If you are here because you need to make $1,000 fast today, we have got you covered. Life happens! Maybe you need to quickly pay off your rent, pay off a credit card, repair your car, pay your household bills, go on a vacation to de-stress, or simply deal with an emergency.
A significant number of Canadians and Americans have less than $1,000 in their savings account. Seriously!
As per a Go BankingRates survey in 2018, as many as 58% of U.S. adults have less than $1,000 in savings and as many as 32% had no savings at all. On the Canadian side, the statistics are similar and 53% of millennials had less than $1,000 saved up.
Want to make $1,000 quick? These 15 side hustle ideas can help you reach your goal within a week or less, even if you do not have a steady day job. They are legit and easy to do!
How To Make $1,000 Fast: 15 Legal Ways To Make Money Online and From Home
Take your pick from these side hustles to rake in some cash quickly and address your money needs. Some of these tasks are online and doable from within the comfort of your home. For others, you need to get up and go hustle.
Depending on the gig, little or no experience may be required.
1. Earn Cash By Participating in Market Research
Believe it or not, but companies and businesses are willing to pay you for your opinions in order to improve their products, increase their sales, and expand their market share.
The data generated when you complete a survey, test a product, or participate in focus groups, is worth a lot and companies will reimburse you for the time you spend in providing them with useful information.
Some easy tasks to make money quick with the best-paid survey sites include: signing up, taking surveys, watching videos, browsing, shopping online, and referring friends.
My favourite survey sites offer various ways to redeem your rewards including as cash via PayPal, gift cards, merchandise, and more.
Some of the market research companies worth checking out are:
A. Swagbucks: There are over 9 ways to earn cash on this site, including a $5 sign-up bonus. Redeem cash via PayPal when you need the money. Swagbucks has paid its members over $500 million to date.
Check out my Swagbucks review.
B. Survey Junkie: This popular survey site offers members lots of opportunities to earn on a daily basis. Sign up here. You can also read our Survey Junkie Review.
C. Daily Rewards: This survey company is the sister site to Inbox Dollars and caters to Canadians. Sign up here for a $5 bonus.
D. Inbox Dollars (United States): This site starts you off with a $5 welcome bonus and opportunities to earn cash when you complete short surveys.
E. Ipsos i-Say: Operated by one of the world’s most popular market research companies, Ipsos, this survey site is great for earning rewards. Sign up with i-Say here.
F. Pinecone Research: This is considered one of the best paying market research companies out there. You can easily earn $3 to $5 per survey when you join here.
Read this review of Pinecone Research for more details.
G. Lifepoints: This Canadian survey site offers a lot of high-paying surveys on a daily basis. Sign up for Lifepoints here.
H: Branded Surveys: Get started with this site and start earning points you can redeem for cash and various gift cards. Sign up for Branded Surveys.
2. Use Cash Back Apps
You can reach your $1,000 target by keeping some of the money you already spend. The best cash back apps can give you up to 35% in cash back when you make a purchase. This applies to most of the things you buy regularly like groceries, clothing, household supplies, etc.
This is free money and you should take advantage of it.
Some of the best paying cash back apps include:
A. Drop App: This cash back app is available in Canada and the United States. Drop automatically credits your account with cash back whenever you shop using your registered debit or credit cards. Easy-peasy and get a $5 bonus when you register your card! Sign up here.
You can also read my full Drop review.
B. Rakuten: Earn cash back at more than 2,500 stores. Simply make your online purchase at your favourite store using the Rakuten website or app, and earn money back.
There is also a $5-$10 welcome bonus when you sign up here.
C. TopCashback: This is one of the most popular cashback apps in the U.S. as it allows you to earn rewards from over 4,000 stores. Sign up here.
D. Caddle (Canada): This is one of the best grocery apps for cash back. Sign up here for a $1 bonus.
E. Ampli (Canada): You can earn up to 25% in cash back on your shopping with this app. Check out the weekly offers, shop at participating stores, and automatically earn cash back.
Get a $5 welcome bonus when you sign up and connect your bank card and also check out my Ampli review.
3. Do Freelance Work Online
Companies and individuals are willing to pay you to complete simple tasks. The job you take on may be related to your current skills, or in many cases, are so mundane, little or no expertise is required.
For example, a cursory search online (on Fiverr) shows that there are tons of paid gigs including people who are willing to pay someone to record a voice-over, design a logo, write an article, edit a resume or cover letter, proofread, translate, transcribe audio, edit a video, design a website, enter data, give relationship advice, help with bookkeeping, create a prank, and hundreds of other gigs.
These quick side hustles pay cash and are great for making your $1,000!
Great sites to find freelance work include:
- Fiverr
- Freelancer
- 99 Designs
- Upwork
If you decide you want to turn freelancing into a longer-term project that continues to make you money, some options you can develop into a business include:
Proofreading: Get paid $25 to $50 per hour proofreading for others online. Start your proofreading business with this course.
Related: 13 Work From Home Jobs That Pay Well
4. Start a Blog
You can make a lot of money when you have a blog that attracts visitors. If you don’t mind sharing information with others, a blog is one way to generate extra cash. Blogs make money from advertisements, affiliate marketing, selling products and courses.
It is very cheap to start a blog, and you can host your blog for as cheap as $3.95 USD per month with Bluehost.
While a new blog will likely not make you money (or $1,000 for that matter) in its first week, it is an excellent way to make thousands of dollars in passive income every month.
Check out this detailed 6-step guide on how to start a profitable blog.
If starting a blog is a project for another day, you can consider making quick cash by writing for existing blogs.
5. Deliver Groceries With Instacart and Make Money
Monetize your spare time and earn cash by delivering groceries within your city on your own schedule.
Instacart will pay you to work as an in-store shopper and assist people with their grocery shopping, or you can go a step further as a full-service shopper and not only shop but also deliver the order.
The money you earn is paid out weekly via direct deposit or check.
Two other companies that offer an even better opportunity are DoorDash and Postmates.
DoorDash: They pay good money for you to deliver food in your area and all you need is your vehicle (car, motorcycle, scooter, bike, or even just your legs) and a smartphone. Sign up here!
6. Play With Dogs For Cash
If you like dogs and cats, you can earn quick cash and even a livable income from pet-sitting, dog walking, pet boarding, home-sitting, and more.
Rover gives you all the tools you need to set your own prices and start earning on your schedule. Earnings are available for withdrawal 2 days after you have provided the service.
Pet sitters earn more than $48,000 on average per year or $999 per week! So, there is your $1,000 if this gig is one you don’t mind doing. Join Rover here.
7. Find Hidden Money
There are services that help you lower your bills automatically and find hidden ways to save money with your everyday purchases. You will be surprised to find how much money you can keep in your wallet without any radical change in your lifestyle.
The first free service is Trim Financial Manager (U.S.). This free app automatically analyzes your spending and helps you cancel unwanted subscriptions, negotiates a lower utility bill, and finds cheaper insurance for you.
The second free service is Paytm (Canada). The Paytm app gives you cash back when you pay your monthly bills including utilities, property tax, insurance, rent, tuition, loans, cable, internet, and more.
Sign up for Paytm here and use promo code PTM2477287 to receive a $5 welcome bonus after paying your first bill of $50 or more.
Other money-saving apps worth noting include:
8. Rent Your Car on Turo or Drive For Lyft
Rent out your car on Turo and let it start earning for you. Turo is the ultimate site for monetizing your car when you are not using it.
The site is free to use, you set your own prices and you will earn up to 90% of the fees paid by renters. In addition, Turo prescreens drivers, provides roadside assistance and protects your asset with up to $2 million in liability insurance.
Payment is made via PayPal within 5 days! You can learn more about the platform in this Turo review.
If you have access to a vehicle and don’t mind people, you can sign-up with Lyft or Uber to drive people around during your free time. Drivers can make about $17.50 per hour.
Depending on how many hours you put in, you can raise all or part of your $1,000 cash needs in 1 week or so.
If you do not care about driving people you don’t know around, an alternative is to deliver food orders to their doorstep. Companies that provide this gig include Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Instacart.
9. Sell Stuff You Don’t Need To Raise Cash Fast
Who needs extra stuff lying around unused when you can make some quick cash?
If you have old books, CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, video games, cell phones, clothes, and other items lying around your house, you can sell them for cash and clear the clutter.
Avenues for disposing of these items include:
- Decluttr: This site helps you with most of the groundwork and logistics including free instant evaluation using your phone, free labels, free shipping, and next day payments (direct deposit, PayPal, or check).
- Yard Sales
- eBay
- Craigslist
- Kijiji (Canada)
- OfferUp (U.S.)
- Amazon
- Facebook Marketplace
You can take this even further and make a lot of legit money by reselling cheap used items you buy at a significant markup in price. Your seed investment is minimal and if done right, your returns can be astronomical!
10. Save Your Spare Change
Every dollar counts when you need a thousand bucks like right now! This is even truer if the idea of selling your plasma, blood, sperm, or egg to make quick cash is not something you’d like to do.
Use automated savings apps like Moka (Canada), Wealthsimple (U.S. and Canada), and Acorns (U.S.). These apps automatically save/invest your spare change without you even noticing it.
Wealthsimple: This is one of the most popular robo-advisors in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. The “Roundup” feature on the app also helps you to save your spare change automatically.
Moka: This app is available in Canada and is similar to Digit and Acorns in the U.S. It helps you save money without feeling deprived. There is also a $5 bonus when you sign up.
Digit: The Digit app is available to Americans and helps to save automatically, budget, and meet your financial goals. Sign up with Digit here.
11. Teach Others English and Earn Cash
Parents in many non-English speaking countries around the world (particularly China) are looking for native English speakers who can tutor their kids to speak the English language. They are also willing to pay for your services.
VIPKID is one of the most popular portals for this service and they pay $14-22 per hour. You choose your hours and work from home using a laptop, handset, camera, and an internet connection.
You can also teach other things and advertise your tutoring services on online job boards or Craigslist.
Here’s a detailed VIPKid review.
12. Find a Part-Time Job
Sometimes, the easiest way to make $1,000 fast is to go the traditional route and find a second job or work extra shifts at your current job. Some job titles you can assume in the evenings or weekends include:
- Babysitter
- Lawnmower
- Housekeeper
- Bartender/Server
- Gardener
- Photographer
- Events Manager
- House painter
- Handyman
If you are also good with DIY, Arts, and Crafts, you can make stuff and sell them online (e.g. on Etsy).
13. Cut Your Expenses and Save Money
In your bid to raise $1,000, you should also take a look at how to cut your current expenditures. Take a look at your budget and find ways to balance your income vs. expenses in order to free up some cash.
For example, cut your expensive premium cable down to a basic TV package, eat out less (try the $5 meal plan), cut your energy bill, quit smoking, don’t pay for an extended warranty, DIY your car maintenance, cancel unused subscriptions, and avoid impulse purchases.
For more saving money tips, check out my post on 100+ ways to save money easily.
14. Maximize Bank Bonuses
It is a well-known fact that banks exist to make money. If you are strategic with your financial planning, you can also get in on the action (just a little bit…but be careful you don’t give it all back!).
Some ways to earn bank bonuses include:
- Collect credit card cash back: Use cash back cards when you spend money. Cashback offers may be more attractive for specific categories of spending, so keep that in mind. Also, ensure that you pay off your credit card balance on time to avoid interest fees.
- Collect credit card sign-up bonuses: Banks may offer a significant sign-up bonus. Maximize their bonuses when it makes sense for your financial situation. KOHO gives you up to 12% in free cash back and STACK gives you a $5 bonus. Both of them do not need your credit score for approval.
- Open a new Chequing or Savings account: Online banks often offer juicy cash bonuses when you open a new account. You can earn one of the highest interest rates with EQ Bank in Canada at 1.50%. In the U.S., try Ponce Bank for high-yield savings.
While $200 is just a fraction of your $1,000 money needs, note that you will continue to save on monthly bank fees with these no-fee online bank accounts.
15. Rent Out A Room With Airbnb
If you have an empty room in your home or you are going on vacation, your spare room or vacant house could earn some real cash instead of just sitting empty.
Hosting guests and getting paid is easy. Simply list your empty room on Airbnb. Decide on your availability, prices, and house rules. Listing your space is free, and Airbnb backs up every booking with $1 million in property damage protection and $1 million in insurance against accidents.
Even if you do not have a spare room to rent, you can still make quick cash by renting out other things like your parking spot, storage space, or trailer.