22 Ways To Scrounge Up Cash When You Can’t Wait For Your Paycheck

Sometimes you need money right now. You can’t wait for a payday or a business idea to pay off. When you need money right now and don’t have any savings, try some of these great ideas to make quick cash.

Emergency Cash

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If you need emergency cash or are in a financial emergency, here are 22 ways to get money quickly. Some of these ideas will work for you, and some won’t- read through them all and figure out the best way to get quick cash.

Mturk ( And Other Survey Sites)

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Taking surveys or doing small tasks online is a good way to make quick cash. I, personally, like MTurk when you need money quickly. Other survey sites may pay better, and you should check them out, but they often have high payout limits and take a while for you to get the cash. Mturk has no minimum threshold, so you can get the money quickly. This is something that I did when I was unemployed and needed quick cash to buy groceries and pay the bills.

Sell Something

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This only works if you have something to sell but look around your house and see what you have. Even things that may not be valuable can bring in some money. For example, old clothes aren’t going to make big bucks, but you can sell a whole bag of baby clothes for a few dollars, which can help you get quick cash.

Declutter your space and list things for sale on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark, Mercari, and more. Turn your old stuff into quick cash: a quick way to make extra money. 

Flip Products From Craigslist

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An excellent way to make money (although you will need some capital to start) is to buy and resell items. The best way to do this is to flip products as obscure as Magic cards and hopefully make some money.

Write Something

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You can sell some of your writing online if you are good at writing. For example, bloggers often buy listicles to publish on their blogs and can quickly turn around for some quick cash. Freelancing is one way to get access to cash fast.

You can sign up for Fiverr or Upwork, provide your expertise areas, and get access to jobs quickly. There are also Facebook groups where you can sell your work quickly.

Do Work for Other People

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Stand outside a home improvement store. Look at people buying oversized items or renting trucks and materials for the day, and let them hire you to help them do some manual labor for some quick cash.

Please only do this safely and never go anywhere with someone you cannot trust without a plan beforehand: telling someone where you are, turning on your phone’s tracking software, etc.

Deliver Food or Groceries

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Delivery apps are all the rage; you can make some serious cash by doing the right deliveries at the right time.  Through Postmates, Grubhub, Uber Eats, and Instacart, food delivery apps have been one of the highest paying (at times $50/hour) quick cash opportunities!

Sell Plasma

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This is an easy way for healthy people to get quick cash. You can only do this every so often (depending on the site), as donating too much blood or plasma can be dangerous. Sites either give cash or a gift card.

This is a great way to make money and help someone in need, and some experts say it can also be healthy for you.

Shovel Snow/Mow Grass

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Obviously, this is seasonal. The best way to do this is to drive or walk around, see whose house needs shoveling or moving, and offer to do it for some quick cash.

Offer Your Handy Services

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Post on a neighborhood group or chat that you can do either seasonal jobs (rake leaves, take down holiday decorations) or handy jobs for cash.

For example, you can offer your services by raking leaves, cleaning gutters, or washing windows in your neighborhood. Or look on sites like Craigslist for simple jobs you can do in a day, like assembling furniture or moving boxes. You can make an extra $200 a day this way.

Special Skills or Equipment

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You can make even more money if you have special skills or equipment. Andrew from Wealthy Nickel recently needed to move a refrigerator from one house to another but didn’t have a truck, and the cheapest quote he 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 needed.

Clean Houses

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Cleaning houses is hard work, but it pays well! Advertise online or with papers posted in community centers, libraries, etc., that you are available to clean houses. This is hard work but can pay good money- usually in cash. Focus your advertising efforts on areas where people are more likely to have extra cash to spend

Dog Walking

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Dogs need to be walked, but not everyone has the time or can walk their dog. Dog walkers can make good money, especially if they take a few dogs at a time.

Hustle Your Skills

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If you write, are artistic, or are good at baking, make a quick flash sale. Post on Twitter and Facebook, or Whatsapp about the sale. Collect half the cash on hire, and half on delivery, and guarantee a quick turnaround. Reach out to friends to have them share your stuff so it gets more views.

Tutoring

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If you are knowledgeable in any subject or good with kids then tutoring can be a lucrative way to make money quickly. Contact moms or teachers that you know and offer your services as a tutor. This is paid on the spot, and you can get some quick cash.

Babysitting

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Good babysitters are hard to find, especially at inconvenient times. Reach out to moms to let them know you are available to babysit even at bad times (early in the morning or late at night). Quick cash on the spot

Use a Task App

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Doing tasks is a great way to make quick cash. One way is to make money doing tasks via the gig economy. Apps like Task Rabbit, 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.

Task Rabbit

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Task Rabbit is an app that allows people to hire other people to do tasks such as waiting in line, picking up packages, putting together a dresser, etc. Another way is to skip the app altogether and find people who want you to do tasks for them.

Homework Helper

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Being a homework helper is a little different than tutoring because no special expertise is needed. This is more of a mother’s helper than a tutor because no specific knowledge is required. Kids who need help sitting and doing homework for various reasons will sometimes hire someone to sit and do homework with them (not for them!). You will be paid less than a tutor, but you can still make some quick cash while you sit and help a young kid.

Transcription Jobs

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Transcription jobs have a very low barrier to start. All you need is a computer and an internet connection. Within days you can begin to earn some extra cash. You can pay off more debt, save for retirement, or have extra room in your budget. Read here to find the best transcription jobs for you to start.

Pick up Extra Shifts

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I know! Picking up extra shifts is not a fun or easy way to make money. This probably doesn’t even count but consider it if it works for you! Ask your boss if you can work extra shifts or work extra hours to make extra money.

Borrow Money From Family

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Okay, I know that this is not a great way to get money and is not available for everyone, but worse comes to worst, if you need quick cash, you can hit up your friends for money. Make sure that you do not misrepresent how quickly you can pay them back.

Small Amounts of Money

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Ask a few friends for small sums if no one can lend you a lot of money. They are more likely to be able and willing to lend you small amounts. Just make sure you are upfront and honest with them about what you need the money for and how quickly you can pay them back.

This post was produced and syndicated by A Dime Saved. 

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The 90s saw a tremendous shift in technology, and many skills that were once essential have become irrelevant in today’s world.

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Older generations love giving advice and telling younger people things. While there are plenty of life lessons to learn from older people, young people are tired of hearing some of what boomers have to say.

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Hi! I am a millennial mom with a passion for personal finance. I have always been “into” personal finance but got inspired to start my blog after a period of extended unemployment. That experience really changed the way I viewed my relationship with money and the importance of accessible personal finance education.

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