Have you been at a stage in your life where you thought to yourself “I need money so desperately, but I have no money to begin with “ ?
There are not a lot of things that are worse than needing immediate access to money that you might not have.
Most of the time these are unexpected expenses that pop up when life gives you lemons, but you just cannot turn it into lemonade!
Maybe your medical bills are piling up, maybe you used your phone a lot more and that’s taken a hit on your phone bill or maybe it’s tax season and you were caught off-guard.
There are many things that can cause us to need money desperately, it can be tempting to take a loan or max out your credit cards.
Especially if you’re still in debt and are looking to pay it off fast, taking on more debt can do more harm than good even if it solves your problems in the short-run.
Do not fall into that debt trap!
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Things To Avoid If You Desperately Need Money
If money is tight, It can be really easy to reach for things like loans, credit cards or other forms of debt to get you out of your bind.
This solution is only temporary and is not worth it in the long run if you can help it.
Most lenders advertise this extremely heavily for situations exactly like this.
Credit Card Loans Or Cash Advances
Credit cards are something that might make you feel like it’s the solution to your problems, sadly it’s far from it in this scenario.
Most people who have a credit card can tell you that you have to pay your credit card back rather promptly.
Regardless of your credit history, if you’re in desperate need of money paying back these credit card bills can be challenging.
Instead of using bad debt to get some cash in your hands, brainstorm some ideas to make money fast.
Private Lenders
The idea of getting fast cash from a private lender without too many questions asked sounds too good to be true.
Sadly, the kind of interest rates most private lenders charge are through the roof, something even someone who is relatively wealthy would struggle to pay back.
Unless you have an efficient pay-back plan (sadly most people who are in desperate need of money don’t!), paying back the loan will be a daunting task.
Why Would I Need Money Desperately
There could be a variety of reasons that someone would be in desperate need of money.
- Costs incurred after losing a job
- Emergency Health Expenses
- Replacing Stolen Belongings
- Funeral Costs
- Home Repairs
- Car Repairs
- Loan/Debt Repayments
Financial issues are different for everybody and there could be many more reasons as to why someone is desperately in need of money.
Finding unique ways to raise cash that you haven’t considered before can seem like a daunting task. But, don’t worry!
There are so many different ways you can make some extra cash, and quick too!
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29 Things To Consider If You’re In Desperate Need Of Money
If you’re truly in desperate need of some money, consider these interesting and out-of-the-box ideas to raise some quick cash.
Everybody’s starting point varies, so a few may work for you and a few won’t, choose the ones that best fit your situation and get to work, I believe in you!
1. Get Cash For Selling Old Items
Selling things to make money is a great way to make some quick cash. Maybe you have an old chair that you don’t use, or a few old electronic items that don’t work anymore.
Make sure to check online on websites like Ebay or Facebook Marketplace! You’d be surprised on what some of your old items could sell for.
2. Start A Side Hustle Or Get An Additional Job
Starting a side hustle or getting a 2nd job can help with supplementing your current income.
There are multiple on site and work from home jobs to make it a little easier on you.
This might not be the quickest of solutions but over time it can help you not be in a situation where you might desperately need money.
3. Look Into Your Credit Card Points
Credit card companies give you points when you spend money. Some even give you double or triple the points if you spend money on groceries, gas, flights etc.
You may also get a large sum of points as a welcome bonus for signing up for a new credit card.
Instead of opting for a credit card loan or a cash advance, check your points balance and you might be pleasantly surprised by what you can redeem using those points.
4. Earn A Few Bucks For Bottles And Cans
There are a few states which have “Bottle Bill” Laws. In which you you can get a small refund for bottles and cans that you choose to recycle.
According to Industry Week, These states are: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont.
Oregon was the first state to successfully pass a bottle deposit law in 1971, Vermont was the second state to pass a bottle deposit law in 1973, and Hawaii was the most recent in 2002.
This can be time consuming but if you have a few cans or bottles lying around in the house, it can end up being a decent chunk of change for you to use.
5. Downsizing
Downsizing to a home that’s smaller could make sense for you whether you are a homeowner or a renter.
If you’re a homeowner, you can put the house you own for rent and move to a smaller space and use the extra money as a side income.
If you’re a renter, you can move to a smaller space to save money on rent. Or, move in to a new place with a few roommates to save money on rent and your monthly bills.
6. Rent Out A Spare Room
Another way to make some quick cash is to rent out a spare room if you have one available. You can use AirBnb to rent it out short-term and make some money while doing so.
Alternatively, looking for a long term roommate can help you save money and plan your future finances better.
7. Rent Out Your Garage
If you live in a city, you know how rare it is to find reliable parking. If you have a driveway that’s vacant, that’s a valuable piece of real estate that you could be making money off of.
Depending on where you live, I’ve seen people rent their private driveways of upwards of $8 an hour!
8. Make Money With Your Car
You can use car renting marketplaces like Turo, to rent out your car if you don’t use it too much.
It’s better than selling your vehicle and the income is relatively passive, the only thing you’d have to be careful of is wear and tear with the potential overuse of your car.
9. Try Your Hand At Freelancing
Maybe you have a few specialty skills that can be sold online? SEO optimization, Social Media Marketing or Web Design to name a few.
Using Freelance networks like Upwork, Fiverr or Freelancer are great places to try your hand at these activities and get paid for them!
With more experience on these platforms, it can turn into quite the healthy side hustle.
10. Ask For A Raise!
I wish this was as simple as just walking into your boss’s office saying ” I want a raise and I want it now!”.
You need to be considerate of the timing and situation of the company you work for before asking for a raise in salary.
You’ll have to be strategic with your timing and present clear cut reasons as to why you deserve the pay raise. Try to avoid the ” I’m in desperate need of money” vibe. Go in with well taught out plan and you might be surprised.
11. An Advance In Your Salary
This isn’t the most ideal solution because you are essentially taking a loan against your future wages.
But, when things are tough and we have to make ends meet, if this is an option for you then use it but for emergency expenses ONLY.
Again, while this certainly isn’t ideal, with a good budgeting plan it can work out in the short term.
12. Taking Care Of Other Peoples Pets
There are loads of people with pets, there are also loads of people who are extremely busy.
Maybe they are finding it difficult to get home from work to feed or walk their pets in the afternoons, especially on work days!
Or maybe the pet owners just want to go on a vacation and need someone to dog-sit.
This is where you can come in by offering those services. You can use the internet to browse through different gigs or you can just ask people you know who have dogs.
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13. Taking Care Of Other Peoples Kids
If you’re good with kids, this could be a lucrative opportunity for you!
Many parents are looking for people who are available at short notice to babysit their kids and are willing to pay relatively well for it. Upwards of $15 an hour sometimes!
Again, you could just browse the internet for babysitting gigs in your local neighborhood, or put up flyers offering your services.
14. Sell Jewelry You Don’t Wear Anymore
Selling any type of jewelry can be a big step, regardless of whether you wear it very often or not.
But, if you don’t feel the same sentiment for it anymore, or maybe you’ve upgraded that piece and that’s why you don’t use it anymore, then it might be a good idea to sell it to bring in some quick cash.
Make sure to sell to somebody that is reputed and not to get scammed or vice versa.
15. Donate Your Body For Money
It’s not what you’re thinking!
You can sell things like your eggs, plasma, sperm for cash. These are quite lucrative opportunities for someone who is in desperate need of money, quickly.
16. Sell Your Childhood Toys
If you’ve outgrown the old toys you used to play with, it might be time to look into selling them.
Especially if you had a lot of toys as a kid, A quick Google search of the exact toy will help you gauge whether it’s valuable or not.
There are some toys that are not produced anymore and are “Vintage” now. Look out for them cause they can fetch you a healthy buck if you’re lucky.
17. Sell Your Knowledge On A Particular Topic
You can use sites like Teachable, to create courses online and sell them.
If you have special knowledge of a certain skill or topic, it’s a good idea to monetize it.
It’ll help you take one step closer to overall happiness since you could work on and sell something that you are passionate about.
18. Sell Cleaning Services
If you don’t mind the hard work of cleaning houses, this might be a good fit for you.
You could start by offering your cleaning services to people you know – friends, family, neighbors etc.
Not just home cleaning, you could also offer to clean small warehouses, restaurants or offices as well, everyone loves cleanliness!
19. Offer To Put Up Holiday Decorations For Others
Naturally this is very seasonal. It would only work during Holiday season, but there are a lot of people who would just rather not do the hard work to put up their decorations.
This is where you come in, offer them to put up their decorations for a charge, most people are willing to pay to avoid doing it themselves.
20. Use Or Sell an Unused Gift Card
Sometimes when we go grocery shopping, or if a friend gives me a present, it’s in the form of a gift card.
But, sometimes I can’t use that gift card the same way I would use cash.
Ask people you know or browse through the internet to find someone who would be willing to buy the unused gift card off of you. Usually they are willing slightly less than the amount that is listed on the gift card.
21. Cancel Any Subscriptions You Don’t Need
If you have HBO, Netflix, Discovery and Disney+.
Are you really using all of them? Make an analysis to figure out which one you’re not using or using the least and cancel that subscription.
It’s a real eye opener when you find out exactly how much you’re spending on these monthly subscriptions even though they might not look like much individually.
I did this myself and saved an extra $58 a month!
22. Work As A Virtual Assistant
If you have experience in managing a site or web design, then this could be a great option for you.
It’s largely a remote job so you can use it as a 2nd source of income to make more cash. There are multiple website owners who are looking for Virtual assistants to make their lives easier.
Look on the internet for different opportunities to become a VA and see which one feels right for you.
23. Sell Your Photos Online
Are you an aspiring photographer? Look into selling your photos online for some quick cash.
The trick is to work backward and think about how your photos can be used by a brand or a publisher.
Here’s a list of 18 websites to sell your photos online.
24. Borrow Money From Friends Or Family
Naturally, if you need money desperately then reaching out to friends or family should definitely be on your list.
But, asking family or friends for a loan can be an extremely sensitive topic to bring up. Lots of people tend to be too proud to admit that they are in financial trouble.
When the going gets tough, the tough have to get going!
If you do decide to do this, make sure to draw up a plan on how much you need, the repayment terms, any interest that you would want to pay and other finer details to avoid any unnecessary strain on your relationship.
If you would prefer a done for your meal planning service then there are some really cheap and helpful services available.
Using a meal planning service is the perfect solution if you are not ready to do it yourself just yet. And for a few dollars a month they can save you money if you know you invariably end up buying dinner on your way home every week.
25. Look Into Pawning Items
In this day and age, it’s not uncommon for you to buy something that you think you love in the moment, for it to never see the outside of your wardrobe or closet a year later.
If you need money desperately to pay off emergency expenses then it’s a good idea to take those items and pawn them.
You might not get the best price for them but getting quick cash is the name of the game right now!
Just in case you don’t want to pawn them, check the return policy of the items you bought, some items tend to have extremely generous return policies.
26. Become A Personal Trainer
Are you somebody that loves fitness and health? Maybe you’re passionate about living an overall healthy lifestyle.
Take those skills and use it to your advantage. There are so many people that require guidance on how to lead a healthier lifestyle, you could provide your expertise.
One of the biggest +’s of this side hustle is that you are truly helping somebody else become a healthier and overall better version of themselves!
How To Avoid Being In Desperate Need Of Money
It’s probably time to think about your financial habits and how they can be improved.
Essentially there are two ways of obtaining more money, either you save more money or find a way to earn more money. If only it was that simple!
Use a few of these suggestions to improve your monetary habits and increase your financial literacy.
Have Multiple Streams Of Income
Diversifying your income is of utmost importance, it makes your money work for you!
Look into different opportunities like investing into the stock market, investing into real estate or even peer-to-peer lending.
Anyone at any income level can start their journey towards income diversification, it just takes time and patience to reap those rewards.
Make Sure To Set Up An Emergency Fund
Setting up an emergency fund is extremely important.
They exist for unexpected moments in life, when you face problems beyond your control. Having an emergency fund set up can be the difference between accruing more debt or being able to cruise through this financial rough patch life has thrown at you.
Ideally you’d want anywhere between one month – one year of your living expenses saved up, exactly how much you should have saved totally depends on your lifestyle choices and current expenses.
Live More Frugally
Living Frugally when it’s something new to you can be challenging.
Embracing that challenge is what will make the difference, Frugal Living is more a journey than a destination.
It’s a state of being, that doesn’t mean live cheaply! It just means to understand exactly where every cent is going and making sure it’s being used to it’s full potential.
Check out my post 200+ Frugal Living Tips For Financial Success
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Last Updated on 9th March 2023 by Emma
