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You’re broke and payday is still a week away. You need to figure out how to make money fast.
Rejoice, you’ve arrived at the right place.
Whether it’s the end of the month and you’re short on rent, or you’ve got a small debt that’s come knocking, often all you need is a few bucks to get you over the hump (and preferably something you can start today).
To that end, if you need to somehow come up with $100 (or more) in the next few days, you may be able to find a few options on this list to help you pull it off.
On the other hand, if you’re deeply in debt and need a large sum of cash on short notice, this list probably isn’t for you. Outside of selling thousands of dollars worth of belongings or maxing out credit cards, anything that promises four figures in a short time frame is likely a scam.
Be safe and stick to the legitimate ideas you’ll find here. Everything included has been vetted as a real way to make money. Whether it’s a short-term work-from-home gig or cashing in on a unique promo opportunity a company has to offer, we’ve done the due diligence on dozens of different money-making ideas so you don’t have to.1. Cash in on the food delivery boomSource: Instacart
Earning potential: $500+ Online Shop per month
Even before the coronavirus pandemic hit the world, food delivery apps were increasing in popularity. Now, we are seeing record levels of orders being placed every day.
Cash in on this trend by considering the ways you can make money delivering everyday items to people in need. Even in a post-pandemic world, the demand for the convenience of delivery will still be there. If Amazon has taught us anything, it’s that people love having stuff magically show up at their doorstep.
Driver-friendly apps include Instacart and DoorDash.
Deliver groceriesDeliver takeout foodDeliver anything (but mostlytakeout)Requirements:
Must have an insured car ortruck (no bikes, scooters, ormotorcycles) Requirements:
Must have an insuredvehicle (some areas allowbikes and scooters) Requirements:
Must have an insured car,truck, motorcycle, scooter,or bike in most casesPay:
Paid a flat delivery fee +additional fee per itemordered + 100%of tipsPay:
Delivery fee + boosts + 100%of tipsPay:
Paid for time spent +distance traveled + 100%of tips
Note: Since average hourly earnings fluctuate based on factors including location and demand, we have not included rates. However, our research suggests average rates tend to fall between $10 and $20 per hour.2. Take paid surveys
Earning potential: $50+ per month
Paid survey sites sometimes get a bad rap, but that’s usually because people have expectations that are too high. Surveys won’t make you rich (not even close), but they are an easy way to earn money in your spare time.
Market research companies such as Branded Surveys are hired by brands and businesses to find out more about consumers. Research companies often use surveys to gather these insights, and they pay survey takers for their time. Most surveys usually pay somewhere between $0.50 and $3.00, but there are some outliers that pay significantly more.
If you need help paying bills that are imminently due, surveys aren’t going to work out well for you. If, instead, you want a way to slowly accumulate $25 to $50+ every month in cash or gift cards without committing to too much work, surveys are perfect. Other high-paying survey sites include InboxDollars, Survey Junkie, and Swagbucks.
Over $300M paid outOver $59M paid outSurveys onlyMultiple ways to earnMultiple ways to earnOver 10 million membersAvg. $0.40 – $2 per survey$30 min. to cash out $10 min. to cash out
No sign-up bonus3. Earn cashback and rewards According to Invesp, the average online shopping revenue per shopper is: USA: $1,804, UK: $1,629, Sweden: $1,446, France: $1,228, Germany: $1,064
Earning potential: $100+ per year
If you do any shopping online (and if you don’t, who are you?), you are probably familiar with cashback and reward apps. The premise is pretty simple: find something you like online, buy it through an app like CapitalOne Shopping, and save some money you would have otherwise spent. The rewards are usually modest, but they add up over time.
One thing I am guilty of is finding one thing I like and sticking to it without ever trying anything new. I’ve caught myself doing this with cashback and reward apps over the past year or so. I used to exclusively use Capital One Shopping because it was easy and usually got me discounts or rewards, but now I make a point to do a quick “comparison shop” between tools to make sure I’m getting the best deal available.
Browser extensionBrowser extensionAutomatically applies bestcoupon code available atcheckoutNotifies you of sales, couponcodes, and cashback4.9/5 stars on Chrome store4/5 stars on Chrome store
Note: Capital One Shopping compensates us when you sign up for Capital One Shopping using the links we provided.4. Sell your textbooksUniversity bookstores offer pennies on the dollar for used textbooks. Look at online sites like BookScouter.com for better buyback deals.
If you’re a college student or have graduated within the last year or two, chances are good that you still have some textbooks that you could easily sell for a few extra bucks. Usually, when you sell back textbooks, you get a tiny fraction of what you paid for it. I remember getting around $40 for a $300 physics textbook that I sold back to my university bookstore — a horrible deal.
Nowadays, there are sites like BookScouter that allow you to “comparison shop” when it comes to selling back your textbooks.
BookScouter, which tops our list of the best places to sell textbooks, is an online platform that lets you compare buy-back prices from over 30 different vendors so you can get the most money. If I had known about this back then, I probably could have got at least double for my physics textbook.5. Teach English as a second language onlineTeaching English to children in China is a lucrative business for companies like VIPKid and EF Education First.
Earning potential: $13-$20+ per hour
As I was doing research into tutoring jobs, I was surprised to learn how large the demand is in teaching English as a second language. In the United States, most students take 2 or 3 years of a foreign language in high school and then move on.
According to a 2016 study by China Youth Daily, nearly 70 percent of parents in China report that “their own children or children they know started learning English before five years old, mainly due to Chinese parents’ fixation on giving children an early advantage.” That is vastly different from how things are in the United States, which also means that the need for qualified teachers is constantly growing.
There are many private companies that specialize in remotely teaching English to Chinese students, but two of the most prominent are VIPKid and EF Education First.
Requirements:Fluent English speakerEligible to work in the US or CanadaBachelor’s degree in any fieldAt least 1 year of teaching experience
Requirements:Native English speakerLive in the United StatesBachelor’s degree in any field40 hour TEFL certification
– Schedule is set 2 weeks out
+ High-quality lesson plan materials
– Must have TEFL cert6. Make an investment in your own healthAccording to a randomized, controlled study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, people who bet were 5X more likely to hit a goal.
Earning potential: $50-$2,000+ in 6 months
To some degree, money is a motivator for most people. And the prospect of losing money is an even greater motivator.