I Need Money Desperately! 25 Ways to Get Urgent Cash

Have you found yourself in a situation where “I need money desperately” is the only thing on your mind? Going from needing something to actually having it appears impossible at times.

Maybe you need quick money to pay your bills or get rid of a debt that’s weighing you down. Or, it could be that there’s an upcoming trip everyone seems to be going but you’re the only one left out because you lack extra cash.

Whatever your reason is, you’re about to learn some effective ways to fix your desperate need for cash without stressing out. The tips you’ll discover include making extra money on the side, saving, and even borrowing.

While needing money urgently has various causes, it may be that you engaged in one or two bad money habits. So, you’ll also find out how to eliminate or reduce the chances of it occurring again.

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What Can I Do If I Need Money Desperately?

If you’re in desperate need of money, there are several options for you to solve the problem. While some might take a bit more time, you won’t need money desperately once you’ve implemented the tips.

Ready to start exploring? Here you go:

1. Do tasks online

Many websites can pay you instantly to complete daily tasks. They include activities like taking paid online surveys, watching videos, and playing games.

In most cases, survey sites have additional tasks through which you can maximize your earnings. Here are some legit ones to check out:

Swagbucks: You earn SB points (redeemable for PayPal money) when you complete surveys, take part in polls, watch videos, and more.
Survey Junkie: The survey site rewards you for sharing your opinion. You get bonuses for signing up, completing your profile, and confirming your email address.
InboxDollars: This website gives you real cash for taking surveys, watching videos, answering daily trivia questions, and more. There’s a $5 bonus for signing up on InboxDollars.

The best way to make more money from survey sites is to simply do such tasks. It’s also a good idea to join more than one site so that you’re in a constant supply of paid survey opportunities. You can instantly withdraw your earnings when you hit the minimum payout – which can easily be achieved if you complete as many daily tasks as possible.

Related: How to Make $100 a Day

2. Earn cash back on daily purchases

Unless you don’t have money for daily purchases, you can get instant cash back for shopping online or in-store. You only need to download a cash-back app to get started. An example is Ibotta.

Here’s how Ibotta works:

Download the Ibotta app: Get it from the App Store for iPhone or Google Play for Android and create an account.
Select some offers: Find items like groceries and apparel that you need on Ibotta. Taking part in polls, watching videos, and even creating a post on social media are some of the simple activities you can do to qualify for the cashback.
Shop for the items: Go to an online store or a physical one that’s supported by Ibotta to buy the items. Some offers require you to purchase from certain stores only.
Prove your purchase and get rewarded: After shopping, return to the app, select the store you shopped from, and upload your receipt photo. You get the cashback once Ibotta verifies your purchases.

MyPoints and Tada are some other apps to get cash back on groceries and other purchases. The steps are similar to Ibotta’s.

3. Get rid of your unnecessary expenses

It could be that you need money desperately for one thing but still spending money on other unnecessary things. If that’s your case, you need to eliminate those wants first.

Such unnecessary expenses examples are dining out, costly gym memberships, and expensive daily coffees. Getting rid of them allows you to free up cash for what’s more important at the moment.

It’s also not that hard to find cheaper alternatives to your unnecessary expenses. For the mentioned examples, you could start cooking, working out, and making coffee at home. You’ll get similar results if you work on becoming good at each!

4. Lower your other expenses

Sometimes, cutting your expenses is the easiest option to fix your financial situation. And in most cases, there are one or two expenses you’re spending more money on than required.

All you need to do is create a budget to track your income and expenses. If you list all your monthly expenses, it becomes easier to know which ones are taking up too much of your income. Some expenses that can be lowered include groceries, gasoline, and car maintenance.

For instance, you could determine the groceries that regularly go to waste and buy fewer units of them. This way, you free up money for your other needs.

Related: How to Save Money Quickly

5. Offer your skills

Most of us are good at one thing or two. If you’ve never thought of making money from your skills, it’s high time you do so.

Say you have landscaping skills. You could offer to maintain lawns, prune, or remove snow in your area and get paid for it.

Many other skills can be profitable online. They include marketing, programming, and web design. You can find related jobs on freelance sites, job boards, and social media.

Most clients just need to be convinced about your skills before hiring you. This means that you should submit great work and build your professional portfolio to get more opportunities.

6. Write slogans

Do you have a way with words and need money as soon as possible? Writing slogans can be an easy way to generate income if you’re good at it.

Many companies can pay you to craft catchy and meaningful slogans for them. You only need to find them.

Freelance sites and job boards are great for finding slogan-writing opportunities. Just go to any of such sites and search for something like “slogan” in the jobs section. If you’re able to provide a few good examples written by you, clients won’t hesitate to consider you.

Another way to get paid for your slogans is to participate in slogan writing contests online. Sites like Slogan Slingers hold such contests. Businesses agree to pay an amount for a perfect slogan and the winning writer gets it.

7. Pet sit

Most of the time, someone is either a dog person or a cat person. If you’re any of that, you have a chance to make money as a pet sitter. It involves activities like feeding, walking, and taking care of pets.

Chances are that there are several dog and cat owners in your area. If it’s an individual you know, they can easily entrust their pets’ needs to you when they aren’t around. You can either go to the owner’s place or let them bring their pets to you.

An easy option to find pet-sitting jobs is to become a sitter on Rover. The platform connects you to dog and cat owners in need of sitters nearby. You just need to register, select the pets you prefer to sit, and complete any pet-sitting job you land to get paid.

Keep in mind that cats and dogs aren’t the only pets you can take care of for money. You can find opportunities online to pet sit horses, guinea pigs, chinchillas, and any other animals you like.

8. Sell used items

Selling used items is another great option if you need money desperately. It can be old books, furniture, electronics, and more. You get a chance to clear and declutter your storage space while making money on the side.

You could organize a garage to sell numerous individual items within a short time. No special qualifications are needed to execute a profitable garage sale.

All you need to do is set a suitable date, advertise your upcoming sale in newspapers, on signs, or online, and get ready for the big day. Be sure to organize your items and decide on the prices beforehand. Also, get a permit if it’s required in your locality.

Besides garage sales, you can sell used items online. Some sites for this purpose include Craigslist, Amazon, and eBay.

When selling any old or unwanted stuff, ensure they’re still usable. If it’s a book, for instance, check whether there are any missing or torn pages. This way, you’ll have a good experience with your buyers.

9. Get paid to shop

Maybe you’re good at spotting the freshest groceries from the store. Or, that’s not really the case but you need to make money as a shopper anyway.

If you become an Instacart shopper, you can earn money shopping for other people and delivering it to them. Instacart connects you with other users who need groceries but can’t go to the stores themselves.

As long as you have a driver’s license and are ready to undergo a background check, you’re good to go. When you receive customer tips from shopping and delivering with Instacart, you keep the entire amount.

10. Test apps and websites

Is testing the usability of apps and websites something you might like? Well, it’s possible to get paid as a tester online.

Your work will be to use an app or site as usual and give some opinions about your experiences with it. Developers rely on the views of testers to create products that consumers will love.

You’re usually required to submit a written response as well as a video that shows your screen and captures your voice when doing the test. Most tests take just a few minutes to complete.

Sites such as UserTesting offer app and website testing opportunities. You only need to complete a quick practice test and submit your details to start getting paid. You earn several bucks to a few hundred dollars for approved tests.

11. Try an odd way to make money

Many people are making money doing odd jobs online and on the side. If you find one you don’t mind doing, you could make money urgently.

Look around in your area and you may spot several of these opportunities. It could be that a person doesn’t like doing it and needs to hire someone who can comfortably do it for payment. One such task is poop scooping.

You could also go online and offer something to get paid. An example is selling feet pics on sites like Instagram, Snapchat, and Feetfinder.

If you’re okay with any job that others find unusual, go for it and make some money.

12. Do manual work

If you have some muscles you don’t mind using, doing physical work may fit you. It’s a chance to maintain good health while making money on the side.

Some manual labor jobs require you to be trained. But there are many others you can do with little to no experience. And they don’t have any special educational requirements.

You could clean houses, help with nursery work, or be a flagger during road construction. All you need to do is spot such opportunities and apply or inquire about getting hired for them.

Ask around in your area or check out sites like Craigslist and TaskRabbit for manual labor jobs. Be sure that if there’s any machinery involved, you can operate it without any problems.

13. Donate blood plasma

Donating blood plasma is essential for saving lives. It happens that some private companies pay donors for their donating efforts.

As long as you have good health and weight, you can take advantage of such opportunities. Sometimes, paid donors are required to be of a particular age such as 18.

An easy way to find a donating center nearby is to use a site like Donatingplasma.org. Go through reviews and find out if there’s compensation for making a donation. You could also inquire about the same at blood donation organizations around your area or check their websites.

When it comes to payment, several factors play a role. They include your locality, type of blood, and the number of donations you make. If the demand is high, you’re likely to generate more earnings.

You’re free to donate blood plasma more frequently if you’re in great shape.

14. Become a delivery person

Have a car and you’re in desperate need of money? Doing delivery jobs is something you might want to try.

One option is to become a Dasher. In fact, you can deliver with DoorDash in select cities if you don’t have a car but a bicycle. It’s a chance to earn extra cash driving or biking as you deliver food orders.

You can also become a delivery person on Postmates. You get paid to deliver food, drinks, and retail orders. Many people will be glad to give you customer tips if serve them well.

15. Turn your hobby into a side hustle

We all have activities we like to engage in for fun. But it’s possible to do the same for money, especially if you’re about to scream “I need $100 now.”

Turning your hobby into a side hustle or business is a great way to earn money because you’ll be doing something you already know. But your hobby might be less “fun” when you’re engaging in it to generate income.

You have to first ensure that your hobby is profitable. Know how you’re going to make money from it and find out whether there’s a market.

Set up social media pages to promote your new side hustle. If you have a little spare cash for it, create ads targeting potential customers in a specific area.

Feel free to try traditional marketing like putting up posters in your area (if doing it lawfully) and making business cards.

16. Rent out your car

This is yet another way to make money from your car. Renting it out is one of the best ways for you to get extra cash without struggling.

Car-sharing platforms are great for listing your car because many people looking for rental cars use them. One good example of such a site is Turo.

The platform enables you to be paid for sharing your vehicle with other people. The good thing is that you can list more than one car and generate more income. Plus, Turo has insurance included in the service.

You just need to complete your registration and start accepting trips from car renters. You’re even able to communicate with them easily.

17. Rent out space

If you have an unused space in your home, renting it out is a great way to make money without stress. You could rent out space for storage, parking, farming, and more. It’s even possible to rent out your entire home for activities like filmmaking.

When renting out extra space, it’s good to do it through a renting platform. For instance, you can rent out storage space on a site like Neighbor.com.

If you sign up to become a host on the site, you get a chance to make money storing your neighbor’s belongings. You’re free to list your garage, basement, spare room, and other unused spaces.

You’re able to communicate and even meet with space renters before they store their stuff in your place. It becomes easy to screen potential renters and only allow belongings from trusted people.

Check out this Neighbor storage review for more details.

18. Rent out your items

Another solution to needing money desperately is to rent out your items. It can be a bicycle, music equipment, household goods like chairs, and much more. While there are some risks to renting out your items, it’s a quick and easy way to earn extra cash.

You can protect your items by taking a significant security deposit amount and signing contracts with the renter. Verbal agreements are useful. But putting everything in writing offers better protection.

Also, ensure that the items you rent out have no defects. This way, the renter will have a good experience using them.

You can even take photos of the items before the renter has them. This approach enables you to prove that the items were in good condition in case an unwelcome incident or damage occurs.

19. Sell your hair

Is your hair long and you’re in desperate need of cash? You could sell it if you don’t mind having shorter hair for a while.

Wigs and hair extensions are some products that require human hair. People use wigs when they have thinning hair as they look for a better solution and also in the entertainment industry. Hair extensions are used for altering one’s appearance.

If you have lengthy and good-looking hair, individuals and companies will pay to have it. You can also cut and sell well-maintained dreads if you have them.

Some places to sell your hair are hair-selling sites, online marketplaces, and even social media platforms. Keep in mind that it’s best to cut it off when you’re sure there’s a buyer.

20. Negotiate your bills

It’s possible to lower your bills by negotiating. If you feel you’re paying too much and need extra money for your other needs, bill negotiation might interest you. Some bills to negotiate are rent, cell phone bills, and Internet service bills.

You only need to speak with the service provider and give them a reason to reduce our bills. Ask for offers from time to time while being calm and polite. If it’s rent, for example, you could send potential tenants to the landlord or property manager to earn lower payments.

So, the next time you try out a new service, be a good customer and you might get reduced bills along the way through negotiations.

If you need help negotiating your bills, check out Trim Financial Manager for free. Another great bill negotiation service that’s suitable for phone and cable bills is BillSmart.

21. Seek financial help from your friends and family

It might get to a point where asking a friend or family member for help is the only way to get cash for your urgent needs. If that becomes the case, you just need to follow some good practices of asking for financial assistance to ensure you get it.

Here are some tips:

Know your exact needs: Don’t just come up with a rough amount. It shouldn’t be more or less than what you need. Make sure that it’s also not more than the person you’re asking can or is willing to give you.
Explain why you need the money: You wouldn’t be borrowing them if there were other options. So, tell them what you’ve tried so far and how you intend to use the money while being honest.
Have a repayment plan: Many friends and family members might offer financial help without needing you to pay back. But you shouldn’t just assume it. Unless they’ve clearly said that’s the case, you’re required to plan on how and when you’ll repay them.
Return the favor: This is especially useful if they offer you financial help for free. You could provide some services as a “thank you.” It can be cooking, cleaning, or lawn mowing.

As long as you’re polite and have a good relationship with a friend or family member, they’ll be okay with helping you.

22. Share living expenses with someone

It might be that you’re living alone and don’t have enough to cover all your living expenses. A good approach is to have a roommate or partner move in with you and split the expenses. These expenses include monthly rent, food, general maintenance, and utilities.

You have to be fair both in splitting expenses and using the resources. Going 50/50 on the bills might be unfair in some cases.

So, it’s best to be clear on which expenses are shared. For instance, you or your roommate shouldn’t pay for the other one’s shampoo while they’re the only one using it.

The most important thing is to be careful when choosing who to let in or move in with. It has to be someone you know at least in some way and trust. This way, you’ll avoid unnecessary arguments when it comes to sharing the costs.

23. Move to a cheaper apartment

It’s possible to lower your living expenses by moving to a cheaper apartment. That’s if you don’t want to consider other options like having someone move in with you.

If all the apartments in a specific area are quite expensive, move to another town or city. Heck, some people have left a country to save more money!

Moving to a more affordable place works even if it increases the transportation costs of going to work or school a bit. As long as you’re freeing up more cash from rent, go for it.

24. Apply for a personal loan

We’ve mostly been exploring what to do if you need money desperately without taking a loan. What if you need $500 now? In such a case, applying for a personal loan is an option.

But it should only be when your problem is temporary and you’re sure your financial situation will be back on track in a week or month. This way, you’ll be able to repay it on time.

When taking such a loan, be sure to look for the best rates. Don’t pick the first loan offer you get. Go to different lenders and check out their terms before making your decision.

Also, don’t apply for a higher amount than you need just because you qualify for it. As you know, the money you get from loans isn’t really yours. You don’t want to stress out when it’s time to pay back what you owe.

25. Ask for donations

Need money desperately for a cause? Maybe you’ve just discovered a genius solution to a global problem. Or, you’re looking to fund your business idea or college education.

You could ask for donations online to get the funding. It can be sending an email to a potential donor, posting on social media, or publishing the message on your own or on an online fundraising website.

It’s best to inspire people to take action by telling a truthful story, being specific about the amount needed, and making the donation process easy for them. Being a little creative also goes a long way.

You may, for instance, start with the slogan of the company you’re asking for donations. If it’s a social media post, you could include visual content so that people can see you. It also helps if you address the fears of donating money and prove you’re legit.

How Can I Get My Life Back on Track Financially?

Now, you know have several options in mind for when you need money desperately. But what next after you’ve fixed your urgent need for cash?

Here are some things to do to never be in such a situation again:

Stick to your budget: Many financial problems stem from not following your budget. It’s best to only spend the amount set aside for a specific expense. If possible, go under the budget by taking advantage of offers, finding lower prices, and shopping in season.
Build an emergency fund: This will help you deal with emergencies in the future. You may lose a job or experience losses in your business. But if you have an emergency fund that’s worth several months of expenses, you won’t have a problem handling any unexpected costs.
Get out of debt: High-interest debts can cause you to pay a lot more over time. If you have any debt, it’s best to find a proper debt payoff strategy to eliminate it. Some good ones are the debt snowball and debt avalanche methods.
Become a good spender: Learn to have priorities when spending money. If you have an issue of overspending with credit cards, leave them at home when you go out. Only carry cash to avoid getting deeper into debt.
Seek credit counseling: Speaking with an expert is another option if you’re overspending money while on a lower income. They’ll help you find ways to overcome the problem and the best strategies to reduce credit card debt.

What Should I Do If I Have No Job or Money?

If you don’t have a job or money, you need to find a way to earn extra income that doesn’t have special requirements and work on properly managing the money you get. Getting good at these two is enough to never need money desperately again.

This list contains some of the top tips to make money and get your finances right. You only need to implement what you’ve discovered as soon as possible to improve your financial situation.

Wrapping up on What You Can Do When You Need Money Desperately

Needing money desperately happens more times than you can think. But since you’re here, you must have learned some ideas to solve it and reduce the chances of experiencing it again.

That’s why you just need to pick your favorite fixes for urgent cash needs from the list and try them out. If you put more effort into it, you’ll get what you need sooner. And if one idea doesn’t work for you, don’t hesitate to implement the next.

I Need Money Desperately! 25 Ways to Get Urgent Cash