Do you ever find yourself needing a little extra money fast and not sure how to get it? This has happened to just about everybody at some point in their lives, and stuff happens, right? Here are a few tips to get some much needed extra cash in your pocket fast.
1. Scour flea markets and thrift stores and resell online
You can definitely make some good money finding cheap items at garage sales, flea markets, consignment shops, or local classifieds, and flipping the items online.
First, educate yourself about the going sale prices of items you’re looking to sell. Clothes of any kind sell well, particularly children’s clothes since they outgrow them so quickly. Used books and baby stuff are other good options to flip.
The only downside to this tactic is needing money up front essentially to buy the items you’re looking to resell. Fortunately, a little money can go a long way at most of these places, and you’ll recoup your money quickly.
With your inventory in hand, you can start posting on Ebay, Craigslist, or even local Facebook sale groups. Post the same items in multiple places to increase your chances of offloading the goods quickly. Do be aware though that Ebay does have an auction cancellation policy, which you’ll want to browse over before posting items there if you are also posting items in other places at the same time. You can still post items on Ebay simultaneously with other places, but read the rules regarding canceling an auction early.
2. Host a babysitting date night for neighborhood kids
If you don’t mind having children over at your house for a while, you might put up some fliers around your neighborhood offering to give some of the local parents a break for a nice date night out.
Offer your services for $10-$25 for a few hours, or whatever seems reasonable for your area. You’ll be sure to come in under what the average babysitter would charge, and you’ll make up for it (hopefully!) with a larger number of kids.
Have a pizza party followed up with games, or popcorn and a movie all of the kids will enjoy. Make sure to specify the kids need to be picked up by a certain time, and that you get contact info in case of an emergency.
This is also a great way for your teen to make some money if they are up for the challenge!
3. Operate a stand at a weekend farmers market
Every summer you’ll find farmer’s markets popping up all over the country where you can find all kinds of fresh fruits and veggies, homemade crafts, soaps, baked goods, or any number of things. You would be surprised how much money can be made from spending some time baking goods on a Friday and selling them the next day at a farmer’s market.
Check with your local chamber of commerce or do a quick search online to find out who to get in touch with to start selling your own goods.
Just a few things you’ll want to remember are that you need to check local and state food regulations if you’re going to be selling baked goods, and, that whatever you do sell, food or otherwise, is homemade. The idea with a farmer’s market is that everything is “locally produced”.
You can find more information here about how to get started!
4. Lawn maintenance
Do you have a mower and weed eater? If so, you have everything you need to make a little side money.
Go around your neighborhood knocking on some doors and put up some fliers. You can also advertise your services in a local Facebook sales group, Craigslist, or your local paper’s classifieds.
If you’re not looking to make it a permanent gig, make sure you state that so your customer doesn’t expect you every week.
Being that you’re only needing a quick infusion of cash, you might charge substantially less than the competition to get the folks that usually mow their own grass, but want to take a break from mowing every now and then.
Now Get Out There!
Hopefully, these ideas will inspire you to try some new things you never thought you could do. If you have some spare time and are willing to put extra effort into a side hustle, you can earn the dough you’re looking for.
If you have any experiences or suggestions of your own, or you tried out one of these ideas for yourself, please share in the comments below!