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Free cash rocks!
Walking through a parking lot one time I stumbled upon a $20 bill. Before I snatched it up I looked up around, almost waiting for the hidden camera crew to jump out from the bushes to yell “Gotcha!”. They didn't and I was $20 richer. Score!
That is the only time that I've ever came across some quick cash.
But everyone needs some cash in a hurry from time-to-time. Knowing that, I thought it would be fun to put together a post that outlined 100 ways you can make $100 fast. Out of the 100, you should find at least a few that you can do any time you need extra cash.
1. Become an Uber Driver
This is #1 for a reason! Got some free time and live in a reasonably populated area? Then becoming an Uber Driver can be a very lucrative part-time side hustle. Uber drivers make anywhere from $13-$20 per hour . This means you could hit the $100 mark in as little as five hours per week.
The best thing about Uber is that the schedule is completely up to you. I have seen stay at home mom's pick up Uber gigs for a few hours a day in the middle of the day while the kids are in school.
2. Open a new checking account with a bonus
Chase offers $200 bonus when you open a new Chase Total Checking® account. In order to get the bonus you have to set up direct deposit. Other than that, you are good to go.
This is the best offer we have found for signing up for a new checking account and, since Chase is not just an online bank, you also have access to their services in over 5,000 locations across the country.
3. Inbox Dollars
You can earn free cash by changing your search engine to InboxDollars. You'll even get a free $5 bonus when you sign up (just name and email address)! This will take a bit longer to get you to $100, but it's still easy money by using their search engine, watching videos (seriously), printing coupons and a variety of other things.
4. SwagBucks
Similar to Inbox Dollars in that you can get free cash by swapping your search engine. SwagBucks also pays you for the shopping you already do online as well as a bunch of other everyday online activities. You can get $5 for signing up here.
5. Online Surveys
Online websites like MySurvey will pay you for your opinion. The average survey will pay between $0.50 and $1.25 and there are new surveys available each day. If you qualify, you can even get surveys over $5 each. Many of the surveys take less than 5 minutes to complete.
Some may have you scan products that you purchase. You can learn more in our review of online survey sites. Here are a few other reputable ones that payout:
6. Sign up for a rewards credit card with a sweet signup bonus
Some cards offer a “bonus” of $100 or more if you can meet a minimum spending requirement within the first three months. As long as you pay your balance in full each month, this is truly free money for the taking! Here are the top offers for 2016:
- Chase Freedom Unlimited℠ – The Chase Freedom Unlimited℠ is a new Chase card that is taking the rewards world by storm! By signing up, you'll earn a $150 signup bonus after you spend just $500 within 90 days. Plus, you'll earn a flat 1.5% back for every dollar you spend on any type of purchase. Best of all, this card doesn't charge an annual fee, either. Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card – Want an even bigger bonus? Consider the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card instead. With this card, you'll earn an amazing 50,000 points after you spend just $4,000 on your card within 90 days. If you turn in those points for cash, they are worth $500! Obviously, you'll want to pay your balance in full to avoid interest. As long as you meet the minimum spending requirement, this $500 is yours to spend. Plus, this card comes with no annual fee. Best Cashback Credit Cards of 2016 – If neither of those offers sound ideal, you can also check out our post on the best cash back offers currently available.
One man's trash is another man's treasure
One of the best and easiest ways to make money fast is by selling what you have – or that you can acquire on the cheap. It also has a secondary benefit in that it keeps the clutter in your life to a minimum.
7. Sell your used cell phones, iPad or Mac
Your used electronic equipment may have value, particularly if it’s recent and in good condition. Check out Gazelle. com. They give you an estimate on your equipment, and the better stuff could fetch some real money.
8. Resell unused gift cards
Check your wallet and your dresser – you probably have unused gift cards. Some may even be to merchants you don’t frequent. If that’s the case, get some cash back on them by selling them on CardPool. You won’t get the full value of the cards, but it’s better than having them sit unused.
9. Sell your stuff to a pawn shop
You won’t get retail price for your merchandise, but it offers a quick sale for cash.
10. Selling your junk
Have a garage sale – We average about $150 per garage sale so you can earn some decent cash without even leaving your house.
Sell on Craigslist – What you can’t sell at your garage sale, you may be able to sell on Craigslist. This is especially good for selling large items.
This is taking selling on Craigslist and eBay to a higher level. You’re not just selling your own stuff, you’re getting more stuff to sell from friends and neighbors. Give them a cut of the take and you’ll have plenty to sell forever.
12. Amazon
Similar to eBay, Amazon. com may work better for entertainment media, such as books, music and movies.
This is the garages sale concept taken on the road to a place where there are a lot more potential customers.
There are different items you can sell on consignment, but it tends to work best for furniture and clothing.
If you have a light pick-up truck or just a good trailer, you can collect scrap metal from neighborhoods, building sites and junkyards, then sell it to scrap metal dealers. Check out scrap metal prices. then do a Google search on “where can I sell scrap metal in (my town)”.
Take your gold jewelry and silverware to gold dealers or jewelers and you’ll likely fetch a better price than going to the “we buy gold” storefronts populating strip malls.
There’s a brisk market for used musical instruments (check out the prices for brand new ones and you’ll immediately see why). You can sell them on Craigslist for top dollar, but if you want quick cash, offer to sell them to music stores.
If you can make handicrafts, Etsy could be the place to sell them. If making crafts is an ongoing hobby, you could have an ongoing cash source from the site.
If you’ve received gifts you really don’t want – and they’re still in the packages – try returning them. Some retailers will take them back up to a year later.
Quick cash on the job
Your job is one of the best and most convenient places to make some extra cash. You may have to think a little bit out of the box, so try these on for starters.
Most of us shrink away from overtime because of the extra hours. But if you need money, let your supervisor know that you’re available to work.
As an alternative to working overtime, you can offer to contract for jobs at work that nobody else wants. Offer to work on the jobs for a flat fee that will be paid outside your regular paycheck.
If your employer offers a bonus to refer new employees to them, take advantage of it and start referring. It’ll be the easiest money you’ll ever make.
23. Customer referral program
Likewise, see if your employer might also have a customer referral program. If they do, put on your salesman’s hat and start beating the bushes for potential customers.
24. Make a killer suggestion
Many employers have a suggestion box, but most employees ignore it. If the company pays a bonus for workable suggestions, get busy. You may get the bonus because no one else participates.
Ways to make money fast off the job
You can often make some quick cash doing jobs that require no special skills, just a desire to do them. And you can find them all around you. These are also great ways for teens to make some quick cash.
Where I live babysitters earn $10 an hour. Pull a couple of five hour gigs this weekend, and you’ll have $100.
The nice part of this type of sitting is that you don’t have to stay with the pet for hours. Usually, you’re just looking in on it every couple of hours, then walking it and feeding it as necessary. Because of that you can maintain several pet sitting jobs simultaneously.
People who travel frequently, especially on a long-term basis; may need someone to watch their homes for a fee. You can check local newspapers and Craigslist for opportunities. If you’d like to use a central site, MindAHome. com can provide an online source of clients.
You can get a seasonal part-time job based on summer, back-to-school, any of the major holidays or even during snow season. A couple of weeks of part-time work can easily get you $100 and a whole lot more.
If you know any real estate agents, insurance agents, car dealers or just about any one who sells for a living, ask about being a compensated referral source for them. A $100 referral isn’t hard to get.
Shutterstock. com is a giant site that allows you to post and sell your photos online for a fee. Functioning something like eBay for photos, it’s a central place to sell your photos.
If you’ve checked photographers prices lately you know they can be prohibitive. If you’re good at photography, you might be able to photograph a special event or two for at least $100.
If you think that the only people who work in gyms are personal trainers, guess again. If you know yoga, zumba, jazzercise, cycling or just about any other activity that keeps people moving, there may be a teaching position waiting for you at the gym.
If you’re a tech junkie and buy a lot of new products, you may be able to do paid reviews on blogs. Blogs often have affiliate arrangements with tech products and will pay for user reviews.
If you can bartend you can pick up a quick hundred (or more) working a couple of weekend parties or even a wedding.
Universities, marketing groups and research organizations will often pay participants in focus groups. Check with schools in your area as well as Craigslist to see what’s happening.
If you can play guitar, drums, keyboards and even some wind and string instruments’ you may be able to get work as a session musician in a band or orchestra. In some cases you can make well over $100 for just a single session.
If you don’t mind having a large commercial sign on your car – or having it “wrapped” in ad material, you can earn up to $400 per month with FreeCarMedia. com.
Some people are making local moves without the benefit of a professional moving company. If you don’t mind (really) hard work, you may be able to pick up $100 or more this weekend. Check the ads on Craigslist.
Even people who cut their own lawns get in a jam from time to time and need someone to pinch hit for them. They could be going on vacation or dealing with an illness or injury. Two or three cuts could get you to $100 in no time.
Do you know anyone who needs a room or two painted? If you’re handy when it comes to painting, offer to do it for them for $100 per room – plus paint.
Seasonal yard clean-ups are more involved than regular lawn cutting. It may involve weeding flower beds, trimming hedges, raking leaves and cleaning out other debris. $100 a job should be the minimum.
I’ve known kids who have made well over $50 shoveling in the local neighborhood after just a modest snowfall. Just a couple of storms will get you to $100 just from knocking on doors during the late stages of the storm.
Some people let the house cleaning go a bit too long, then they don’t want to even attempt it. Others get a little busy and just need some help. You should be able to pick up $100 or more just from cleaning a couple of houses.
Some people actually like cleaning cars. Most of us hate it. If you’re one who likes it, you can make some easy money working for those of us who’d rather not.
If being up on a ladder doesn’t scare you, you can make a quick $100 (at least) on just a single job.
Everybody loves having a pool, except when it comes time to set it up for the summer. If you know how to do it, you can make an easy $100 on just a couple of jobs. And when fall comes and it’s time to close them down, you can come back for Round Two.
Everybody loves holiday decorations too, but not nearly everyone like putting them up – or taking them down. At Halloween and Christmas you can probably get at least $100 to put up decorations, then take them down later.
Some companies will pay you for your opinions. Check out MySurvey. com as a place to find them. You earn points which you can redeem for cash.
