Sometimes, you need money, and you just can’t wait.
While cash doesn’t appear from thin air, sometimes you can make something from nothing with a little hustle.
Here are some fresh tips to keep you on financial footing when money gets tight:
Sell Your Stuff
Possibly the fastest way to raise cash quick may be to liquidate your assets.
Electronics are possibly the easiest items to trade in for cash. If you’re digitally savvy, you can do this online. Two of the most popular marketplaces on the internet are Decluttr and Amazon.
With Decluttr, you’ll answer a few quick questions about your device and then you’ll get a price. Amazon works similarly, but instead of cash, you’ll only get Amazon gift cards.
If you prefer to sell your electronics to a physical store, you could try out the BestBuy program . With BestBuy, you can get started online and then drop your item off at the store.
Fix and Resell Online
Marketplaces like Craig’s List, Facebook Marketplace, and Nextdoor are troves of cheap and free household goods. If you look hard enough, you can find someone offering to part with something for below market value, or even free.
These items can sometimes be resold at a profit. In some cases, you might even find that all you need to do is relist the item with a better description or clearer pictures—a little marketing magic is sometimes all it takes!
Also, if you’re handy, you might be able to fix up the item to make it more valuable, such as by refinishing old furniture, tinkering with electronics, or simply giving something a scrubbing.
Pick Up Gigs Using Digital Platforms
If you’re physically handy or digitally savvy, you might be able to pick up a gig for quick cash.
It’s sometimes easy to find one-off jobs through online platforms like TaskRabbit, a peer-to-peer freelancing site. Through TaskRabbit, you may be able to get paid for tasks such as putting together IKEA furniture, completing light office work, doing some pet sitting, and other options.
Also, Craiglist often has quick gigs that pay on the same day. Many listings involve manual labor but opportunities may vary by place and time.
Maximize Your Uber Income
The Uber ride-sharing platform can be a dependable, flexible source of side income. You can learn more here.
In some locations, you don’t even need a car thanks to Uber’s rental partnership program .
Is driving an Uber worth it? A review of various social media discussions seems to suggest that you can make $30-100 in tips per night in addition to the hourly wage of around $20 per hour.
Here are some other tips that social media users have suggested :
· Shorter drives tend to pay better than longer trips
· Leverage surges where rates go up in specific areas; don’t take other non-surge rides on your way
· But don’t speed toward every surge, since distant ones will often expire before you get there
· Be laid back and friendly (but not overly so)
Look Into Student Emergency Support Loans
Some universities have emergency funds for students facing hardship. Here is one example .
If you’re in college and in need of quick cash, your first stop should be the school financial aid office. The counselors there may be able to lay you out some options, such as emergency grants, student personal loans, and possibly financial aid adjustments.
Just be sure to lay out your needs clearly, and know how quickly you need the money, how much you need exactly, and how quickly you want to repay it. Also, keep in mind any loans will likely come with interest; it’s good practice to never borrow unless you’re sure you can repay later.
Take Out an Emergency Personal Loan
If you need money now, emergency loan lenders can potentially get you money within one or two days of being approved if you qualify.
For some lenders, the process can be completed online. Sometimes, personal loan companies can let you pre-qualify with no impact on your credit score.
If all goes well with the pre-qualification process, you can proceed to the full screening, which often involves a review of your financial history. Sometimes, you can use your automobile as collateral for a loan .
For some lenders, the personal loan application process can take less than a few hours. If approved, you might have your emergency funds in as little as one or two business days.
Borrow Against Your Assets
At some point, you might find you’ve got lots of assets, some of which can be used for short-term spending.
If you’ve got a 401k, a home, or life insurance, then you may have some quick loan options.
A 401k loan generally comes from employers and will let you borrow against your savings. You then pay the loan back to the account with interest.
Home equity loans generally come from mortgage companies or banks and tend to have favorable rates. The downside, however, is that the lender can take your house if you fail to pay back the loan.
If you have permanent life insurance with a cash component, you may be able to borrow against the funds you’ve accumulated. Repaying the loan payment is optional, but not paying it back can mean that you’ll get less death benefit since the insurance company will subtract the amount they’re owed when they pay out the policy.
Making Quick Money Takes Hustle. But It’s Usually Possible.
Being in a financial bind is hard, and sometimes getting out of one is even harder. However, there are almost always options if you look hard enough.
There’s a wealth of information and services to be found online that involve odd jobs, loan options, and other cash-generating opportunities. Who knows—you might discover a side hustle you like enough that it becomes your main job.