Want to know how to make 500 dollars a month with a side hustle? You may be working full-time but just need that extra bit of cash to help you out each month. Today I’m going to share with you some easy ways to make money from home fast.
Sometimes we get in a tight spot and just need a little extra money. Or may you aren’t in a tight spot, but would like some extra cash to reach some financial goals you have. That’s when we need some legit ways to make extra money.
The good news is, there are things you can do to earn some extra cash aside from your regular job. Or maybe you are a stay-at-home mom who just wants to make some extra money.
It used to be that if you wanted to make extra money above and beyond your full-time job you had to find a part-time job outside of the home. Nowadays there are so many ways you can make money whether it is from home, on the internet, or still outside the home.
When it comes to raising our kids and working around crazy schedules, it can be nice to have a little flexibility to do that.
The other benefit of working a “side hustle” is that we aren’t relying on one source of income. In the blogging world you will often hear people telling you to “diversify your income streams” and I think that this can be a benefit no matter what your main line of work.
If ever something happens to one income stream, you know you can make money doing something else. There is comfort in knowing we are capable of creating extra income for ourselves if we should ever lose our main source of employment.
If you could make an extra 500 dollars this month, what would you do with it?
- Would you save up for a trip?
- Make an extra payment towards debt?
- Put the money towards home renovations?
- Buy a big ticket item?
- Put it in a savings emergency fund?
There are so many things that an extra 500 dollars can help with. Even a few months of a side hustle that brings you an extra $500 dollars each month can really help you get ahead.
HOW TO MAKE 500 DOLLARS A MONTH
1. Babysit
In our area, from what I’ve been told, an average babysitting job is around 10 dollars an hour. If you work 13 hours a week babysitting, you can bring in over 500 dollars.
13 hours might feel like a lot, but if you work an 8 hour day of babysitting on a Saturday, and then another 5 hour shift during the week, you’ve got the cash you need. 🙂 You may even be able to work less hours if the average babysitting rate in your area is higher.
This one can especially be great if you are a stay-at-home mom. Many work at home moms need some care while they are at work. You can make more money by offering babysitting services full-time during the week, but there are many part-time working parents who just need part-time care.
2. Teach English online.
It used to be that if you wanted to teach English as a second language to foreign students, you had to go overseas. That isn’t the case anymore. Many people are learning how to speak English as a second language on the Internet. VIPKID is a company online that is often looking for teachers. You can earn up to $25 an hour with VIPKID so 5 hours a week would get you that $500 you need.
3. Sell some of your stuff.
Let’s be honest – many of us have more stuff than we need. If you find a few bigger items around your home that you can get rid of – furniture, tools, machinery, exercise equipment – it wouldn’t take too long to make that 500 dollars you need. If you only have smaller items you can still get the 500 you are needing.
This option works well if you just need to make 500 dollars for one month, but of course, if you want an ongoing side hustle, this isn’t a great option because eventually you will run out of things to sell!
4. Teach music lessons.
If you are skilled in an instrument like piano, guitar, or violin, you can offer music lessons. You can teach in your own home, or go to your student’s homes.
You can make an average of $20-$30 dollars per lesson (sometimes higher depending on where you live), and often each lesson is just a half hour, which means you could be making $40-$60 an hour! Not bad at all. That means ONLY 3 hours per week could get you over the $500 dollars you are looking for per month.
5. Freelance writing.
How much money you make for articles you write will vary from company to company, but even if you only make $100 per article, that means you only need to write 5 articles a month to make your $500.
6. Virtual Assistant.
As a blogger I come across people all the time looking for virtual assistants. With so many people doing online businesses these days there are many opportunities to be a virtual assistant. You will want some guidance on how to get started as a virtual assistant and I recommend the 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success course.
HOW TO MAKE EXTRA MONEY ON THE SIDE FOR THE LONG-TERM
While the above ideas can get you $500 dollars THIS month, the following options can make you 500 dollars AND MORE each month, but more than likely you won’t make that money right away. If you want to make 500 dollars or more consistently, these ideas can be good options, but like any home business it often means putting in a lot of work before you see some money. However, the payoff can be amazing, and so that is why I am including it.
Blogging.
Of course I need to start out with this one. Some people say blogging is dead. I can assure you it’s not. As someone who started blogging just about 14 months ago, it has allowed me to make money from home.
While I am making quite a bit more than $500 dollars a month now, I didn’t start making money until after 4 months of blogging, and there is a delay in pay in the blogging world so it wasn’t until 7 months that I finally had the money in hand. However, each month it has steadily grown, and is an insanely flexible way to make money as you can work around your schedule, and do it all from home.
If you want to start a blog, you need to pay for hosting. I have been with BlueHost from day one and it has worked out great for me. It’s extremely affordable and by clicking this link you can check out the hosting company I use. You will also want to purchase a domain too which you can also get through Bluehost.
Blogging can be an amazing way to make money, but it does take time, and a lot of “hustling”, especially in the early months.
Network Marketing.
Not everyone is a fan of network marketing, however, there are definitely people who make it a viable business and make over and above $500 dollars per month. Some network marketers are even successfully retiring their spouses because of the income they make from it. Whether it’s essential oils, body care products, kitchen tools, or exercise videos, the options are endless of what you can decide to sell as a home business. Again, this one is also great for flexibility.
WHAT IF YOU JUST WANT TO MAKE AN EXTRA 100 OR 200 DOLLARS A MONTH?
Maybe you feel like you don’t have the time to schedule in a real side hustle. And maybe you don’t need a whole $500 extra dollars a month but would love to make an extra hundred or two hundred dollars a month.
There are other things you can do if that’s the case.
Surveys. While surveys aren’t going to get you rich any time soon, they can bring you some extra cash, and to be honest, if you really hustle you COULD probably bring in close to $500, but you have to be dedicated. 🙂 Surveys are great because you can fit them in around a busy household, or caring for babies or toddlers. You can do a survey during nap time, or after the kids go to bed. Heck, some surveys you can do from your Ipad or cellphone while you are laying in bed settled down for the night!
Some survey companies you can try are VIP Voice Panel, American Consumer Opinion, Pinecone research, Inbox Dollars, or Survey Junkie.
Swagbucks. This is similar to a survey site, and it does actually have surveys on it but you can actually make money just by doing your regular searches on the internet, watching videos, and doing a whole host of other things. While some people have really worked at it and were able to make cash to put aside from things like trips, big ticket items, and debt (over time of course), I liked to use Swagbucks for gift cards for Starbucks. 🙂 It was a way I could fund my love for lattes. Sign up for your own Swagbucks account here.
Mystery Shopping. I’ve done this one as well and was able to make some extra cash, and again, had I been more dedicated to it, I could have made more money. Basically, you get assignments in your area and go into a store or business posed as a customer. You may be required to make a purchase which you will get reimbursed for, and then after the experience you will fill out questions about the experience and make a little bit of money. This is as close as I’ll ever get to being a secret agent. 🙂 If you are looking for a mystery shopper company, try BestMark.
So, as you can see, you are not limited when it comes to how to make extra money on the side. There are some very real ways to make money from home for free. You don’t need to always invest to make cash from home. Some of the options above require an investment but not all so if you are looking to go that route you have that option. Try one of these ideas to reach the financial goals you want!
