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!

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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 we’ve been really focused and bought things to resell as well, we made over $10,000 in a month.

Lately, the easiest places to sell have been Facebook Marketplace and the niche groups e.g. specific brands often have buy/sell/swap groups you can join.

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

Previously, rockabilly clothing was one of my top sellers. Currently, plants and home decor are.

2. Rent a Room or Other Space

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

A spare room can be rented out and listed in Facebook groups, on Gumtree, Flatmates or let your friends and family know because they might know someone looking for a place.

How much you charge depends on the facilities and area e.g. a single room with a shared bathroom further from a tourist hot spot will cost significantly less than a room with an ensuite near the beach or city centre.

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.  

The most we have made is $2,500 a week for a home on Airbnb.

People renting on Airbnb now typically expect a hotel like experience so it’s not how it used to be where you rent any room out.

However, you can still rent out your spare room but make it clear in the listing what is included and what isn’t.

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, check what others are charging so you aren’t overpriced and be prepared to work.

In Australia, most of those services go for $35 to $60 per hour.

At $35hr you need to work 28.5 hours that month and at $60 per hour it would be 16.6 hours. Find 43 ideas here to make money.

The more money you can make in a shorter period of time or with less effort, the easier it will be.

We found with Airtasker some of the gardening and moving jobs paid much better than the cleaning jobs when viewed on a per hour basis.

We focused on marketing jobs, writing and similar on there and made more per hour than the odd jobs.

It depends on your interests, skills and qualifications.

If you have any qualifications, think about how you can offer your services in a different capacity but check your employment contract to ensure you are allowed to.

For example, a hairdresser/beautician/nail tech/massage therapist could offer an after-hours mobile service doing clients in their own homes at more convenient hours.

Therapists could consider offering their services on platforms such as BetterHelp for a different audience and hours.

The pay is not as high so it would be considered more of a marketing opportunity, a way to reach a wider audience and potentially work different hours.

4. Freelance Writing

Most freelance writers we 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 vary drastically depending on the publication and location of the work.

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

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

Check out how to become a freelance writer first.

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.

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.

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 $25 and $45 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 $25 per hour, not accounting for tax, you’d have to work 40 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.

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