earn money fast

earn money fast

It’s stressful when you need to get money quickly to make an important purchase or pay a bill, but there’s always a solution. You can offer goods or services, recycle items and sell them to the Scrap Dealer, take odd jobs, or borrow money. These methods may or may not work long-term, but if you simply need to scrape together a certain amount in a few hours or days, they’re your best option!

Selling goods and services

Take things you want to sell to a pawn shop. 

You might get a pretty good deal on high-priced items like electronics, musical instruments, and jewelry. Just bring them over there and see what you can get for it.

Other stuff you can buy and sell for cash. 

Some thrift shops will buy used items such as clothing, CDs, DVDs, records, and books for cash. If you have well-preserved and reasonably valuable items like this, see how much you get. 

Host a garage sale and sell things you no longer need. 

Identify a day or days when you want to sell and place ads in your local paper and online, post about it on social media, and put up flyers. Then, on the day of the sale, you arrange the items attractively on tables, blankets or shelves in your garage or front yard. You can sort them by price or offer them on a negotiable basis. 

  • Try to sell anything valuable that you’re willing to part with. CDs, DVDs, books, musical instruments, collectible toys, electronics (computers, tablets, TVs, smartphones, boxes, and similar items), video games, jewelry, clothing, shoes, and unused gift cards tend to sell well. 

Tip: Find out beforehand whether you are allowed to organize such a private flea market. In some areas, it is not allowed and as a tenant, you would have to check with your landlord if you are allowed to hold a garage sale.

Sell ​​things you don’t need online. 

Some sites charge a small fee or a percentage of the sale price, but it’s usually worth it because of the wide reach. Just try to sell anything you no longer need that is in good or new condition.

  • If you want to sell your stuff to the highest bidder, try eBay or a similar site. With a bit of luck, you can get a really good price if you have something rare or valuable to sell.
  • You can also sell used books, DVDs, electronics and smartphones on Amazon and there are various providers on the Internet who buy almost all of these items, refurbish them and then resell them.

Earn extra money with a lemonade stand. 

If you still have enough gel to buy the ingredients for a delicious lemonade, pitcher and cup, you can set up a lemonade stand in front of your house. Use a sturdy crate or cardboard box for the stand and make a sign with your offer and prices on it. 

  • Be sure to use quality ingredients for your lemonade and get ice cubes if possible!
  • A lemonade stand works best on a hot summer day. Set up your stand in the front yard and wait for thirsty customers.
  • Be sure to get your parents’ permission before planning a lemonade stand.

Offer to help your neighbors with their yard work. 

You can also earn a little extra money by mowing or aerating lawns, weeding or raking leaves. It is best to make flyers advertising your service and distribute them in the neighborhood or post them on bulletin boards in supermarkets

  • Offer your service at a fair price and work conscientiously. Ask around what others are charging and maybe be a little cheaper so people choose you.

Rent a room in your home to travelers if you have space. 

If you live in a big city or a touristy place, you can make a small fortune with a guest room. And even if your city is not a hotspot for tourists, there will always be people who need a cheap place to stay. 

  • Take a look around at what others are charging and set your price accordingly. If a similarly equipped room in your area costs 40 euros per night, you can offer yours at a similar price.

Do odd jobs

Find small paid tasks with the help of apps.

There are different apps that you can use to get paid for doing small tasks like scanning products in supermarkets or taking surveys. Download one of these apps and earn a few euros on the side.

 

  • You won’t get rich with these tasks, but you can start right away and you hardly need anything for it.

Warning: Stay away from vendors who require payment or your credit card details before you can actually make any money. Scammers are almost always behind it.

Take part in online surveys. 

There are numerous websites that allow users to take part in paid surveys. Usually you only get one or two euros for it, but the effort is small and the payment is usually quite quick. 

  • Amazon’s Mechanical Turk program is another way you can quickly make money online by simply answering a few questions or completing small tasks. The bottom line, however, is that the pay is miserable, usually only a few cents per task.

Hire yourself as a day laborer. 

Post an ad online or post notes on online bulletin boards offering to help with various projects, or work for a temp agency. You can also go directly to where workers are needed, like construction sites, garden centers, homeowners, and small businesses. Common jobs that can be rushed for a day or week include: 

  • Working on construction sites
  • Minor office work
  • Gardening (raking leaves, mowing lawns, shoveling snow and similar things)
  • Shopping and running errands for the elderly and sick
  • Domestic help (cleaning, clearing out and similar things)
  • wash cars
  • relocation assistance

If you love animals, you can try pet sitting. 

Start by petsitting for friends who are away. A kennel, for example, can be quite expensive, so your services are a great and also more personal alternative. 

  • Check what other pet sitters in your area are charging and adjust your prices accordingly. Pensions fill up over vacation and public holidays and you can probably budget a little more.
  • Ask friends and family if they know anyone who needs a pet sitter. Word of mouth is often the best way to get jobs.

Walk other people’s dogs. 

Many dog ​​owners don’t have time to give their dogs the exercise they actually need. This is where you come in and, for a fee, you ensure that the four-legged friends are properly utilized. However, this job can be quite a challenge, especially if you have to walk multiple dogs at the same time or in quick succession. So be sure that you are physically able to do justice to all dogs. 

  • Check out what other people in your area are taking for an hour walk and set your prices similarly.
  • Make flyers or post ads in classifieds to promote your service.
  • Tell family and friends you’re looking for dog walking jobs.

Work as a babysitter if you are good with children. 

There are different websites that put you in contact with people who need a babysitter. It can help to get people who don’t know you involved if you can show that you have a decent first aid training and have experience with children. But it is certainly less complicated if you work for people you know or if people in their circle of friends recommend you. 

  • Find out what other babysitters in your area charge and adjust your prices accordingly.
  • In any case, keep in mind that taking care of children can be hard work. You should only work as a babysitter if you do it from the heart!

Work as a private taxi driver. 

Companies like Uber and Lyft have established a service that connects private drivers with people who need a taxi. Of course, you need a car and a valid driver’s license for this, and you also have to meet a few other requirements. 

  • It may take a while before you are accepted as a driver, but once you do, you can start making good money really quickly because the service is in high demand.

Show your talent as a street artist. 

If you can dance, play an instrument, pantomime, or sing, perform in pedestrian areas. Put together a good program and find a good spot and offer live entertainment to passers-by. If you are good, they will reward you handsomely

  • Be sure to have a hat, mug, or tool case for people to toss the money in.
  • Always check local regulations before playing in a public place, as some cities only allow it with a permit or not at all.

Work as a model for art students at a university or adult education center. 

Contact local art schools, community colleges, and other institutions that offer drawing classes and model for them. Art students learn to draw people mostly from living objects. If you’re willing to pose naked and get drawn for half an hour, you can make a decent amount of extra money (usually on a fixed hourly wage). 

  • People of all persuasions are needed for such courses.
  • Look around the internet to see which school is currently looking for models.

Recycle and sell scrap

Take away returnable bottles and cans. 

In Germany, you get between 7 and 25 cents for bottles and 25 cents for cans. There are many ways you can take advantage of the deposit system

  • Gather all the cans and bottles you can find around your apartment.
  • Go collect a deposit. Check for deposits in trash cans, on the side of the road, in parks, and around venues like stadiums and concert halls.

Tip: If you want to generate some cans and bottles in the most fun way, invite some friends to a bring-along party. Hardly anyone will take their deposit home with them, so you can collect and redeem it after the party.

Sell metal. 

If you have quite a lot of scrap metal flying around, want to get rid of a junk car or trailer, or know a place where you can legally pick up scrap metal, you can sort the scrap and sell it to a scrap dealer. Steel, copper, and aluminum in particular fetch good prices. 

  • If you find non-deposit aluminum cans, you can still collect them and sell the material to a scrap dealer.

Sell ​​a computer that you no longer use. 

Computers are packed with precious metals like steel, aluminum, and gold. If you take apart an old computer, you can sort the metals it contains and sell them to a recycling center or scrap dealer. You might also find someone who will buy your entire computer and exploit it.

  • If possible, you should cannibalize several computers at once so that the effort is worthwhile. For example, offer to recycle old computers for a school or scavenge for discarded computers in the trash.
  • You should not cannibalize computers that are still working but sell them as they are. The individual parts would not fetch as much as a working computer.

Borrow Money

Borrow money from a friend or family member. 

If you are seriously in need of money, you can always ask your family or close friends for help. Let them know exactly what you need the money for and explain exactly when and in what installments you can pay it back.

Warning: Beware of loan sharks and other scam artists. Ask people who really want to help you and don’t just want to get rich from you.

Overdraw your account if you need to make an urgent purchase. 

If you have a checking account that you can overdraw, this is a good option for short-term cash. However, you will not only have to repay the required amount, but also rather expensive overdraft interest. 

  • This should really be your last option as you will end up paying a lot.

Pick up cash with your credit card. 

Most credit cards allow you to withdraw cash from ATMs. You can also quickly get the required amount of cash. However, the interest rates can be quite high, so you end up having to pay back more. 

  • You can find out how high the interest actually is in your credit card contract or ask the issuing institute.

As a last resort, you can take out a small loan. 

However, such loans over a short period of time (usually until the next payday) are almost always very expensive. If you can’t actually repay the loan and interest on your next payday, you risk even higher interest rates or, in the case of a title, losing your car. You should avoid this type of loan at all costs and only resort to it in an absolute emergency if you are sure that you can repay it.

  • Alternatively, you may be able to ask your employer for an advance.

Summary

  • Don’t gamble. The temptation to make quick money this way may be great, but the risk is too great.
  • Beware of anything that promises quick riches. Never pay anything to earn money. If you’re already low on cash, you can’t afford to get ripped off.
  • If you really are in need, get help from a charity.
  • Search your apartment for hidden or forgotten money. Look in the cracks of the sofa, in jacket pockets, drawers and old handbags, etc. 

About The Author