How to Make Money Fast

Co-authored by Alex Kwan

Last Updated: March 16, 2023 References

It’s stressful when you need to make money fast to pay a bill or buy something you need, but you do have options. You can sell goods and services, recycle or scrap items, do some odd jobs, or borrow money. 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!

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Selling Goods and Services

1
Trade-in items for cash at second-hand stores. Some second-hand stores will also buy items, such as used clothing, CDs, DVDs, records, or books. Take some valuable items that are in good condition and see what you can get for them.^{[1]
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- These stores make money by reselling your items, so you might not get as much as they are actually worth.
2
Sell unwanted items using a commercial website. Some sites charge a small fee or take a percentage of the sales price, but the exposure is often worth this cost. Sell any items that you have around that are in good or new condition.^{[2]
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- Try using eBay or a similar website if you want to sell something auction-style. This may help you to get the most money for your item if it is rare or valuable.
- Online retail sites like Amazon or AbeBooks.com will sometimes pay for popular items like books, DVDs, electronics, and smartphones. These sites may charge a small fee or percentage of your profit.
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3
Have a yard sale to sell things you no longer need. Choose a day or a couple of days to have your yard sale. Advertise it in your local paper and online, such as on social media and classified websites. Then, on the day of the sale, arrange the items on tables, blankets, shelves, or in other ways in front of your home. You can arrange the items into groups by price, or price them individually.^{[3]
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- Try to put out as many valuable, high-demand items as you are willing to let go. Good items to sell include CDs, DVDs, books, musical instruments, collectable toys, electronic equipment (computers, tablets, televisions, speakers, etc.), smartphones, video games, jewellery, clothing, shoes, and unused gift cards.^{[4]
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- Make sure your items are in decent condition. People look for bargains, but they don't want somebody else's dirty, dusty stuff.
- Set reasonable prices. People expect things to be cheap at garage sales. While $2-3 are the average price for old books, toys, and souvenirs, $25-50 are fair for electronics or jewellery.
Tip: Make sure that you can have a yard sale in your area. Some homeowner’s associations restrict yard sales to certain times of year. If you rent, you may need to ask your landlord for permission to have a yard sale.
4
Take items that you want to sell to a pawn shop. Your local pawn shop may pay you a decent price for high-value items, such as electronics, musical instruments, or jewelry. Take your items to the pawn shop and see what they are willing to give you for them.^{[5]
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Research source} This is one way to make money without any money in hand.
- Pawn shops resell your items to make money, so they may not give you as much as they are actually worth.
5
Set up a lemonade stand. If you have enough money to buy some lemonade mix, a pitcher, and cups, then you can start a lemonade stand. Use a sturdy box or crate to set your items on, and make a sign with your price per cup on it.^{[6]
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- Make sure to use clean drinking water to make your lemonade, and add ice to it if possible!
- Lemonade stands work best on a hot summer day. Set up your stand in your front yard and wait for customers to stop by.
- Make sure to ask permission from your parent or guardian before you set up a lemonade stand.
6
Offer to do yard work in your neighborhood. You can also make money doing yard work, such as mowing lawns, aerating lawns, weeding, or raking up leaves. Make fliers advertising your services and post them around your neighborhood, or go door-to-door offering your services.^{[7]
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- Set a fair price for your services and do good work for anyone willing to pay you. Check to see what other people charge and set your rate a few dollars lower than that so to entice people to hire you.
7
Rent out a room in your home to travelers. If you live in a city or a popular vacation spot, people passing through may be looking for a place to stay. Even if you don’t live somewhere with a lot of traffic, you can still use a rental website to find people who are willing to pay to stay in your home.^{[8]
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- Check to see what other people charge to help you price your rental . For example, if a similar-sized room in your area goes for $80 per night, then charge this amount for your room.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Doing Odd Jobs

1
Find small paid tasks via apps. There are apps that pay you for doing marketing tasks, such as scanning products at a grocery store or completing a survey. Download one of these apps and use it to find small paid tasks you can do.^{[9]
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- You may not be able to make much money per task this way. However, you can start right away and make some money.
Warning: 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.
2
Fill out online surveys. There are many websites devoted that connect users to free online surveys. These usually only pay at most a few dollars each, but they take very little effort and may provide fast payment.^{[10]
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- 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.
3
Use your skills to do day labor. Post an ad online or on a bulletin board offering to do odd jobs or sign up with an employment agency that specializes in temporary work. You can also go where other day laborers meet and wait for employers, such as building contractors, landscapers, homeowners and small business owners. Common odd jobs people need day laborers for include:^{[11]
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- 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
4
Try pet sitting if you enjoy spending time with animals. 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 expensive, so your cozy little house or apartment is a nice alternative.^{[12]
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- Check to see what other pet sitters in your area charge to help you set your rates. Around the holidays, pet-boarders fill up, meaning you can probably charge more.
- Ask your friends and family if they know anyone who needs a pet sitter. Word-of-mouth is often a great way to find jobs.
5
Become a dog walker if you live in an area where they are in demand. You can walk dogs for people who own dogs but who are too busy to walk them. However, this can be a demanding job, especially if you end up walking a few dogs at once or if you are walking dogs throughout the day, so ensure that you have the physical stamina for this type of job.^{[13]
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- Check to see what other dog walkers charge in your area and make your prices similar to those.
- Make a flyer or post an advertisement on online classifieds boards to advertise your services as a dog walker.
- Tell friends and family you are looking for work as a dog walker.
6
Become a babysitter if you are good with children. There are websites that will connect you with people who need a babysitter. To get hired by people who do not know you, it will help to pass a CPR class, or to have a special 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.^{[14]
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- Check to see what babysitters charge in your area and make your rates comparable.
- Keep in mind that caring for children is often hard work. Make sure that this is something you enjoy doing!
7
Sign up with a ride service company to become a private cab driver. Companies such as Uber, Grubhub and Lyft have set up services that connect drivers with people who need a ride and are willing to pay for it. You must own a car, have a valid driver’s license, and meet other qualifications to be a driver.^{[15]
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- It might take some 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.
8
Showcase your talents as a street performer. 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.^{[16]
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- 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.
9
Pose for art students at a local art school or museum. Contact local art schools, colleges, and museums about opportunities to be a live 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).^{[17]
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- People hire models of all shapes, sizes, and genders.
- The website Art Model Tips maintains lists of opportunities in each state.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Recycling and Scrapping Items

1
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. There are many 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.).
Tip: For a fun way to get some extra bottles and cans to recycle, host a bring-your-own-beverage party. When the party’s over, gather all the bottles and cans and turn them in for cash.
2
Scrap a junk pile for cash. If you've got a big pile of scrap in your backyard, own a junked camper or other vehicle, or know of a dump site where you can legally salvage materials, you can sort and sell it to a scrap yard or recycling center in your area.^{[18]
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Research source} Metals such as scrap steel, copper, or aluminum can fetch good prices.^{[19]
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- If your state doesn’t have a can/bottle refund system, you can still sell aluminum cans to a scrap yard.
3
Sell a computer you no longer want or use. Computers are full of valuable metals such as steel, aluminum, and gold. If you dismantle old computers, you can sort these metals and sell them to a salvage yard, or you may be able to find buyers who will accept the old computer as is and scrap it themselves.^{[20]
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- If possible, get several computers to scrap to make it worth your while. For instance, offer to take outdated computers from a school doing upgrades or find junked computers.
- Don’t scrap good, working computers; what you get for the scrap won’t be as much as you could get by selling the components or the entire device.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Borrowing Money

1
Borrow money from a friend or family member. If you’re in serious need of money, you can always ask to borrow some from family or friends. Let them know why you need to borrow money, and offer to pay it back within a certain (feasible) timeframe.^{[21]
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Warning: 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.
2
Use your bank’s overdraft protection if you need to make a purchase. If you have a checking or other account with overdraft protection, you might be able to overdraw on the account and take advantage of the temporary payment, when you are in need of quick cash. The bank will cover the cost, but you will have to pay it back.^{[22]
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- This is a last resort option since you will likely incur fees as a result of overdrawing your account.
3
Use your credit card’s cash advance feature. 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.^{[23]
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- 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.
4
Seek a payday loan or title loan as a last resort. Companies that offer payday and title loan services offer 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 direst circumstances, unless you are certain you will be able to pay the loan back.^{[24]
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Expert Source

Alex Kwan
Certified Public Accountant
Expert Interview. 1 June 2021.}
- As an alternative, you might be able to ask your employer for a payday advance.

Make Money Fast Cheat Sheet

Community Q&A

Question

What’s a good way to make quick money online?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

One of the quickest and easiest ways to make money online is to do surveys. You can use sites and apps like Swagbucks, Survey Junkie, or Opinion Outpost to fill out questionnaires and get paid in cash or other rewards, like gift cards. However, it can take a while to find a survey that’s a good match for you, and you may need to make a certain amount before you can get your payout.
Question

How can I make $100 in a day?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

There are a few different ways to make a quick $100. If you have anything of value that you can stand to get rid of, like a smartphone or a piece of jewelry, you may be able to sell it at a pawn shop for $100 or more. However, keep in mind that you’ll get a lot less than the retail value! You can also try making money online by taking surveys, but it can take time to get your payout. Another good option is to do a few odd jobs throughout the day that pay relatively well, like dog walking, yardwork, or babysitting.
Question

Which part-time jobs can I get as a study abroad student?

Community Answer

Try night filling for supermarkets/large stores, supermarket/retail cashiers, vacation seasonal factory work/seasonal fruit picking, night reception in a small hotel, cleaning, gas station attendant, making crafts or artwork and selling online, YouTube video making (but it needs to be popular), dog walking, babysitting, tutoring, housesitting, etc. There are many part-time options where college students are favored because people get to pay you less than a service provider but get to know you better, so it's a friendlier arrangement.

See What You Learned

Make Money Fast Quiz

Warnings

Beware of “get rich quick” schemes. Scrutinise any scheme that suggests you will make money fast. Don't spend money to get money. If you haven't got much money right now, keep it to put food on the table or you may never see it again.

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Helpful 4 Not Helpful 1
You may need permit for setting up a garage sale/lemonade stand in some places, or at certain times of the year.

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Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0
Avoid gambling. While it is an option for making money, the risks are high.

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