If you need money and are now at the point where you are basically screaming, ‘I need money desperately!’ to anyone who can hear, we’ve got you covered.
Whether this need for cash has emerged due to a one-off emergency or a situation that has been in the making for a while, here are some certain options you can explore to fulfill your urgent need for cash.
1. Take surveys
Many companies are searching for feedback and opinion on their services, products, or even ideas. You can use this opportunity to put a few extra bucks in your pocket.
You can sign up for polls by providing some demographic information. However, make sure to give your valid and active email address, as companies will use this address to reach out to you if they require a survey.
Once you have earned a certain amount, you can ask for a payout. Below are a couple of websites you can use for this purpose:
Swagbucks: With Swagbucks, you can earn points in exchange for web searching, watching videos, online shopping, and, of course, taking surveys.
The accumulated points can be used to obtain cash that will be transferred to your PayPal account. Or, you could get gift coupons to stores like Amazon or Walmart instead.
Opinion Outpost: Much like Swagbucks, Opinion Outpost also promises cash and gift vouchers in exchange for participation in mobile or online surveys.
You will automatically be registered for a $10,000 lucky draw as soon as you sign up and be eligible for more entries every quarter.
Reward options include cash transferred through PayPal, iTunes, and Amazon gift cards, charity donations, or even sweepstake entries. Gift cards are redeemable as soon as you earn $5, while cash can be redeemed after a minimum earning of $10.
Other websites that pay you for taking surveys are:
- OneOpinion
- MyPoints
- Survey Junkie
- Prize Rebel
- Swagbucks ($10) for joining
- Overview Junkie
- Inbox Dollars
2. Sell clothes online
Your wardrobe is bound to have certain clothes that you do not need anymore. You might not know that you can use those clothes to get the cash that you do need badly.
eBay, thanks to its popularity, is one of the best online options for selling clothes. However, make sure that your share photos are well-lit and offer a realistic picture of the clothes and their quality.
Also, write a comprehensive product description, covering anything that a potential purchaser might want to know – including the size, material, brand, and defects.
Here are some popular platforms where you can sell your used and unused clothes:
3. Teach online
If you are comfortable with online teaching and believe that there is a particular subject that you can teach well, this could be an excellent way to make a fair amount of money.
Pay particular attention to your target audience, as that will determine the online mode that you choose. For teens or young adults, you can even consider online gamification, but for older adults, you might have to go with more conventional options like YouTube.
You could even form a hybrid model and use the best of both worlds.
As for delivering courses, you can make your own website and use it to sell your courses. This will give you the flexibility to customize your students’ experiences.
However, you must have the technical understanding required for website monitoring and optimization.
Alternatively, you can partner with online course marketplaces. These marketplaces will do all the grunt work related to course hosting, but, on the flip side, you will have no control over marketing or promotion.
Some of the best online course marketplaces are:
4. Rent out car
If you have a car that is of little use to you, why not put it to some use and jack up your wallet a bit? Several service providers let you rent your vehicle and earn some cash. One of those is:
HyreCar: With HyreCar, Lyft and Uber drivers will be renting your car and using it to carry passengers around.
HyreCar’s website says that the average vehicle owner earns approximately $14,000 a year by renting out their car through the platform. This is a tidy sum of money that you can make simply by allowing others to drive your car when you are not using it.
To set up a listing, all you need to do is provide a description of your car, along with some pictures and inspection and registration documents. HyreCar sends out requests when a car is required, and the first owner who accepts the request gets it.
After acceptance, you will have to make sure that all vehicle documents are accurate.
Other similar services include:
5. Food delivery
Once again, the ongoing pandemic has led to an incredible increase in the number of people turning to food delivery services. Therein lies another opportunity for you to meet your money requirements.
Uber Eats is one of the most popular apps for food ordering and delivery. Customers use the app to explore the numerous partner restaurants and place an order. The delivery fee is based upon the distance between the restaurant and the customer.
If you want to work as a driver at Uber Eats, you need to register through their app. You will have to fill out a form, upload a few documents, and add a debit card or get your bank account linked so that you can receive your payment.
Once you have been registered, you will see nearby delivery jobs that you can accept. An average Uber Eats driver can earn somewhere around $10 to $15 per hour in addition to tips.
Another similar option is DoorDash, a company that delivers food from local restaurants. Once a customer places an order through the DoorDash app, a driver will collect the food from the chosen restaurant and deliver it to the customer’s location.
The delivery and service charge will depend upon the restaurant that is selected.
Becoming a ‘Dasher’ will require you to fill an online application form and go through a background check. Upon clearing the background check, you will receive a ‘Red Card’ (debit card) that you will use to make payments at restaurants, along with an insulated bag.
Other food delivery companies that you can consider are:
6. Taking care of pets
If you are an animal lover, this option is a win-win for you – you can spend quality time with pets while also helping your bank account.
Make sure you prepare a plan to outline the number of clients you would want, the rates you would charge, and the kind of services you will be offering.
Also, be sure that the laws allow you to provide pet-sitting services. You will probably have to obtain a business license and if you wish to bring animals to your property, see that the zoning laws permit this.
When it comes to pets, people do not find it easy to trust strangers. This is why you should start by offering your service to friends, family, and acquaintances and build a reputation for yourself.
Once you grow your business, you can use the following apps to find people looking for pet-care services:
- Wag!
- PetSitter
- Sittercity
- Wanderer
- Sway
- Pet Backer
- Canine Walk
7. Consider payday loans
A payday loan can help you address your short-term money needs. These are loans given for brief periods but at a high-interest rate.
Your approval for a payday loan will depend upon how much you earn, so if you do not have a stable source of income, you might find it hard to get yourself approved.
Since these loans do not consider your ability to pay, come with very high-interest rates, and sometimes even have hidden charges, they should generally not be used as a source of finance.
8. Garage sale
While planning a garage sale all by yourself might feel time-consuming, the benefit is that you will get to keep all the proceeds.
Look around your house and gather all the items that you do not use or need anymore. These items may include obsolete outdoor or indoor furniture, garden tools, electronics, appliances, and anything else. Store all these things in your basement or garage, and decide a day when you will hold the sale.
Ensure that you have your municipal government’s permission (if needed) and check if there are any restrictions regarding the posting of signs.
Remember to not put a price on your items and only quote one if you find that a potential buyer is too timid to negotiate. Be friendly and attentive, and do not appear exasperated.
9. Drive for Uber and Lyft
While Uber and Lyft might not be as well-paying gigs as they were a few years ago, they can still fetch you a decent amount of money. If you are a savvy driver, you can expect to make good money right from day one. With Lyft, you can even earn a $300 signing bonus if you can complete 100 rides within the first 30 days.
However, remember that you will probably not earn what the companies advertise. For instance, Uber will take a 20% cut on the cheapest service (Uber X), 25% with UberBlack, and 28% with UberSUV.
Lyft will take 20% from every fare, in addition to the Black Car Fund’s charge of 2.5% and a sales tax of 8.875%.
However, there are certain strategies that you can adopt to increase your earnings. For instance, you need to learn to take maximum advantage of the peak hours, minimize your expenses, and get maximum tax cut-offs.
Also, joining referral programs like Freebird will help you make an extra few dollars on every ride you take.
