to bring in an extra 1000 dollars every month.

But I also want to point out two more avenues that are potentially the best long-term strategies to give you a reliable income: Starting a blog or starting a YouTube channel.

The one you opt for depends on whether you’d prefer making written content or video content, but both have their money-making advantages.

Over time, your blog can pull in money from sponsored posts, affiliate links, and advertisements.

Your YouTube channel can do the same, but in video form!

These things take time to build into cash earners but, once they turn into that, you can turn them into your full-time income streams.

Just something else to consider.

Good luck in your money making endeavors!