make money

Need a little extra cash in a hurry? You can feel pressure when you need to make money fast, but you do have options for getting it done. These include selling items, doing odd jobs, and finding money in overlooked ways. These methods may or may not be reliable long-term, but when you need to make some money in a few hours or days, they are your best shot.

Part1

Selling Items You Own

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   Sell things you no longer need. A quick and easy way to make some money is to sell valuable, high-demand items.^[1] Look around your house for commonly-sold items you no longer need, such as:

   • CDs
   • DVDs
   • Books
   • Musical instruments
   • Collectible toys
   • Electronic equipment (computers, tablets, televisions, speakers, etc.)
   • Smartphones^[2]
   • Video games
   • Jewelry
   • Crafts
   • Unused gift cards (these can be sold on various websites, or redeemed instantly at Coinstar kiosks)^[3]
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   Look for ways to sell your items. You can concentrate on selling your items to people you know, in-person to customers, or online. Depending on where you live, any of these methods might be a way of making a sale quickly.

   • Yard sales
   • Flea markets]
   • Online sites such as eBay
   • “For Sale” postings (on a bulletin board, in a newspaper, or on an online classifieds board like Craigslist)^[4]
   • Pawn shops^[5]
   • Online retail sites like Amazon or AbeBooks.com will sometimes pay quickly for popular items like books, DVDs, electronics, and smartphones. These sites may charge a small fee or percentage of your profit.
   • Trade-in at stores; some will buy items like used designer clothing, CDs and Records, or books on the spot.^[6]
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   Set a competitive price for your items. Deciding how much to sell your stuff for can be difficult. However, if you price items at half of what somebody would be able to buy them for anywhere else, you are more likely to make a quick sale. When you are trying to make money in a hurry, this might be your priority.

   • Don’t sell items for a deeply discounted price unless you really need money in a hurry.

Part2

Making other Sales

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   Sell things to pedestrians. Entrepreneurial sorts sell things like cold drinks on hot days or hot nuts in winter. This method can be especially lucrative if you set up a spot near a sporting event, park, etc. You’ll need to have a small amount of money to invest in the product, but then you can sell it at a much higher return and make some quick cash.

   • For instance, say you buy a multi-pack of 20 water bottles for $5. If you then sell water to pedestrians for $1 a bottle, then you can make $20, leaving you with an overall profit of $15.
   • Check laws in your area and make sure that it is legal to sell items in this way.
   • Be cautious if you are trying to sell things in high traffic zones.
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   Sell scavenged valuables. If you have a metal detector, or even just a good eye, go to public places where people are likely to drop something unnoticed (such as parks, beaches, and shopping areas), and look for money, jewelry and other valuable goods. This method isn’t very reliable, but you just might get lucky and be able to find something you can sell quickly for cash.
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   Sell your hair. If your hair is healthy, untreated, and long enough, you can sell it for up to hundreds of dollars.^[7] There are now online marketplaces to help you sell your hair, in addition to salons or other centers in your area that may be interested in buying hair.^[8]

   • Hair up to 10 inches often sells for less than $100 dollars. As the length of the hair increases, so does the value. Hair over 30 inches long may sell for $960 or more.^[9]
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   Sell blood or donate plasma. Plasma is a component of blood, and the process of extracting it is similar to donating blood: your blood is drawn, the plasma is separated, and the red blood cells are returned to your body. Laws may not technically permit you to sell your plasma, but you can be compensated for your time spent donating. In the United States, you can make about $200 a month by registering with a plasma center near you.^[10][11]

   • Typically, you must be between 18 and 65 and in good health to donate plasma.
   • Many plasma donation centers will compensate you with a pre-loaded gift card.
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   Sell sperm. Sperm donors can make potentially make several hundred dollars a month, and the payment is usually quick. However, you must ordinarily be tall, educated, and healthy to become a donor. You can find a donation center near you, sign up, and start as soon as possible.^[12]

Part3

Recycling

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   Return bottles and cans for a refund. In some states, you can get 5 or 10 cents per can or bottle by returning them to a deposit center.^[13] There are a number of ways to take advantage of this opportunity:

   • Scrounge up all of the cans and bottles you can find around your home.
   • Look for cans and bottles in trash cans, along busy roads, and anywhere that people hang out (parks, stadiums, etc.).
   • Host a bring-your-own-beverage party. When the party’s over, gather all the bottles and cans and turn them in for cash.
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   Scrap a junk pile. Metals such as scrap steel, copper, or aluminum can fetch good prices.^[14] If you've got a big pile of scrap in your backyard, own a junked camper or other vehicle, or know of an illegal dump site, you can sort and sell it to a scrap yard or recycling center in your area.^[15]

   • If your state doesn’t have a can/bottle refund system, you can still sell aluminum cans to a scrap yard.
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   Scrap a worthless computer. Computers are full of valuable metals such as steel, aluminum, and gold.^[16] If you dismantle old computers, you can sort these metals and sell them to a salvage yard.

   • If possible, amass a large number of computers to scrap, to make it worth your while. For instance, offer to take outdated computers off the hands of a building or school doing considerable upgrades or find junked computers in the classifieds.
   • Don’t scrap good, working computers; what you get for the scrap probably won’t be as much as you could get by selling the components or the entire device.

Part4

Making Money Online

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   Find small paid tasks via apps. There are several money-making apps that will either pay you for doing marketing tasks (such as scanning products at a grocery store) or connect you with someone who wants a more extensive task (such as completing a survey).^[17][18]

   • You may not be able to make much money per task this way. However, you can start right away and make some money quickly.
   • Stay away from apps that ask you to do something like pay a fee or supply credit card information to sign up to complete surveys. Those are almost always scams.
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   Fill out online surveys. Many merchants use survey responses to find ways of improving their marketing. There are many websites devoted that connect users to free online surveys.^[19] These usually only pay at most a few dollars apiece, but they require very little effort and may provide fast payment.

   • Amazon’s Mechanical Turk program is another way to make money online by answering questions or completing simple tasks. However, the pay is usually very low, often only a few cents per task.
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   Find focus groups in your area.^[20] Focus groups are comprised of people that can provide a company, organization, or individual with feedback on a product, design, idea, etc. Monitor local postings or search a site like FindFocusGroups.com to find some in your area that you are eligible to participate in. Some of these sites promote online-only tasks, such as serving as an “e-juror” for lawyers working on a case. The pay for these tasks can be relatively good, and can be disbursed quickly.

Part5

Doing Odd Jobs

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   Consider day labor. You can post an ad online or on a bulletin board offering to do odd jobs. In addition, there are employment agencies that specialize in temporary work. An alternative way to find day labor is to go where other day laborers meet, if you know of any, and wait for employers (building contractors, landscapers, home owners and small business owners). Common odd jobs people need day laborers for include:^[21][22][23]

   • Construction
   • Basic office tasks
   • Yardwork (raking leaves, mowing lawns, shoveling snow, cleaning gutters, etc.)
   • Picking up groceries or running other errands for the elderly
   • Doing chores (cleaning houses, clearing out an attic or shed, etc.)
   • Washing cars
   • Moving and/or packing
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   Try pet sitting.^[24] Find friends who are going out of town and offer to take care of their pets while they’re gone. Professional boarding places tend to be very expensive (not to mention impersonal and intimidating for a pet), so your cozy little house or apartment may seem like a very nice alternative. Around the holidays, pet-boarders fill up quickly, meaning you can probably charge more.
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   Consider taking up dog walking.^[25] People who own dogs but who are too busy to walk them will appreciate the chance to have their dogs walked. Make a flyer or post an advertisement on online classifieds boards. Use your cell phone for contact; that way you can get the calls no matter where you are trying to raise money!
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   Become a babysitter. Babysitting is a common way to make some extra money on the side.^[26] There are now professional services you can sign up for that will connect you with people who need a babysitter. For these services, it will help to pass a CPR class or other certification, or to have a talent or expertise for entertaining children. However, you might be able to make money more quickly just by babysitting for people you know, or by having friends refer you to others who need a babysitter.
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   Be a private cab driver. Companies such as Uber and Lyft have set up services that connect drivers with people who need a ride and are willing to pay for it.^[27][28] In order to take advantage of this opportunity quickly, you must own a car, have a valid driver’s license, and meet other qualifications. It might take a little bit of time to get registered as a driver with the service, but once you are, there are opportunities to make money fast because these services are in high demand.
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   Become a street performer.^[29] If you can dance, play music, mime, sing, or tell jokes, you can probably get some cash by performing in public. Put together a good act and find a place to perform. Give people a dose of live entertainment, and hopefully they'll reward you with tips.

   • Make sure to have a hat, cup, instrument case, or something else ready for people to drop money into.
   • Always check local laws before performing in a public space, since some areas have bans or restrictions on this kind of work.
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   Become a life model. Art students learn to draw the human figure by studying live models. Those that are willing to pose nude in front of others for up to 30 minutes can make money this way (usually at a per-hour rate).^[30]

   • Models of all shapes, sizes, and genders are needed.
   • You can contact local art schools, colleges, and museums about opportunities to be a live model for quick cash. The website Art Model Tips maintains lists of opportunities in each state.

Part6

Trying Alternative Methods

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   Borrow money. If you’re in serious need of money, you can always ask to borrow some from family or friends.^[31] Let them know why you need to borrow money, and offer to pay it back within a certain (feasible) timeframe.

   • Beware of loan sharks or other extortionists. Look for people that can loan you money because they want to help you, not because they want to make a profit.
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   Use your bank’s overdraft protection.^[32] If you have a checking or other account with overdraft protection, you might be able to intentionally overdraw on the account and take advantage of the temporary payment, when you are in need of quick cash. The bank will initially cover the cost, but you will have to pay it (and probable fees) back.
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   Use a credit card’s cash advance feature.^[33] Some credit cards will allow you to withdraw a certain amount of cash by using it at an ATM. This can help you come up with cash in a hurry. However, the interest rates on cash advances are usually much higher than the credit card’s usual interest rate, meaning that you will eventually have to pay more.

   • Some credit cards also allow you to use cash advances by writing checks. The interest rates for these are sometimes lower; check with your bank or credit card issuer for details.
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   Seek a payday loan or title loan as a last resort. Companies that offer payday and title loan services are commonly available, and can be a way of making quick cash. However, these typically offer extremely high interest rates (sometimes with percentages in the hundreds). If you cannot pay the loan and any interest back within the stated timeline, you risk even higher interest costs or, in the case of a title loan, the loss of your car. Avoid these types of loans in all but the most dire circumstances, unless you are certain you will be able to pay the loan back.

   • As an alternative, you might be able to ask your employer for a payday advance.
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   Panhandle.^[34] A panhandler is a person who depends on the spontaneous charity of strangers for their survival. If you really need the cash, you might swallow your pride and decide to ask for help. Make a sign that briefly explains your situation, find a good location, ask politely for money, and say thank you.

   • Be sure that panhandling or begging is permissible where you live.