How To Make $3000 A Month?
A lot of people can feel trapped in their routine, and find it hard to make some extra cash. If you feel like you don’t have the time of skills to work at home, or for yourself, you can become stuck in the wage-earning mindset.
Some find it hard to believe that people can make $3000 a month from side jobs, but plenty of people prove them wrong every day. Single mothers and lone professionals capitalize on their skill sets all the time to make that extra buck and then some.
So what are a few of the ways you can capitalize on your skills? Well there are plenty of options, but if you want to make a decent amount, you’ll have to buckle down and choose a setup that works for you. There are plenty of options and not all of them are attractive for every situation, but with the right amount of work and attention, anybody can make it happen.
If you are looking to make money online, please read my other article. I’ve spent a lot of time researching the best ways for beginners to make money online from the comfort of their home.
Best Ways to Make $3000 a Month
I’ve compiled a list here from testimonies by other private professionals as well as my own experiences to give you an idea of some of the tools at your disposal making money on the side.
Some of them require a bit more time and energy investment than others, but they are all tried and true. Try to keep an open mind going forward, and think creatively. These ideas might give you the spark to get started on a project of your own!
- Freelancing is a term referring to self-employment without long-term obligations to a specific employer. There are plenty of skills that you can use to make money, and freelancing is a good way to get started making some extra cash. You can find clients yourself, or use a third party service such as Upwork or Freelancer. You can do things like writing, graphic design, programming, or any one of a myriad of options. Take a look and see if you don’t have something to offer. Starting out as a writer, for example, you can easily make $500 per month writing articles or blogs if you work diligently. This can quickly skyrocket if you build a reputation for yourself, or possess a specialized skill.
- eBay Selling. It’s easy and streamlined to set up an eBay seller account, and it can be very easy to find something to sell. You don’t even have to make anything, you can buy discounted clothing, for example, and sell it for a markup if you find the right shipping service. USPS can schedule drop-offs for free packing materials which they will return to ship when you are ready. This requires a significant amount of time finding the right goods and listing the items for auction, but it definitely pays off if you get a good idea of what you’re doing. Make sure you do your research before going crazy! There’s really no limit to how much you can make with this, depending on the type of merchandise you’re selling. Reselling jeans, for example, can make you up to $750 every month!
- This can be as simple as babysitting, or as complex as setting up your own small-time day care. As long as you make sure you have the necessary training certifications and legal requirements met before you start taking care of other people’s kids! If you know what you’re doing and responsibly set up a respectable business, you can pull in $2500 or more every month with this method alone.
- Clinical Trials. This is another funny one that can be a little bit specific. Pharmaceutical companies are always paying for human volunteers to test their various treatments and drugs. Stuff like this sounds scary, but more often than not, you will be testing things like sugar pills or diet supplements. The requirements can be strict, as they require medically consistent volunteers for their trials. If you’re a healthy non-smoker in a majority age bracket, you can likely find some lucrative opportunities here. It’s hard to say how much you can make, as it varies based on the test, but intensive studies can net volunteers up to $8,800! Keep in mind this is for specialized tests involving blood samples, but the possibilities are out there, nonetheless.
- Data Entry. There’s a huge amount of work out there for data entry in today’s digital age. Huge amounts of data pass through staggering amounts of servers on a day-to-day basis, and a lot of that data has to be categorized or entered by human workers. This is another job that you can get through freelance websites, and it is very easy to get started. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. Having some experience with certain software such as Microsoft Excel can be a huge plus. Most data entry workers make around $13.50 an hour, or roughly $28,010 per year if they work full time. Doing this over the internet offers a lot of options in terms of availability, and your profit will depend on how much work you are able to put in.
- Become a travel agent. This is another area where qualifications can be cheap and easy to obtain, while the rewards can be very very lucrative. Obviously one can be a full-time travel agent, but even on the side, arranging a few expensive tours can be very profitable for the relative amount of work it requires. Keep in mind that you will probably require some sort of certification, and that the work requires dedication and responsibility to your clients. If you have a good sales outlook and some travel experience, this can be an extremely attractive option.
These are some of the best ways to make big bucks on the side. Obviously, the level of commitment and investment required for each one is different, so it’s important to find the way that’s right for you. Starting your own childcare business will be a bad idea if your house is far away from amenities, or poorly equipped to handle multiple children, for example.
Think about your schedule and how you might fit in the different work you’ll have to do on the side. Think about what you want and why you want the money, and keep that in mind when you choose your path going forward. You’ll be shooting yourself in the foot if you pick something that makes you miserable or takes too much out of you.
Which brings me to another important point: don’t be afraid to switch gears! If something isn’t working out, then it isn’t working out! If you take baby steps and make sure you don’t bite off more than you can chew, it should never hurt too much to switch to something else and start over.
That being said the variety of ways in which you can make money on the side is essentially endless. As I said before, your options are only really limited by your creativity. Many of the options I’ve talked about here can be tweaked, or their principles applied to other fields. Sales is a good example where a decent salesman will always be marketable. Even if you don’t have the time to be a full-time salesman or businessperson, you can always make an extra buck with the right skill.
Other Good Options to Make $3000 a Month
Since the range of marketable skills is so vast, I’ll make a list here of a few more options to spark your brainstorming a little. Keep in mind as you read to consider what you want out of your professional life, and what you can offer in return.
- Pet Sitting. This one is kind of like child care, but a lot less demanding. If you’re a pet person, this is the option for you. Exotic pets requiring specialized care can be a huge income boost as well, if you can fulfill their needs. The ceiling here is fairly high, and depends mostly on your own motivations and schedule. The more time you can devote or the more specialized care you can offer, the more money you’ll be able to get out of this.
- This is a kind of sister-option to freelance writing in that it’s easy to get into and you can do it through a freelance website. You don’t need special training, typically, to read through other people’s writing looking for mistakes. If you have a keen eye for detail and a good amount of patience, this can be an attractive option. The pay tends to be relatively low, but you can do a lot of work fairly easily, if you have the patience. If you have editing skills as well, that’s a good option with very lucrative opportunities. Editing is typically much more demanding, however.
- Voice Work. This is one that usually stands out to some people. Have you ever felt like you had an intoxicating voice? Or maybe you do impressions, and have a knack for making your voice sound different. It’s fairly easy to get into voice work and narration, as there’s a huge demand in today’s digital market for such work. This is another option that can be found through freelance websites. There are also online voice acting courses you can look into to help get you started.
- Teaching Online. There are a huge number of people both domestic and abroad who have a thirst for knowledge. The internet has vastly expanded the possibilities for people to teach. One very popular option is to teach English to foreign students online. If you speak another language, that’s a huge plus, but believe it or not, you can start teaching English even if you don’t speak another language! Again, there are a huge amount of third party recruiting and training options you can find if you poke around a bit on Google. Language isn’t your only option, obviously. Tutoring in math is another popular option that is easy to get into.
- Get Creative! If you have any creative energy or crafting skills, you can make jewelry or decorations to sell for extra cash. This is a good option for those with a keen eye for trends and the motivation to create and sell merchandise. You can do seasonal options like Christmas decorations, or gardening accessories like decorative pots or statues. It really just depends on your creative energy and skill set.
- Virtual Assistant. This is a big one that’s getting bigger and bigger as time goes by. A virtual assistant is like a secretary that works from home. This is great if you have experience as an administrative assistant. You would handle all the same responsibilities you can expect as a secretary, except remotely. This allows for a remarkable amount of freedom and comfort while still being a realistic option for making good money. You can also take on multiple clients if you have the time and energy.
- Seasonal Jobs. Some industries have a significant shift in demand over holiday seasons or other changes over time. If you have the extra time and skills to grab a retail job over Christmas, you can make some serious cash. These places become very busy and often hire on many new people to handle the volume. Being a server or bartender is another good option for certain times of the year. You can make a good amount of money from tips in the right establishments. Just keep in mind that you may require a special certification to serve alcohol.
- If you can sew and have your own sewing machine, you can make a lot of extra money doing the right projects. You can either take commissions for specialized garments, or offer repair work for a nominal fee. This is another area where freelance websites have listings you may be interested in.
- Bed and Breakfast. If you’re comfortable with it, you can convert your home into a bed and breakfast fairly easily. It takes a lot of work to maintain such a service, so make sure you do your own research ahead of time. Location can have a big effect on this, and it’s definitely reserved for those with excellent hospitality skills.
- Work for a call center. Many call centers are always hiring new people, and nowadays most offer the option of working from home. This allows you to get work done with flexible hours without having to leave your house. This kind of work can be tough, and boring, but very comfortable to those with the right mindset and motivation.
- Being a musician. If you have any musical skills, you can capitalize on them fairly easily. Becoming a studio musician to fill the blanks for bands looking to record can be very lucrative. Make sure you know your way around your instrument, and can read sheet music before looking. Being a sound engineer is another option in the same vein. If you possess audio recording equipment and the necessary skills to record bands or voice actors, it can be very easy to make a lot of extra cash.
- Cooking. If you have a knack for the culinary arts, it’s simple to start making money off of that. Obviously, you can get a job in a restaurant, but that takes a lot of energy and time. A better option would be something like a contract baker who does the desserts for a buffet on weekends. Even starting your own simple cupcake brand or special sauce can be very easy with the right tools. This is one of those skills that can be applied in a huge variety of different ways, so keep an open mind.
- Selling Old Photos, or new ones. If you have some old photographs that you don’t need anymore, you can sell them to stock photo websites for profit. This is also a good option if you have an interest in photography. Since digital marketing is such a fast-paced environment, there’s a hugely growing market for stock images that a savvy photographer can definitely capitalize on. Check out some stock photo websites and see about contributing.
- Newspaper Delivery. Local newspapers and other publications usually have information on working with their delivery teams. If you have the time, this can be an easy option, even if it’s a little less lucrative. Your yield will depend on your capability, and what kind of jobs your local publication offers. Give them a call and see what they have to say.
So, as you can see, there’s a basically infinite number of options you have to choose from. Like I said before, it really just depends on your skill set, motivation, and creativity. If you want to expand your income, the most important thing to keep in mind is that knowledge is power.
Even if you think you don’t have any marketable skills, you’re probably dead wrong. Anybody can write an essay, or mow a lawn, you simply need to be willing to do it. For a lot of these options, it takes a significant amount of time and dedication to see a decent profit. This is why making sure you find something that works for you is so important.
Loading yourself up with unreasonable obligations, or taking jobs you hate to make ends meet can end up doing more harm than good. If you hate what you’re doing, you probably won’t be able to consistently put in the time and effort required to make a lot of these options work.
So for making $3000 a month, it’s important to keep the right attitude in mind.
Having The Right Attitude
Knowing is going to be half of your battle here. You will have to get used to managing money and things for yourself if you’re going to succeed in making that much extra money on the side. A lot of these lines of work can lead to full-time opportunities for those willing to put in the time to develop the skills.
So going forward, its important most of all to do your own research. Investing in a huge amount of merchandise for reselling on eBay isn’t going to pay off if you don’t know anything about the market you’re selling to.
Another thing to remember is that it’s going to be hard sometimes. Making money isn’t supposed to be fun, and while you can make it comfortable by investing in the right area, it will still require hard work, patience, diligence, &c. This is part of why setting up the right jobs for you is important, but it’s also important to stay focused.
You can experiment to find what’s right for you, but it can be easy to become wrapped up in get-rich-quick schemes that end up doing more harm than good.
In short, remember to keep your wits about you and do your own research. You’ll be fine
So Where to Go From Here?
Once you’ve found your niche and gotten comfortable, you’ll get a clear idea of where yo stand and where you can improve. Even if you’re not making $3000 a month right away, you can definitely learn some important skills and form the right habits to get on the path to profit.
As long as you keep an open mind and learn to rely on good knowledge and practice, you will probably find success in one of the fields I’ve mentioned. Even if nothing I’ve listed here matches your skill set, it’s unlikely that you’re incapable of doing something marketable. Google around and look through what others are saying about making money on the side. I’m not the only person making an extra $3000 a month, and you won’t be either!
There’s a wealth of information and resources out there for those willing to look, so take the plunge and start brainstorming today. Take baby steps and stay focused. $3000 a month and beyond is a more than attainable goal for those with the right mindset.
Updated on: October 30, 2018