How to Make $1,000 as a Broke Teenager

Let’s be real for a second, being a broke teenager sucks.

You want more freedom, more options, maybe even a little glow-up in your bank account—but between school, work, and zero experience, it feels impossible to get ahead.

The good news? You don’t need to wait until you’re older to start making real money. You don’t need a job at the mall or to beg your parents for cash. Thanks to the internet (and a little thing called affiliate marketing, among others), you can start earning right now even with $0.

In this post, I’ll show you how to make $1,000 as a broke teenager using real methods I wish I knew sooner. These tips are beginner-friendly, low-risk, and totally doable even if you don’t have experience or a lot of time. Plus, I’ll share how tools like Shopify, the SaraBiz Affiliate Course, and my ebook “How to Start Affiliate Marketing with Zero Experience” can help you make money faster.

Let’s dive in.

1. Start Affiliate Marketing with Free Tools

Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to make money online and it’s perfect for teens.

Here’s how it works:

You promote a product or service you like.

  • Someone clicks your special link and buys it.
  • You get paid.

You don’t have to buy the product or talk to customers. You just share helpful content and collect commissions.

You can promote products on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, or even just in group chats. Some affiliate programs pay $10, $50, or even $100+ per sale.

Want the exact steps to get started? Grab my beginner-friendly ebook, “How to Start Affiliate Marketing with Zero Experience,” where I break down how to:

  • Find the best programs
  • Create content that sells
  • Make money with zero followers

And if you want to take it even further, check out the SaraBiz Affiliate Marketing Course it’s made for beginners and teaches you how to turn this into a full-blown business.

2. Flip Low-Cost Items for Profit

Don’t overlook the power of flipping.

Go to your local thrift store, Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, or even your garage and look for items you can resell. Think:

  • Shoes
  • Vintage clothing
  • Electronics
  • Old books or games

Then, flip them for profit on platforms like eBay, Mercari, Poshmark, or Depop.

You can even use AI tools like ChatGPT to write your product descriptions or replies to buyers to save time.

Start small—> use the profits from one flip to buy your next item. Stack your wins until you hit $1,000.

3. Open a Shopify Store and Sell a Simple Product

If you’ve ever wanted to have your own online store, now is the time—and Shopify makes it super easy.

You can start a store with no inventory using a method called dropshipping. Here’s how it works:

  • You find a product (like phone cases, jewelry, or skincare tools)
  • A customer orders from your Shopify site
  • The supplier ships it for you
  • You keep the profit

AI tools like ChatGPT or Canva Magic Write can help you write product descriptions, create ads, and even brainstorm winning product ideas.

To unlock a free with Shopify click HERE and make your first sale within days with the right strategy.

Pair this with affiliate marketing, and boom you’ve got two income streams working at once.

4. Offer Simple Freelance Services (Even If You’re Not an Expert)

Think you have nothing to offer? Think again.

There are tons of things you can do online that people will pay you for, including:

  • Social media management
  • Video editing (using free apps like CapCut)
  • Logo design with Canva
  • Basic blog writing using ChatGPT
  • Managing Pinterest accounts

Start by offering services to friends or small businesses on Instagram or Fiverr. Use AI tools to do the heavy lifting, and overdeliver to get your first few reviews.

You don’t need to be the best—just reliable and helpful.

5. Promote Digital Products (Like Ebooks or Templates)

Digital products are hot right now. Why? Because they cost nothing to send and can be sold over and over again.

If you’re not ready to create your own yet, promote someone else’s (hello, affiliate marketing again).

Here’s what you can promote:

  • Canva templates
  • Ebooks (like mine 😉)
  • Notion planners
  • Instagram post bundles
  • Productivity guides

Or, you can make your own! Use ChatGPT to outline and write it, and sell it on your Shopify store or Gumroad.

Want to go next-level? Join affiliate programs that pay you to promote digital courses like SaraBiz, which shows you how to scale to thousands per month.

6. Grow a Theme Page or Side Hustle Account on Social Media

You don’t have to show your face to grow a money-making social media account.

Start a faceless TikTok, Pinterest, or Instagram page around a niche like:

  • Motivation
  • AI tools
  • Personal finance
  • Girl boss/business hacks
  • Study tips

Use AI to batch your content, repurpose posts, and stay consistent. Once you grow to a few hundred followers, you can:

  • Sell shoutouts
  • Promote affiliate links
  • Drive traffic to your Shopify store
  • Monetize with digital products

It takes a little patience, but it’s free to start and super scalable.

7. Learn & Apply—Don’t Just Scroll

Here’s the truth: making $1,000 online is totally possible—but it won’t happen by just scrolling or binge-watching TikToks about it.

Take one method from this list, commit to it for 30 days, and treat it like a challenge. The tools, the training, and the shortcuts are all here—you just have to use them.

Start with:
- My ebook “How to Start Affiliate Marketing with Zero Experience”
- The SaraBiz Affiliate Marketing Course to go deeper
 - A free trial of Shopify to launch your store

You don’t need to be a genius. You don’t need a lot of money. You just need to be resourceful and consistent.

MoneyMentors' Final Thought: Your $1,000 Starts Now

So many teens think they need to wait until they’re older, richer, or more experienced to start earning online. But the truth is—you can start today with the phone in your hand and the mindset to try.

You’ve got options:

  • Start affiliate marketing with free tools
  • Launch a Shopify store
  • Use AI to offer freelance services
  • Sell or promote digital products
  • Flip items you already own

Whatever path you choose, don’t sleep on this opportunity. Learn the skills. Take messy action. Celebrate small wins. That $1,000 won’t make you rich, but it could be the beginning of something way bigger!

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