How would you like to make an extra $500 a month? How about $1,000 or more? It’s entirely possible to earn extra cash every month, working flexible hours virtually, out of your home, or even car, all while maintaining your regular job. An extra $6,000 or $1,000 can really add up, allowing you to pay off credit cards, your auto loan, get out of debt, or start saving money for a rainy day or investment. Over the course of just a few years, that will make a huge positive difference for your family’s financial situation.

In this three-part blog, we’ll introduce 25 great ways to do just that. Please note that this isn’t “free” money, multi-level marketing or a quick and easy way to get rich. These jobs take a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and sometimes training or education, but with relatively low (or no) start up costs and a ton of flexibility, you could realistically earn $1,000 extra every month in the time you sit on the couch and watch TV.

We’d love to know what you think, your experiences if you try any of these, and if you have any other suggestions on how to make extra money from home!

1. Become an Uber or Lyft driver
These days, it’s easier than ever to make a significant chunk of change on the side with the advent of contractor driving services like Uber and Lyft. It’s easy to get set up and registered and drivers love the flexibility and freedom of setting their own schedule and working as much or as little as they want. You’ll never have to worry about advertising or where your customers will come from, and with Uber you get 80% of every fare you drive. There are some restrictions (21 years old, clean driving record, no criminal background, your car must be a four-door that seats at least four passengers, etc.) but it’s a great way to make some extra cash during your down time.

2. Become a subject for medical tests
Doctors, hospitals, medical equipment companies and pharmaceutical companies always need people who will participate in their studies and tests, and usually pay a handsome fee. Organizations as diverse as NASA pay $5,000 for a month-long sleep study, and others just want to collect information and data about psoriasis, migraines, back pain, arthritis, and other ailments and illnesses and will pay a few hundred dollars (or much more) for only a few sessions. A good number of these medical tests allow you to fill out surveys online in your own home, or offer free products and services that could even help you.

3. Earn $250 by opening a bank account
Did you know that a good number of banks will actually pay you to open a savings account with them? It’s true, and you might be able to get as much as $250 as a starting bonus from the bank as they compete for your business. Of course it won’t cost you anything to open these secondary accounts, and you can use them to save for holiday presents, a vacation fund, or just accrue money to pay off debt. Many credit cards also offer bonuses or even cash if you sign up, and if two people in a couple sign up separately, you might be able to earn $500 or more this month!

4. Get some paying gigs on Fiverr.com
The website Fiverr.com is an online platform that matches up regular people offering their skills and services with companies or individuals that need someone to work. Basically, it’s like a big job board for project-based work, but the crux is that every “gig” on there needs to start at $5. While that sounds like a low wage not worthy of your time, the price for these gigs can escalate for extras (additional time, tasks, work, scope of work, etc.) and you decide how much to charge and where to set your prices. From logo designers to editors, application creators to Excel experts, you can find just about anything business-related on Fiverr, and there are about 4,000 paid gigs on there every day. The possibilities of what you can offer as a seller really are endless, so think about what skills you can have that you’d like to offer, and find a match to make extra money.

5. Be a part-time bookkeeper
Virtual bookkeeping is a vastly growing field, as just about every business, company, and even entrepreneur has the need for accurate and detailed accounting (especially around tax time!) Bookkeepers regularly earn $50 an hour or more, and the best part is that the work is automatic every month. You don’t have to be a Certified Public Account to do bookkeeping – just very good with numbers, organized, and take a few classes or a certification course to get started.

6. Run a fitness boot camp
Are you an exercise fanatic and want to get paid for your workouts? Why not work out in a local park, school, beach, or community center three times a week, invite a bunch of friends, start advertising locally, and charge $10 a head per session? People always need extra motivation and love the group fitness setting, but often times are intimidated or just don’t want to pay the high prices for a personal trainer at the gym. You can cater to any age group, athletic level, or activity you’d like (boxing, yoga, recent moms, etc.) meet some great people, stay in shape, and earn extra money!

7. Become a portrait or wedding photographer
Are you proficient with a camera, have some good equipment, and love taking pictures? Why not try your hand as a photographer for hire? Of course it would be best if you studied your craft, got lots of practice, learned the fine points of online editing, built a website to display your portfolio, and upgrade your equipment or set up a home studio as you went, but there’s nothing stopping you from being a weekend warrior professional photographer. Many people just can’t afford to hire a top-dollar, full-time professional photographer or videographer, so there is always a need and market for those who can take good photos. Weddings, parties, real estate photography, business card shots, baby portraits, and family pictures are just a few of the areas you can specialize in for a great new source of income. You’ll probably find that it can be extremely hard work – but also equally lucrative.

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If you’d like to see part two and three of this blog with 18 more ways to earn $500 – $1,000 every month from home, including links where you can sign up and find information, subscribe to this blog (top right) or emailcontact@bluewatercredit.com.