Ways to Get Cash Now – Finding yourself short on cash when life throws you a curve ball can be stressful. You might be thinking, “I need money desperately — but how can I get some quick cash?”
A financial emergency or unexpected bill can leave you needing money desperately. And while you might be tempted to borrow money to pad your bank account, using personal loans, emergency loans or credit cards can dig you into a debt hole.
If you’re frantically thinking, “I need money desperately!”, you’re in the right place. Keep reading to learn what you can do when you desperately need money and can’t wait until payday.
I Need Money Desperately – What Can I Do? [ Ways to Get Cash Now ]
Having an urgent need for money can be an overwhelming feeling. So the first thing you might want to do is look at the situation to gauge how bad it really is and how desperately you need money.
You might find that the situation isn’t as bad as you think. And even if it is and you really do need money desperately, that’s no reason to give up.
Researching different ways to get money fast can help you get into the mindset you need to get money ASAP.
Here’s one thing to keep in mind. Some options for making money may take a little longer than others so read through the whole list to find the best solution for your “I need money desperately” situation.
1. Hack money
I love free money hacks because you can use them to get extra cash fast when you need it most.
So what do I mean by free money hacks?
Basically, anything you can do that gets you money with little effort on your part.
Nothing shady, either. Legitimate things that anyone can do to get money for free.
If you need some ideas, check out this list of 50 ways to get free money now.
2. Take surveys online
Taking surveys may not make you rich but it’s an easy way to get funds when you’re thinking, “I need money desperately.”
Survey sites pay you to share your opinions, participate in polls, play games, watch videos, post on social media and more.
Some of the best survey sites can even pay up to $50 an hour!
If you’re interested in getting paid to take surveys, here are my favorite survey sites to try:
⇒InboxDollars (get a $5 bonus now)
⇒Swagbucks (snag a $5 bonus when you sign up)
⇒Reward Survey (get a $30 bonus instantly)
3. Start a GoFundMe
GoFundMe allows you to set up a fundraiser for just about any purpose, as long as it’s not illegal.
If you’re in a cash crunch and need money now, you could set up a GoFundMe campaign and ask people to donate. If your request is funded quickly you may be able to get the cash in a matter of days, which is great if you don’t necessarily need money right now.
GoFundMe does charge a fee to use its platform and create a fundraising campaign. So keep that in mind when setting your funding goal.
4. Get paid to grocery shop
Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite chores and I’ve happily used Instacart to save myself the trouble of having to do it.
If you know your way around your local grocery stores, you could make money as an Instacart shopper.
Instacart shoppers get orders delivered to their phone, shop the order and drop it off. Just like DoorDash, you get paid an hourly rate plus tips. So it’s perfect if you need money urgently and want to make extra cash the same business day.
Since I’ve personally tipped my Instacart shoppers $30-$40, I know that it can be a great way to make fast cash when you need money now. (Assuming you get generous tippers!)
⇒Sign up to become an Instacart shopper and get paid to grocery shop
5. Become a pet-sitter or dog walker
If you like pets then you might be able to pick up some extra cash as a pet-sitter or dog walker when you need money desperately.
Pet sitting is an easy way to make money on the side for the short-term but you could turn it into a side hustle for regular income.
If you’re interested in getting paid to play with dogs or you want to try pet sitting for cats, check out Rover.
Rover matches up pet parents with pet-sitters. You can create a profile to advertise your services and connect with people and their pets locally.
⇒Create a profile with Rover today for free
6. Work today get paid today
Work today, get paid today sounds good, right?
There are plenty of ways to make money in a day when you need cash. For example, you could:
- Hire yourself out as a tasker on TaskRabbit
- See if anyone you know needs help with yard work
- Offer to run errands for someone you know for cash
- Babysit
- Offer to clean house for friends and family
These are all relatively easy things you can do to make extra money in a day.
7. Get paid to deliver food
If you’ve got a car, you’ve got an easy way to make cash when you need money now.
Becoming a delivery driver on the side can help you earn money in your spare time, even if you already work a regular 9 to 5.
If you want to get paid to deliver food, DoorDash is one option. You get paid an hourly rate, plus tips and you can make money every day you work, whether it’s a business day or the weekend.
⇒Get paid to become a Dasher with DoorDash
8. Ask for more hours at work
If you work at a job that pays you hourly, making extra money might be as simple as asking for more hours.
This may not put money in your pocket right away, since you won’t see the cash until payday. But it’s something to consider if you know you’ve got an expense coming up that you’ll need extra money for or an unexpected expense, like medical bills.
9. Earn cashback on shopping
Many people don’t know that they can make money quickly just by shopping. Cashback apps are a simple way to make a few bucks when you desperately need money and they can also be an easy way to make fast cash.
Here’s a really quick overview of how they work:
- You download the cashback app(s) of your choice
- Link your bank account (checking account) and debit card (or credit card) to the app
- Shop at partner merchants
- Earn back a percentage of what you spend as cash
It’s really that simple! And the best part is you can download multiple cashback apps to earn money on virtually everything you buy.
You can double or even triple your cash back earnings if you’re using a rewards credit card to make purchases. Keep in mind, however, that if your card has a high interest rate and you don’t pay the balance in full, the interest charges could cancel out the value of any cash back you earn.
If you’re looking for some of the best cashback apps to try when you need money desperately, here are my favorite picks!
- Rakuten – Earn up to 40% back when you shop plus get $30+ in cash bonuses each time you refer a friend
- Ibotta – Download the Ibotta app to earn cashback on groceries and shopping and get $20 in cashback bonuses right away
- Drop – Get the Drop app to earn cashback on dining, shopping and travel
- Swagbucks – Earn cashback by playing games, taking surveys and shopping online while snagging a $5 cash bonus at signup
10. Sell your photos
If you’re great at taking photos, there are a few ways you can use that skill to make money fast.
First, you could hire yourself out locally as a photographer.
I know someone who does this in our town. She makes money taking family photos and wedding photos.
You can also sell your photos online for fast cash. Sites like Foap, Shutterstock and 500px let you list your photos for real cash.
And if you want to sell unique photos, you could get paid to sell feet pics. Sites like FeetFinder and Instafeet can be a great way to earn money every day selling foot photos.
Setting up a photography blog or website could be another great way to earn passive income by selling pics.
For example, I make $3,000 a month from this blog on autopilot and I only put a few hours into it each week. Many people are making even more than that from their websites.
If you’re interested in learning more, be sure to read my ultimate guide to starting a money-making blog.
11. Sell your unused gift cards
Got old gift cards lying around that you’ll never use?
You can turn them into free cash when you need money desperately by reselling them online.
Some of my favorite sites for selling unwanted gift cards include:
Just be sure to pay attention to any fees you might have to pay to sell your gift cards since those can take a bite out of your earnings.
Related post: Gift Card Exchange Kiosk Near Me: Turn Unwanted Gift Cards Into Instant Cash!
12. Resell free items you find online
One person’s trash is another’s treasure and you could make cash quickly selling the stuff nobody else wants.
For example, I have a friend who used to make extra cash picking up things people were tossing out through curb alerts and reselling them on Craiglist.
There are lots of ways to find things for free that you can resell if you need money desperately and are short on cash.
For instance, local Facebook bargain groups, yard sales and Craiglist could all be gold mines. Just be careful about where you relist your items.
If you find something for free in a Facebook group, for example, don’t put it up for sale in that same group. That’s a fast way to bring the wrath of the group’s admins and members on your head and get kicked out.
What to Do When You’re Struggling Financially
If you routinely find yourself saying, “I need money desperately!” that’s a sign that you may need to reevaluate your financial situation.
Here are a couple of things to consider if you constantly need money urgently because you’re short on cash.
Step 1: Review your budget
Do you know how much you really spend each month? If you said no, you’re not alone.
In fact, 65% of Americans don’t know how much money they spend each month.
If you have a budget but don’t stick to it, or you don’t budget at all, that could be the culprit of your constant need for money.
Making a budget isn’t complicated; it simply means figuring out how much you make versus how much you spend.
I have a guide that explains how to make a budget step by step. You can also get a free budgeting template in the resource library.
