The best way to handle money is by being proactive.

Staying on top of your finances, creating a budget, all that good stuff.

But we know that things happen.

Sometimes, you find yourself in the predicament of needing money right now and not knowing how to do it.

Maybe you fell short of the money you needed to pay a bill this month.

Perhaps you had a medical problem you needed to take care of.

Or, your car decided that it wanted to stop working right when you thought you had all your expenses taken care of for the month.

When you find yourself in one of these situations, stop worrying.

Instead, read this list of ways to make money soon – we’re talking as quickly as today – so you can get back on your financial feet.

“I Need Money Now!” Here’s How to Make Money Today (or Soon)

Use Top Reward Sites

Reward sites like QuickRewards, Swagbucks, and InboxDollars can get you money fast, even if you start using them today.

These places let you rack up money quickly and get paid quickly.

I suggest starting with Swagbucks and using that as your primary money maker.

It’s so quick and easy to earn there that you could actually get a few bucks in just an hour or so – and get paid with as little as 300 SBs in your account (good for $3 via PayPal).

Then, sign up for the others and use them as backups.

They also accrue cash fast, but they’re not quite as immediate as Swagbucks.

…And the Best Survey Sites

Survey sites can also be an excellent backup way to make sure you keep gaining cash in your spare time.

They’re not as quick as reward sites because they don’t offer as many earning opportunities, but they definitely can help give you extra money each month.

We have a lot of favorites, but some of our top picks include Pinecone Research, Ipsos i-Say, YouGov, Branded Surveys, and Opinion Outpost.

Find Local Gigs

When you’re in need of a quick gig to get paid on an evening or weekend when you have free time, local is the way to go.

Try Craigslist first.

Its Gigs section might give you exactly what you’re looking for.

You can sometimes find people in need of help in local Facebook Groups, too.

People will sometimes post when they need a handyman, for example, to do some quick stuff around the house.

Or, use apps like Thumbtack, Gigwalk, and Taskrabbit, to find people in your neighborhood who need all kinds of stuff, from car repairs to painting.

Finally, check Reddit.

This place can be a goldmine for finding jobs that fit your interests and skills if you know how to use it.

ForHire is a good one to find online gigs.

But you can also look around your local subreddits to find stuff in your area. Browse the listings here.

Sell Your Stuff

You might want to head into your attic, basement, or garage, to find things that have been sitting around for ages not getting used.

Think: electronics, books, toys, jewelry, clothing, anything vintage or collectible.

There are tons of ways to sell and places that’ll help you get stuff sold.

Here are several ideas:

• Facebook Marketplace
• Craigslist
• Declutter (selling app)
• eBay
• Plato’s Closet (clothing)
• Bookscouter (books)
• Gazelle (electronics)
• Worthy (jewelry)

Or, Find Free Stuff to Flip for Profit

You can also go a different route and find stuff to sell – without even having to pay for them.

Try Craigslist’s “Free” section, where you can find stuff like furniture, clothing, toys, and other stuff, all for free.

You might find something that’s already in great condition that you can flip for a profit.

Or, you might find things that need a little love to sell.

Either way, it’s a cheap way to get stuff sold.

You might also try FreeCycle, a place that lets you find free stuff in your area that need a home.

Pawn Items

For really quick results and a good amount of cash for high-value stuff, you can pawn items.

This isn’t something you should rely on, but it can be good in a pinch.

But remember: Pawning is just a loan.

You’ll need to pay back what you get with interest or the pawn shop will get to keep your item.

So, make sure you don’t pawn anything you absolutely can’t part with, just in case.

Get Quick Cash for Devices

EcoATM gives you money for your cell phones, tablets, and MP3 players.

These machines are found inside stores all over the country, making it convenient to drop in your device and get paid.

You can even use the website before you head there to see how much it could be worth.

Get Paid to Search the Web

What could be easier than making money while you search the web?

Use InboxDollars’ paid search function to browse the web instead of Google and get extra cash in your account.

You can also use Microsoft Rewards to earn points for each Bing search.

Or, join UpVoice, a site that pays you when you visit any of its partnered retailers – and it has some big ones that you probably already visit frequently, like Amazon and Facebook.

Get Cash Back for Stuff You Bought

I normally suggest using cashback shopping sites, like Rakuten and MyPoints, for a way to earn money in your spare time, but since you’re needing money badly right now, I don’t want to suggest spending money to make it!

Instead, try an app like Earny.

This app tracks what you’ve already bought – so nothing more to spend – and gives you the difference when prices drop on stuff you purchased.

It’s all automated, so it couldn’t be easier.

Donate Blood Plasma

Donating blood plasma is a little bit of a process initially because you need to go through a health screening process to get started.

However, after that, you’ll be able to donate up to twice a week at most centers, which gives you the opportunity to earn as much as $400 per month.

So, get set up now so that you’ll have this to fall back on each month when you need to.

You’ll need to find a center in your area that’s within a decent driving range for this to be realistic.

You can conduct a Google search to find them, or look specifically for some of the ones that are known for paying the best, like CSL Plasma and KEDPlasma.

Donate Sperm

Check Spermbank.com to find a center near you that accepts sperm donations.

You can also do a Google search to find other local banks.

Sperm donation centers often allow a few donations per month, which can be helpful for men who need quick cash and understand everything it means to be a sperm donor.

Unfortunately, ladies, it’s not as simple to donate your eggs. That process can take months.

Babysit the Neighbors’ Kids

Looking for a quick local gig?

How about finding some neighborhood kids to take care of?

It shouldn’t be tough to do if you have a neighborhood with a lot of families and at least some experience with children.

Be prepared to have some references from people you’ve worked with in the past.

Walk Dogs

Dog lovers can go a different route and care for the pups in the neighborhood.

Rover and Wag! Walking let you sign up as dog walkers to make money walking the dogs in your area.

Walkers tend to make between $15 and $25 an hour and they get to hang out with cuddly pups – win-win!

You don’t need to use an app if you don’t want to.

You can always just market yourself in the paper, on Facebook, or on Craigslist and have others contact you for help.

Shop For and Deliver Groceries (and Other Stuff)

Get paid to deliver!

There seem to be new delivery services popping up all the time that pay independent contractors to work when they want to bring people their food, groceries, and other stuff they order from places in town.

Try these companies to see which ones are best for your area:

• Instacart (Here, you can actually shop for groceries for customers in addition to delivering them)
• Doordash
• GrubHub
• UberEats
• Postmates

Rent Your Parking Spot

Does your parking spot stay empty most of the day?

Use SpotHero or Pavemint to fill it fast with another car who needs it.

You can sign up for free and indicate the days and times when your spot is open for others to use.

Place an Ad in the Paper

Use your local newspaper, social media, or Craigslist to let others know that you’re open for business…doing whatever it is that you do.

There is never a shortage of people who need help with something around their house, so put your skills to use and get some quick money.

Here are several ideas:

• Painting
• Cleaning exteriors/interiors
• Car repair
• Window washing
• Helping others move
• Landscaping
• Roof repairs
• Home or office organization
• Tutoring

Freelance

If you prefer to do online work, then freelancing is the way to go.

It’s similar to finding odd jobs around the neighborhood, except that you can put your techie skills to use instead.

And, you get to work on your own schedule when you have time to spare – what could be better than that?

These freelance marketplaces are some of the best:

• Upwork
• Guru
• PeoplePerHour
• Freelancer
• Fiverr

Complete Quick Tasks Online

Use Amazon Mechanical Turk to get super quick tasks done in your spare time.

You’ll find gigs like taking surveys, getting information from images, researching contact information for businesses, and evaluating chat bots.

Basically, you can find just about anything that interests you.

You’ll get paid either to a bank account or your Amazon Payments account as frequently as every 3 days.

Enter Giveaways and Sweepstakes

No, you won’t be guaranteed to make anything when you enter a giveaway or a sweepstakes…but that doesn’t mean you can’t!

Online giveaways and sweepstakes don’t typically cost anything to join (and if they do, don’t enter them), and you could walk away with easy money just for entering.

I like Giveaway Monkey and Giveaway Promote for finding new ones to enter.

Last Resort Options

I’m listing these options here because they are valid ways to make money fast.

However, they should only be used as a last resort, like if you have some type of emergency need for cash.

In the long run, these options can cost you more money if you’re not careful, so it’s best to only save the ideas as a Plan Z when all else fails.

Payday loans

A payday loan can get you cash immediately.

These are based on how much you get paid and your pay schedule.

They’re fast, but they’re also very high on interest, so you’ll end up paying a lot for their convenience.

You usually won’t have long to pay it back, either.

Most are due when your next paycheck is scheduled to arrive.

Personal loans

A personal loan can get you better interest rates and a longer payment term than a payday loan.

You can also get more cash from a personal loan.

However, loans can spiral you into debt quickly because you need to pay them back every month.

If you don’t have the extra cash to do that, you may end up with another loan to pay off the first, putting you into a never-ending cycle of debt.

Credit card cash advances

Many credit cards offer at least a portion of your credit limit to come as a cash advance if you need it.

That means that you’ll be able to use it like a debit card at an ATM.

Unfortunately, you’ll get hit with cash advance fees and, usually, a higher interest rate than you would if you used your card for a purchase.

The ATM will probably hit you with an extra fee, too.

Ask your boss

If you and your boss have a good relationship, you might consider asking them for a payday advance.

The problem with this is that you’ll get paid early, so you won’t have your paycheck come when you’re used to receiving it.

That could mess up your budget for the month, especially when it comes to planning your bills.

Plus, if you do this too often, it could make you look unprofessional and irresponsible.

Conclusion: Get Paid Fast

You have lots of options now to get paid quickly!

You might even find something you enjoy doing so much that it turns into a regular side gig to help your financial situation every month.

Good luck in finding your new favorite way to make some extra cash.