How to make money fast without borrowing
It can be difficult to find money quickly in an emergency. Fewer and fewer people have a secure job and a savings account they can rely on for bad times and unexpected situations. Fortunately, there are also techniques to get money quickly.
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Do odd jobs in the neighborhood
Advertise your services.
Set up your own website or post an ad on a classified site.
- Indicate in your ad what kind of work you do (home repairs, plumbing, electrical, gardening, cleaning, etc.), your rate and your availability.
Give people multiple ways to contact you. If your potential clients can reach you by phone or email, you have a better chance of finding work.
Build your potential customer base.
Discuss your services with your friends and neighbors.
- Tell them you need money and are willing to do odd jobs in your neighborhood.
- Ask them to also tell their friends and neighbors to recommend your services.
- Your neighbors and friends could become your first customers. Be sure to tell them to spread the word and talk about the great job you did when you’re done.
Offer a reasonable price for your work.
The main reason that will lead a person to use your services rather than those of a professional is your much cheaper price.
- Ask for a smaller amount that will allow you to live rather than too much.
- You can estimate the amount you want to ask for by setting yourself a low hourly rate, for example between 6 and 8 euros. Then, bill your customers by the half-hour. For example, if you work 6 hours and 33 minutes, charge only 6 hours and 30 minutes. It will also make things easier for you.
Be professional.
Dress in clean clothes and smile at people who open the door for you. Shake hands with the person you are introducing yourself to. Look her in the eye.
- Be sure to describe exactly what kind of services you offer, be it housework, gardening, cleaning, etc.
- Be prepared to work weekends and evenings as well.
- Respond to calls and job postings quickly.
Bring your own equipment.
If you have specialized equipment that you can keep with you, such as a DIY kit for making repairs or a rake for collecting leaves and grass, bring it.
- You can leave heavier items like ladders and lawnmowers at home, but be sure to specify that you have them.
- Do not accept jobs for which you do not have the necessary equipment.
Find short-term jobs
Think about your skills.
You might be able to easily find a short-term job if you have certain skills.
- Accounting or administrative jobs are usually short-term or temporary. If you have the necessary skills, you can also find a well-paying job in the short term.
- Offices and human resources often look for part-time employees when they receive an increase in their workload.
- If you have technical skills, some companies or some websites could hire you in the short term.
Check the local classifieds for short-term odd jobs.
Some websites have a category with classified ads for quick and temporary work. Check every site you can think of with your skills in mind.
- Take a job holding a sign. Many different companies have employees who spend 8-10 hours a day on the street holding a sign. Many private car parks, small shops, and furniture stores use this technique and pay in cash at the end of the day.
- Help organize an event. Check the classifieds for people or small businesses that need help setting up, managing, and cleaning up after a local event, such as an agricultural show or carnival. These odd jobs usually start early in the morning and are usually paid the same day. Expect to do a bit of everything, such as building or selling.
Participate in studies or surveys.
It’s not a reliable way to make a lot of money, but if you need a few bucks, it can help. An Internet search will help you find surveys to complete online.
- Make sure you are qualified for the study to which you are sending your application. For example, you can’t apply for a study that studies the effects of smoking if you don’t smoke.
- Apply in person to speed up the process. In the case of some surveys, it is possible to present yourself and participate in the paid survey immediately. The studies generally last longer, but you could be compensated before the end.
Join a temp agency.
Temp agencies place thousands of employees do day jobs. If you have specialized skills or experience in a certain field, you could give it a shot. There are many tips that can help you get started in a temp agency.
- Visit the agency. Tell them you are looking for work and follow their instructions. Typically, you will be required to complete an application form followed by an interview where you will discuss your experiences and qualifications.
- Bring a resume. This will allow the temp agency to find you jobs for which you have the required qualifications.
- Dress like you’re going to the office. It will show that you are looking for success and that you know how to adapt to a work environment.
- Meet your agent. He is the person who will find you work every day. Try to be nice and get along with him, it could help increase your chances.
- Accept all the jobs offered to you. Temp agencies don’t work miracles, they won’t find your work every day. If your agent finds work for you that you can do and offers it to you, accept it right away.
- Sometimes a long-term temp can be hired and become just another employee, so always see your temp job as “real work”.
Sell and resell
Consider selling your car.
It’s not a practical solution for everyone, but if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere where you don’t need your car to get to work or run errands, you’ve got a hefty amount of cash. money sleeping in your garage. Here are some important steps to selling your car.
- Collect information about your car. Find the model and registration number, receipts for various services, and a history of your car. Also find out about your car’s features, eg CD player, seat controls, etc.).
- Receipts proving a regular oil change or routine maintenance indicate that you’ve taken good care of your car and that it’s a good deal.
- Choose a price for your car. To find the right price, you can check the model of your car on specialized sites or take a look at the classifieds to see what price people who own the same car as you are selling it for.
- Place a classified ad for your car on classified ad sites and in newspapers. Include in the classified ad the model and year of your car, its actual condition (if it needs repairs, be honest), the price you’re asking for it, and the forms of payment you accept. Include lots of photos and a variety of ways to contact you.
Organize a garage sale.
Post a free classified ad or pay a small fee to put the ad in a newspaper. Clean and organize all the items you want to sell and set them up the morning of the garage sale.
- This approach works best for people who have not used this method of making money before and who own a lot of items. People are generally more interested in large garage sales.
- Choose a slightly high price and agree to haggle. Most items in garage sales can be sold for a third or half of their original price if they are in good condition.
- Try to round up prices so you don’t have to deal with too many pennies.
- To cover the difference, try highlighting larger items, such as furniture or exercise equipment, which will help you earn more money faster. Install these objects on the front to attract customers.
- There is a garage sale in most towns and villages. This kind of event is all the more interesting as it allows many people to come.
Sell your business on the Internet.
There are two ways to do this if you need money fast: eBay.
- On Leboncoin, you can post the items you want to sell in the appropriate category of the site. Be sure to include photos if possible, as site visitors generally don’t bother with classified ads without photos.
- Indicate in your advertisement whether you are ready to negotiate the price or whether the price offered is final.
- On eBay, you can arrange different selling periods and options, each with different prices.
- If you choose a fixed price for the item you are selling, you will have to pay a fee of a few euros in addition to the percentage on the sale. However, this option allows you to control the price of the item you are selling.
- If you choose to auction your item, choose a time period when the auction will be active. It is often said that Sunday evening is the most lucrative evening of the week for auctions.
Sell to a pawnbroker.
Pawnshops are stores that will buy almost anything from you as long as it is not perishable. Pawnbrokers tend to buy the goods at a very low price and do not bargain.
- Take your items to a pawn shop. Most of these stores are only open for a few hours a day for security reasons, so you should get there before 4 p.m. to be sure to find someone there.
- Decide whether you want to accept his offer or not. For example, expect to receive 60 euros for a bicycle that costs 500. In most cases, you should only go to a pawn shop if you need the money “immediately” and if you don’t you have no other solutions to recover the money with the items you want to sell.
Resell your items to collectors.
There are flea markets that sell items that carry some cultural significance, from commemorative plates to old toys and video games. If you know how, you can buy items at a low cost to sell them more expensive to collectors.
- Specialize in a certain type of item. You could specialize in retro toys or crystal objects. Start by finding the valuables you own and go from there.
- Find out. Do some research to find out what items in good condition look like that you can sell. Know how to recognize common objects and rare objects. You will earn more money with rare items.
- Go to places where inexpensive items are sold. Garage sales and second-hand shops are collectors’ best friends.
- Also, use your computer. Websites specializing in collectibles can help you get an idea of what you might find in your area.
- Sell on the Internet. You’ll usually get a better price on the internet than if you were selling to a collector in your area, which can also help you expand your customer base.
- Get to know the resellers. These people have a lot of connections and will help you advertise the items you are selling and connect with sellers who will help you sell your items.
Use less common techniques
Become a street artist.
If you’re lucky enough to own a musical instrument and have enough talent, try your hand at street performance. You could earn a little money in an hour or two by performing at a popular venue. Here are some tips to help you succeed.
- Ask permission. Some cities require street performers to seek permission before performing on the streets.
- Choose a good place. Avoid areas where other artists are already performing, but choose a busy street. To start, find a place in the city center that many passers-by visit.
- Choose your repertoire carefully. The holidays are one of the best times to perform on the streets. Jazz and popular music are excellent musical themes.
Be polite to your audience. Be warm and friendly with people who cross your path. Smile and nod whenever you meet someone’s gaze.
Collect old metals.
It is possible to sell iron, steel, and especially copper by kilo to scrap dealers. To be able to earn a significant amount of money, you are going to have to bring them several pounds, which is why you need to make sure you have a vehicle with space to do so.
- Peek into abandoned areas and ruined buildings for pipes or metal fixtures. Containers outside of offices and electronics companies could contain large amounts of cables or other components that you can sell to a junkyard.
- Be very careful if you want to salvage old metals. Wear thick gloves, be accompanied, and do not search for old metals in the evening.
- Do not steal or salvage metals from a facility that is still in use.
Take a look around your neighborhood in the morning before the garbage collectors come by. You can often find items there that you can resell to scrap dealers or repair and resell.
Go get stones.
There are guides that tell you, depending on your region, where you can find valuable stones. There are fossils, geodes, and semi-precious gems in most areas. Keep in mind that it’s going to take some time for you to collect a significant amount of stones and this might not be the best solution to your problems.
- Learn about the different gems. If you are looking for semi-precious gems, remember that their size and color can sometimes make them more valuable.
- Bring a shovel or trowel, gloves, a hat, and a bucket. Often, to find good-quality rocks and fossils, you are going to have to dig. Make sure you have the right to do so in the area where you live. You can find the areas where this is allowed in the guide you purchased.
- Be careful not to trespass on anyone else’s property, including a mining area.
Sell your finds to a specialty store. Most of the time you’re not going to make a lot of money, but it’s almost impossible to sell stones on the internet.
Sell plastic bottles to get money.
It is possible to collect plastic bottles from others and resell them to earn money.
- You’re going to have to collect a certain amount of it before you make any money, so be prepared to put some effort into this technique.
- You will also have to find a professional who buys empty plastic bottles wholesale. A quick Internet search should help you find companies you can do business with.
Sell your hair.
Believe it or not, it is possible to sell your hair. If you have virgin hair of a good length, you can make money by reselling it.
- Your hair is a reflection of what you eat, if you eat healthily and don’t smoke, you can sell very good quality hair.
- There are websites that tell you the value of your hair.
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About the Author
Randy Diaz
Randy Diaz is a journalist with a zeal in mobile tech and the online gaming industry. He writes articles, editorials, reviews, round-ups, and how-to tips on a wide variety of topics. He spent several years working in the games industry as a tester and designer. Now he has been writing as a full time freelancer for over three years. He is also a regular contributor to several media, both in print and online.