Guest post from Angie of The Work at Home Wife
Cash crises will happen. There will be a time when you simply don’t have the cash on hand to pay for an emergency; or maybe you just don’t feel said emergency is worthy of dipping into your savings. Or maybe you just have a little time on your hands that you would rather spend making money over spending it.
Whatever the situation, there are numerous opportunities to work today and get paid today.
Since you are looking to have cash in your hand by the end of the day, we are focusing on local ideas. The 5 ideas below provide the opportunity for you simply show up, do the job, and walk away with a check. No minimum payments or waiting for a pay date to roll around like online!
Work Today, Get Paid Today
1. Clean Out Your Closets
You need money now, so there is no time to plan a yard sale or post eBay auctions. You need to find who needs or wants your stuff and get rid of it ASAP – for cash on the spot.
See if you get any bites on your local Facebook Buy/Sell/Trade Group or Craigslist, or head straight to Plato’s Closet or Once Upon a Child to cash in.
2. Donate Plasma
Many larger cities have clinics that will pay $35 to $50 for plasma. The Red Cross recommends you donate plasma no more than once every 28 days.
3. Babysit
Every weekend there are parents in your community wishing they had a reliable, responsible babysitter so they could go out to dinner and a movie. That could be you!
Put out the word and you may have more work than you can handle. Pets and the elderly may also need paid companions.
4. Odd Jobs
Maybe there aren’t a lot of kids in your neighborhood. There are still so many services you can offer for some quick cash. Walk the dog. Run errands for the elderly. Do a little lawn “dooty.”
You don’t need to love the task enough for it to become your day job. You just need to be able to tolerate long enough to do a good job and get paid.
5. Lost and Found
Don’t forget to turn over those couch cushions and check the pockets of your coats and purses. You can almost always find a few forgotten bills hiding around the house.
These are just a few ideas to get some extra cash in your hands ASAP.
When it comes to finding ways to make money locally, Facebook can be your best friend. You no longer have to rely on a calling tree to get your message out. Hop online and post a message of your availability both on your private profile and any local groups that allow this.
Do you have any other quick-cash ideas to add to my list?
Angie Nelson has been a home business owner since 2007. She firmly believes saving money is just as important as making it. Visit her blog The Work at Home Wife for more money-making and money-saving tips.
Jennifer says
I am looking for some I can do from home with a flexible schedule. Something along the lines of answering email, typing or even online chat support. Where would I even get started looking for something like that. Thanks
Angie Nelson says
Hi, Jennifer. Please check out my list of 101 companies that hire for work at home:
http://theworkathomewife.com/work-home-jobs-101-companies-hire-remote-workers/
Rose says
You can actually donate plasma twice a week, all year round unless you are sick or have high blood pressure problems. My husband has worked for a plasma donation center for 8 years, 5 of which were spent ensuring donor safety. I’m not sure what’s up with the red cross recommendation. Probably because you cannot donate blood AND plasma – so they don’t want to lose out on donors (since they don’t pay donors).
At our local donation center you make in between $200-300/mo, plus bonuses. It does take approx. 2-3 hours per time, but it’s still always over $12/hr and totally TAX FREE.
Just a little fyi 😉
TikiKrissy says
I always laugh when people talk about about finding money in the couch cushions or pockets! We’re so broke, I ALWAYS know where EVERY SINGLE PENNY in our house can be found! 😀
Crystal Paine says
🙂
Guest says
We used to have a SAHM neighbor who made freezer meals. It was such a wonderful service and she was in huge demand. See if there might be a demand for a similar service and go for it!
Angie Nelson says
That sounds like a wonderful idea!
Sarah says
That’s a great idea and I love to cook! Do your remember about what she charged for meals?
Guest says
I saw that someone asked a question about my comment on FB. If you want to run a full-blown business, you would need to look into licensing. In this case, the neighbor was doing this for probably 15 – 20 of us and was a friend. I have no idea whether that is legal or not but if you’re doing it for family and friends, I wouldn’t think you are violating any major laws. Here was one of the menus with prices: (I should note that I think she should have charged more and told her as much)
1. Lasagna (most requested and favorite meal!) $10
2. Teriyaki chicken with rice and broccoli $12
3. Spaghetti Pie $10
4. Chicken Enchiladas $10
5. Beef Enchiladas $10
6. Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells $10
7. Mexican Ground Beef Stuffed Shells $10
8. Ranch and Cheddar Chicken Breasts $12
9. Chicken Chimichangas $10
10. Spiral Noodles with a meaty tomato sauce and homemade meatballs. $10
11. BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with homemade Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. $13.
motherlovin3 says
If she was a good cook, I would buy her meals. This is a great idea. I would definitely be a repeat customer.
Guest says
She took orders weekly on a specific day and then had meals ready for pickup the following Monday. We ordered every week as did many others!
Theresa says
Finally a post about earning extra cash that does mention Swagbucks! Thank you! These all seem to be doable things and clear clutter at the same time.
Susan says
I’m assuming you meant to say “doesn’t” mention swagbucks. 🙂
Theresa says
Whoops! Yes, I did. Sorry about that.
The Frugal Exerciser says
I have been driving for Uber between my clients. I like that they pay once a week.
Ashley says
What’s urber?
Angie Nelson says
Get paid for giving others a ride. Very cool new industry!
https://www.uber.com/en-US/
Becky says
It makes me nervous thinking about picking up a stranger. Does it worry you?
motherlovin3 says
Angie,
Do you have a code for anyone who wants to register?
Angie Nelson says
No, I don’t motherlovin3. Maybe Frugal Exerciser does though!
The Frugal Exerciser says
Uber is a ride sharing company that operates through the app on your phone. When someone requests a ride, I pick them up and take them to their destination. The rider pays Uber from their Paypal account and Uber pays you once a week.
Kathy says
I would love to find someone to sell my stuff on facebook for me. My sister use to do this for me but doesn’t have time any more. I have lots of things and can’t figure out how to find someone to do this for me. I paid my sister a percentage of the sale. That motivated her to get top dollar because it made her more money. I don’t have the time plus we are a strict no facebook family. Any ideas how to find someone in my area who would like to make money doing this for me. It would make us both money.
Monica says
I’ve made over $500 on Fb closed groups selling items and furniture since I’ve relocated. It’s time consuming and every now and then, some people never show up and waste your time. I donated hundreds of dollars worth of clothing and household items two weeks ago, I don’t have time to wait around and it’s frustrating. Good Luck!
Diana says
Where do you live? I’m interested in helping you out.
Kathy says
I live in northern Indiana.
Sarah says
I’d say to make money (not a whole lot, mind you) from the comfort of your own home I would check out survey sites which pay out low and instantly like Opinion Outpost which I believe still offers PayPal and Amazon. Also, if you check out Instant Gift Cards you can do all the things you would normally do on get paid to (GPT) sites but you get to cash out instantly and they offer direct deposit now. Check out my site to learn more.
Jenetta Penner says
I think a couple of great ways to make a little extra (especially around the holidays!) is to sell your services through Fiverr and to virtual assistant for bloggers.
Lots of bloggers need help and you can easily work at home (many times on your own schedule) to do this.
Melissa says
I’d love to do VA work for bloggers or Etsy shop owners – any suggestions on how to get a couple of clients without posting my services on the mass market of ODesk or the like? On those major sites I just see being lost in a sea of VA’s who are willing to work for super cheap.
Angie Nelson says
Hi, Melissa. I offer VA services to bloggers and have personally found Facebook Groups to be a great place to establish trust and connect with potential clients. They can be difficult to uncover but you may want to start with popular forums for bloggers or Etsy sellers. Join those discussions and start making connections.
Melissa says
Thanks so much for the tips Angie!
Lana says
We have been looking for someone reliable to ‘Do a little lawn “dooty.”’ Come on over! Now that the kids are grown we cannot keep up with 2 1/2 acres anymore.
Angie Nelson says
Do you pay for travel time, Lana? 😉
Lana says
😀