How To Make Money ASAP
Need to know how to make money ASAP for those times when the bills are coming in and payday is still weeks away?
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Learning how to make money ASAP is information that can truly be a lifesaver.
If you have ever had life throw unexpected and wholly unpleasant surprises your way (a global pandemic, by any chance?), then we’re sure you can totally relate.
We had that in 2018, when we relocated to another part of the country during which we had to temporarily rent an unfurnished flat.
After only three months, we found our dream home and bought it, furnished it, did a little renovating, replaced the fridge which broke and bought a washer-dryer because the previous owners took theirs, got our car towed to the garage when it broke down on the motorway and just life, in general, being life. *sigh*
With only one income, our line of credit running out and the bills coming every month, we had to figure out how to make money ASAP.
So, how do you do that?
Sell.
You either sell items or sell your skills and expertise. Those are your only options if your goal is to get money ASAP. And in most cases, selling items is a lot easier than selling your skills and expertise.
This list is what we used to generate the extra that we needed and really helped us out. We hope it will help you too.
Side Note: Once you get your immediate financial needs met, consider creating a financial plan so that you’re covered in case anything happens again. That’s the plan we now use ourselves and have successfully implemented (we’ll have to create a post all about it in the future) so we stand by it.
If you need a bit more handholding, then we highly recommend The Complete Personal Finance Course: Save, Protect, Make More. This is an online course that will show you a faster way to take control, get systems in place, make more money, and plan a prosperous financial future for your family.
If you’re neck-deep in debt and need help, consider debt relief.
Finally, if you’re mental health is suffering because of money worries, please contact your doctor or a licenced therapist.
How to make money ASAP#1: Sell Items
The first thing we did to make money ASAP was to actually take a look at all the junk stuff we had and sell them across different platforms.
It’s the fastest way to get cash if you really need it fast.
Sell on MusicMagpie
MusicMagpie probably doesn’t pay you for your items as much as if you were to sell privately to someone.
But if speed of sale is what you’re looking for, then you’re in the right place.
All you have to do is download the app, scan the barcodes on your books, CDs DVDs and games or select which tech item you want to sell.
You get an instant price and if you agree, then you can pack up all of your stuff in any old box and print off the mailing label they’ll send you.
Just remember: you should be selling items that are worth a total of at least £5. But don’t worry, you can sell up to 500 items per order.
We once sold over 20 books, 10 DVDs and a mobile phone at one time and received about £30.
It may not seem much but £30 can get you enough food for two weeks if you’re savvy enough.
Sell on Facebook Marketplace
Our second favourite if you’re in a rush to get extra money is Facebook Marketplace.
We know most people hate it because they go on Facebook for social connections but honestly, it’s a godsend if you need to offload some extra stuff that you don’t have any use for yourself but that others might need.
You can sell almost anything under the sun. The operative word here is almost. Facebook is quite strict with their prohibited content so make sure that you don’t cross the line.
That way, you don’t lose access to this valuable resource (Facebook does ban people from Marketplace).
For example, before we read their Commerce Policy, we just listed everything we had for sale. Most of them were fine but, lo and behold, we got a notification from Facebook that we were in breach of their policy because we tried to sell this board game.
Apparently, it was a no-no.
So, yeah. Read the commerce policy first and then start posting your items.
Sell on Amazon
Okay, full disclosure. We actually haven’t sold any secondhand items on Amazon but it’s not for lack of trying.
We probably shouldn’t have put this here because it sometimes takes awhile for your items to sell.
BUT we know that for some people selling on Amazon works pretty well so ta-da!
Sell on Motorway or We Buy Any Car
Can we tell you a secret?
We sold our car!
Yep, after much hemming and hawing we decided to ditch our car.
We realised that Kevin used it primarily to get to work. The rest of the family just walked everywhere (since I don’t drive).
Also, we already had a fully functioning bike so when the weather’s good, Kevin could just cycle to the train station (2 miles away) to get to work.
When the weather is bad (and trust us, in Scotland, it can get really bad), he can just hop on the bus.
Why do we need to pay for MOT, road tax, insurance, petrol and the garage (because our car seems to have developed a habit for breaking down)?
I mean a recent article by The Money Advice Service showed that it costs UK motorists an average of £3,000 a year just to run a car after purchase!
So we are now car-free. And actually very relieved that we won’t be suddenly hit with unexpected car repair expenses anymore.
You can try Motorway or We Buy Any Car.
How to make money ASAP #2: Sell Skill and Expertise
After we’d run out of things, we started thinking about the skill and expertise we had that we could sell and then look at the best websites where we could start advertising our availability.
Sell on Just Answer
For the longest time, we thought that some professions require you to be physically present in order to do something.
If you’re a doctor or a nurse, for example, you kinda have to be seeing the patient yourself in order to make a diagnosis.
If your toilet is leaking, a plumber needs to come over to sort it out.
Luckily, in this largely digital age, even such service professionals can now offer their expertise online…without them being there.
So, if you have expertise in any of JustAnswer’s listed qualifications and you match the years of experience they require, you have a great shot of actually doing some remote work and supplementing your income.
This may not be as fast as the other options in this list and you do need to have a certain level of expertise but it’s entirely possible that you can eventually replace your full-time income with this opportunity so why not try it?
Sell on Uber, Lyft or Grab
Full disclosure: We haven’t actually applied for this although it’s always been a back-up plan. Of course, we don’t have a car anymore so, we guess, this option is now out of the question.
But, you certainly can use it.
If you have a car, you love to drive and you meet their requirements, you can offer your superb driving skills to Uber, Lyft or Grab (in Asia) and earn some much needed extra money.
Sell on Amazon Home Services
Did you know that you can now sell your skills and expertise on Amazon?
We didn’t until we needed to find out how to earn money and fast.
The process is simple enough. You just apply on the Amazon US or Amazon UK website, make sure you meet the requirements (mind that the UK site has more requirements than the US site) et voilà, you can sell your professional services with Amazon along with other handpicked service providers.
There are a few key benefits to selling your services on Amazon. The greatest of which is probably the fact that you can leverage the trust that people have on Amazon as a company. And then of course, you get free advertisement because your services show up when people browse related items.
Pretty nifty trick if you’re getting tired of marketing your own services and not really getting any good results.
Sell on Fiverr
Fiverr was a pretty recent discovery and what makes it quick and easy is the fact that it focuses on micro-gigs so you can sell a variety of services and you don’t need years of experiences for them (although that certainly won’t hurt).
For example, if you’re amazing and quick at finding grammatical mistakes, you can offer proofreading of, say, 100 pages with a turnaround time of 24 hours for £5 (more if your future client needs your result sooner).
All you have to do is sign up with Fiverr, create a profile (you’ll need to get on the desktop site) and then start offering gigs.
It might be worth starting from the bottom, which is £5 and working your way up to offering pricier gigs.
Maybe £10 for 1000 pages of accurately proofread document? And then just scale up as you gain more experience.
Some freelancers do this full-time so this can also be a great way for you to test the waters if you’re interested in freelancing or doing remote work.
Side note: Depending on your niche, going freelance might not give you cash as quickly as you’d like. If you need money, like yesterday, then I recommend selling products that you already own as opposed to going freelance (check out this freelance writer’s experience here).
Sell on TaskRabbit or AirTasker
Another great way to earn extra money is by signing up as a Tasker with TaskRabbit or AirTasker, which focuses on helping people get odd-jobs and errands taken care of.
For example, if I need help building that Ikea flatpack that’s been languishing somewhere in your garage, I can just connect with a Tasker and pay them to do it.
Cha-ching for you!
A few great advantages of being a Tasker is that you can make extra money, meet new people and choose your own schedule.
As with the other sites, you just need to sign up, complete the required info session and verify your information and that you have the right to work and you’re all set.
Sell on Care.com or Childcare.co.uk
Interested in working with children?
Registering your skills and expertise with either Care.com or Childcare.co.uk might be your answer.
You’ll obviously need to meet stricter requirements since you’ll be working with a group of vulnerable people but if meet them, then you shouldn’t have a problem.
These sites connect you with parents looking for care providers in various capacities – babysitters, nannies, childminders etc.
Sign up, complete your registration and submit your documents for verification.
Sell on Etsy or CafePress
Technically, you sell items on Etsy or CafePress but we included it under services because really, you need some artistic or crafty skill to succeed here.
You can’t just sell anything willy-nilly.
You want to stand out and you do that in these sites with your impressive design.
If you have that or can somehow source it (have an idea but no design skills, maybe a friend or a Fiverr freelancer can help?), then all you need to do is sign up, complete the registration and verification process and you’re all set to start.
Of course, selling on either of these platforms isn’t as easy as, say, selling your car on Motorway simply because the competition can be quite tough.
There is also a learning curve to actually using Etsy or CafePress correctly and effectively. You can’t just post one item and hope for the best (this isn’t eBay, after all).
But done correctly, you have a fairly good shot at generating a great income from these two platforms.
Final thoughts on how to make money ASAP
There you have it – how to make money ASAP.
Just a few very important reminders here.
If you are selling used items, it is very important that you are honest about their condition. Disclose any defects and accept the corresponding decrease in price. This is far better than trying to con some unsuspecting client and then risk getting your account banned and whatever money you earned revoked (yes, that’s been known to happen).
Same goes for any services you sell. Don’t offer any services that you can’t actually do.
A great rule is to under-promise and over-deliver.
Remember, most of the sites in this list ask clients or buyers for reviews and if they’ve had a negative experience, they WILL take the time to leave a review.
I don’t know about you but we personally read reviews before buying anything – item or service.
Have you used any of these services? Let us know what your experience was by commenting below!
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in April 2019 and has been completely revamped and updated for relevance and comprehensiveness.
Facebook seem to be a good place for selling products. I had gotten many customers from Facebook after advertising my catering work with different food, snack, cake that I have made before. I got unexpected response and were able to have food on our table through the job. I did that without having to pass through stress and expense of paying Facebook for ads. It was so unbearable. All these options can be of help for many people that need to earn money very fast for a living.Fiverr is also a good platform for making money. Although I haven’t use it before but my brother is currently earning from the platform. Thanks for sharing this business ideas.
Stella, Facebook Marketplace is amazing as you say. We’ve found treasures in there and also have sold quite a few things through the platform. Just make sure to employ safe practice when meeting up with people. 😉 Make sure you’re never alone when you go.
Hello Jade, I must say that this article is very helpful and informative. I think that there are so many opportunities to earn money online but definitely, the best one is affiliate marketing and freelancing on Fivver or Upwork. I will soon try selling on Amazon as it is also a great way to earn some extra bucks.
Thanks, Daniel. We agree completely! 🙂
Hi Kevin and Jade. Wow!! What an informative blog. I had no idea that there were so many different ways to sell products and services. It really opened my eyes as we are struggling somewhat financially at the moment. I came online to look at possible ways to make money and I was totally surprised at exactly what was available. I like to write a lot, although my grammar isn’t real good. So I thought that I might join a place such as Fiverr and build up some level of expertise in writing blogs for others, and maybe even earn some extra money while I’m at it. I also thought I might download the spell check site ‘Grammarly’, just to help me refine my articles, and correct my spelling. What do you think about this? Thanks Jim
Hi Jim. You’re right about the plethora of information available online. It boggles the mind. You have to wade through them and determine which is a scam and which isn’t. Some of us don’t have the time for that!
Did you know that you can work remotely from home as an employee? We’ve compiled a list of job sites that check their listings to weed out questionable opportunities. Here it is if you want to take a look: https://liveablissfullife.com/2019/04/best-work-at-home-online-jobs/.
Also, we absolutely love Grammarly so that’s an excellent idea. We even featured it here: https://liveablissfullife.com/2019/05/how-to-set-up-a-blog-to-make-money/.
Let us know how you get on and if we can help you out.
Hi
Thank you very much for giving me ideas about how to make money fast and the suggestions you have made are both realistic and achievable. It is always difficult to make money when you need it the most. This is why it is useful to go to websites which can give you pointers. This is provided you have something to sell, as after a short time when you will run out of things to sell but with skills, you will be always in demand.
As jobs can be hit and miss, where sometimes you are working and other times you have nothing on. What do you suggest to do during lean times?
Thanks
Antonio
Hi Antonio,
That’s an excellent question. Our answer would obviously be to continuously market and promote, even when you’re swamped just now, and then schedule them in for later dates. This won’t always work, of course, especially in some niches where speed is essential.
But sometimes, like writing gigs – you have a turnaround of say, 7 days. If you aim to have at least one client every few days, then you won’t really experience “lean times” because you always have something in the pipeline. Also, it needs to be said that the more repeat customers you have, the better, as it saves a lot of time.
Have you also considered looking for longer-term jobs and not just gigs, like in these job sites: https://liveablissfullife.com/2019/04/best-work-at-home-online-jobs/?
Thank you for sharing such a useful information that is legit, when I was reading I was a bit scared of scams. I have sold some used items on facebook market before, the items were gone pretty quickly and I loved it. I used to sell on Ebay as well but they took some fees out so facebook market it is.
I also used to be a babysitter when I was in college and I matched and helped out so many families. It was good but now that I am older I want to have kids of my own and do not want to be responsible for other people’s children anymore.
I saw the ads for task rabbit but never tried it but i am gonna give it a try and we will see what weird task they will ask me to do lol.
You’re welcome. 🙂
Do let us know how you get on.
I have sold and bought on facebook marketplace a lot over the years! I love that you can sell on your own time, and meet at public locations.
I know a lot of people hate it but I love the convenience of it all. And I personally found a lot of treasures through Marketplace at really good prices.
Great comprehensive list! I have not heard of some of these places so thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome. Let us know how it goes if you try them 🙂
Surprisingly I hadn’t heard of some of these, for sure going to be trying the new ones out! Thanks for the helpful tips;.
You’re welcome. Do let us know how you get on. 🙂
Always good info to have ways to create extra cash.
Exactly! We never know when we’ll need them 🙂
Hi Jade, I’m not sure I’d have CafePress and Etsy down as “fast” they are more of a slow burn as it’s difficult to get your items visible to the right people quickly. Having more content on those sites will of course increase the probability of a sale so I’d suggest a regular new item for CafePress is a great idea.
Hi Andy,
Thank you very much for commenting. You’re right, of course, and I suppose our original post made it seem relatively easy. We’ve now amended that section to include your input.
Cheers!