Ways Anyone Can Make an Extra $500 Per Month

I am convinced that any one who isn’t severely disabled can make an extra $500 a month. Today, I’m going to break down all the common excuses I hear for why people think they can’t earn extra money and give some examples anyone can do to earn extra cash.

Ways Anyone Can Make Extra Money

Excuse: No one will hire me.

If you have any sort of skill, you can use it to make extra money, but you can’t expect people will come to you if they have no idea you are able to provide a needed service. In order to get hired, you need to show you are trustworthy and legitimate. I would make up some flyers or business cards and start visiting.  Remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day and it might take some time to build up your brand.

Businesses are perfect places to pitch your wares, especially if you use them and they know you. As a small business owner, I have had trouble finding these services, even from all sorts of people who claimed they wanted a job. Reliability is everything.

• Cleaning Service– I have had a good cleaning service for a while in one of my offices, but the satellite office was a nightmare. We went through half a dozen cleaning services and all of them were terrible. One even lost our office key! Pitch your service. Do an awesome job, and you will succeed and probably get referrals. I had a friend who cleaned commercial buildings at night while she was in college. Her business grew so much that she had to hire employees!
• Landscaping/Mowing-You’d think it would be easy to mow a yard, but I’ve also had terrible trouble with reliability. The last service we hired would only mow at 10:00 AM on Wednesdays, even though we asked them to come before or after business hours. Do you know how hard it is to conduct an eye exam with a mower right outside the window? I ended up firing them and hiring my husband. If you can do a good job and be unobtrusive, there are tons of commercial mowing  jobs available.
• Catering-This  is the perfect time to pitch catering. Businesses are planning holiday parties, and the boss probably doesn’t want to cook. Pot luck might seem chintzy. Maybe take a sample of your best hors d’oeuvres when you stop by to see if anyone needs your services.
• Window or Power Washing– Commercial cleaners rarely do windows, and our office building is always getting cobwebs around the front lights. If you can rent or have equipment to do this, you can make a good side income from washing windows or power washing buildings. Of course, this would probably not work in Manhattan, but if you live in an area with lots of one story buildings, there is great potential.

Jobs for Moms

Excuse: I can’t do any of these things because I am a stay at home mom.

I get that being a Mom is a full time job in itself, even if it doesn’t pay very well.  However, moms don’t need to be left out. There are still lots of ways to make extra money.

• Babysit– Do you know how expensive day care is? Probably, because you chose to stay home. Infant care is the worst. When I got pregnant, I had no idea what I was going to do for child care. We don’t have family members close by, and at the time, there were no day cares that took kids under 1 year old. Luckily, I found a new mom who wanted to watch my daughter in her home. It was a lifesaver.

Look for pregnant working women you know or might have a connection to and ask about their child care plans. No one wants to leave their baby at a day care if they have a good reliable person who will watch their kid from home. Yes, it’s hard to take care of extra kids, buy you are already exhausted, what is one or two more? I bet if you do a good job, you’ll have to fight off referrals.

• Direct Sales-I am a terrible salesperson, but if you like to network, this could be a way to make some money. My associate doctor’s wife is a great example. When he was in optometry school, she was stuck at home with a newborn. They only had one car, so she also had no transportation. She met a lady who sold Mary Kay, and after investigating that program, she signed on, and has done extremely well. After about a year, she got a free car to drive, and now pulls in several thousand dollars a month.
• Cake Decorating-If you are talented in the baking area, this can be a great way to earn extra money. One of the teachers Jim used to work with made amazing wedding and specialty birthday cakes. A basic tiered birthday cake could fetch $100, while there really isn’t a limit on wedding cakes. Just beware of Bridezillas!

Excuse: I already work full time, and I am exhausted.

I hear you there as well. If you work 40+ hours a week, the last thing you might want to do is take on another job. Saving money will get you so far, but if you really have a goal like getting out of debt or saving up a down payment for a house, earning extra income will get you there much faster. Are you willing to sacrifice in the short term to meet your long term goals?

Other Ways to Make Money

• Pet sitting
• Music lessons
• Teaching at community college
• Substitute teaching
• Grant writing
• Hauling people’s junk to the dump
• Cleaning out belongings after an elderly person goes into a nursing home
• Handyman work
• Detailing cars
• Photography
• Coaching or refereeing athletic teams
• Bookkeeping
• Assembling furniture
• Teaching Exercise Classes
• Seasonal Retail Jobs

Also remember to charge what you are worth, make sure you have signed contracts, and collect money owed to you. If you can do one or more of these things, you can easily make an extra $500 per month once you build your reputation and have reliable clients.

Here is another list of great extra income ideas. What are you waiting for?

What other ways can you think of to earn extra income?

Image: Freedigitalphotos.net/posterize

Written By

Snipon

Snipon is owned and run by a small team who love to find deals on a dime along with the best sweepstakes and giveaways out there. We’re always scrolling the internet for the latest offers to share them with our community. Sign up for our weekly newsletter so you don’t miss another freebie!