Maybe you’ve found yourself in need of unexpected car repairs. Or maybe your daughter is begging for that tricycle she spotted in the store last week. Perhaps you simply want to make an extra few hundred a month to pay the bills. There are all sorts of reasons you might need 100 dollars now, and that’s why we’ve compiled a list of 13 ways to make a Benjamin (or more) in next to no time at all.
13 Ways to Make Cash Fast
- Walk a Dog or Board a Pet
- Rent Your Car Out as a Billboard
- Sell Your Stuff
- Find Missing Money in Your Name
- Shop for Groceries
- Participate in a Market Research Study or Focus Group
- Do Odd Jobs with TaskRabbit or Gigwalk
- Donate Your Plasma
- Deliver Stuff With Roadie
- Babysit
- Rent Out Your Car on Turo
- Deliver Packages for Amazon Flex
- Become a Virtual Friend
1. Walk a Dog or Board a Pet
Apps like Rover and Wag let you:
- Walk dogs
- Do drop-in pet visits
- Board someone’s pet(s)
- Run a doggy daycare
While running a doggy daycare is more than just a once-in-a-while enterprise, taking a pup for a walk, boarding someone’s cat or dog, or popping in to entertain a furry friend can be an accessible, fun way to grab some extra cash in your spare time.
After going through a brief screening and certification process (Wag charges a $29.95 processing fee while Rover charges $35), you’ll set your own rates, set up a calendar of when you’re free and owners will start contacting you directly for your services. Of course before you have a lot of shining reviews, you might want to set competitive rates for yourself. For reference, most people set their dog-walking rate between $20-50 for a 30-minute walk — and pet boarding will earn you even more. Though the apps do take a cut of your earnings (Rover takes 20% while Wag takes 40%), you’ll sometimes earn tips from owners as well.
2. Rent Your Car Out as a Billboard
Want to make money doing something you do anyway: driving around? If you don’t mind traveling inside a moving advertisement, this is a great way to earn a few extra hundred bucks a month with no extra effort at all.
Depending on how many hours and in what areas you drive, you could qualify to be paid by one of these companies that wraps your car in varying degrees of decals (you can earn more for more surface coverage). Depending on the campaign, company and amount of decals you opt for, you can make up to $500 a month, just by driving your daily transit.
3. Sell Your Stuff
Chances are you’ve got a fair amount of “stuff” around your house that … well, you just don’t use. Instead of letting these odds and ends clutter up your space, why not sell them to someone who really wants them?
Of course, you can try your luck at a consignment store or pawn shop, but there are also great online options that allow you to either sell a group of items for an immediately listed price, or sell directly to a consumer (you can often make more with this option):
- Sell Everything at Once – Apps like Declutter allow you to input information on your unused phones, CD/DVDs, books, tech, and video games/consoles, and they’ll tell you exactly how much they’ll pay you for the whole lot. This is a great way to get rid of a bunch of stuff in one go.
- Sell Things at a Set Price Directly to Buyers – Apps like OfferUp, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist allow you to list your own price and sell stuff to local buyers (the first two also offer shipping options). These are great choices for selling popular items or things that aren’t easily shipped (i.e. furniture).
- Put Your Stuff up for Auction – Think you have something that might actually be rare? Throw it up on eBay and see how much you can get for it! You never know what someone might be willing to pay for a collectible or obscure spare part.
4. Find Missing Money in Your Name
It’s estimated that about 1 in 10 people have unclaimed money in their name. In fact there are billions of dollars sitting around in government accounts, waiting for owners to claim it. This could be your golden ticket if you need 100 dollars now. What are the sources of this unclaimed money, you ask?
- Old bank accounts
- Uncashed rebate checks
- Rental/utility deposits
- Stocks/uncashed dividends
- Old insurance payouts
- Checks from old employers
Do a free search with Unclaimed.org to see if you have unclaimed money waiting for you. It could be your lucky day!
5. Shop for Groceries
If you have access to a vehicle, shopping for and delivering groceries with apps like Instacart and Shipt could be a great way to make some fast cash. The flexibility is a strong point — you get to make your own schedule and pick the orders you want to take.
Earnings tend to average from $10-20 an hour, with the potential to make $25 during busy times. Customers also have the option to tip their shoppers.
6. Participate in a Market Research Study or Focus Group
There are a number of websites offering folks opportunities to participate in all kinds of market research studies and surveys. You apply for studies for which you fit the desired demographic, and once selected, you’ll be paid to share your opinions, impressions, and reactions to different branding and products. The pay can vary for these types of studies but many are reasonably lucrative, ranging from $21 hourly to a few hundred dollars per survey/study.
Sign up for one or more of these online research groups to get access to these profitable opportunities.
7. Do Odd Jobs with TaskRabbit or Gigwalk
Through the app TaskRabbit, you could find yourself doing all kinds of activities both skilled and unskilled: cleaning, home repairs, furniture assembly, yard work — even waiting in lines. You set your own availability and rates, list a set of skills on your profile and clients book you through the app (there’s a $25 registration fee to get started). Taskers average about $35 hourly, but you can potentially charge a lot more if you have special skills like wall-painting or plumbing.
You could also try Gigwalk, an app that pays everyday people to complete tasks that help companies learn about consumers and their preferences. But instead of just completing online studies (they have those too), Gigwalk allows you to pick up tasks locally. You only apply for tasks that appeal to you, with payouts that appeal to you. Different gigs pay different amounts, but in an urban area you could be looking at around $10-20 an hour if you pick up one gig after another.
8. Donate Your Plasma
If you’re not squeamish, donating your plasma to help people with rare diseases can be a great way to both earn quick cash and do some good. The process is similar to donating blood but takes a bit longer — about 90 minutes per session.
Compensation varies depending on the donation center you work with, but some companies pay $50-60 per session, allowing a maximum of two donations per week. In addition, many places offer special incentives for new donors, promising up to $1,000 for the first month of donations. On average, regular donors make about $365 per month, but at certain centers it’s possible to make $700. Do a quick internet search and find the highest-paying donation center in your area.
9. Deliver Stuff With Roadie
To drive for delivery app Roadie you really only need an insured vehicle — even better if it’s a larger one like an SUV or pickup truck. Through this app, you could find yourself delivering any number of things like:
- Furniture
- Flowers
- Luggage
- Packages
- Large Appliances
- Artwork
According to Indeed, drivers now make an average of $23.36 an hour from Roadie, but the amount you earn depends heavily on the distance, complexity, and size/weight of each delivery. Being able to transport larger items, or a willingness to be on the road a while would be to your advantage as a Roadie driver. For example, if you were game for a bit of a journey, you could make up to $650 for a long-distance delivery.
The way Roadie works, when you log on to their app you’ll be able to see available deliveries in your area. You can select a delivery you want to complete and once you’re approved by the client, you’ll be off to the races. Roadie also tries to match you with several gigs along your route so you can pick up some more money on the way!
10. Babysit
If you’re good with kids, taking a babysitting job here and there could be the perfect gig to pick up some extra funds. One of the sweetest perks to a babysitting engagement is that you can be doing other gig work online while the kids are sleeping or occupied.
Sittercity is one popular app that connects families with sitters and nannies. You get to set your own rate but according to the company’s data, the typical hourly rate for babysitters in 2022 is $17.50 (nannies make a bit more with $19). Parents often tip, and you can potentially charge more if you have CPR training and/or significant experience teaching or looking after children. Be prepared to pass a background check for this one.
11. Rent Out Your Car on Turo
Do you only use your car 15 days out of the month? Maybe you and your spouse have two cars, and one ends up sitting idly in the garage a majority of the time. You can turn these unused vehicle hours into fast cash by renting out your car on an app called Turo.
Though you’re free to set your own price, Turo provides a “Carculator” that gives a data-based estimate of a good marketable rate for your car. Most of the rentals on Turo span from $20-50 a day (depending on the make and model) and Turo takes a cut of the rental cost — 15-40% depending on which insurance you opt for. But even on the low end of this price range, with the worst insurance option, you could be up $94 after a week of renting out a car you wouldn’t have been using anyway.
12. Deliver Packages for Amazon Flex
Amazon Flex offers a very generous base pay of $18/hour (higher in select markets) — something extremely rare when it comes to gig apps. But hourly pay can reach as high as $25 (or more with tips) due to increased demand, bad weather, or a holiday rush.
So how does it work? Once you pass a background check and your license is verified, you can select from different 1-4 hour time blocks. These can be scheduled in advance or immediately, as they become available. When you book a block, you’ll receive instructions on where to pick up packages, where to drop them off and how to get to the destination fastest. Once you’re done, you can start all over again with your next block.
13. Become a Virtual Friend
It may sound a bit odd, but you can get paid just to log online and talk to someone. There are a number of apps that facilitate these completely platonic interactions with people who may have trouble in normal social situations, or are simply stuck inside because of a medical condition. If you’ve got the gift of gab — or if you’re starved for a little socialization yourself — this could be a great way to make some green and connect with someone while you’re at it.
Check out sites like RentaCyberFriend or RentAFriend.com to set up a profile with your listed interests and wait for clients to book you (the latter website also allows in-person meets, so make sure you specify online services). Contact can range from texting, to a phone call, to a video chat. You can set your own rates but most virtual friends charge around $20 an hour — not too shabby just for having a chat, very likely about a shared interest.
Many of us could use some extra cash on the side. In fact, nearly a third of America’s workforce earns less than $15 an hour. It can be tough to scrape by on minimum wage, or even on a middle-class income in these inflationary times.
Maybe you need 100 dollars now. Or maybe you need a few extra hundred a week. Picking up an odd job once in a while can often do the trick. And who knows? If you enjoy the work, a once-in-a-while job could turn into a legitimate side gig and really improve your bigger financial picture.