How to Make Money Fast

Tips on Earning Extra Cash in the Next Few Days

How can you make some fast money? Here are some tips on making fast money ethically and legally. Any one of these tips should help you make some quick cash. Before jumping into these money-making tips, here are a couple things to keep in mind.

First, these tips are aimed at helping you make money fast. They are NOT going to make you rich. One or two tips should earn you an extra $50-100 over the next week. Implement all the tips, and you could see a couple hundred dollars added to your bottom line. But do not expect quick riches.

Second, you need some planning and a few days to work with. That planning should include ways to start saving money.

If you are in a situation where you need quick cash today, then you're in a crisis -- and you probably need to borrow money from friends, relatives, a bank, or (last resort) a fast cash outlet. This article is aimed at those who have at least a few days (preferably a week) to work with.

1. Offer Seasonal Work to Your Neighborhood and/or Surrounding Area

Use your time off from your main job (which will probably be your evenings and weekends) to offer your seasonal labor services to your neighbors and, time-permitting, residents in close-by neighborhoods. Seasonal work includes raking leaves, mowing lawns, or shoveling snow.

The best way is to blanket your target neighborhood with 200-400 flyers, offering your services for an appropriate amount per lawn, driveway, etc. depending upon its size and the amount of work involved. Make sure your contact information is on the flyer. To expedite results, you can grab your rake (or shovel or lawn-mower) and just go door-to-door, offering your services directly.

If this is "beneath you," consider how seriously and quickly you need the money. If you need money fast, this is a great way to do it.

If it's STILL "beneath you," then TEAM UP with a neighborhood teenager. You can be the one to distribute the flyers and take the phone calls. Your partner can then do the actual labor - based on appointments you set from the people calling in response to the flyer. The two of you then split the money.

2. Call a Local Contractor

Find a local contractor and see if you can hire yourself out as a day laborer. This is a particularly viable option, if you're the "handy-man" type. There are probably quite a few contractors in your area looking for day laborers to help them build and/or repair houses, decks, fences, etc.

3. Sell Some Stuff

Go through your house, attic, garage, etc. and pick out EVERYTHING that you are willing to part with. Then, depending on the weather and time of year, put signs up around the community that announce your yard sale.

If you have more time, go to eBay, register, and list the items online. Mark Joyner, a bestselling author and co-founder of Guerilla Marketing Network, says to "pick 40 of your items" no matter how "silly or seemingly worthless they are." Then, review a few books and articles on effective sales writing and marketing and (based on that knowledge) "create eBay pages to sell every one of those products."

If you have the ingredients, try baking a bunch of cookies - and then call some businesses in your area to see if you can sell the cookies to their employees during the lunch hour.

4. Offer to Distribute Stuff

Contact your local newspaper to see if they have need for a neighborhood distributor. If so, you're in luck.
Don't stop there, though. Use your phone book and/or the local Chamber of Commerce to research businesses (retail or restaurant being the best) that market to the general community. Call them up and offer to distribute flyers for them -- for a price.

BONUS TIP: See if you can combine Tactics 1 and 4 (handing out flyers for yourself AND for these businesses - at the same time).
The above tips should get you started on making fast cash. However, you need to step back and look at your overall money situation. Better planning will enable you to make even greater money in the long term. And long-term earnings is (or at least should be) your financial objective.