10 Real Ways To Increase Your Monthly Income

Written by: Alexis Schroeder

Publish Date: January 2, 2023

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission for purchases made through these links, at no cost to you.

In this post you’ll learn:

  • How to make extra money with a side hustle
  • How to get started right away
  • Best ways to make money right now

Here’s a great list of 10 real ways to increase your monthly income.

#1 Get a side hustle

A side hustle can bring in up to $500 a month, potentially more depending on how much time and effort you put into the side hustle.

When I was in college, these were my side hustles:

  • walked dogs on Rover.com for $20 an hour
  • freelancing jobs for $100 an article
  • virtual assistant earning a few hundred each month.

I eventually made roughly $2,000 from side hustles each month which helped me quit my day job and work full-time on my online business (this blog). 

I highly recommend getting a side hustle because:

  • having multiple streams of income is ideal in case you lose a job
  • most side hustles can become a full-time job 

Side hustles to start now

  • Sell printables – #1 recommended side hustle for people looking for a low-stress way to earn passive income from home.
  • Pinterest Virtual Assistant – Help businesses shine on Pinterest as a Pinterest manager. Create your own schedule, work for yourself, and work from anywhere in the world.
  • Sell dog treats – Make up to $2,500 a month selling dog treats with this fun side hustle perfect for people who love dogs.
  • Proofreading – Earn $20+ an hour proofreading from home. Be your own boss and set your own schedule.
  • Surveys – Make money for answering simple questions. You can take as many surveys as you want and earn up to $5 per survey.

#2 Learn new skills

One of the fastest ways to increase your income is by learning new skills.

Learning new skills can help you get a new job, start your own business, or negotiate for a higher salary and get a raise. 

Skills currently in demand are mostly tech-based, but also in the creative field as well.

Skills that can earn money: 

  • Coding/Web development
  • Web design or graphic design
  • Online marketing/social media
  • Financial management
  • Teaching a language
  • Fitness instruction 
  • Photography
  • Freelance writing

Courses to learn specific skills:

Best resources for learning new skills:

#3 Invest in yourself

One of the most surprising ways to increase your income is by investing in yourself. This means spending money or time in improving yourself. 

When you spend money or time on yourself, you’re committing to improving your well-being, increasing happiness, confidence, and overall creating a better life.

Investing time in personal development helps you perform better in all areas of your life. When I started working on personal development, I grew confidence and started earning more money in my online business.

Some of my favorite ways to invest in myself are:

#4 Move to a higher paying career

One of the best ways to increase your monthly income is by switching careers to a higher paying field.

My friend Leila switched career fields and got a job as a Salesforce Analyst.

You can learn all about her experience here. She found her first job through a recruiter reaching out to her on LinkedIn, and now she’s earning $70,000+ at home with amazing benefits.

A Salesforce Professional is someone who is trained to improve business processes with something called Salesforce.

You don’t need any previous experience nor a college degree for this and almost all of these jobs are remote so you can work from home.

The average starting salary of a Salesforce Professional is between $60,000-$80,000 and some people even land first jobs making over $100,000.

See if a Salesforce career is right for you by taking the free 5 Day Salesforce Challenge to better understand the Salesforce career path and how you can get started.

#5 Meet new people and network

I’ve landed jobs and relationships with brands just by networking. My feature in Forbes came from knowing someone who knew someone who wrote for Forbes.

That feature increased my credibility and brand by getting new readers on my blog.

You or someone you know may have gotten a job because they knew someone who already worked at the company. This is common. 

Increase your networking skills by:

  • Going to conferences in your career field
  • Joining MeetUp groups
  • Joining Facebook groups

#6 Negotiate salary

A key factor in making a lot of money is negotiating your salary, especially right out of college at your first entry-level job.

People that negotiate their salary get an estimated 7% increase in annual income.

Before applying for a job, I think it’s important to see the average salary for someone in the field. There are many free resources that do this, including Indeed and PayScale.

Even if you’re going into an entry-level job, it’s normal to negotiate your salary. In fact, many recruiters are shocked when people come in with no negotiation at all. 

You can also negotiate things like:

  • health insurance 
  • paid time off
  • signing bonus
  • relocation expenses
  • tech benefits like new computers
  • education stipend for ongoing learning
  • stock options
  • opportunity to work remote

#7 Look for new jobs

One of the best ways to increase your monthly income is to apply for a new job.

I have a friend that wanted to make more money at their job. Their current job paid them $60,000, yet they knew they could earn in the $80,000 range for their skills.

They left the current company to go to a new company because the pay was so much better.

Best job search resources:

#8 Quick things you can do today to increase your income

Final takeaways

I love making money and I’m always finding new ways to earn more money to share with you guys.  

There are so many ways to increase your monthly income and the best ways include:

  • Get a side hustle
  • Learn new skills
  • Invest in yourself
  • Networking
  • Negotiating your salary
  • Look for a new job

Best side hustles (making $1,000+/month)

  • Sell printables on Etsy – Selling printables is the #1 side hustle to make money. This can be done on your own schedule and turn into passive income! You can earn over $10,000 a year selling printables.
  • Sell dog treats – Make $1,000+ selling dog treats from the comfort of your home. Be your own boss and make your own schedule.
  • Proofreading – Earn $20+ an hour proofreading from home. Great for people who enjoy editing and working from a computer.