Sometimes life can hand you an emergency. Ideally, you’ll have an emergency fund set up to deal with it. However, if you’re just starting out in life or you’ve had a run of several financial problems hit in short succession, you may not have anything saved. This would cause a need for a quick infusion of cash. Here are some of the top options for fast cash.
Odd Jobs
There are likely many options to earn some quick cash when it comes to odd jobs around your community. Do your neighbors have a dog? Perhaps you could offer to walk it for a few bucks. If it’s spring or summer and your health is reasonably good, many folks will pay to have their yards mowed. Yard work is not limited to warmer weather. Raking leaves in the fall or shoveling snow in the winter is also an option for earning a few quick bucks. Maybe there are people who need a room painted quickly or a bookshelf built? There could also be elderly people who need a ride to the doctor. Craigslist or local job sites could be places to find some work to make a bit of money.
Personal Loans
It might be a good idea to look into your personal loan options, even if you have a poor credit score. While taking out a loan will automatically increase the cost of your emergency because of interest, it could help you out of a jam if you need to come up with some money in a pinch. Borrowing from family might be an option that comes with a low-interest rate. Other options are local banks or credit unions. Utilizing a credit card could also be looked at as an unsecured personal loan. This could come with high-interest charges if you cannot pay it off quickly, but if you can, you should have an interest-free grace period of a few weeks. This would give you a bit of time while you ramp up a side hustle to bring in some income to pay off the debt and take care of your emergency.
Sell Some Stuff
Most people have lots of stuff in their homes. Much of it gets used rarely, if at all. If you’re not likely to use some of the stuff around your house, you could get some quick cash from putting it up for sale. Garage sales are a great option if the weather is good. If not, many communities have Facebook or other online marketplaces that could allow you to list some of your accumulated junk. One man’s junk is another man’s treasure. Someone is likely to pay you for common items around your house. This is a perfect opportunity to get some of the cash you need.
Start a Side Hustle
Side hustle opportunities abound in the digital age. Many people are more than willing to hire freelancers to complete tasks that range in difficulty from quite simple to highly complicated. What are your skills? If you have a knowledge of computers, setting up a computer repair business could be a good idea. A business setting up websites for other local businesses could be a great option as well. There are numerous sites on the Internet that offer people the opportunity to answer surveys for cash. Some will pay automatically, while others will pay out weekly. Freelance writing is another option for earning some cash fairly quickly. If you can string a few coherent sentences together, this could be a great opportunity for you.
Emergencies happen, and they don’t always occur when you’re in a financially secure position. Tough choices might need to be made in order to find the money to pay the mechanic or HVAC repair service. Fortunately, with a few considerations, these tough choices can be a little easier to make and manage.
