Open up a new bank account.
This is kind of a dumb idea, frankly, but a lot of banks these days are offering $200 to $300 signup bonuses to customers who open up a new checking account. The catch, though, is that you generally have to really open these accounts. You need to be willing to set up a direct deposit and put money in the account, and you often don't receive the bonus for at least a month, sometimes even longer. On the other hand, if you were thinking of going to a new bank, anyway, it's an easy way to make some extra cash.
Rent out a room on Airbnb .
As you likely know, Airbnb is a popular website where people can rent out a room or apartment from ordinary folks and bypass a hotel. So, if you're comfortable with strangers and you live in fairly well visited place a large city, college town, or tourist area, for example you could make some money renting out a room in your home while you're there, or renting out the entire place while you're gone. You can expect to make less than whatever nearby hotels charge, but that can still top $100 a night pretty easily.
Honestly, however, I doubt this is very realistic for a lot of people. I wouldn't count on this if you're trying to make your rent, and you're putting all of your eggs in one basket. First, someone has to look at your location and listing photos and say, Sure, I'd like to stay there, and that may or may not happen within a month. It may never happen.
But if all goes well, you could have somebody renting out your spare room next weekend or even tomorrow night. And 24 hours after they check in, you'll get paid by Airbnb (minus a few fees) within a day if you use PayPal, and in about three days if you go with direct deposit.
Get a part-time job .
If you pick up a side job at some fast-food restaurant or department store and start today, it'll probably be up to a month before you get your first paycheck. You work two weeks, and two weeks later, the check comes in. Maybe you'd get paid sooner but in my experience, when I've needed cash quickly, it's better to be pessimistic and plan for the worst and hope for the best.
If you're looking for cash quickly, you have my sympathy. It isn't a pleasant position to be in.
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