Try the obvious: Look around your home
We need to get this out of the way first, and besides, maybe you haven't thought of this because you're in complete panic mode. Check the sofa cushions, your pants pockets, old coats in the closet, and your car, where spare change may have fallen between the seats. If you haven't ransacked your home lately and cleaned yourself out, there's got to be some money lying around.
Ok, so you've tried that. You might move onto…
Take out a cash advance.
Your credit card may offer the option of a cash advance. which allows you to take out cash (from an ATM) against your credit limit. The downside here is that you'll pay through the nose for this privilege: Between cash advance fees and higher-than-usual interest charges that begin accruing the second you put your hands on the money, you can easily find yourself paying $1,000 to access $800, for example.
Recycle.
In the 10 states that have bottle deposit laws. including New York and California, you can return most bottles and cans for five cents apiece (10 cents in Michigan). They don't even have to be your bottles: Plenty of people are too busy or lazy to bother returning a six-pack worth of beer or soda cans for 30 cents and simply leave them out for curbside pickup. It may not be trash day in your neighborhood, but it surely is somewhere. Fill up a 50-gallon trash bag with cast-off cans, and you can redeem them for about $12 it's just a start, but you can do it again and again, and all it takes is time and hustle.
If you don't live in a bottle deposit state, you can still cash in on recyclables by selling scrap metal. You may not have enough soda or beer cans lying around to make this worthwhile and steel prices are so low right now, it's not really worth the bother to go collecting them. But if you do have a lot of aluminum cans on hand, or if you have any scrap metal with copper in it, find a local recycling center and see what you'll get (prices vary wildly by market). Still, unless you have a lot of copper pipes lying around the garage, or bags and bags and bags of old soda cans, realistically, we're probably talking about getting $5 to $20 back.
Pawn or sell items of value.
Think about this one for awhile before you try it. If you have something really valuable or meaningful, like your dad's 1950s model train collection, your grandmother's gold necklace, or the coin collection that you labored over as a kid, selling it may help put out a fire today but you really may find yourself kicking yourself down the road.
What's more, you're unlikely to fetch as high a price for something of value when you're under pressure to sell it locally and right away. But depending on the severity of your situation, if you have something valuable to sell, this may be the time to leverage it.
A better option is digging through your closets, attic, and basement for stuff that may still have some value, just not to you: An old DVD collection, your 10-year-old's baby clothes or toddler trike, or the cappuccino machine (or bread maker, or juicer) that you only used once.
If you're not using the stuff, you probably don't need it anymore, and you can afford to sell it at a cut-rate price if you need cash quick. Post a free ad on Craigslist or a local Facebook Yard Sale group and indicate that you're willing to deliver the items for a speedy transaction.
Sell an old cell phone.
If you have an old smartphone and you need money today, check out ecoATM. Type in your ZIP code, and with any luck, you'll find one of their ATMs in your area. If you do, you simply find the kiosk and place the old cell phone in the ecoATM's test station, where the machine will examine your phone noting the model number and condition, among other features. It then automatically scans the resale market for similar phones and offers you a price based on its value if you agree to the price, you'll get the money on the spot (hence the ATM in the name). They also accept MP3 players and tablets.
Sell your plasma .
If there's a plasma donation center in your area, you might be able to make anywhere from $25 to $50, and odds are, you'll get paid today. Call ahead and ask, of course, but these days, many donation centers are giving money cards (similar to a debit card). Generally, it takes about 30 minutes to donate your plasma, but a first visit may take longer up to two hours since you'll be filling out paperwork and taking a physical. And while it's not a ton of money, many donors are able to sell plasma twice a week.
And while you've probably heard of selling sperm or eggs, don't get your hopes up: Yes, the young and the healthy can sometimes earn good money as sperm or egg donors, but such opportunities require extensive screenings and long-term commitments. Donating blood (sans plasma), meanwhile, is a great and altruistic thing to do, but you generally won't get money for it.
Ask a friend or family member for a loan .
We won't spend much time on this, because it's not as if you need to be told how to approach a family member or a friend for a loan. Just know that it won't be pretty. It may be a conversation with a lot of awkward pauses. It may be humiliating. You may be told no. It may be your only option. Of course, if your friend or family isn't nearby, where they can hand you cash, and they end up sending you money via an app. keep in mind that you may not be able to get money from them today.
Payday loan stores are an option (just not a good one).
I'm not endorsing them. Nobody on this website would. On an annualized basis, interest rates on payday loans carry an average APR of more than 300%. But on the other hand, it's a legitimate way to get cash, and it's better than robbing a bank.
If you need money today, you don't have credit cards to turn to, and going to a family member is out, you could go to a payday loan store in your neighborhood and ask for a loan. You generally will need proof of employment (pay stubs) and identification; call ahead and ask what they require. You'll probably need references. And you need to be absolutely sure you can pay back the loan under the specified terms.
If you can't pay back the loan and its hefty interest within two weeks, generally, that's when you run into trouble. Please ask yourself, If things are bad now, will they really be better in two weeks? Can I pay back this loan and the interest without creating more problems?
I've used payday loan stores before, and so I know one does what one has to do but I'm cringing at the idea of suggesting anyone take out a payday loan. Honestly, based on my own experiences and interviews I've done with people who have used them, I feel like whatever problems you have, you're probably better off letting them happening and avoiding this path. Taking out a payday loan is a little like accepting a parachute with a hole in it. You may land safely, but do you really want to take that risk?
