Making quick cash doesn't take as much effort as you'd think. The next time you're hoping to bulk up your bank account, try one of these foolproof methods.
1. Clean Out Your Closet
You might be over those barely-worn designer pumps, but someone else will pay a nice chunk of change for them. Instead of driving bags of clothes to your closest thrift store, see if you can make a little money off of your nicer items at a resale shop like Plato's Closet or Buffalo Exchange. And if you don't have one nearby, use an app like Poshmark, Tradesy, or ThredUp. They're basically online consignment shops where you can either create listings for your clothes and get paid through the app, or send in your goodies for them to do all the work for you.
2. Do Some Quick Jobs
You'd be surprised just how easy it is to make money by doing a few quick jobs, whether that's for someone you know or through a service like TaskRabbit. There's something for everyone on the app, from cleaning or putting furniture together to doing some basic home repairs. After completing the task, you'll instantly get paid through the app. It's that simple.
3. Become a Driver
There are so many ways to make money simply by driving people around in your spare time thanks to apps like Uber, Lyft, and Via, which make it easier than ever to get paid doing something you might already be doing. Uber makes getting paid incredibly painless, allowing their drivers to cash out through Instant Pay up to 5 times a day. Lyft does something similar through Express Pay, which lets you snag your earnings before your weekly deposit.
4. Rent Out Everything From Your House to Your Car
If you're not so into the idea of driving people around, let them drive your car for you. By renting out your car on Turo, you could earn thousands of dollars per year. You can also rent out your home or apartment on AirBnB, whether you offer up just a room or your entire place. There are also websites like Zilok that let you rent out other items — even your lawnmower. Basically, if you're not using it, someone will.
5. Become a Dog Walker or Pet Sitter
Babysitting children is always an option, but hanging out with dogs is just so much more fun. If you sign up for Rover, you can make an hourly or daily rate by walking dogs, hosting a doggy day care, or sitting someone's pet for an extended period of time.
6. Have a Garage Sale
It's actually pretty shocking how much you can make in a day by having a garage sale. While items used to be marked as little as 10 cents a few years ago, it's not uncommon for nice items to be marked at $10 and up depending on what it is. Want to get rid of the mini fridge you've barely used? Sell it. How about that pretty lamp that's collecting dust? Gone. You could walk away with hundreds of dollars by the time you shut down at the end of the day. And for any items that didn't get picked up, sell them on Craigslist.
7. Donate Plasma
If you've never heard of plasma, you might want to listen up: By selling the colorless fluid part of your blood, you can earn up to $50 per donation. Yeah, selling part of your body might sound weird, but donating plasma helps save lives and can even treat rare chronic diseases. You can donate up to twice a week, and each time takes around 90 minutes. Look for a reputable donation center in your area on DonatingPlasma.org.
8. Get Paid to Shop
You've probably seen ads for becoming a mystery shopper floating around, and the job is actually legit: Reputable companies like Market Force will pay you to pose like a customer and give them feedback on everything from customer service to cleanliness. Just be aware that there are plenty of mystery shopping scams, too; stick with the companies that have been verified as being part of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). You can also make money grocery shopping if you live in a big city: Instacart lets you earn an hourly rate for picking up and delivering groceries, and sometimes you'll see a listing for a shopper pop up on TaskRabbit, too.
Ready to make some money?
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