How To Make Money Fast Without Going Crazy
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
There are ways to cover your bases when cash is tight and you need to make money fast.
Today, I will review some of the easiest ways we’ve earned extra cash without going crazy.
Make Money Fast With These Simple Tips
Suppose you need extra cash and want to make money fast; put on your thinking cap.
Turn your skills into cash and your junk into gold with these tips.
I have a reader question today 28-year-old Chris wants to know how to make money fast without stress to pay off his bills aside from his full-time job.
He says he’s been following Canadian Budget Binder since the start and wants to start a debt-free life while paying his mortgage.
It’s nice to know that we inspire the fans, although that’s essentially all we are here for.
Chris has a good question today, and there is no one correct answer, but there are ways to make money to help pay down debts.
Making extra money might not produce a windfall, but I can tell you that the extra money we made over the years helped us pay off our mortgage in 5 years.
All the spare cash we made went to small projects, entertainment, or paying off small debts.
Money is money, so if you can scoop up a few extra bucks here and there, go for it.
There is no best way to borrow money fast today unless you take payday loans or ask friends and family (touch and go on that topic).
Pursuing money-making ideas might be a smart way to start if you need to make money now.
Debt Repayment Doesn’t Go Away
When you can’t keep up with the creditors calling or sending mail for debt repayment, it’s time to step up.
Or if your budget isn’t cutting because you have more debt than income, it may be time to find a part-time job doing something straightforward.
Your time is valuable if you already have a family, a house, and a full-time job.
Learning to make money must be straightforward and time-sensitive when you need cash fast.
I’m not a pro at learning how to make money, but I know that if you have spare time, it’s easy to walk away with the cash you didn’t have yesterday.
How To Make Money Fast
Now, if you want to know some of my secrets for learning to make money, you will be surprised that they aren’t.
Making money is not for everyone, especially if you do not like to put yourself out there in front of the public.
Below I’ve put together a few ways you can learn how to make money aside from your job but remember these are ways that either I’ve tried and succeeded at or someone I know has.
These recommendations are personal experiences and might not work for everyone.
The best way to learn how to make money is through trial and error as long as you aren’t losing money.
1. Babysitting
If you are a stay-at-home mom or dad or have time throughout the day or on the weekends, you can easily make money by advertising services to babysit.
2. Landscaping
Picking weeds is a terrible job for many homeowners, but if you love it, you might love the money that comes with it.
CBB contributor, Katrina, runs her own side business in the summer for extra money and is always bustling with new customers.
Mowing lawns for those who don’t have the time is a leisurely second income for those with a lawn mower.
3. Snow Removal
If you have a shovel or a snow blower, get moving in the winter and advertise your services to start pulling in some money.
4. Baking or Cooking From Home
If you have friends who love how you cook and bake, you might be happy to know they might pay you to do that for them.
It may be a family gathering they are going to, and you make the best lasagna, and they want a tray.
You may need to research the need for a business licence, and you’ll need to follow the food premises regulation 562 if you intend to sell food to the general public.
5. Cash Converters
These Cash Convertor stores are popping up all over Ontario, where you can bring in your new or used items and receive INSTANT CASH for them.
It might be a lot of money, but something is better than nothing if you need cash fast. They also offer a trade-in or an in-store credit for the merchandise.
You can also negotiate what they will give you for your item.
6. Focus Groups/Research Projects
If you live in a University city, ring them up, as they are always looking for participants for ongoing studies. You can also check the University website as well.
Focus group participation is another easy way to make money by giving your opinion.
You will find some if you search online for focus groups in your area or seek out ads on Kijiji.
We were paid $100 cash for one hour of our time, and they fed us, just for our opinion.
7. Garage Sales
The easiest way to learn how to make money is by flipping items from a garage sale.
You don’t have to learn much, but you must follow some rules to ensure you don’t bring your junk back inside at the end of a sale.
8. Online Auctions
Facebook auctions are taking over these days, so if you’ve got anything you want to sell, now is the time to post and sell it.
You will be shocked at how many Facebook pages you can join in and around your local area where you can sell stuff.
9. eBay
If you aren’t a fan of Facebook online auctions, you can quickly learn how to make money by selling your stuff on eBay.
10. Professional Services
Income tax preparation, accounting, tutoring, mechanic, web design, web consultant, etc., are great ways to make extra cash.
You can easily make some fast side income if you are a skilled professional.
A person I know is skilled in fixing computers, and he makes some serious cash on the side helping his friend’s out when their computer gives them headaches.
11. Dog Walking/ Pet Sitting
Many people own pets that can’t take care of them. Owning a pet is a huge responsibility; some people get in way over their heads, or circumstances may change.
If you have spare time, advertise that you can pet sit for a fee or walk dogs for cash.
You’ll be surprised how many phone calls you might get in your local area, especially if it’s your neighbours.
12. House-Sitting
My parents house-sit from time to time now that they are retired to earn pocket cash.
When they asked a friend how to make extra money in the UK, she suggested they go on house sits.
They love house-sitting, although they aren’t running to the bank with bags of cash.
House-sitting allows them the freedom to care for and visit new homes each month, making some extra cash.
They plan to continue house-sitting as long as they can to supplement their pension and retirement income.
13. House Cleaning/ Grocery Shopping
Not everyone has the time or patience to clean a house, especially when time is thin.
If you don’t mind cleaning, you could put a free ad on Kijiji advertising your cleaning services.
Some people in Canada will pay you to grocery shop for them and look for available services on Facebook Marketplace, local newspapers, advertising boards, or Kijiji.
Word of mouth is always your best advertising.
14. Room Rental
We rented a room in the past, and although it’s not something we plan to do again, it’s a great way to make extra money fast.
Ensure you take all the necessary precautions when interviewing and doing homework on a potential live-in renter.
Related: How We Earned Extra Income Renting A Room To An International Student
15. Apartment Rental
You may miss out on some easy money if you already have a vacant walk-out basement with an apartment.
If you don’t have a finished basement and have some cash, you could quickly transform your dungeon into dream living quarters for someone to rent.
Returning the cash from your initial investment may take time, but it’s easy money in your pocket after that’s paid.
16. Online Blogging or Other Business Ventures
Remember that an online business is risky because it’s not free, so investment is often involved.
Plus, don’t forget that money doesn’t come fast, and some never see a penny.
If you think you’ve got what it takes and aren’t time-pressured, you might be on a winning streak if you have an idea that people will gravitate towards.
Related: How To Start A WordPress Blog? How I Earned My First $100 From Blogging.
Alternatively, you can sell handmade items on Etsy if you are creative.
17. Write An E-Book
If you love to write, you could quickly create an informative e-book and sell it online for a profit.
Sure, costs are involved, but if you think your writing and knowledge can capture an audience, go for it.
I know someone who writes children’s books and is now very successful.
18. Read The Help Wanted Ads
It’s incredible how many people need help.
It is looking for people with experience opening a pool, landscaping, backyard BBQ coordinator, party decorator/assistant, or cleaning windows and siding on the house.
Don’t forget to quickly run through job ads to see what people need because you might be that person.
19. Grow and Sell Plants
A week ago, we were at a friend’s home who had so many plants and shrubs on her property that she didn’t know what to do.
Our suggestion was to sell them to whoever wanted them for rock-bottom prices.
Place an ad online and watch the summer green thumb gurus come running.
Plants are costly at some greenhouses, so they will if someone can snag a deal.
Let them dig it up, so you don’t have the stress of extra work.
20. Seniors Companion
I know that it might sound odd, but some seniors out there wouldn’t mind having some company occasionally.
You might also want to walk with them and enjoy a beautiful day. Not everyone can get out to make friends, so why not bring friendship to them?
21. Set Up A Trading Enterprise
Online trading is a viable way of making money. It’s cheaper than trading with classic offline brokers that charge you for every transaction.
Additionally, it has much lower initial capital requirements – you can get started with as little as 100$ in some cases.
Plenty of solutions exist for people who do not know financial markets, including “mirror trading.”
It refers to performing precisely the same deals as somebody else, in this case – a trader with a proven success record.
You can choose your strategy provider based on his/hers success rate or average profit.
Overall Thoughts
I’m sure this list can grow more prominent, so I will rely on my audience to share their tips in the comment section of this blog post.
We all want to make money to help us stay ahead of the debt game, so let’s all help each other out.
Discussion: What are some crazy non-stress ways you’ve made money fast?
Please leave comments below.
Other CBB Articles
- Is Budget Failure Your Fault?
- My Debt Story: How I Paid Off $100,000 In Debt (And How You Can Too)
- There And Back Again: A Spenders Financial Journey
- Should I Rent Or Buy? The Million Dollar Question
- How I Reduced Our Grocery Budget From $1100 To $600 In 6 Months
- How we paid our mortgage off in 5 years
Great read, always looking for extra ways to be more efficient around the office. I just wanted to share something I’ve been doing recently. I run an office and have noticed that unused toner was piling up in storage. Looked into returning but that was no good.
Get rid of ALL your clutter ! No one needs extra jobs ! I’m going for milk now ! Is there anything more Important ?
Perhaps a bit controversial, but it is very well possible to make a lot of money investing. And I am talking about 1.5% to 3% per day! That sounds incredible, I know, I had the same reaction. And there are risks involved. But there are several companies that are trading and use your money to make a lot more themselves. They are very happy to give you a fair share of their profits.
Some of these companies exist only a year or two. So it is vital to step in on time, withdraw your principal a.s.a.p. and then save for a couple of months. Withdraw money regularly. Use 50% to reinvest, maybe in a different program. Use 30% to live on and save 20% for your future. Yes, some programs just vanish but you will earn so much with the rest that this makes more than up for the losses you must expect. Go to my website for updated programs and start earning some real money. Good luck.
Hey Mr. CBB,
Great share !!
Its been great to read such blog.I’ve taught thousands of students how to make money fast (all with different talents & levels of experience) and I can show you how to do the same.It’s sad that most of us are never taught how to negotiate. The truth is that most things CAN be negotiated…and we can save a ton of money doing it. What would it mean for you if you had $100 less to pay on your bills this month?Your cell phone bill is the perfect place to start. Cell phone companies have this wildly curious business model of acquiring tons of customers through very expensive means (e.g., national advertising), then churning through them by treating them horribly.
Keep sharing !!
have a great day
Very true..we tried that approach a couple of weeks ago only to end up saving $10 then losing it to unlimited internet. That was fine with us if we had to we’d start with technology to keep some budget money.
Whenever an election happens, you can call the electoral office and sign up to be an election worker. No experience necessary. If you are eligible to vote, you are eligible to work, and in one day plus a 3-hour training session you can make anywhere from $160 to $600, depending on which position you take. I have worked every federal, provincial, and municipal election in the past 19 years. For municipal elections, you call your town clerk’s office to apply. For federal and provincial elections, you can sign up on the Elections Canada or Elections Ontario (or the province of your residence) web sites, and follow up by calling the electoral office to make sure they got your application.
Very informative, thanks for sharing
I do a paid for surveys site and I make around $300 a month. It won’t make you rich but it covers my electric and water bill lol.It’s really not hard.
Hi….may I ask which paid for survey site you use? I’m looking to make some extra money as well. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jean,
Surveys that actually pay? would you mind sharing the surveys and their contact links?
Thank you kindly!
Kat
Hello!
Thank you for sharing 🙂
That’s a great list Mr. CBB! Thanks for sharing those money making ways. 🙂
I decided to become a soccer referee and am making some good money (cash in hand) doing that. I’m outside in the summer, keeping fit and giving back to the community with a sport I love. It’s a no-brainer. My friend earns some pocket money by being a time keeper at her local ice arena for hockey games.
What a brilliant idea! Do you have kids that play soccer as well or is this something you stumbled upon in the want ads or through a friend? Extra money is always good. Thanks for adding to the tips for the fans!
My friend uses his talent as a graphic designer, she has always joined in a contest online. She can make one or two designs per day and luckily she always wins. The winner can win from ranges $300 and above depending on the designs.
Wow,that’s pretty impressive. Thanks for sharing.
I did the babysitting thing back when my kids were small and it supplied them with playmates as well as a few bucks for me.As I am handy with a sewing machine I’ve done dressmaking and alterations for other people, it’s not something I would want to do full time but every little bit helps. My sister-in-law will have a garage sale every year or two but I’ve never done it. Mind you i could take stuff to her when she is having a sale anyway and she would sell the stuff for me. She also uses Kijiji and sold our trailer a few years ago for us. You need to be careful about the people coming to your house but she always makes sure her hubby is there when some one comes over. If we want to get rid of something most times we take it to the Salvation Army Thrift store and donate it there….chances are it came from there in the first place.
It’s the sewing that will get me a couple of bucks here or there these days. Hemming something is easy enough. Replacing a zipper or altering a fancy dress has been known to have me expending my vocabulary of abuse on occasion but I still do it. I have painted a couple of things around here and done a faux finish on them but that has been for my own use. At least so far…..
Oh, you are so talented. You know I might write a blog post about having people come to your house to buy something that is for sale. You sound alot like my wife’s friend who does all the same things as you do. You must be a Scorpio!! ha! That’s just a wild guess. Who taught you to sew? I can only use a needle and thread that’s about it.
I’m Capricorn actually..Lol!!! My Mom taught me to sew back when I was a child but I took Home Economics back in the day in high school. I sucked at the business courses so I took a plan that had a lot of Home ec courses and did well. Mom used to say that she taught me to sew but I took it further than she did….
Well I gave it my best shot lol… I’m not horoscope genie hehe! It was smart you did as it certainly has stuck around with you.
I was cleaning on my closet last weekend and I found out that I have lots of clothes that I haven’t worn anymore. So I decided to post on Facebook and put as “Pre-loved Item” with lower prices and it only takes 2 days all my items was sold. I think I should check on my daughter’s closet too next week. 🙂
That’s a smart way to make extra cash rather than having it sit in your closet.
I’m glad you mentioned ebay and other auction sites! That was the first thing I thought of when you said your reader wanted to figure out how to make money fast. Selling unused items online is a way that we frequently make extra cash, and it’s fairly quick and easy.
I’ll be talking more about FB auctions soon but they are blowing up big time and people love it.
Hubby and I have sold tons of stuff on our local Facebook Buy and Sell site. It feels so great to declutter and make some money at the same time. We are also hosting a multi family garage sale in July (more so for my in laws as they are downsizing and NEED to get rid of stuff. LOL). And instead of making money from babysitting, my friends and I swap services, that way we dont have to pay for it all, which is awesome.
That’s a great way to get rid of items you don’t use … a garage sale. We love going to them BUT you also have to watch what you buy otherwise it’s easy to fill a house with items you don’t need. Ah.. another blog post idea!
I like the idea of swapping services. I sometimes do that with my mates as well where I help them with something and they help me saving me money. What tips do you have for those who want to buy and sell on Facebook? I was hoping to put a post together soon so I’ll quote you. Thanks.
One way that I have made some extra cash in the past few months has been by refinishing furniture and selling it for a profit on Craigslist. I have also babysat and ran an online business. I love making extra money!
Oh cool.. what kind of furniture? Did you write a post about it? Where do you buy the furniture initially?
Cool.. where do you get the furniture you refinish?
Another interesting post!
I love the room rent idea. I know a girl who has three roommates that are all super cool. Her mortgage is fully paid – and then some. It’s like she gets to hang out with her friends WHILE living essentially rent-free. More people really ought to do this!
You do lose the privacy but if the mortgage is getting paid I might have to consider that for a bit lol. The basement apartment rental I know many people pay their mortgage just from renting that out. DO you rent out any rooms?
I haven’t done anything for extra money in quite some time. I used to do a lot though! I do closet and make some extra money that way.
I know many people who sell their older clothes and make a nice profit from it. Why not, you paid for them might as well make a few dollars from them.
I’m always encouraged when I see lists like this. It reminds me that we have so much control and that our 9-5 income isn’t the end all be all of our financial outlook. Thanks for sharing the list CBB!
I can add to the list item that often organizations or even families will hire someone to spend time with adults with developmental disabilities, doing basic things with them like grocery shopping or yard work can be good for your bank account and your soul. What a lovely combo.
Good Point Krista, I can’t say that I thought of it that way but it’s nice to hear your perspective because you are so right. Thanks for adding to the list..and yes it is a lovely combination 🙂
Do you mean respite work when you say “Male/Female companion for seniors”? I believe this includes working with children/adults with disabilities as well. A friend of mine worked with a elderly gentleman for about a year as a respite worker. She made $15/hour to have coffee and watch tv with him for a few hours a week, and she really enjoyed it.
I don’t know all the services needed out there but sure that could be included. 🙂 Thanks for the tip!
Great list. How about photography? If you have a camera there are plenty of sites that will sell your pictures for you. Or you could check out a freelance site like Elance. They have all kinds of jobs, some that require no real background, others that need you to be a rocket scientist. But still worth a look.
What a brilliant idea Brad!! Many people have cameras and love to take photos so why not make some extra money doing it. Thanks for adding this tip! Mr.CBB
have no idea why that Pampers link is in there… sorry, welcome to remove it as I did not add it, unless your site automatically picked it up..lol!!
It’s automatic with Comment Luv picks up your last post. 🙂
Liberate your closet space, and fill your wallet by selling your unwanted too small, too big, not your style anymore clothing at a good reputable consignment store. I phoned my store up the road and to my surprise they have a $200 cheque for me from last years sales.. I had forgotten to contact them over the winter. This store also keeps my unsold items and return them to me.. many stores will send unsold items off to a local charity.
I have also done Facebook auctions – made a pretty good bit of change selling off some vintage costume jewellery and other bits and pieces while decluttering the house.
The Facebook auctions seem to be getting popular these days. I might have to do a blog post on them to share what they are all about.
Not only are there Facebook Auctions but there are also “Buy and Sell” or “Classified” “Flea Market” groups that people post items for sale with a price or comment of make an offer. Usually for a specific city or area. I’m a member of several different ones that I post in – my home town when i go back, where i currently live, another city we visit frequently. We actually managed to pick up a very nice king sized bed from people we know for a really really good price a couple weeks ago. Not very often I’d buy a used mattress but When its someone we knew and bascially new…it was a hard deal to passup.
Yes you are correct I am in some of the buy and sell as well but I didn’t know about classifieds. Thanks for helping out with adding more tips to the list 🙂 Great score on the bed. Do you normally buy second-hand before new if you can? We do. 🙂