As a financially strapped, stay-at-home-mom, I know how stressful unexpected expenses can be. To top it off holidays and birthdays often necessitate additional spending. If you find that are strapped for a little extra cash here are a few quick ways to find some extra change around the house:
Find some extra change around the house: Really. Dig through the cushions; pull out drawers and empty ashtrays. Change can add up quickly. If you don’t need the cash immediately, toss the change in a jar. When you spend cash, keep all of your change and toss it in a jar. You can easily save a hundred dollars or more in a few months.
Donate your plasma: It’s not glorious or particularly comfortable for that matter, but you can get up to $50 or $60 a week for a few hours of your time.
Sell what you don’t need: If you don’t need it, sell it. If you haven’t played that Nintendo in a few years, put it up for sale. Believe it or not there are people in the market for some of the old-school toys you may have stored in your attic.
Sell stock photos: If you have a camera handy, this is pretty easy. Take your camera and head outside. Take photos of various things people might use for presentations or blog illustrations. You can even take posed photos. Upload these to a stock photo account, price and sell. This can be a fairly passive income after you’ve created a large variety of photos.
Day labor: Quick jobs like shoveling the sidewalk, mowing the lawn or doing repairs on a home or car can bring in quick money for a few hours of work. Check out the classifieds in your newspaper or on websites such as Craigslist.
Rent a room: If you have extra space in your home, consider renting a room to a college student to bring in some extra cash. If you live alone, getting a roommate can cut your rent in half, saving you quite a chunk of change each month.
Check credit card vouchers: If you have credit cards that offer rewards, check to see if there are any you can redeem. Often people don’t realize how much they’ve earned. It may not be much cash but it could be enough to put some gas in your car.
Try Day Trading: It’s not a traditional method, and a lot like playing the lottery, but if you’re feeling lucky day trading might help you get some extra cash quickly. If you’re not trained correctly however, it can help you loose cash quickly also. (see: Online Trading Academy Reviews for information on day trading).
You can find cash relatively quickly when you are in a pinch. Finding money takes a little persistence and some creative thinking, but you don’t have to resort to panhandling if you look in the right places for a little extra cash flow.