Sometimes you need emergency cash, and you need it now! Try some of these ideas to get some quick cash when you need money desperately.
Ideally, every person would have an emergency fund or a working credit card to put expenses on when they need money desperately.
Real-life doesn’t work that way. While you are working on getting your $1,000 Emergency Fund set up, then you can still run into situations where you need money desperately or need more emergency cash than you have on hand ($1,000 seems like a lot, but when a real emergency happens it is really not that much).
I know! It took me at least 5 years to have a $1,000 Emergency Cash saved up. I kept on having to use some of it and then replenish it. It was two steps back, one step forward type of thing.
Even with $1,000 Emergency Cash available to me- I still am working on setting up a much larger emergency fund. When I need money desperately, I too well know it can be in much larger amounts than I have.
Do you need money desperately? If you are stuck and need emergency cash and can’t wait for a paycheck or a side hustle to start taking off, here are some ways to get money quickly.
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1. Drive for Lyft or Uber
The application is quick and easy, and you get paid weekly. You also have the benefit of working around your own schedule.
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2. Teach Something
Have a unique skill or passion? Create and sell an online course. There are plenty of websites available that make getting started easy! You make the curriculum and set the price. Teachable and Thinkific are both great starting points. You can also hire yourself out as a tutor to help students with their schoolwork.
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3. Sell Jewelry and Precious Metals
Go through your old jewelry and see if you have any mismatched or broken pieces containing gold or silver and sell them at a place that buys coins & precious metals. You may not want to sell your sentimental pieces but you can probably find items that you have no use for anymore. Selling them will get you some much-needed cash flow. If you can’t find a broker to buy them, you can pawn them or try to sell them on eBay.
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4. Offer to clean up a neighbor’s garden or mow lawns
Knock on some doors, hang up some signs, or post on neighborhood groups that you are willing to cut back perennial plants, remove dead annual plants and weeds, rake, mulch, and get the garden ready for winter or summer, for a flat fee. This can be an opening into other jobs- if they are looking for someone to clean something else out or other odd jobs, this can be a great way to get some emergency cash when you are desperate!
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5. Sell Your Stuff
Have a look at everything you have in your house. Whether it’s old clothes, books, or even old cell phones, you’re not getting any benefit from them if they’re lying around not being used. Try selling them.
See if there is any furniture you can part with for a price. You’ll be surprised how much you can get for your old junk! There are many platforms to sell your used stuff, but if you need emergency cash quickly, try posting it on neighborhood chats and groups or craigslist- you will get cash in your hand more quickly.
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6. Do Tasks with an App
Often, you may find yourself needing money now or quickly. And fortunately, there are a few ways to get cash pretty fast these days. One way is to make money doing tasks via the gig economy. Apps like TaskRabbit, Instacart, Handy, and many others allow you to find some quick jobs that will pay you. It’s not money that will let you retire, but a quick way to make a few bucks.
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7. Switch Bank Accounts
Another way to get free money fast is to switch bank accounts. When most people think of sign-up bonuses, they think of credit cards and don’t realize that many bank accounts will offer you a few hundred dollars to make the switch as well. Whether it’s a checking account or savings account, if you haven’t looked at your other banking options in a few years, it’s probably worth a look now!
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8. Rent out your house
Whether you own or rent a house, consider house hacking to generate rental income to get some quick cash. Two quick ideas to consider: Rent out a room in your house, get a roommate, or rent your house on Airbnb when you know you’ll be away from home.
Your house or apartment can be a money-making machine if you do it properly. If you have somewhere safe to stay, consider moving there (if they’ll have you!) and get some extra cash in a few nights or a weekend. Even if it means sleeping on your friend’s cash or in your parent’s basement, then it can be worth it. Tell them: I need money desperately- can you help me out?
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9. Do Odd Jobs
Everyone is always looking for the next app or website to make a few quick bucks, but one of the best ways to earn cash fast is by simply trading your time for money.
There are always tons of opportunities to make an extra $200 or more in a day. For example, you can offer your services raking leaves, cleaning gutters, or washing windows in your neighborhood. Or look on sites like Craigslist o for simple jobs you can do in a day like a furniture assembly or moving boxes.
If you have special skills or equipment, you can make even more money. I recently needed to move a refrigerator from one house to another but didn’t have a truck, and the cheapest quote I got was for $100 to move it 5 miles! Using what you already have and getting a little creative, you can always find a way to make some quick cash when you need it.
Image Credit: Deposit Photos.
10. Sign up to do Food Delivery
Food delivery apps through Postmates, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Instacart has been one of the highest paying (at times $50/hour) quick cash opportunities! This is one of the best ways to make money during your spare time or if you are in school and you need to make some quick cash.
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11. Lower your Interest Rate
Reducing your interest payment is the fastest way to keep more cash in your pocket. The Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates across the board. Make sure you take advantage of it by refinancing your personal loans or student loans. This is particularly applicable if you are one of those who have an average student loan debt amount of $37,172 and a monthly payment of $393.
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12. Do Transcription Jobs Online
If you want to work from the comfort of your home and determine your own hours, transcription jobs may be perfect for you. You can make some extra money on top of your regular salary, or you can treat it as a full-time job. It’s entirely up to you!
Transcription jobs have a very low barrier to start; all you need is computers and internet connections. Within days you can start to earn some extra cash. You can pay off more debt, save for retirement, or have extra room in your budget.
Image Credit: Depositphotos.
13. Flip Products From Craiglist and Other Places
Jesse describes here how he flips MTG Cards on Craiglist. You can do the same, or if you are a little handy or creative, you can flip bigger products such as furniture or toys. You can go to garage sales or estate sales and get things for very cheap and then spend some money fixing them up and sell it for more than you paid.
Go towards the end of the day to a garage sale, and you may be able to get some excellent deals. It would be even better if you manage to find something while dumpster diving or if someone is giving away something for free. Take an old chair- clean it, sand it, screw it back together, and you got a great thing to sell with very little outlay.
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14. Stand Outside a Park
No, this doesn’t mean what you think it means! I saw someone do this, and I was amazed at its genius, although I haven’t done it myself. A man came to the park with a toolbox and some extra bike parts. In no time, he was raising seats, taking off training wheels, adding kickstand, oiling bikes, and changing tires — all for cash. It’s a quick and easy side hustle, and you can advertise by hanging up flyers indicating when and where you will be. A few hours of work, some nice cash, and some delighted kids! Yes- you need money desperately, but you are doing a service at the same time!
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15. Write for Listverse
Are you good at writing? Listverse pays writers $100 for writing lists of things. All you need is a computer and a PayPal account. Write up a list or two and send it in. You get paid upon approval. It’s that easy!
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16. Get CashBack
Sign up for cash back websites like Swagbucks, Ibotta, Rakuten, and TopCashback.
I admit- this won’t get you tons of money quickly, but you can get a little bit of money back on purchases you are already making- when you are in desperate need of money, then every single bit counts!
Image Credit: Deposit Photos.
17. Do all The Surveys
Again, this won’t make you the big bucks, but if you need money desperately, then you can take some surveys when you have nothing else to do- on the bus, waiting in line, and any other downtime. Check out the best money-making surveys here!
If you combine this with another side hustle (doing surveys while waiting for the food to be ready), then you can make money while making money. The best way to make money!
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It’s time to take control
I think most people have been in a situation when they need money desperately. Life happens. However, if you are constantly crying, “I Need Money Desperately,” then it is time to take control of your financial future.
All these ideas and hacks will help you, but you will need something more to pull yourself out of this terrible cycle- and I know it’s terrible because I have been there!
I have been the one yelling, “I need money desperately right now!”. Start changing your life by taking the $1,000 Savings Challenge, taking control of your future, and doing your best never to be in this situation again. Trust me; it’s better on the other side.
This article originally appeared on ADimeSaved.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.org.
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