How To Make $1,000 Fast: 26 Proven Ways To Get Cash Quickly

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Need $1,000 fast? If you need extra cash for a surprise expense, an emergency or just to pay the bills, there are ways to hit that goal. You don’t even need to leave home to do some of them. You can sell things around your house or pick up a side gig. Here are 26 real ways to make $1,000 fast.

Fast Ways To Make $1,000 From Home

1. Sell Unused Items

Chances are you have unused things you’re willing to part with.

Hosting a garage sale or placing items on eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist can quickly generate cash. If you have gently used designer clothing or bags, consider Poshmark.

If you have electronics, CDs, DVDs, games or books you want to unload, check out Decluttr. Just enter the barcode, and Decluttr will tell you how much it will pay you for it. 

2. Transcribe Audio Clips

If you’re a fast typer, put those skills to use and earn some cash. You can earn $15 to $22 an hour at TranscribeMe; an exam is required before starting. 

3. Participate in Gig Jobs on TaskRabbit

People who need help with everything from errands to around the house post on apps like TaskRabbit. To find jobs, sign up on the website — some cities charge a $25 registration fee. Select the services you offer, set your own rate, let potential employers know when you’re free to work and start finding jobs. 

4. Rent Out a Room

Using platforms like Airbnb, you can rent out an extra room or property. You set the nightly rate and control how often you want guests. To get started:

• Create an account
• Write a description of the house and the rules you’d like people to follow
• Offer local recommendations
• Take a few nice photos of the room to help entice potential guests

Quick Jobs You Can Start Today

5. Freelance Writing

Freelancing writing is a flexible side hustle that you can do remotely. Plus, there are several different types of freelance writing gigs to expand your options and opportunities. 

• Copywriting
• Ghostwriting
• Content creation for social media and websites
• Journalistic writing
• Blogging

You don’t need an English degree to work as a writer in most cases — just good writing skills and a work ethic that can meet deadlines. The pay varies greatly for freelance writing, but according to ZipRecruiter, the average hourly rate is $23. To find a job, search platforms like Upwork or Freelancer.

6. Offer Home Improvement Services

Tasks like lawn mowing, painting or cleaning can be lucrative, especially if you already own the necessary tools.

According to Jobber, you can charge $25 to $60 an hour for lawn mowing; painters can charge $3 to $6 per square foot, $20 to $50 per hour, or $200 to $500 per day, according to FreshBooks and house cleanings charge $17.05 and $21.47 per hour, according to Care.

7. Babysitting

Offer babysitting services to families you know. Let people around your neighborhood and friends who have children know you’re looking to pick up work babysitting.

You can get more gigs from word-of-mouth referrals, or if you want to boost your reach, sign up for Care.com. According to the site, the going rate is:

• $17 an hour for one kid
• $18 for two children
• $19 for three kids

8. Participate in Paid Clinical Trials

Some medical studies pay well for participation, though you must meet their criteria. ClinicalTrials.gov is a source you can search for trials, but be sure to speak with your physician first before participating in one. Paid opportunities can be worthwhile and pay between $400 to $2,000 depending on the trial phase.

9. Pet Sitting or Dog Walking

Pet parents are always in search of a loving sitter or dog walker. You can average $22 an hour and offer your services to neighbors or through apps like Rover. 

10. Tutoring

Tutoring is a great side gig that you can do from home. Whether you’re a math whiz, a computer science genius or good in history, you can make extra money teaching someone else your skills.

You can set your hours and earn about $24 an hour. You can teach students at your house or become an online tutor at Wyzant, Preply and Chegg.

11. Offer Car Washing or Detailing Services

Many people will pay for convenience, especially if you come to them. On weekends or after work, you can rake in the money washing and waxing cars for $50.00-$100.00 per vehicle.

Start by telling your friends and neighbors and then ask them for word-of-mouth referrals. You’ll need supplies to get your side hustle off the ground, but Amazon offers a 31-piece car detailing set for $25. 

12. Teach Language Lessons

If you’re bilingual, offering lessons is a great way to get quick cash. There are online platforms like iTalki that can help you do that To get started, apply. If you’re accepted, the onboarding process takes 15 days. From there, you set up your profile, your rate and schedule. 

13. IT Support

If you’re tech-savvy, you can make an average of $33 an hour offering IT support to companies. To find clients, explore jobs on ZipRecruiter or Indeed. IT support can include simple tasks like resetting passwords, installing antivirus software or setting up a secure firewall. 

Creative Side Hustles To Reach $1,000 Fast

14. Photography Gigs

If you’re skilled with a camera, do photoshoots for events, businesses or portraits.

You can also turn your pics into cash by selling stock photos to sites such as Shutterstock, where you can make between 15% and 40% of each sale’s price. The minimum payout is $35. Adobe Stock also allows users to upload images and get paid when they purchase them. You can earn 33% in royalties for every image you sell.

15. Social Media Management

If you know how to build an audience and generate excitement around a product on social media , you can earn extra money. You could get paid to take a brand to the next level as their social media manager, creating content and staying on top of social media trends. 

The pay can range from $500 to $10K a month, depending on experience and specialized background, so it’s feasible to make $1,000 weekly if you have some experience. Offer assistance to local businesses or brands that don’t have much of an online presence or find jobs online at Upwork and Guru.

16. Graphic Design

If you have the talent to deliver creative visuals and understand design software, graphic design can be a profitable side gig you can do from home and have a flexible schedule.

From websites to packaging and advertising, graphic designers have many projects to work on and showcase their work. The average hourly rate is roughly $23 an hour, and you can connect with clients on platforms such as Freelancer and Upwork.

17. Web Development

Web design is another lucrative side gig that can help you make $1,000 in a week from home. Some web developers have a degree in website design or computer science, while others are self-taught. If you like coding and know the languages, use that knowledge to find jobs in web development, which includes:

• Keeping websites updated
• Designing website layouts
• Writing and reviewing code

The average hourly rate is $45, but you can earn as much as $72 an hour, depending on experience. Freelancer and Upwork are good places to find clients. 

18. Affiliate Marketing

These days, everyone has an online presence, so get paid for it. Promote products on your blog, YouTube channel or social media. Earn commissions on any sales made through your referral links.

To work with brands, you can create a media kit that shows your blog’s reach, audience demographics and the types of sponsored opportunities you offer.

For 100,000 readers, you can charge $500 per sponsored post. You can charge $500 to $2,000 for sponsored Instagram posts for 15,000 followers or more.

19. Write an eBook or Online Course

If you have expertise in a particular area, create and sell an online course or eBook. Platforms like Udemy or Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing can host and sell your content, providing regular royalties.

Passive Income and Bonus Opportunities

20. Rent Your Car

If you live in a city tourists visit, you can rent your car and make extra cash while you stay home and work another side gig.

Sign up for Turo, a service where travelers skip pricey rental cars and pay to borrow yours. Setting up your profile takes about 10 minutes, and the website estimates that the average annual income for one car is $10,868.

21. Online Surveys and Reviews

Online surveys are not all the same. Some will pay just a few cents, while others provide bigger rewards and incentives. There are multiple sites to take online surveys, but create an email account just for surveys so you’re not constantly spammed. 

• At Swagbucks, you can earn $3-$5 an hour by taking surveys. 
• At CloudResearch, the surveys can last up to 45 minutes, and participants can make $10 an hour. 
• Prime Survey pays up to $5 a survey and up to $11 a day. 

22. Flipping Thrift Store Finds

Buy underpriced items from thrift stores and sell them at a profit on platforms like eBay or Poshmark. 

23. Invest in Stocks

Dividend-paying stocks can provide monthly or quarterly payouts and are a great investment option for those looking for passive income. To get started, you can either open a brokerage account or use a trustworthy investment app such as Webull, Robinhood or M1. 

24. Start a Drop-shipping Business

A drop-shipping business is ideal for anyone who wants to open a store, but doesn’t want to store inventory. For example, if you decide to sell custom coffee mugs, you don’t need to buy hundreds of products in advance. Instead, your supplier prints and ships the mugs directly to the customer.  Once set up, your primary role is customer service and managing orders, while a third party handles inventory and shipping.

Popular drop-shipping suppliers include Worldwide Brands, Zendrop, Modalyst and Wholesale Central. 

25. Advertise on Your Car

If you’re already going to drive around town or have a road trip planned, earn extra cash by advertising on your car. Wrapify will pay you to place ads on your car. The more ads you have on your car and miles you drive, the more you make. According to the site, you can earn $264 to $452 a month. 

26. Invest in Crowdfunding Real Estate

If you are interested in real estate, but don’t want to deal with any of the responsibilities that come with rentals, crowdfunding could be the way to go. It’s a popular new way to diversify a portfolio and generate passive income without the headaches of being a landlord. 

How it works: An investing team chooses real estate properties and buildings to purchase based on several risk factors. Then they launch the opportunity onto the platform for potential investors to commit to until the funds needed are reached. Your money is pooled with other investors and you’ll pay an annual fee to the management company.

Well-established real estate crowdfunding sites include Fundrise, EquityMultiple, and CrowdStreet.

Top Ways To Make $1,000 Fast: Rankings

Best for Fast Payout

• TaskRabbit: You can get paid quickly for completing various tasks.
• Selling Unused Items: You can sell on eBay, Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace either locally or by shipping.

Best from Home

• Freelance writing: Write articles, blogs and other content from the comfort of your home or remotely.
• Tutoring: Online tutoring platforms like Chegg and Preply enable you to teach students while working from home or remotely.

Best Passive Income

• Rent your car: This one does require upfront effort, including creating your listing and taking photos. Once it’s all set up, you can earn money passively.
• Affiliate marketing: Earn commissions by promoting products. One of the most well-known is through Amazon Associates, but if you gain a solid enough following, you can also reach out to brands or companies that you support to partner with them.

Highest Paying (with Skill)

• Web development: If you’re skilled at web development, the hourly rates can be lucrative. Check Upwork or Toptal for side gig opportunities. Skilled web developers can earn high hourly rates on platforms like Upwork and Toptal.
• Graphic Design: You can also generate a good amount of side income if you’re a talented graphic designer. Try Fiverr and 99designs.

Whether you need $1,000 for an emergency or to get ahead financially, these side hustles can help. Try combining two to three methods to reach your goal even faster.

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