Last updated on May 5th, 2019 at 04:46 am
Have you ever wondered “I need money now, but I’m unemployed?” I totally understand how challenging it can be if you don’t have a traditional job that pays you a regular check. Heck, I’ve been self-employed for over 8 years and sometimes I still find myself desperately seeking for ways to earn extra income.
I know what you’re thinking, why don’t I go out and get a job? Well, the truth is that I’ve had full-time and part-time jobs, but I’ve never been happy with them.
That’s why I have chosen to take the path less traveled and work from home. I personally chose to start a blog and earn passive income, but it’s NOT the fastest path to success.
In fact, I’d call it the slowest path to financial freedom. Don’t worry, I’m going to share 15 things you can start doing right this second to change your financial situation.
Maybe you’re in the need for some extra cash because life has thrown you a curve ball? We’ve all faced financial struggles at one point in our life.
Trust me, it’s not fun. The great thing is that there are some things that you can do today for free to start earning some extra income fast.
I’ve rounded up a boatload legitimate ways to earn extra income when you urgently need it.
I Need Money Now 15 Ways to Start Earning Now
Some of these methods will earn you money quicker than others. None of them are get-rich-quick schemes. But they are all great ways to make extra money from home.
#1 Make Money Online With Paid Online Surveys
Paid online surveys are a great way to make money online fast. You could literally start today and make some money in the next 10 minutes.
The downside is that you won’t make a lot. You will also NEVER make enough to turn this into a full-time business. However, if you can devote a few hours every week, you could literally make enough to pay for your groceries.
Trusted Paid Online Survey Sites Are:
- Swagbucks (Get $5 for signing up)
- Inbox Dollars (Receive $5 as soon as you sign up)
- Survey Junkie
- Vindale Research (Earn $2 as soon as you sign up)
I recommend signing up for all these networks as you can get bonuses just for signing up. I’ve found that if I complete the surveys early in the morning, I tend to get approved for quite a few.
Don’t spend all day on filling out surveys, you won’t ever get rich with them. Remember, your goal is just to earn some quick cash and move on to things that can actually make a difference in your life.
#2 Drive With Uber
You can literally make money just by driving people around in your personal vehicle. The cool thing is that you can drive as much as you want.
The more you drive, the more you make. This can be a great way to earn some extra cash fast. The great thing is that they pay weekly and your fares get automatically deposited.
I was actually thinking about doing this, but I don’t live in a big enough city. A friend of mine lives in Washington and she only drives on the weekends.
She’s been able to make an extra $100 every week. If I lived in a bigger city, you could bet that I would be using my personal vehicle to drive passengers around and get paid for it.
If you’re ready to start a side hustle with them, sign up here.
#3 Earn Cash Back With Your Receipts
I don’t know about you but I love it when I am able to get cash back from groceries my family buys. If you haven’t downloaded any receipt scanning apps like Ibotta, then you need to right now.
They give you cash back on your everyday purchases. I’ve saved money on my groceries and online purchases. But you have the opportunity to save so much more. You can save money in five broad categories on the Ibotta app – Home and Gifts, Traveling, Beauty, Grocery, and Technology.
When I first downloaded the app, I obsessively went through my old receipts in my home office trying to scan everything I could get my hands on.
When you sign up all you have to do is take a picture of your receipt with your phone and that’s it. Ibotta will give you cash back on all your qualifying purchases.
You then get paid via PayPal, gift cards, or Venmo. I told all my friends and family to give me their receipts so I could scan them. (I’m not sure if this is legit, but I figured what the heck.)
Oh and if you use the app and love it as I do, you can earn $5 for every new user you refer, so be sure to tell your friends and family to sign up.
#4 Get Gigs on Fiverr
Do you have a skill that people would be willing to pay you for? If so then you can consider starting a gig on Fiverr.
A gig starts out at $5 for your services. Now I know what you’re thinking, $5 is nothing. Well, it’s not but where you make your money is adding upgrades or expedited services on the backend.
I’ve paid for people to create PowerPoint Presentations, logos and write articles for me. I have a friend who recently purchased a course to learn Reiki online.
Some people have been able to turn their Fiverr gigs into a full-time business. I suggest that you head on over to Fiverr to see what types of services that people offer.
Even if you don’t think that you have a skill you can offer, I have no doubt you’ll change your mind once you see what services people are willing to pay for.
#5 Share Your Knowledge With Others
If you have a skill that you can share with people, then you can create a video course and utilize Udemy to market it to people who want to learn how to do something that they don’t know how.
Online learning is huge and Udemy offers several categories you can sell it in. Some of the categories you’ll find are business, personal development, lifestyle, beauty & makeup, and etc.
Yup, you can even teach people how to apply makeup properly. It’s crazy what you can teach people, so be sure to sit down and decide what you’re willing to teach people so you can earn money.
The cool thing is that you create your video course once and you can sell it over and over.
#6 Start A Blog
You won’t make money fast with this method, in fact, it’s a long-term strategy. But it’s one of the best side hustles that will allow you to build an online virtual asset. In just 10 minutes you can have your blog set up and ready for the world, just follow my step-by-step blog set up tutorial.
If you treat your blog like a business from day one, you could literally grow it from zero to a full-time business. Many people with no prior experience have been able to leave their day jobs to work from home.
You just need to know that it isn’t going to happen overnight. There is a learning curve that comes with blogging, but with the persistence to keep going, who knows what you can achieve.
#7 Start A YouTube Channel
Do you love being in front of the camera? If so, then you might have what it takes to make money with YouTube.
There are several people who have been able to gain large followings on YouTube. With a large following comes money and sponsorships.
This isn’t a fast way to earn money, but if you can build up your YouTube channel, imagine what you can make in sponsorships, ads, and other monetization methods.
The best part is that you can do this on your own terms, even if you have a full-time job.
#8 Become A Freelance Writer
Do you love writing and want to get paid for it? You might want to consider becoming a freelance writer.
There are literally tons of people and business who would be willing to pay you for your high-quality content.
It’s going to take some time to get your first freelance writing gig, but this blog post How to Become A Freelance Writer has tons of valuable information to help you get started.
You have to get out there and market your skills. If you want to land a job quickly, I suggest using Facebook Groups to help you find your first freelance writing opportunity.
#9 Find Freelance Work
When I left my regular job, I ventured out and offered my services as a WordPress freelancer. It was a great way to get paid for something that I used every day.
It took a while but I found my first client on Upwork. Once I got my first client, it was a lot easier to land my second client. I’ve since moved away from freelancing and am now working towards passive income with my blog.
One of the cool things about freelancing is that you can set your own pay rate and hours. Unfortunately, if you use a site like Upwork or Peopleperhour, they take a percentage of your pay.
There are tons of sites online that you can use. Just go to Google and type in “freelancing websites” you’ll get a huge list of them.
So if you can find a client and get testimonials, it will help you get off of those sites quickly.
#10 Become A Virtual Assistant
With more and more people starting an online business, virtual assistants are in high demand. Imagine being able to work from home using your Internet and computer?
Well, it’s totally possible. Virtual assistants are asked to do small clerical tasks like social media scheduling, email correspondence, working with Google Drive, editing and proofreading blog posts, scheduling appointments, and various other tasks.
If you ever wanted to become a virtual assistant and work from your home, read this blog post. It will walk you through everything you need to know about becoming a virtual assistant to finding your first side gig as a VA.
Resource: 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success
#11 Sell Stock Photos
Do you have a DSLR camera you love using? If you can take great pictures then you can think about selling your photographs.
Stock photography has become a huge business. There are thousands of people who are always looking for sites that offer free images for use.
However, there are tons of people who are willing to pay for unique stock photos they can use that don’t violate any copyright issues.
For example, you could apply to be a contributor with iStockPhoto which is owned by Getty Images. You can submit video clips, photos, and illustrations, which will then be showcased to their 1.5 million customers in more than 200 countries.
You’ll be paid 15% for photos and 20% for videos and illustrations that are downloaded. Distributors that become exclusive to iStockPhoto will receive 25% – 45% royalty payments.
Shutterstock allows anyone to become a contributor and doesn’t have a formal application process. You can retain the copyright of your work and receive payment each time your photo is downloaded.
#12 Get Cash Back With Ebates
It’s so easy to get cash back today on pretty much everything you buy. If you love shopping online, as I do, then start getting cash back at the most popular online retail websites.
Cashback apps allow you to receive a small portion of your money back on your everyday purchases. These apps do not cost anything to use and anyone with a smartphone can download them.
The app that I love using is called Ebates. Get your $10 sign up bonus today. As soon as you make $25 on qualifying purchases in your first 90 days, your account will be credited.
It’s not hard to make $25 worth of purchases. You can get cash back at some of the popular retailers:
- Kohl’s
- Walmart
- eBay
- Amazon
- Old Navy
As soon as you create your account, you’ll see all the popular places you can shop and how much you can save.
#13 Tutor People
Are you knowledgeable about something? There will always be places for you to help others learn to pick up a skill or learn something.
The other day, I was at Barnes and Noble working on my blog and I saw someone tutoring someone so they could learn how to speak English.
Don’t want your own educational online course, but still want to share your knowledge with others? If so, then take a look at these sites.
- VIPKid (Teach English as a second language to children. Pays $14-22/hour)
- Tutor.com
- BuddySchool
Make sure that you read the requirements for every site. Some will require you to have a degree of some type to offer your services as a tutor.
#14 Test Websites and Usability
Anyone who has a website wants to know if it is functional and if it’s confusing for users. There are companies that are willing to pay you for your time and feedback.
One company that comes to mind is UserTesting, they pay users $10 via PayPal for every 20-minute video they complete. That can easily equate to $30 per hour if you complete 3 videos in one hour.
All you need is access to the Internet, computer, and a microphone to get started. You will be asked to give your feedback verbally.
I’ve personally used UserTesting and they pay on time without hassle. However, there are several other website testing sites you can use and they are:
#15 Get Paid to Watch TV
It’s hard to believe that you can get paid to watch TV, but it’s true. Heck, you can even get paid to watch videos.
Companies like Swagbucks, Inbox Dollars, and Perk.tv. I’ve personally only ever used Inbox Dollars and Swagbucks.
Don’t expect to make a lot, but you can earn a little something doing the things that you enjoy.
I’d recommend signing up with all 3 of them and see how much you can earn.
How to Make Extra Income While Working Full-Time
I am a huge believer that everyone should start a side gig to supplement their income from home. If you have access to a computer and the Internet, you could literally start today.
Some of these methods that I shared with you will make you more than others. If I was starting over today, I would personally start a blog and freelance on the side for quick cash.
As I mentioned, a blog doesn’t grow overnight. It takes a lot of hard work and a lot of content to grow a blog into a profitable venture.
However, once you start getting traffic and earning money, you can do so much with it. There are tons of different ways to monetize a blog.
Where else can you start a side gig for less than $4 per month with the potential to earn thousands per month in a few years?
Final Take Away
Needing money urgently is never fun. However, life happens and sometimes we find ourselves in situations we can’t control.
The best advice I can give you is to start a side gig today. This way, if a rainy day ever does fall upon you, then you at least have some income coming in from your side hustle.
Plus, it’s nice knowing that there are tons of creative ways to make extra money from home.
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There are several ways to make money now, that don’t involve asking friends or family. Heck, you don’t even need to take out a PayDay loan. (I’ve done this in the past, the interest is outrageous.)
True, it’s going to require you to get a little creative to make extra cash fast. However, there are tons of legit opportunities.
Don’t expect to get rich with some of these methods, it’s just NOT going to happen.
However, if you desperately in need of some ways to get more cash coming in, these methods will work.
Who knows, you might try one of these side hustles and be able to turn it into a full-time business?
What have you done now or in the past to get money now? Let me know, I’d love to hear your stories.
