I Need Money Now: How to Get Cash When You Really Need It

The rent’s due, you just paid your monthly car payment and you think “I need money”. This can be a tough place to be. If you’re in a situation where you desperately need money now we have a few tips to help

Sometimes you can get hit by an unexpected event that’ll put you in a tight spot. Simple things like medical bills, student loans, credit card bills or rent can make it hard to make ends meet.

When you need money fast you might consider getting a new credit card, or a title loan but that’s all money that you have to pay back. Before you even consider borrowing money take a few minutes to read through our in depth list of things you can do to get money fast. Sometimes you can even get money today.

I Need Money Now: Quick and Easy Ways to Get Cash Fast

Get Paid Through Online Surveys

Taking online surveys is one of our favorite ways to make quick cash. It’s super easy and the best part is that you can get started right now if you need it. You simply sign up for a survey site, take a few surveys and you can start earning money.

Out of all of the survey sites we’ve tried in the past the two we like the the most is Survey Junkie. Survey Junkie has been around for decades and is known to be one of the top survey sites out there. Survey Junkie is a site that is dedicated to offering online surveys to help people earn cash. To date they have earned their users over $57 million!

I need money: one of the toughest situations you can be in

There are so many online survey sites out there that can help you earn an honest dollar. Sometimes It can be a bit overwealming to find the most reputable sites. One of the top sites we recommend (aside from Survey Junkie mentioned above) is Swagbucks. You can read our full Swagbucks review to get a better understanding of how it works.

Get Paid to Watch Videos

Another great way to earn money fast is by getting paid to watch videos. Certain website will pay you to play videos and watch a few videos. What’s great is that you can do it while sitting at home and watching a movie. Just sit back and turn on the videos.

We recommend you try out Swagbucks if you want to earn some money while watching ads. The best part about watching their videos for money is that you can do it from anywhere if you have a smart phone. If you’re waiting in line for lunch or at the mechanic with a few hours to spare just turn on Swagbucks and watch a few videos for money.

Watching videos for money can be great for those who spend a lot of time on the computer. When you register for Swagbucks and start watching videos you’ll notice that if you exit the tab with the video it’ll pause the video. That’s how they make sure you watch the video.

What you can do instead is play the video on split screen while you do something else online. That way you can do homework, play games or what ever else you were planning on doing that day. It’s a great way to earn some side income.

Save Money: Negotiate Your Monthly Bills

Sometimes you can get a steep discount on your monthly services just by calling. I’ve noticed when ever I want to cancel a service the service provider begins offering tons of discounts. I always think “Why didn’t you ever offer me this before?” I guess the answer is because I never asked.
You don’t necessarily have to go around canceling your services to get a discount, you can simply call and ask for a discount.

Think about all the services you pay for, cable, gym, phone, anything that you think you can probably negotiate and call them. I’m sure you can get 20% discounts to some of those services for a few months. If you do that to all of the services you pay for every month you’ll be saving a good amount of money. Keep in mind that making money is similar to saving so you may want to save money on insurance by using certain cheap car insurance companies such as Pay Low Insurance.

If you have a specific bill coming up soon consider giving them a call and trying to negotiate the bill. Just mention that you’re in a tight economic situation. Most companies don’t want to lose your business so they’ll do what ever it takes to keep you on board. You can use that to your advantage. It may take a few hours of talking on the phone but it could very well be worth the hassle.

Take Part in Market Research

You can take part in market research to earn quick money. The way it works is that you sign up for a site that offers polls such as Vindale Research, you answer a few questions and you can start earning money.

The reason why companies would pay you for market research is that it’s valuable to them. They need to understand how to better sell to the consumer. If you fit their target market you qualify to take a poll for that company and you can earn money.

Vindale Research is one of the most reputable market research companies out there and we’ve heard some positive feedback from people who have tried it. On top of that you get a nice sign up bonus when you register.

Get a $5 for Referring a Friend to Vindale Research

Vindale Research will pay you $5 when you refer a friend or family member to their platform. So if you took our advice from above you can double up on that and make more when you refer them a friend.

What’s great about Vidale Reasearch is that there is multiple ways to earn. Here’s a few of the top ways you can earn money now withe them:

Get a sign up bonus
Take surveys online
Find reward codes on their social media, blog, and newsletter
Get $5 for referring a friend or family member
Submit a video or photo with your payment
Open and read emails
Watching online videos

Find Unclaimed Money

Another great way to get money fast when you need it is to see if you have any unclaimed funds that belong to you. Find Unclaimed Assets is one of the best websites to look through official sources and identify unclaimed assets. Their system will find unclaimed money and even property in states that you have lived in.

This is probably one of the easiest ways to get money. According to Find Unclaimed Assets there is over 60 billion in unclaimed IRS checks, savings, and security deposit checks that may be entitled to you.

The way it works is that you enter your name and email and you can start searching for unclaimed assets. It’s super simple. So if you’re still thinking “I need money” then take a second to find unclaimed assets.

Do Simple Errands

If you have a few days off during the week you can probably make some good money by doing simple errands for friends and family. Things like mowing the lawn or picking up the groceries for a family member can be a huge help for some. You’ll trade a bit of time for money. Keep in mind that making money is similar to saving so you may want to save money on insurance by using certain cheap car insurance companies such as Pay Low Insurance.

Be sure you don’t go around doing errands for some one who thinks its just a favor though! Make it clear that you’re in a tight spot financially and if there is anything you can do to help. It’s probably best to try to negotiate terms before you actually do the job to clear any confusion. The last thing you’ll want is to be disappointed after a hard days work.

Do Gigs on Fiverr

If you’re tech savvy you might want to consider selling services on Fiverr. Fiverr is an online marketplace where business owners go to find freelancers to help them with online tasks. People usually look for help with digital marketing tasks such as website design, logo design, writing and much more.

Regardless of your level expertise you can post a gig on Fiverr. Once you make a sale you’ll have to deliver on the gig. You want to be sure you do a good job in order to build your reputation within Fiverr. Once you begin getting positive feedback you can begin to gain traction in the marketplace.

Overall Fiverr has tons of regular visitors that go there just to find freelancers to do work for them. If you have a few extra hours in the evening or weekend, this might be a good fit for you. You may be able to turn this side hustle into a full time gig if you go well.

If you cant borrow from a friend or family member your next best bet is to get a personal loan

Earn $10 When you Sign Up for ShopAtHome

ShopAtHome gives you cashback for regular online purchases from well known retailers such as Walmart, Ebay and Amazon. For a limited time if you sign up you can earn a $10 gift card. Although that may not
be a ton of money, it will literally take you less than 5 minutes to sign up.

If you decide to sign up with them you’ll be able to earn cashback from 1000’s of retailers when you shop online. So the point here is that you don’t need to spend more, just go through your regular online shopping and get some cashback while you do that.

When you’ve earned enough points to cash out you can get your rewards through PayPal or as a gift card from major retailers.

Get A Personal Loan

When you’re in a situation thinking “I need money” a personal loan may be one of your least favorite options. If all else fails you may want to consider getting a personal loan. Even though you will eventually have to pay the loan back, it may be a good way to get out of a tough situation until you get your finances in order.

If you do decide to get a loan be sure you consider the interest rate. You can try out Your Pay Day and see what kind of rate they can get you. They can approve you fast and you can get back to living your life. Stressing over money can really take a toll on you. If you get approved through them they’ll send the loan to you through direct deposit. Although getting a loan is not one of our top picks, sometimes it’s your only option.

Get $5 From Inbox Dollars at Signup

You can earn $5 when you sign up for Inbox Dollars. After you sign up they’ll send you exclusive offers to earn money. These offers will go directly to your email. These offers can be surveys, polls or discounts to top retailers. While you won’t be able to come up with a ton of money it can be a good source of side income.

Just don’t forget to verify your account after you register to fully claim your money. InboxDollars may work well for you in the future if you like working from the comfort of your home or anywhere in the world. It’s perfect for those who want to make money online regularly.

They offer so many ways to make cash. If you want to learn more you can read our full InboxDollars review here.

Consider Financial Assistance

You may want to consider getting financial assistance. Resource Hero offers many different programs to help you take control of your finances by reducing your debt and saving money. Resource Hero has many partnerships that can help you get your finances back on track.

Earn Rewards When You Shop

Being in a situation where you need money fast is a tough place to be. You want to be sure you don’t end up in the same situation again. Simple things like saving more and spending less will go a long way when you implement them into your day to day life. You can also sign earn rewards while you shop with Swagbucks to help build your savings. These rewards can add up over a months time and the best part is that it’s practically passive. You’re already doing shopping every month why not get some money back when you do.

Its important to count money not only when you need it but when you don’t as well to make sure it lasts

Feeling Lucky? Enter a Sweepstakes

If you’re feeling lucky you can enter a sweepstakes and test it. There’s nothing to loose and all you need to do is enter an email to get a chance to win money.

Here’s two of the top sweepstakes we’ve tried in the past that pay good money:

Even though the odds are probably against you it doesn’t hurt to try! We’ve all heard of that guy who won the lottery and think it’ll never happen. Well, you never know. Some people tend to have more luck than other so if you’re one of those lucky few you should definitely give it a shot.

Let Friends and Family Know You’re Looking for Work

The quickest way to get cash is by simply getting to work. As much as it may suck to do day labor, if you need the money you don’t really have an option. You’ll find that the jobs that pay well are those that require qualifications or those that no one else wants to do.

If you need money now you can get it by doing some work. If you reach out to friends and family you’ll have the highest chance of getting any available jobs because they know you as a person. If you let them know the situation you’re in they may reach out to people they know and ask around.

You never know, this may lead to long term employment and you may never be in a situation where you urgently need money.

Sell Old Stuff on Craigslist

Another great way to make money when you really need it is to sell your used stuff on Craigslist. Just look around your home, you probably have tons of stuff you don’t use any more. Even if you sell some things at half of what you paid for them you’ll be able to come up with at least a few hundred dollars. Even though it can hurt to get rid of somethings when you consider how much you paid for it, sometimes you have to.

If Craigslist doesn’t do it consider using other apps like Offer Up or Mercari. You never know you may end up getting way more than what you expected.

Collect Debt

If there’s anyone that owes you some money it’s probably time to give them a call and remind them. It’s likely that they’re planning on paying you they just haven’t gotten around to doing so.

You can even offer them a discount and tell them that if they pay you today you can take off $20 from what they owe you. That way it’s a win-win.

Most likely your friend or family member will agree, no one likes to be in debt with someone they know.

Sell a Service

Do you have a certain skill you can sell to make money? If you post on Facebook or Instagram you probably know more than the average business owner about social media. If you have people skills or know a few business owners you can talk to them about managing their social media accounts. Every business owner knows they need to be active on social media these days but not many of them do anything about it.

If you find a business owner interested in having you manage their Social Media channels you can charge them $400 per month (as an example). With a few clients you’d be able to cover most of your bills. For some people this can turn into something much bigger. It really depends on you, but for now you may be able to get a few bucks by doing some old school sales.

Rent Your Home with Airbnb

You can earn good money if you rent your home for a few days of the month, specially if you live in a busy city or a prime location. This may work out well if you plan to leave town for certain holidays, since you won’t be home anyways. This way you give yourself a “paid vacation”.

Don’t worry about any home damage issues, Airbnb has a strong insurance policy that can reimburse you if there is any issues. You can even charge a cleaning fee and a security deposit to have some personal insurance in case you run into issues and need to get your home repaired.

Redeem Your Credit Card Rewards

If you have a few credit cards you may have some rewards sitting there waiting to be used. You can go through all your accounts and cash out on those rewards to get some quick cash.

It’s pretty easy to forget about credit card rewards so you’ll want to take a quick look and see if you have anything that you can use. Hopefully you have some money in there you can use, but you won’t know until you check.

If you have more than 4 credit cards make a quick list so you can go through and make sure you check them all. That’ll also keep you from losing track of which ones you’ve already checked.

Get a Sign Up Bonus From a Bank

Most Banks can offer you a sign up bonus if you make a new line of credit, savings, or checking account. This might be $100 and can go all the way up to $500 depending on the bank.

Certain credit cards have good sign up bonuses. Just be sure you read the terms. They may require you to spend $1500 in order to get a $500 bonus. If you have big bills to pay this may work well for you.

If You Need Money Now, Get To Work!

At the end of the day, the best way to make money fast is to get out there and start hustling. Pick a few of the tasks listed above and start knocking them out. Try to prioritize them by what you think will bring you the most money fastest.

You might even find a side hustle that leads to a steady income generator. Give it a shot and let us know your thoughts in the comments.