The average American has about $38,000 in personal debt. With COVID-19 keeping many of us in our own homes, making and saving money is becoming more important than ever.
Are you in need of quick cash but feeling unsure of where to start? Here are 10 legal ways you can start making fast cash. With these tips, you can keep the virus and self-quarantining from eating away at your savings.
Discover how to get money now with these 10 easy tips.
1. Hold a Garage Sale
One of the easiest ways to make quick cash is to hold a garage sale. Start walking around your house and determine what you no longer want or need. Then, gather everything together and start selling!
When searching for items to sell, consider the “one-year” rule. If you haven’t used an item in the past year, there’s a chance you won’t use it in the next year, either. Instead of letting items collect dust around your home, get rid of it!
You can sell items such as:
- Clothing
- Shoes
- Books
- Albums, CDs, and movies
- Jewelry
- Sterling silverware
- Dishware
- Toys
- Printers
- Computers
Take the time to advertise your garage sale around town. Give people about a week to hear about your garage sale. Don’t forget to utilize social media, too!
Otherwise, consider posting a free ad on Craiglist or finding a local Facebook Yard Sale group online.
2. Sell Items Online
If you didn’t get many bites at your garage sale, consider selling your old items online instead. You can even sell second-hand textbooks on Amazon Marketplace or on your campus website.
There are plenty of other items you can sell online, too. For example, are you a photographer? Start uploading your photos to stock websites such as Getty Images and Adobe Stock.
You can also sell gift cards and old phones you have sitting around the house.
Gift Cards
Do people often buy you gift cards to restaurants or stores you never visit? Instead of letting them sit around and expire, make quick cash off of them! You can sell your old gift cards at a discount online.
There are gift card exchange sites like CardCash.com that will pay you to mail your physical cards in.
You’ll likely pay a 15% fee for the card’s value. Still, if you never intend on using it and need cash fast, selling is an easy option.
Old Phones
Do you have an old cell phone sitting in a drawer somewhere? Consider checking ecoATM to see if there’s a kiosk in your area. These kiosks will study your phone and make note of the model number and device’s condition.
Then, the kiosk will let you know the phone’s value. They accept tablets and old MP3 players, too.
If you don’t have an ecoATM kiosk in the area, you can also sell your old devices on eBay or Craiglist.
3. Know How to Save Instead of Spend
Almost 30% of American workers have less than $1,000 in their bank accounts. Another 42% are living paycheck to paycheck. As you use these tips for making fast cash, it’s also important you cut back on expenses.
Otherwise, you’ll end up spending everything you earn too quickly!
First, start tracking your income and expenses. Break down your expenses into categories such as entertainment, transportation, food, and household bills.
Next, set a hard budget. Make sure you’re saving away money each month.
If you have credit card debt, student loans, or auto loans, make paying those off a priority. Reducing your debt will help you save more.
Look at how much you’re spending on food and groceries each month. Try using coupons, planning meals, and cutting back on eating out. Try buying generic when you shop, too.
4. Ask Family for Help
If you need cash fast, don’t hesitate to ask a friend or family member for help. While it can sometimes feel awkward, it’s often the fasted way to acquire quick cash.
If you’re not comfortable with borrowing money, ask if you can earn it instead. Offer your skills. For example, you can offer to repair clothes or curtains if you’re good at sewing.
Are you a talented hair and makeup stylist? Consider offering your talents for a family event.
You can ask your kids to pitch in by having them mow lawns, walk dogs, or babysit, too.
5. Start Driving
You can also make easy, quick cash by becoming a Lyft or Uber driver. A lot of people are getting their groceries and meals delivered now. Amazon Flex is also a good option for deliveries. If you have good insurance and a reliable car, consider making money by driving people around or making deliveries. You can even get a bot to help you get more business. Software like myflexbot will help you get delivery jobs faster by grabbing the delivery before other drivers.
6. Sign Up On Fiverr
Do you have a skill you can sell, such as graphic design, writing, or animating? Consider making money by signing up on Fiverr. Fiverr allows people with marketable skills to make quick cash for their talents.
You can decide which jobs you’ll take and start building a portfolio of projects!
7. Rent Out a Room
Do you have a spare room in your home? If you’re comfortable with strangers, consider renting out a room on Airbnb.
Make sure to take well-lit photos of the room. Advertising is key!
8. Start a Website
You can also make a passive income online by creating your own website. Do you have helpful tips and tricks you can share with the world? Start writing blog posts or creating vlogs.
Then, add paid ads to your site and start making money!
You can also guest blog on other websites, sell eBooks, or utilize affiliate marketing to make quick cash.
9. Consider a Loan
Many people turn to cash advances and payday loans when they need quick cash. If you decide to visit a bank for a loan, make sure to check your credit score, first. The bank will likely ask for a form of collateral, too.
10. Find Online Gigs
Are you still telling yourself, “I need money fast”? There are plenty of ways you can make cash online. For example, consider completing online surveys in your spare time.
Some websites allow you to make money for searching online using Bing, Yahoo, and Google. Each time you conduct a search, you have a chance to make a little money.
You can also review websites, music, and smartphone apps!
Cash In: 10 Legal Ways You Can Make Quick Cash
There are so many legal ways you can make quick cash! Don’t let COVID-19 ruin your savings. If you need money now, don’t hesitate to start using these tips.
Explore the Business section for more tips!