Extra $1,000 a month? Yes, please! You know that’s not totally unreasonable right? Thanks to the web, there are literally endless opportunities, apps, tools and freelance sites that will gladly trade a small amount of time and effort for cash.
Here I’m going to walk you through some ideas on how to make free money. Yep, basically free money.
How make money fast: Get Paid an Extra $1000 a month.
Survey Sites:
Guys (and gals), if you’ve done any digging online for $$ making opportunities, you have definitely come across this suggestion. Because they (well some of them) are the real deal. The key is determining which survey sites are the best fit and worth your time based on flexibility in survey selection or tasks, payout method (gift cards versus Paypal), pay cycle, earning potential, and overall ease of use.
Make money fast with Nielson Computer Mobile Panel
Okay so technically this isn’t a survey site because while you are providing marketing data, you don’t have to spend any time or do any work at all. If you’re not familiar with Nielson, they are a big advertising research company that has been around for about 90 years. They conduct market research on media consumption and buying habits and then sell that data to big companies so they can optimize their messaging and offering. One of the ways they are collecting data is by paying you $50 bucks per device, just to install their app. The app basically tracks which sites your visit but does not store or republish any personally identifiable information. If a free $50 per device sounds good to you (no limit on the number of devices!) you can sign up here, OR check out my Nielsen Computer Mobile Panel review article here.
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie makes money by providing (similar to Nielsen) consumer data to large companies. Survey Junkie can help you get money fast, paying you exchange for your time and insights provided per survey.
Why do I recommend Survey Junkie over other survey sites? It has an intuitive platform that was probably designed by a …. survey junkie.
Before you take a survey, you’ll notice the point value (typically between 10-200 points) which ultimately translates to a cash or gift card payout. Companies are often looking for specific demographics to fill their sample size. The payout will be based on the survey qualifications, so if you’re lucky, you may just qualify for a well-paid survey. If you don’t qualify for a survey you will still collect a small amount of points. Why is this a big deal? Because there are a ton of survey sites out there that will allow you to waste your time taking surveys for only to notify you at the end that you did not qualify–do not pass GO, do not collect $200. Survey Junkie pays you, very little but something, even if you are disqualified from a survey.
Most surveys will take you less than 20 minutes. I appreciate that this part of the process is very straightforward. They tell you how long it’s going to take, and how much you can earn before you commit. Once you’ve hit the $10 payout minimum, you can opt for a Paypal deposit or choose from a broad gift card selection. While you won’t be able to retire on Survey Junkie income, it is an easy way to earn some extra cash.
Quick tip: set up a different email for Survey Junkie (and any/all other survey sites) as you will receive quite a few in a period of a week.
Get started with Survey Junkie here.Inbox Dollars
Inbox Dollars is my other top recommendation for survey sites. There are a few key differences worth noting. Inbox Dollars expresses payouts in dollars (versus points). This doesn’t mean you are getting paid out on Survey Junkie, they just use a point system that translates to dollars. If you are disqualified from a survey on Inbox Dollars, you get to spin the prize wheel. Hey, it’s something… You can earn things like $5 in cash.
One major distinction between Survey Junkie and Inbox Dollars: Inbox Dollars has quite a few different opportunities to earn cash other than Surveys. These opportunities will include visiting websites, watching videos or playing games, for example.
You will need $30 in your bank in order to cash out (versus $10 on Survey Junkie). Like Survey Junkie, you can transfer that payout directly into your Paypal account or opt for a gift card.
Get started with Inbox Dollars here.Sell affiliate products for an extra $1000 a month
Do you already have a blog? I could write another blog post on monetization strategies (in fact I have…written several!) assuming you have a blog, and if so, this one’s a no brainer. Even if you have a solid social media following (and no blog yet), you are leaving money on the table if you are not promoting affiliate products. For example, this could be as simple as signing up as an Amazon affiliate and using your Amazon affiliate links to promote products. Are you loving your new blue light glasses? Share that affiliate link with your friends and followers and take a commission on products in their cart when they use your referral link. Another option is to sign up for an affiliate marketing network that will allow you to become an affiliate for a broad range of programs. For example, you can make $80 per booking for promoting AirBnB or $185 per referral for promoting Nutrisystem!
Not all programs are high-ticket but you will be surprised to find how quickly a lot of small transactions can add up quickly when you have a good sized following online.
Sign up here to join the Maxbounty Affiliate Network.Get to work on Fiverr
If article writing isn’t your thing, I guarantee you can come up with some type of service that can be sold on Fiverr. For example, if you are comfortable with social media, you can offer social media services like maintaining social media fan pages online. Another way to earn money on Fiverr is to make or alter digital images. The opportunities to make money on Fiverr are endless which means the earning potential is endless.
Sell on Ebay
There are a number of ways you can build a side gig selling on Ebay. Whether you are reselling Ikea products (because who wants to make the trip there… ever?) or flipping flea market finds, there is money to made. I’ve even seen a lot of Ebay sellers creating a successful business offering both physical coupons and e-coupons for sale at $5+ a pop. How about old phones or rare money? One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!
Get paid an extra $1000 per month proofreading
This is the real deal! Proofreading has become a lucrative freelance side gig, or even full time job, for many! There is just an endless amount of copy, including an increasing amount of online content that needs proofreading. Note that there is an important distinction between editing and proofreading. Microsoft Word can locate a lot of editing errors, like incorrect spelling and some grammar errors. Proofreading is the next step of making sure the content flows, requiring you to move around entire chunks of text at times.
You may think (or you may have read that) you need an English degree to get started as a proofreader. Not true. While having a bachelor’s degree certainly makes your path to becoming a proofreader easier, it is not required. You do, however, need to be open to learning through continued training and education to make yourself as marketable as possible. There are a ton of proofreading courses available online that will help you determine if this is a good part-time or full-time side gig for you.
Regardless of whether you opt to work for yourself or as a contractor for a proofreading company, I would recommend choosing a “niche”. It’ easier to locate prospective clients when you are targeting a specific group, and it’s also easier to position yourself as an expert in a specific niche. For example, if you’re a foodie (or even have experience in the restaurant industry), you may want to edit menus. Other much more common areas include: resumes, academic papers, press releases, contracts, and e-books.
The next biggest decision you will need to make is whether to venture out on your own with your proofreading business or as a freelance contractor with an established proofreading company. Either way, you may want to take the extra step of setting up a personal website as a “resume” for prospective clients and employers. You can find new work opportunities on sites like Fivver and Upwork.
Sell your old stuff
You can take your pick from major online auction sites and sales site, some with a a broad selection of items for sale and others are smaller hobbyist type sites. Of course, the major sites would include Amazon and Ebay. You will pay higher fees, depending on the item or the type of account, but you will get a lot more traffic and exposure for your items. Your margins will be higher on more specialized sites like Poshmark for clothing or Decluttr for CDs and tablets.
Donate blood or plasma
Most often you won’t be able to earn extra cash from blood donations, but it’s possible to donate plasma to earn as much as 400 bucks a month! Donation centers will let you donate twice a week at as much as $50 a pop for a couple of hours of your time. Not a bad hourly rate to get you to your goal of an extra $1000 in a month!
Get a small loan
If you just need cash now, there is no shame in applying for a small loan. I recommend Loans Mutual for their extended payment terms. Apply and receive a loan between $100 and $5000 quickly and painlessly.
Become a virtual assistant
If you are organized and have a good attention to detail, a VA job might be in the cards! Your responsibilities can vary widely as a virtual assistant depending on your strengths and experience. For example, if you are well-versed in social media platforms, there is a demand for Pinterest virtual asisstants to manage and optimize Pinterest accounts. You may be responsible for creating Pinterest imges, repinning content, scheduling pins etc. As a Pinterest manager you can make about 15-20 dollars per hour. Again, depending on the type of VA, your tasks could vary widely from data entry to creating sales pages.
To get started, you’ll want to think about what kinds of services you would like to offer and how you’d like to be paid: hourly rate or for the job, short term vs. long term. From there, it’s not a bad idea to launch a website to establish an online presence. Leverage social media to make connections and network with prospective employers. You also may want to check out sites like Upwork and Freelancer.com.
Drive for Uber or Lyft
Or both! You will need access to a car, a valid license and car insurance. Aside from cash earned on trips, another way to earn good money is through referral bonuses. I know with Lyft in particular you make money any time you refer new drivers. Data has shown that you can make slightly more per hour with Lyft versus Uber ($17.50 per hour versus $15.50 per hour), but there are other variables to consider including the popularity of one app over another in a given area and the number of drivers! Can’t heard to sign up to drive for both and see for yourself.
Make $30 an hour testing websites
Have you ever landed on a website and had a dozen ideas on how they could be improving the user experience? Now you can get paid to provide that kind of feedback. In fact you can make close to $30 per hour or $60 for some projects.
Usertesting.com will ask you visit websites, apps, or complete a specific list of tasks and provide feedback. During this time, your process will be recorded (your screen and your voice).
…where that came from there are many more such as Userlytics and TryMyUI.
Become a freelance writer
If you have some talent in the creative writing department, or even an interest in writing technology or business articles, there is someone out there that might like to hire you. In fact, on sites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com you’ll find that writing (articles, blog posts…) is in high demand from companies of all sizes. Plenty of people are turning (article writing) into full-time careers!
Make $1000 investing in real estate
A much less intimidating alternative to investing in the stock market, Fundrise allows you to invest in the private real estate market. Investors earn an average of eight to eleven percent without all the complications of dealing with tenants. Another option is Roofstock which allows you to purchase rental properties (local or not!) and hire a property manager. This will allow you to start earn rental income as soon as you close while a local property manager deals with the day to day operations and maintenance.
Write an eBook
It is not as daunting as it once seemed to become a “real” author. You are now able to write an eBook on just about anything and have it published online. If you have a blog, this could be as simple as compiling all of your best posts, cleaning up the formatting and publishing into an eBook. Publish the book so that it is made available on Kindle or if you prefer to publish in hardcopy, check out companies like CreateSpace. If you opt to publish online there will be varying royalty rates. For example, Amazon takes anywhere from 25-70 percent of the book price depending on the program. However, this might be worth paying out for the added exposure and audience.
Rent your out camping equipment (or other stuff)
Or sell it. I just recently learned that you can also rent your stuff on sites like Craigslist (duh). How about that lawn mower? Or bike? If it’s collecting dust in your garage might as well put it to use and start earning some cash!
Create an online course
Do you have any special talents or knowledge to share? Check out sites like Udemy. You won’t believe the range of courses you will find online.
Become a brand ambassador
The path to becoming a brand ambassador may be significantly easier if you have a good relationship with a local vendor, you have a social media following, or a highly trafficked blog. The idea is to identify a business you admire and help promoting their brand. If you have a presence online (ideally that aligns with the business) you may offer to promote the business through essentially sponsored posts and social media shout-outs. You may want to propose a special promotional code or discount your referrals can use to track your impact in growing their brand. If it works, rinse and repeat!
Sell your stuff on Facebook Marketplace
I’ve tried all the online marketplaces but I have had by far the most success with Facebook Marketplace. Do some spring cleaning and earn some extra cash all at once!
Find a temp job
A temp job may not be what you had in mind, but it can be an excellent option, potentially leading to a full-time job offer if that is of interest to you. Oftentimes temp jobs are seasonal but you will be surprised to find how many openings are available for temp jobs at any given time. I recommend checking out sites like Indeed or Simply Hired to explore your options and start applying. The pay will vary depending on the type of work, but oftentimes the rate is relatively higher because workers are in great demand.
Making an extra $1000 a month is possible!
And I recommend giving each one of them a shot to growing your income over the next few days. If you’re still stuck, you can always fall back on selling your services delivering food for Postmates or renting out a spare room through AirBnB. However, the best strategy is to combine multiple strategies to start that extra cashflow.
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