What if I told you that it’s easier than you think to make money from home? In fact, with the right strategy, you can make a few hundred dollars – even $500 a month – right from the comfort of your home.
I’m going to show you how to make an extra $500 a month online with easy strategies that anyone can follow.
Easy Ways to Make an Extra $500 a Month from Home
Here are my top strategies for making an extra $500 a month without ever having to leave your living room.
Blogging
It should come as no surprise that blogging tops my list of how to make an extra $500 a month. It’s what I know best, and it also happens to be one of the best ways to make a full-time income online – way more than $500 per month. In November 2023 I earned over $11K with my blog – you can read my income report here.
Starting a blog is easier than you think. It will take some time to grow your audience and create content, but overall, blogging is far from complicated.
To get started:
- Do your research to find the right niche. Your niche is the topic of your blog, and it will dictate the direction of your content and how you monetize your site. The right niche will have few competitors and plenty of opportunities to display ads, engage in affiliate marketing and possibly even create your own products.
- Choose the right name. Select a name that’s relevant to your niche without being too restrictive. Remember that the name of your blog is your brand, so it should be something you’ll love months and years from now.
- Get setup. You’ll need to go through the technical steps of buying a domain, investing in hosting, setting up WordPress and getting things up and running.
If you’re new to blogging, I recommend that you check out my guide on starting a profitable blog and sign up to my 7-days free email course below. I cover all of these steps in greater detail, along with ways to monetize your blog.
Speaking of affiliate marketing, this is another way to make $500/month online. You can promote products on your blog, or you can use social media to generate sales with your affiliate links.
Sell Printables on Etsy
There’s a huge demand for printables. They’re easy to sell because the price point is low, and there’s little-to-no overhead because you’re selling digital files.
Printables are exactly what they sound like – digital files that customers can print at home or at a professional printer. They typically sell for $3-$8 a piece, depending on the content.
Some of the most popular printables include:
- Checklists
- Journals
- Wall art
- Nursery art
- Chore charts
- Budget planners
Getting started with this money-making strategy is easy. All you have to do is:
- Set up an Etsy shop
- Come up with a clever name
- Start making listings and generating sales
Like with a blog, you’ll need to do some research to find profitable products that customers actually want.
If you’re new to selling online, check out my guide on How to Start an Etsy Shop, where I walk you through each step of getting your shop up and running.
Related: 35 Incredibly Creative Craft Business Names
Sell Items on Amazon
If you have a product idea or products that you want to sell, it’s easy to set up a shop on Amazon. In fact, a lot of people purchase products from stores when they’re on sale and resell them on Amazon at full price.
You’ll need to research local rules, regulations and laws to make sure you can do this, but there are lots of sellers out there that have built successful businesses on the back of this strategy.
Selling on Amazon is one of my top tips on how to make an extra $500 a month because there’s plenty of room for growth. While it’s easy to get started, it will require an investment.
Start a Gig on Fiverr
Do you have a talent or skill that’s in demand? You may be able to create a gig on Fiverr and get paid for your skills.
You can sell just about any service on Fiverr, including:
- Graphic design
- Writing
- Video editing or creation
- Digital marketing
- Web and app design/development
- Voiceovers
- Music composition
- Business coaching
- Photography
- More
It’s easy to get started. Just set up an account for free and create your gig. I recommend that you:
- Spend time creating a persuasive description for your services
- Highlight past work and upload your portfolio to build trust
One important caveat here is that you’ll have to share your earnings with Fiverr (20%), so make sure you take this into account when setting your prices.
Start a Dropshipping or POD Business
Here’s an online business idea that costs next to nothing to start: print-on-demand (POD) or dropshipping.
- Dropshipping is when you sell products from a vendor, but the vendor handles the order processing, shipping and handling. Your profits are much smaller, but it’s virtually hands-off. You won’t have to purchase or store inventory.
- POD products are similar to dropshipping. The primary difference is that the vendor prints your unique design on the product. Check out platforms like Printful or Printify to compare their offerings and policies.
If you sell on a platform like Etsy, it’s pennies to get started with POD or dropshipping. The initial investment will be a little higher if you’re selling through your own website, but substantially less than opening a retail shop the old-fashioned way.
Try Dog Sitting or Walking
Animals are better than most people, and you can earn money by caring for them. For example, you can offer dog walking or sitting. If you have a home with a fenced-in yard, it will be even easier for you to make money.
You can offer your services on Facebook, but there are also many pet-sitting specific platforms that allow you to provide this service, such as:
You’ll need to sign up for the platform, fill out your profile and meet any of the requirements listed. If you want to make $500 extra per month, you can easily do this by sitting for multiple animals.
Drive for Uber or Lyft
Uber and Lyft are a nice side hustle, but these two platforms do require a lot of work and a good vehicle. I can’t say how much they pay because it depends on your city, but looking at a recent chart, you can earn:
- $19 an hour
- $500 in 26.5 hours driving
I know someone who works with these platforms often to make a great side income, and the trick is to find a high-traffic area. For example, if you live near a major airport, you can earn loads of money because someone always needs a “taxi.”
If you know of major concerts in town, such as Taylor Swift, you can park your car in the city and make tons of money in tips from driving people to and from the concert.
But you do need to have an in-state license and at least 3 years of experience if you’re under 25. All vehicles must be in good working order and also be a four-door model for you to be accepted onto the platform.
Work as a Virtual Assistant
Virtual assistants (VAs) do a little bit of everything: data entry, phone calls, editing or dozens of other tasks, depending on how you position yourself. You’ll need to have a steady Internet connection and dedication.
You can begin finding work as a VA by signing up for:
Start a YouTube Channel
YouTubers are glamourous. Some are almost like celebrities. You may not be the next Mr. Beast, but you can still make a great income in certain niches. But like many of the top creators say, you will not see much traction until you’ve created 50 – 100 videos.
Once you do gain traction on your channel, you can then begin:
- Applying for the Partner Program
- Selling merch
- Selling services or products
- Etc.
You’ll want to begin by brainstorming ideas for your channel and coming up with at least a dozen video ideas. Create your videos, a thumbnail, begin editing and start uploading.
Related: How to Make Money as an Amazon Influencer (Even with “Faceless” Videos!)
Freelancing
Freelancing is work – there’s no doubt about it – but it’s a fantastic way to earn money. You can earn an extra $500 per month, and if you build up your portfolio, you can earn this much money in a weekend.
If you have a very highly specialized skill or focus on just the right projects, you can even demand $500 for a small project.
Some of the industries that people are freelancing in include:
- Bookkeeping
- Editors
- Graphic design
- Marketing
- Programming
- Translation
- Videographer
- Web design
- Writing
Where do you start? You can begin networking on LinkedIn, X, Facebook or other networks. But in the meantime, you should also consider the following platforms where many people are earning great income:
- Freelancer
- Fiverr
- Upwork
You’ll also find multiple alternatives to these platforms, too. But these are the “big 3” and great places to begin your freelancing journey. I do recommend that you only offer services that you can complete with the utmost professionalism.
