How to get Money fast!

Too many bills and not enough money this month?

The average wage can be tough to live on and if you make less than the average it can be even harder to save or find the money you need in emergencies.

Sometimes you just need to make money fast!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read the disclosure here.

1. Sell Unwanted Stuff

Look around your home, how much stuff do you have that you don’t need and could sell?

Most people who list things to sell make at least a few hundred.

When I’ve been really focused and bought things to resell as well, I have made over $10,000 in a month!

Lately, the easiest places to sell have been Facebook and Gumtree.

There have been numerous times I’ve listed a few things for sale and made over $100 within 30 minutes.

It’s been so good for me I have an ebook outlining all my top tips for buying and reselling.

2. Rent a Room or Other Space

$1,300 in 5 days is the most I have made renting out a room or my place.

If you happen to have a spare room, space in your driveway, an attic, garage or basement there are multiple ways you can make money.

A spare room can be rented on Airbnb (and get a $61 bonus with this link if you do), listed in Facebook groups, on Gumtree, Flatmates or simply let others know.

I have rented rooms for between $50 and $250 depending on the area I lived in and the room’s features.

Get all my tips on how to make money on Airbnb to help you get started.

If you have garage space you could rent it out to someone needing to store their boat, a special car, excess stuff or even to a small business owner needing the extra space.  

I rented my car space for $191 a month and $50 a week at other times.

The most I have made is $250 per week renting a room – room only, no food.

It was a large master bedroom with a walk-in robe and ensuite with its own spa.

The house had a swimming pool as well. That was $1,000 a month.

3. Offer Your Services

What services could you offer? Babysitting, cleaning, yard work, virtual assistance, anything you can do to make some money you could list on Airtasker, Gumtree or Facebook.

Choose your prices and be prepared to work.

In my experience, in Australia, most of those sort of services go for $25 to $50 per hour.

At $25 you would need to work 40 hours that month/10 hours a week for $1,000 and at $50 per hour it would be 20 hours or 5 hours a week. Find 43 ideas here.

4. Freelance Writing

Most freelance writers I know make well over $1,000 a month.

This won’t be immediate money and usually relies on you having some sort of online presence, degree or experience already.

Freelance rates I have seen varied from $5 per article (which I don’t recommend anyone does) through to thousands per article or 1cent to $1 per word.

Create a profile with a bio and sample work if you have some.

You will need to establish credibility to begin with and a good way to do that is through guest posting on other sites.

Check out how to become a freelance writer first. Some guest post positions pay $50 straight away, just follow their guidelines.

For regular paying jobs look for staff writer positions, contact sites you like yourself and continually check classifieds.

Check out the Problogger job board, UpWork and Freelancer to get you started.

My very first freelance article in 2011 paid $125.

In my first month of freelance writing, I made over $1,000 back in 2010.

5. Uber/Share Your Car

If you have a relatively new car you can sign up to be an Uber driver if it’s available in your area (or look for similar services).

Depending on where you live you can earn $19 to $35 per hour based on what I have read and Uber drivers I have personally talked to.

Many drivers do it on weekends or between other jobs and make a few hundred to over a thousand a week.

Alternatively, look into renting your car out, putting a car wrap on it or trying other ideas suggested here.

If you average $25 per hour, it would be 40 hours of driving, or one Saturday a week to get $1,000 a month.

6. Jokes, Puzzles or Real-Life Stories for Magazines

You can get between $25 and $50 for a joke in many magazines.

Other magazines pay $100 to $2,000 for a real-life story. Stories are done in the first person usually and must have relevant photos.

One story could net you $2,000. Or 40 jokes would be $1,000.

7. A Second Job

If you are going to need extra money long term and the other options don’t appeal too much plus you want a regular, guaranteed income, a second job might be the best option.

Waitstaff, bar staff, nightshift in hotels, packing shelves, petrol stations etc. Many of these jobs pay between $20 and $40 per hour.

As with any extra money, depending on how much you work and how much you make it may change your tax bracket which would impact on the actual amount you earn.

To earn $1,000 extra a month at $20 per hour, not accounting for tax, you’d have to work 50 hours.

8. Run a Seminar or Workshop

If you have expertise or skills in a particular area, look at running a workshop or seminar.

You can set it up on Eventbrite or start a MeetUp group if you want to run it regularly.

Have a way to market your seminar such as through social media, local businesses, the local media etc. Pick a location, time and date then get organised.

Decide if you will include refreshments, how much you will charge, if it will be a one off or if you will run more and how you will follow up with attendees after the event.

With 20 attendees at $50 each, you will make your $1,000 depending on your other costs. Alternatively, 10 attendees at $100 is $1,000 too.

9. Deliveries

There are numerous companies you can sign up with to do deliveries and you don’t need a car.

While a car is faster and you’ll be able to do more, there are food delivery options using bikes.

Some companies offer a few hundred dollars as a bonus in your first month too.

10. Use Your Current Employment

Can you cash in your holidays?

Do you have any days in lieu owing you might be able to use and do one of the other options above on those days to make extra money?

When was the last time you asked for a raise?

Re-negotiate your salary if you are genuinely worth it. Is there an extra project you can take on for more money?

Sometimes working with what you already have is easier than trying to add something else.

You might also like 99 Side Hustles for Aussies.

For more ways to make and save money follow us on social media:

The Thrifty Issue Facebook Page
The Thrifty Issue Facebook Group
The Thrifty Issue Instagram