How To Make $1,000 Fast: Tips for Earning Money in a Pinch (2024) - Shopify (2024)

Whether you’re looking to save money for a trip or needing more money to cover a surprise bill, sometimes you need to earn some extra money fast.

There are plenty of ways to use your time, effort, and skills to make a thousand dollars quickly, on your own schedule. Online marketplaces and the gig economy have made it easier than ever to make money in a variety of ways, including tutoring, delivering food, and selling items online. Learn more about ways to earn some extra cash quickly.

How to make $1,000 fast

• Sell stuff you already own
• Deliver food
• Pick up a part-time job
• Rent out unused space
• Start freelance writing
• Try affiliate marketing
• Drive for a ridesharing service
• Find odd jobs
• Tutor clients
• Take online surveys
• Become a virtual assistant
• Sell your own art
• Offer marketing services
• Provide IT support
• Refurbish and resell used items

Here are some of the ways you can use your time and talents to earn some extra money quickly—some in as little as just a few days:

Sell stuff you already own

Make a list of items you own you’re willing to sell. You might have furniture, jewelry, antiques, sneakers, or electronics you no longer use or need. You can sell them through online platforms like Facebook Marketplace or eBay, or in person through a garage sale or yard sale.

If you’re selling online, take high-quality photos of the items you’re selling and write a product description that uses relevant keywords for potential customers searching online. To maintain a good reputation as a seller, include any necessary information about the condition of your items and choose a reasonable price that accounts for shipping costs.

Deliver food

Work for a food delivery service in your spare time. Food delivery services involve picking up food items from grocery stores and restaurants and delivering them to customers who order online, either directly or through a food service app like DoorDash, Postmates, Instacart, Grubhub, or Uber Eats.

Food delivery services charge fees based on a percentage of the cost of food items, sometimes as much as 30%. Food deliverers receive a share of that fee and any tips from customers.

Pick up a part-time job

Search for part-time job openings. Explore online employment marketplaces like ZipRecruiter, Indeed, LinkedIn, SimplyHired, and Glassdoor. Look into retail positions at boutique shops as well as big-box stores. Other potential part-time positions include bank telling and administrative assistance. Consider picking up a part-time server or bartender position to earn some extra money fast through cash tips.

Rent out unused space

If you own extra space that you don’t use, consider renting it out. You could rent a spare room, second home, or garage to people who need space for living, working, storage, or vacationing. For short-term vacation rentals, look into companies like Airbnb and Vrbo. For longer-term rentals, use platforms like Zillow, Avail, and Apartment Finder. You can also list your extra space for rent on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Start freelance writing

Freelance writing involves making money online by creating content for clients on a project-by-project basis. These writing services can range widely based on your skill set and interests.

For example, you could work as a copywriter for companies that need articles or blog posts, advertising materials, website copy, social media posts, and technical manuals. If you have a knack for creative writing, consider lending your services as a ghostwriter for individuals and companies that need help bringing a book to life. You can find freelance writing gigs on networking platforms such as Fiverr and Upwork.

Try affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing involves promoting a product or service by sharing an affiliate link. When people buy a product or service after clicking on your unique link, you earn money. Explore different affiliate marketing programs (like Shopify or Amazon Associates) and choose ones that align with your taste and network. Share affiliate links with friends and family, or post them on your social media accounts.

Drive for a ridesharing service

If you have a reliable vehicle and some spare time, consider working as a driver for a rideshare service like Lyft or Uber. Ridesharing services give you the freedom to make your own schedule and accept or decline rides as needed. Keep an eye on the changing rates of the ridesharing apps you’re using to learn when demand is high and the rates are better.

Find odd jobs

Another way to make some quick cash is by performing tasks for paying clients in your local area. This could include paid gigs helping with yard work, pet sitting for busy pet owners, house cleaning, laundry, and moving furniture. Although gigs like this rarely pay more than a few hundred dollars per job, they can add up if you’re willing to pick up several. Search for odd jobs through online platforms like TaskRabbit, Fiverr, and Gigwalk.

Tutor clients

Make some extra income by offering in-person or online tutoring sessions. Start by identifying an area of expertise that you can teach to others. You could focus on high-demand educational services, like SAT training, or using your experience playing music, writing code, or editing software.

If you have enough educational material from past tutoring sessions, consider writing or recording an online course that you can offer to paying clients. Selling online courses is a great way to generate passive income from existing material.

Take online surveys

Participate in online surveys that offer money in exchange for detailed information. Companies pay for people to fill out surveys, and sell that information to businesses doing market research. The pay for taking online surveys is modest, but it’s an easy way to supplement other sources of income. Some of the most popular paid online survey companies include Survey Junkie, Swagbucks, KashKick, and Pinecone Research.

Become a virtual assistant

Apply for a part-time or full-time job as a virtual assistant helping clients with administrative tasks like scheduling meetings, making travel arrangements, performing data entry, and managing emails. Virtual assistant positions range in hours and rates but can become a lucrative way to generate income remotely. Search on freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fancy Hands, and Zirtual for available positions.

Sell your own art

Creative individuals with skills in painting, photography, and graphic design can earn extra cash by selling their artwork online. Consider selling original works or prints at art fairs and pop-up shops or through an online store. Ecommerce platforms like Shopify make it easy to launch your own online store with customizable templates, mobile-friendly themes, and up-to-date analytics.

Offer marketing services

Provide digital marketing services to paying clients who need help marketing their products and services. Hone your skills for doing market research, overseeing social media campaigns, search engine optimization, and email marketing. Search for potential clients online and start by helping local businesses so you can develop a positive track record that you can use to attract more clients.

Provide IT support

Use your technical savvy to earn money from individuals and small business owners willing to pay for help with their technology systems. For example, you could help a local company install anti-virus software or set up a secure firewall. You could also help individual clients with more basic technology needs like resetting passwords or setting up video conferencing tools.

Refurbish and resell used items

Another way you can earn cash is by searching for valuable and stylish used items at thrift stores and reselling them for a higher price through your own online vintage clothing brand. You could also find stylish pieces of furniture to refurbish and sell at a markup.