8 Ways To Get Money Quick When Times Get Tough

Right now the economy is tough for most families. Wages haven’t risen in real terms for more than a decade. And necessary expenses, like education, healthcare and housing continue to rise.

Many people are falling behind on payments on their mortgages and struggling to pay the rent. To make matters worse, food prices are climbing, putting even more pressure on tight budgets.

Fortunately, there are plenty of extra opportunities to get money fast. The following are hacks for getting money quick, even while they’re being stretched to breaking point.

Start Babysitting
You might have thought that babysitting was something that you left behind when you were a teenager. But babysitting is in high demand right now. And what’s more, it pays well. Some babysitters are earning $15 per hour these days.

If you are currently a mum or a dad yourself, you’ll be in high demand. Parents are looking for people with similar experience who can look after their children from time to time. They need somebody that they can trust.

Of course, you’re not limited to babysitting the kids. What about if a neighbour wants you to babysit the dog or the cat? This sort of thing can earn you a few extra bucks too.

Start Rummaging
Over the years, we tend to accumulate piles of money. When you need money quick, the question is “where?” Start by looking under the couch or in your home office desk drawers. Often, you’ll have a lot of change, which usually can be taken to a supermarket sorting machine and transformed into cash in hand.

Also, check the car, any junk drawers lying and the kitchen. You never know where money could be hiding.

Get A Cash Advance
The cash advance industry is thriving right now, and it’s not hard to see why. Many people often suffer financially as a result of being paid late.

Perhaps they’re a contractor, and their invoices have not been paid on time. If you’re owed money, but can’t afford to wait for it to be paid, you may want to take a cash advance. Cash advances are paid up front and are then returned to the creditor once you have received payment.

This way you get money fast but don’t have to take out an unsecured loan in the process.

Use Craigslist
Yard sales are great – if you have enough stuff to make them work. But what happens if you keep all your book on your e-reader, all your music on iPlayer and all your games on Steam? Well, you’ll struggle to get much old stuff you don’t want out in the front yard.

Plus, yard sales are a bit hit and miss anyway. Often they don’t attract much attention. And as a result, you don’t make many sales. It’s a lot of effort for little return.

Return Recently Purchased Items
Most retailers offer some sort of return policy or a grace period where you can send items back. Some buyers, like you perhaps, experience “buyer’s remorse”. They realise that they don’t, in fact, want the items that they purchased. And this feeling is especially acute when finances are stretched, all because of a frivolous purchase.
Well, not to fear, things like mobile phone contracts and big online purchases can be undone, leaving you with more money in the bank.

Sell Scrap Metal
Metal prices are high these days. That’s why so many crimes involve the theft of metal from public property. It’s worth it for thieves because they will get paid a lot for any metal they steal.

Obviously, you’ll want to find legal ways of obtaining scrap metal. One legal way is to eye up any old vehicles you have lying around. Vehicles contain a lot of metal, and scrap yards and salvage yards are willing to pay good money. Often the scrap value of a vehicle can exceed its resale value.

You can also root around your house, looking for bits of metal that you don’t need. Perhaps you have bits of metal in your garage or shed, just lying around. If you’ve been a bit of a hoarder in your past, you never know what you might find. A lot, probably.

Rent Out Your Drive
Do you happen to live in a city, near to a train station or shopping mall? If so, you’re in luck. Your driveway is in demand.

Right now, commuters are paying anything up to $400 per month, just to park their cars near train stations. If you wanted to get a bit of extra money, rent out your drive. All you’d have to do would be strike a deal with a commuter or two by undercutting the regular parking price. Doing this could wipe out your debts in one fell swoop.

Volunteer For A Medical Study
Medical studies rely on data from real humans. That’s why they’re constantly on the lookout for new people to enroll in their studies.

But they don’t expect people to volunteer for their studies for free. Often, institutions like the NIH will pay people to take part in their studies. Compensation for participating ranges from hundreds of dollars to several thousand. Of course, not all the work will be pleasant. You might be asked to spend a week in an isolated room while NIH scientists infect you with pathogens.

Most studies are looking for healthy people. So if you’re in a good state of health, and don’t mind being a guinea pig, you’re likely to be in demand.