10 Reliable Ways to Make Money Fast Today

By: David Weinrot | September 10, 2019

We've all been there before: you need to make money quickly. A car payment, rent or a credit bill is due, and you need to make $100 today, or even $200. Don't fret; through a combination of resourcefulness, consistency, and, of course, the internet, and smartphones, there are countless ways to make money, either from home or on-the-go quickly. Here are ten reliable ways to earn extra money quickly or as a side hustle. 

Earn money fast online with Swagbucks

1. Sell Items Online

While the big players like Amazon and Walmart dominate online retail, the internet levels the playing for anyone to sell items, new or used, as a viable way to make money fast or make money from home, eBay is the mainstay and bellwether that carved a path for millions of people to reliably make money by selling items online. My wife has a built a legitimate business selling women's apparel and accessories on eBay via the seller name celebrityowned.


But now, eBay is far from the only option of selling online as a way to earn cash quickly. Other options include Poshmark, ThredUp, OfferUp, Mercari, Etsy and, of course, everyone's perennial favorite: Craigslist. It's free and easy to use that even kids and teenagers have made businesses selling products online. Read this roundup of additional channels that individuals can use to earn money through online selling.


If you think "not having anything to sell" is a good excuse for why this approach to making money is not right for you, then please think again. Look through your closet, garage, or cupboard, and you'll find something that someone out there is willing to buy. The world is your market, and accessing is as easy as snapping a couple of pix on your phone and writing a short description. Then, watch the PayPal money flow your way.

Make money as a driver or run a carpool

2. Make Deliveries for Doordash or Postmates

Delivering groceries or food is a great way to make money fast. And with an abundance of companies looking for delivery couriers, you can readily make more than $100 a day. In fact, the companies are so eager to find driver and couriers that they offer big, first-time delivery bonuses. 


3. Drive People Around Town and Carpooling

Whether you are living in a bustling metropolis or a rural area, you'll find people that need to get a ride throughout the day. By now, everyone knows that driver for Uber or Lyft is a legitimate way to earn money. Both Uber and Lyft offer very generous 1st-time driver bonuses for beginners. As of this writing, Lyft guarantees that new drivers will make $1800 in their first 30 days. Pick up and drop off people. 


But what many people may not know is that carpooling is another easy way to make extra cash on your daily commute. Waze, the driving guidance app, actually has a carpool feature where drivers can earn money by offering to carpool other people that need rides. I can vouch for how well the service works. I've carpooled people via Waze over two dozen times. I've made $12.50 from the two times I've carpooled this month and more than $100 overall.

As a bonus, having another driver in the car allows you to access the carpool lane and speed along your commute. 


3. Rent Your Car

Yep, you can do that. It seems that there are no boundaries to making money through the gig economy. If you've got a car, truck or van, you can rent it to someone else as a way to make money today. A couple of the leading options to fast-cash from renting your car include Turo, GetARound, and Hyrecar which you can sign-up for free. GetARound claims that car owners can make over $1000 per year through its carsharing service. Worried about potential damage to your car? Worry not! Turo, GetARound, and the others cover you with $1,000,000 in liability insurance when you rent your vehicle through their service.


4. Rent out your home

Got some real estate or an empty room that you're not using all the time? Renting out a spare room on sites like Airbnb and VRBO will help you earn passive income. You'll also be able to meet people from around the world. After creating an account, you'll list your space for free then you can decide how you want to host. From choosing your schedule, prices, and the requirements for guests, you'll be able to make it on your terms. 

Once your listing is live, qualified guests can reach out. You can message them with any questions before their stay. Airbnb charges each guests credit card upfront after check-in to ensure you'll always get paid on time when you host. You never have to handle money directly.


7. Become a sitter

There are many variations of being a sitter-- from babysitting on sites like Bambino or Care.com, to house sitting on MindMyHouse or Trusted Housesitter, to pet sitting like Rover. If being a babysitter isn't appealing and you want something more active, dog walkers also can make some easy money, on sites like Wag. Our friends that have tried said that most of the dogs are well behaved, so they mostly get paid to play and walk dogs in their spare time.

Make Money as a Mystery Shopper

5. Perform Merchandise Checks

Brands and manufacturers want to know that their products are displayed correctly on shelves at a grocery, convenience, and drugstores. And, that's where you come in. These brands will payout to check-in on how their products are merchandised. Here's how to make money by conducting stock and merchandise checks. 

  1. Sign-up and download service like Gigwalk or FieldAgent on your cell phone
  2. Identify store-check tasks in your area
  3. Go to the designated store and perform the described task, which likely involves taking pictures of items on shelves and completing write-up of your observations.

To make the most of your time making money as a store checker, find a store near you where you can do your weekly grocery shopping. (Tip: make money printing grocery coupons and save even more with those coupons at your grocery store.)


More Ways to Make Money:

Collect Scooters for Extra Cash

6. Get Paid to Collect Scooters

If your city has those publicly available scooters, then that's a super-easy way for you to earn money fast. Each one of these pays people to retrieve scooters across town, charge them, and then redeploy them throughout the city. Bird, Line, Lyft, and Uber all have scooters across the country. That means there's an opportunity to earn money wrangling them.


8. Online freelancing

For those with experience in a specific professional skill, you'll be able to offer services on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, TaskRabbit, and Mechanical Turk. Individuals and small businesses are always looking to get help in all sorts of areas. Social media managers, freelance writers, or general virtual assistant for tasks like search engine optimization for Google or Bing are popular gigs that make good money. Online writing or blogging is a unique way to get quick cash if you're familiar with a niche topic; established bloggers can often find partnerships or participate in affiliate marketing. 


9. Teach an online course

If you have any talent or skill worth teaching you Skillshare. It's a great way to earn money, build your following, and give back to your online community. Skillshares top teachers make over $100,00 a year. If you don't have a unique still, there are still other teaching opportunities. You can earn up to $22/hour teaching English online with VIPkid.


10. Take Paid Online Surveys

Your opinions are worth something. Market researchers are eager to know what consumers are thinking about. That's why they work with survey sites like Swagbucks, InBoxDollars, and MyPoints, which are websites that will allow you to make money online, from the comfort of your home by answering online surveys. You'll be able to earn cash or redeem points for gift cards. As a bonus, many of these sites offer cashback with online purchases so that you can stretch your earnings even further. 


These side gigs can be a one time experience or provide short term income during your free time. Many of these paths could grow beyond a part-time job into something full-time that allows you to work on your own schedule.


Looking for even more ideas? Here are 40 Creative Ways to Make Money Fast. If you have any suggestions for ways to earn extra cash, write them in the comments below.





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