How I Made $1,000 from Side Hustles in a Month

Let me start with this: I’m not some business genius. I haven’t gone viral, I don’t have a huge audience, and I haven’t launched the next big thing on Etsy. But in one month — after years of procrastination, overthinking, and quietly stalking Reddit side hustle threads — I finally hit a milestone that once felt impossible: I made $1,000 from side hustles.

Here’s exactly how it happened — and what almost tanked it all.

Week 1: Decision Time

It started with panic. Rent was due, my 9-to-5 was barely covering groceries, and I was tired of hearing about other people’s “multiple income streams” while I had a pressing issue. So I gave myself a challenge: make $1,000 in 30 days outside of my regular job.

I didn’t have any capital, but I did have time and access to the internet. So I jumped in.

Side Hustle #1: Freelance Writing – $460

I had written a bit in college, and I’d always loved telling stories. So I finished my portfolio (okay, I put together 3 blog-style samples in Canva) and set up a Fiverr profile.

My first gig was $20 for a 500-word blog. It wasn’t glamorous, but it felt like a win. I reinvested that energy into pitching on Upwork and cold-mailing small businesses.

By the end of the month, I had completed 8 small writing jobs, netting me $460 in profit.

Lesson: Niche down. Once I positioned myself as a “lifestyle brand blogger,” I landed more gigs than I could market myself as a generalist.

Side Hustle #2: Selling Printables on Etsy – $120

I saw a TikTok about selling digital downloads—planners, trackers, templates—and decided to give it a try. I created a few minimalist daily planner PDFs using Canva and uploaded them to Etsy.

At first, nothing. For 10 days, I didn’t have a single sale. But then a $4 planner sold. Then another. I promoted my shop on a few Facebook groups and eventually made 30 sales that month.

Profit after Etsy fees: $120.

Lesson: It’s slow at first, but digital products are passive gold. Once it’s gone, it keeps earning — while you sleep, shower, or make life decisions.

Side Hustle #3: Pet Sitting – $300

This one surprised me the most.

I signed up for Rover, ran a background check, and offered to walk the dog and pet sit on weekends. A neighbor booked me two weekends in a row so she could watch her restless golden retriever while she was away.

Total? $300. And I got free breakfast from their kitchen.

Lesson: Proximity is key. Start with your neighborhood and community. Word spread faster than I expected.

Side Hustle #4: User Testing – $80

This was the easiest cash I made. I joined sites like UserTesting and TryMyUI, where companies pay you to test their websites or apps and give feedback.

Each test paid $10 for about 15-20 minutes of work. I did 8 of them over the course of the month — usually while watching Netflix.

Lesson: They add up quickly, but availability is hit or miss. They work best as filler between bigger projects.

What didn’t work

Let’s talk failures. I tried flipping thrift store clothes on Poshmark. I bought 3 jackets for $30 yesterday, thinking I’d tripled my money. One sold for $12. The others? Still sitting in my closet.

I also started a blog… which got two visitors. One was my mom. The other was me checking to see if my post had been uploaded.

Lesson: Don’t chase trends you’re not invested in. If it doesn’t excite you, it’ll die out quickly.

Final tally:

Freelance writing: $460

Etsy printables: $120

Pet sitting: $300

User testing: $80

Total: $960 (rounded up to $1,000 with a last-minute $40 gig writing about a page)

What it taught me

Making $1,000 a month from side hustles wasn’t easy — but it was possible. I didn’t need a viral video, an MBA, or a perfect plan. I just needed to get started.

The key wasn’t finding “one perfect hustle” — it was stacking up multiple small, imperfect ones. Some days I felt like I was throwing spaghetti at the wall. But some of it stuck. And that’s all it takes.

I’m still not rich. But I don’t feel stuck anymore. It’s worth more than any dollar amount.