Did you forget about an upcoming bill? Have an unexpected expense pop up? You need to learn how to make money fast!
We’ve all been there before… payday is at the end of the week, and you can’t stretch what’s left in your bank account anymore. You have three options, pull out a credit card, dip into savings, or learn how to make money fast.
I’m so glad you decided on the last option, and even though it takes a little more hustle, I know your future financial self will thank you too.
There are ideas in this article that will help you learn how to make $100 in a day, and others will increase your monthly income — that means fewer “Oh, crap!” moments down the line.
Here are 13 ways to make money fast
1. Sell your stuff online
If someone were to ask me, “Hey, Bobby, how can I make $100 fast?” I will always start with, “Look around your house and see what you can sell.”
Selling your stuff is one of the most effective ways to make money fast because the barrier to entry is soooo low. Everyone has things around their house they can sell. So you don’t have to source products or even leave your home to make money fast. Your inventory is sitting right in front of you.
Items like old electronics, gently used clothes and shoes, home goods, and sports equipment sell well online. And, there are lots of apps to make the selling part easy:
- Facebook is an obvious choice because you don’t have to download any new apps, and you’re probably already familiar with the platform. List your items in local buy and sell groups for the best chances to sell quickly.
- Letgo helps sellers find buyers in their local area.
- Decluttr is specifically for electronics.
- CPlus is an app for Craigslist — it makes it easy to list and post items on Craigslist from your phone.
If you want to learn how to make money fast, you might have to make some hard decisions about what to sell. If you haven’t used that elliptical machine in three years, then it might be time to sell. Don’t kid yourself about what you’ll use in the future.
Read more at 21 Apps to Sell Your Stuff Online (and How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off) and Best Things to Sell on eBay to Make Extra Money
2. Negotiate your bills
Negotiating your bills is when you call your cell phone provider, internet company, car insurance, etc. and ask if there are any discounts or promotions you can take advantage of. More often than not, there is!
I call to negotiate my bills every six months or so. It takes about 30-45 minutes to get through them all, and I always get at least one bill lowered. The last time I did this, I was able to get my car insurance bill lowered by $40/month. That’s $480 a year!
Here’s a list of bills you can negotiate:
- Cell phone
- Car insurance
- Home security service
- Internet
- Cable
- Bundled services
- Gym membership
- Credit card interest rates
Besides asking about promotions and discounts, you can also research what competitors charge and see if your current company can offer a price match. Then there’s also the, “I’ve been a long-term customer and I’ve always paid my bills on time. Is there anything you can do for me?”
Negotiating your bills is one of the easiest ways to make money fast because one phone call can end up saving you money for months or years later.
However, some people get pretty nervous about negotiating their bills. I get it… you don’t want to hear a “no.” Honestly, no bad comes from calling and asking, but if negotiating causes you a lot of stress, you might be interested in Trim.
Trim is an in-app personal finance assistant that can negotiate bills on your behalf. To find out which bills the app negotiates, and how much it costs to use Trim, read my Trim App Review 2020: An Easy Way to Save Money On Bills
3. Get rid of unused subscriptions
If you have Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Fab Fit Fun, Socks in a Box… I made that last one up… you could be spending over $100/month on subscriptions. Because many of these services come with a free trial or discount period, it’s easy to subscribe and then forget to cancel them.
Why keep paying for services you don’t need when you want to find ways to make money fast?
Cutting unused subscriptions isn’t cash in your pocket, but it is a monthly saving that comes with a quick call, email, or logging into your account to hit the “cancel” button.
The Trim app, the same one that negotiates your bills, will also cancel unused and unwanted subscriptions for you, for free. Trim reminds you which services you’re paying for and makes it even easier to cancel.
4. Complete tasks on TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is an online marketplace where people can list one-off jobs they want to outsource to Taskers. Taskers have to be background checked before they can start working, and they need to list the kind of vehicle they have because delivery tasks are some of the most commonly listed.
Here are some of the other types of jobs listed on TaskRabbit:
- Get paid to wait in line
- Put together furniture
- Bartend or serve at a party
- Do yard work
- Clean someone’s house
- Decorate for the holidays
- Do food prep
Occasionally there are some unusual jobs listed on TaskRabbit, like getting paid to impersonate someone or working as a mic runner at a United Nations summit.
Related: 7 Weird (But Legal) Ways to Make Extra Money
5. Flip furniture
This is another go-to suggestion when people ask me, “How can I make money right now?”
Here’s why…
You’ve seen tables, chairs, dressers, etc. sitting on the curb. It’s usually stuff that’s in decent shape, but people don’t want to take the time to fix it up or donate it. This is how you source your inventory — you find things people are literally giving away and turn them into things you can sell for good money.
Most of the time, these pieces don’t require much work. A table might need the legs tightened up. A dresser might need a fresh coat of paint and new drawer pulls. This is work that’s easy to do in the evenings or weekends, and you can sell your flipped pieces on Facebook Marketplace or apps like Chairish.
Flipping furniture can more than help you make money fast — it can turn into a full-time job. My friend Virginia went from part-time flipper to earning a full-time income, and you can learn how to do it at How to Make a Full-Time Income Flipping Furniture From Home.
6. Start driving for Uber or Lyft
Working as a rideshare driver has become one of the most popular ways to make money fast. With both Uber and Lyft, after you sign up to drive, you can make extra money whenever you have spare time.
Whenever I take an Uber or Lyft, I talk to my driver about what it’s like working for a rideshare company. Most have said rideshare driving has changed a lot over the years, but they still love rideshare driving.
The most recent driver I talked to said she’s always enjoyed helping people with their problems, and driving for Uber is a little like working as a therapist. She said she also likes that she can help people late at night get safely home from parties and bars. She called this being “pro safe partying.”
Read more at Is Driving For Uber Worth It? 6 Things to Know Before Jumping In
7. Deliver groceries and food
If you like the idea of rideshare driving but don’t want to spend your spare time driving around strangers, delivering groceries and meals is a good alternative way to make money fast.
Grocery delivery services like Shipt and Instacart pay drivers around $100 for 6-8 hour shifts. Drivers for Postmates, DoorDash, and UberEats average around $15-$20/hour.
Read more at How to Make $100 a Day: Step-by-Step Guide
8. Open a new checking or savings account
Do you know the interest rate of your current bank account? If you don’t know it, you’re not alone. Lots of people are clueless about this.
What you might not realize until now, though, is that there are a growing number of online banks with higher than average APYs. Going from a 0.08% APY to a 2% APY isn’t going to help you make money fast. But, one way these banks compete for business is by offering cash sign-on bonuses.
Chase Bank, HSBC, Discover, PNC, and more all currently have cash offers. They range from $100-$750.
The catch? There’s not a catch, but you do need to read the terms and conditions to see how to “unlock” the cash bonus. Some banks require a minimum initial deposit, and others require that your money stays with their bank for a certain amount of time.
Related: Best Online Savings Accounts in 2020
9. Start a freelancing side hustle
Even though you want to know how to make money fast, freelancing can also turn into a long-term income stream. Start by thinking about your skills — writing, graphic design, web development, etc.
You can use social media for advertising your services, and platforms like Fiverr and Upwork are good places to look as well.
M$M tip: If you’re interested in learning about some of the best freelancing side hustles, check out these posts:
- How to Become a Freelance Writer: The Ultimate Guide for 2020
- How to Make Money On Pinterest in 2020 (Earn $1,000 Extra Per Month!)
- How to Become a Virtual Assistant in 2020 (Best Courses Included)
- Proofreading Jobs: Make Money Pointing Out Mistakes
10. Rent out your car
You’ve heard of Airbnb, right? Well, Turo is like Airbnb, but for your vehicle.
Turo is an online platform where you can list your vehicle, the dates it’s available, and rent it out to prescreened customers. Turo offers car owners up to $1 million in liability coverage in the event of theft or an accident.
Turo’s Carculator will tell you how much you can rent your car for, and you earn 65% to 85% of the trip cost.
11. Shop online with Rakuten
Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, is one of the most popular apps for helping people make extra money. Here’s how you can make money fast with Rakuten:
- Sign up for free and get a $10 bonus
- Shop through Rakuten’s app or site at over 2,500 different partner stores
- Rakuten earns a commission for sending you to one of their partners
- They share a portion of the commission with you
Offers change regularly, but some of the current ones are 8% back at Macy’s, 4.5% back at Sam’s Club, and 10% back at Levi’s. There are also double cashback stores, in-store offers, and daily deals.
Learn more at Top 23 Legit Money Making Apps to Download For Your Smartphone
12. Get cashback on things you’ve already bought
Have you ever ordered something online and then see the price drop a week later? This is incredibly frustrating because you probably spent some time researching the best deals and thought you found one.
Paribus alleviates this frustration by getting money back for you if you’ve missed a coupon or if the price drops within a certain amount of time.
It’s free to use, and Paribus doesn’t even take a cut of your savings.
Learn how it works at Paribus Review: Legit, Safe, and Easy App to Save More Money
13. Earn cash for taking surveys
Going to be completely honest with you… I have mixed feelings about taking online surveys for money. It’s one of the easiest ways to make money fast, but it’s not much money. As long as you know that going in, taking online surveys is as easy as playing Candy Crush while you wait at the doctor’s office.
You’ll earn the most money by signing up for as many survey companies as possible because it gives you more options. Some of the most popular and reputable survey sites are:
Learn more at Is Completing Online Surveys for Money Worth It?
The final word on how to make money fast
If only money fell from the sky when you needed fast cash…
Because it doesn’t, you’re going to have to work a little to earn cash when you need it. Still, there are several easy ways to make money fast — selling your stuff, flipping furniture, working for TaskRabbit, etc.
Other ways require a little more work, but the reward lasts longer, like starting a freelancing side hustle.
Speaking of side hustles, they are legitimately my favorite way to make extra money. You can read about the best side hustle ideas in 21 Best 2020 Side Hustle Ideas That Are Actually Worth Your Time.
About Millennial Money Man
Bobby Hoyt is a former band director who paid off $40,000 of student loan debt in 18 months on his teaching salary and then left his job to run Millennial Money Man full-time. He helps other Millennials earn more through side hustles, save more through budgeting tools and apps, and pay off debt. He is a personal finance expert who has been seen on Forbes, Reuters, MarketWatch, CNBC, International Business Times, Business Insider, US News, Yahoo Finance, and many other personal finance and entrepreneurship media outlets.
