How to Make Money in a Hurry

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The time eventually comes for everyone: you need money and you need it now. Maybe you need some emergency repairs on your car, maybe the electricity bill is due and it just slipped your mind. We’ve all been there. But what can we do if we find ourselves in these sticky situations?

Soon you’ll have a security fund (aka “emergency fund”) to bankroll these situations. But maybe you’re not there yet. Luckily, there are a few quick ways to come up with some cash, you just have to know where, in your own house, to look for things to sell. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Recycle. Glass, aluminum, plastic….they can all be taken down to your local recycling center and redeemed for a small chunk of change. You could be walking away with anywhere from $20 to $50, depending on the amount of recyclables you bring in. It may not be enough to cover whatever pressing expense you are facing, but it’s definitely a start.

Sell some stuff on Ebay. You never know what piece of junk inside your closet is actually a valuable collector’s item. Just a few weeks ago, a woman cleaned out a closet and decided to sell her son’s old 1980’s Nintendo games. She thought she might get $20 or so for all them, but as it turned out, one of the games was an extremely rare collector’s item that she ended up getting $13,000 for the title. Another guy did the same thing and wound up fetching over $40,000! You just never know.

Finally, have a yard sale. There’s nothing more American than a good, ole-fashioned yard sale. Everyone I know (myself included) has old clothes, VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, and all sorts of old stuff they no longer want cluttering up space in their home. The old saying that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure is absolutely true. You may not exactly be able to retire after your yard sale, but it should go a long way towards helping you take care of that foreboding expense.

There are some of the safest bets if you want to make cash in a hurry. There are other ways (gambling comes to mind) that aren’t recommended if you intend on keeping longtime financial strength in your home. But, as always, I’m sure you’ve got your own ideas. Let’s hear ‘em! Au revoir, mes amis!

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