Life is expensive. Bills, rent, food, health insurance; the list goes on and on. And while it’s easy to tell ourselves that we can make more money tomorrow or next month or next year (and in some cases that may be true), what if you need money now? What if an emergency comes up?
What if your car needs repairs and you don’t have the funds to cover it? There are moments when people realize they need something right away but don’t have the cash to get it.
That feeling of helplessness is crushing at best and terrifying at worst. But there are steps one can take to lessen this problem by making $500 FAST!
You can also view our article that outlines how to make 100 ways to make money in your spare time.
20 Ways To Make 500 Dollars Fast:
- Copywriting or marketing services
- Pet care or dog walking
- Sell or rent out stuff you own
- Resell stuff other people are selling at premium prices
- Resell a digital product like software or ebooks
- Cleaning services for homes and offices
- Teaching ESL (English as a Second Language)
- Ghostwriting
- Window washing
- Catering or cooking/baking
- Online appointment setting or virtual assistant work
- Rake leaves or shovel snow during fall and winter months
- Gardening or landscaping
- Teach a course or class
- Photoshoots
- Personal coaching
- Tutoring or teaching
- Temp agency work
- Sell crafts or art.
- Courier or transportation services
Making $500 FAST can feel like a large and overwhelming goal. On top of that, the economy is in a state of flux, and jobs and paychecks are not as steady as they used to be.
People are struggling with debt and it’s becoming harder and harder to balance everything.
In case that list of ideas didn’t immediately inspire you, let’s take a look at exactly how to make money with each of these potential side hustles.
Copywriting or marketing services
Copywriting, or writing for marketing purposes, is one of the easiest ways to make $500 FAST! If you’re good with words and you’re willing to do some quick learning, this could be an excellent option for you.
Two of the simplest ways to get a copywriting client are on social media and via cold email. Both of these give you a chance to get a sample of your writing directly in front of your dream clients and impress them.
To quickly learn the basics of copywriting, study copy formulas, power words, emotion words, and persuasion tactics. There’s a lot of information out there, but if you create a good study plan and focus you can gain a working knowledge of copywriting in a day or two.
Next, it’s time to apply what you learned with engaging social media posts or compelling cold emails. If you need $500, consider offering a short free trial followed by an upsell of a service pack valued at $1000 for 50% off.
Pet care or dog walking
If you love animals and know lots of people who have pets, this is an easy way to make $500 fast.
You just need to put the word out there in the right circles. Even if you don’t know many people with pets, you may be able to find them on social media.
Let’s say you charge $20 for a short 15-minute dog walk. If you walk two dogs at a time, you could earn $500 with less than 5 hours of time commitment. If you’re really motivated to make money, this should be an easy fix.
If you have trouble finding enough clients, ask for referrals – most dog owners know other dog owners! And if that doesn’t work, try upselling a week or a month worth of walks in the future for a reduced rate.
Sell or rent out stuff you own
If you have items that others would love to rent or buy, this is a great way to make $500 fast!
You can list your items online and set up shipping if needed. Websites like Craigslist, Kijiji, eBay, and Facebook marketplace make this easy. Some items you can rent or sell include:
- access to your vehicle
- use of space in your home
- use of electronic equipment such as computers or gaming systems
- Use of tools others may not own
This is a great option for your first side business as it takes very little startup capital.
Reselling stuff other people are selling at premium prices
If you have a nice eye for design, this is a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. You can buy things from garage sales or thrift shops then resell them on websites like eBay.
You can also find things that are for sale online and then list those things on other marketplaces before even buying them! This will allow you to gauge interest, and if you find a hot commodity you can search out more of them to sell.
Resell a digital product like software or ebooks
Many software platforms have reseller options built into their dashboard. This means that you can pay for an account (or sometimes get one for free) and then sell their product and keep a good chunk of the money.
It’s also easy to buy digital products such as ebooks or video courses and quickly resell them. This is exactly what PLR (private label rights) products are intended for.
Cleaning services for homes and offices
Many people don’t like cleaning, but often they can’t afford regular cleaning services. If you offer to clean someone’s home or office for a decent price, there’s a good chance they’ll say yes!
As long as you charge at least $20 an hour, you’re probably looking at less than one full week of work. And if you clean fast and charge based on completion rather than time, you can get that $500 easily.
Teaching ESL (English as a Second Language)
More and more people around the world are looking to learn English. If you’re a native speaker with excellent English skills, this is a great market to tap into.
There are several popular platforms for teaching ESL online through Skype sessions or sometimes in the student’s home. You don’t have to be fluent in any other language – all you need are strong speaking and writing skills combined with an ability to explain language concepts.
You can also offer these services directly to people on social media.
Ghostwriting
If you have strong writing skills and know how to tell a story, this is an excellent opportunity.
It’s not hard to find people who want to write a book or personal essay but lack the time or skills. This is fairly common among entrepreneurs and coaches who are too busy to do it themselves but still want it done right.
As with other items on the list, you can reach out to people directly via social media or email. If you can write fast, earning $500 in a week or two as a ghostwriter is reasonable.
Window washing
This is not the most pleasant job, but you can make good money because many people don’t take the time to clean their own windows.
Whether you charge hourly or per window, with a decent rate you can easily earn $500 in a week washing windows.
Catering or cooking/baking
If you have a great cooking or baking reputation, there’s no reason why this should be hard to get started.
You can offer catering services for work events or lunchtime meetings. If you live near a lot of office buildings with cafeterias, you can reach out directly to them as well.
Online appointment setting or virtual assistant work
Many business owners need help with digital tasks such as email marketing or social media.
If you have the relevant skills and experience, this is another good way to earn money quickly while still being able to keep your main job. There are many online communities dedicated to connecting VAs with entrepreneurs who need their help.
Rake leaves or shovel snow
Leaf raking is a very common activity in the autumn. It can take hours for an average person to rake their yard by hand, so many are willing to pay up to $100 to have the task outsourced.
Snow shoveling also takes time, so if you live somewhere that gets heavy snowfall (such as the East Coast of the United States), this can be a great way to earn money.
Gardening or landscaping
If you have a green thumb, getting paid to tend other people’s lawns or flower beds can be extremely easy. Many people are happy to pay well over $100 for regular gardening services.
You don’t necessarily need heavy garden equipment, as smaller yards can be taken care of by hand tools only.
Teach a course or class
People are often willing to pay good money for courses that teach them something they’re interested in.
For example, you could create a course on how to write a book or start a blog. If you have the knowledge and experience, there’s no reason why you can’t earn $500 for teaching one or two classes.
Ask yourself if you have any skills or knowledge that other people desire. If you’ve ever heard someone say “I wish I could [do something] like you,” or “I’m so jealous of the way you [use a skill”, those would be a good place to start!
Photoshoots
If you have a good camera and an eye for angles and lighting, lots of people may be happy to pay you to take pictures on their behalf.
It doesn’t have to be a full-blown professional photoshoot, as quick snapshots taken with a smartphone can work in many cases.
Here are a few ideas of ways to make money taking pictures:
- Take headshots for entrepreneurs or professionals in your area
- Take family photos for couples with children
- Photograph and/or film weddings and other events
- Take product pictures for new eCommerce brands
Photography can be a rewarding business if done well. If you’re just starting out, offer discounted rates to your first clients so they will spread the word about your work.
Personal coaching
This is similar to teaching courses, but is more hands-on and therefore may have a higher price point depending on how skilled you are.
If you have valuable skills or experience to share and know how to motivate others, many people will be happy to pay for your coaching services.
This can include career coaching, life coaching, productivity tips, and more. You can even coach people on more specific topics you have a history with such as content creation, singing, or exercise and nutrition.
Tutoring
If you did well in school (especially if it was because of good study habits), you’ll likely find it easy to become a tutor.
Many students struggle with particular subjects in school, so this can be a great way to earn money fast while helping them get ahead.
You may not have to do much promotion if the right people find out about you, considering that most parents will be extremely appreciative of someone who helps their children succeed. Parents usually know other parents!
Temp agency work
While temp agency work is not very glamorous, it can be an easy and fast way to earn money.
Many temp agencies list their openings online, and this is a great way to find jobs that you can do from home.
You’ll be paid by the hour or offered a lump sum amount of money depending on the assignment.
Sell crafts or art
Many crafty or artistic people will build up a collection of artwork and fail to realize that others would be happy to pay for these aesthetic creations. If this sounds like you, try taking pictures of some pieces you’d be willing to part with and post them on social media. You might be surprised at the offers you get!
Courier or transportation services
With more people choosing to stay home in recent years, the need for courier and transportation services has only increased. There are many services such as Uber, Doordash, GrubHub, and others that will pay you to drive either goods or people from one location to another.
As long as you have a vehicle in decent condition, you may be able to earn $500 as a driver within a couple of weeks.
Conclusion: You can make $500 fast if you really need it
The task of making $500 may seem like a daunting one, but it doesn’t have to be when you leverage your skills, energy, time, and knowledge. Do you need to make money fast? Leave us a comment to let us know whether this article helped.
The most important thing to realize is that your goal is attainable as long as you put in the effort. We wish everyone luck – especially those who need more cash quickly!
If making $500 seems daunting, start with just earning $50.
Bonus Articles:
