31 Legit Ways to Make Quick Money in a Day

Looking for ways to make cash? Whether you’re trying to pay off your debt faster, or need some extra income for the month, there are several side gigs available that allow you to make quick money in a day and improve your financial life.

Learn more about what you could do to earn an extra income in as short as one day with these thirty-three ideas.

1. Drive With Uber or Lyft

Work around your own schedule and drive for an app-based taxi service. Uber and Lyft are great options for those who are looking for a side-gig or a full-time job, as you decide how often to drive.

Your earnings are calculated based on the base amount, time, and distance of the ride. You can earn even more if there is a high demand for drivers in the area, whether it’s a sought-after location or the day of an event, so keep that in mind when selecting an area to drive in. Minimum requirements include:

• You must be at least 21 years old
• You must have a valid U.S. driver’s licence
• You must have at least one year of licensed driving experience in the U.S. (3 years if you’re under 23 years old)
• You must have an eligible 4-door vehicle
• You must have proof of vehicle registration and vehicle insurance

Once you apply, you’ll undergo online screening to review your driving record and criminal history.

2. Presell Your Labor

Even if your family, friends, or neighbors may not need work done, you can sell your labor in advance of completing it. Make it official by printing out a certificate that promises that you’ll mow their lawn, shovel their driveway, water their garden, or complete another chore they’d need! Once they’re in need of the work, you can set up a time to get the job done.

It’s important to be reliable and keep your word on the job you promised. If you build up trust, these jobs could become a regular option for earning extra cash.

3. Perform Seasonal Jobs

Take seasonality into consideration when offering to lend a hand to family and friends. Are any of these seasonal options viable in your area?

• Winter: shovel the driveway or roof
• Spring: fertilize the grass
• Summer: mow the lawn or landscape the yard
• Fall: rake the leaves

4. Sell Your Clothes

Take the phrase “one person’s trash is another person’s treasure” to heart by purging your closet of clothes that you don’t wear anymore. You’ll have the best luck selling items that are on trend, so consider purging items that are still in style, but you don’t wear anymore. Head to a local thrift shop or consignment shop to see how much your clothes are worth!

Brands such as ThredUp, Poshmark, or Tradesy are great options if you’d rather sell through an online or app-based marketplace.

5. Become a Tutor

Are you an expert in math? Fluent in another language? Use your skills to your advantage by getting paid as a tutor. Reach out to the schools in your community to connect with students or parents of students looking for extra help, or post your skills to Craigslist.

There are also online communities that allow you to find tutoring gigs in your area such as Tutor, or Smarthinking, but they require that you undergo an application process and background check before landing a gig.

6. Sell Your Furniture

Do you have an old couch in your garage or a hand-me-down piece of furniture in your attic? You might be surprised by the value of your unused items.

Turn to Craigslist or apps such as Letgo and Facebook Marketplace to sell your furniture in a moment’s notice. To get the most from your sale, consider sprucing up your item. Some leather cleaner or varnish could significantly increase the value of your item.

7. Have a Yard Sale

Peruse your home for items that you don’t use such as books, clothes, antiques, and furniture. If you don’t have enough for a yard sale, reach out to your neighbors to see if they’re interested in a joint yard sale. Check out our three tips for hosting a successful yard sale:

Get a permit. Some cities require that you have a permit to host a yard sale, so check with your city clerk or town hall to find out what the procedure is. If you hold your yard sale without a permit, you might be at risk of getting shut down or fined.

Find a convenient time. You’ll want to pick a time that won’t interrupt anyone’s day, so it’s recommended that you hold it on Saturday or Sunday mornings. If you have enough items, you might attract a larger crowd by holding a multi-day yard sale.

Advertise. You can advertise in your local newspaper or online, or make yard sale signs and post them around your neighborhood. The more effort you put into getting the word out, the higher potential earnings you can expect.

8. Sell Your Books

Whether you have textbooks or books for pleasure reading, they likely hold some cash value. Try selling used textbooks at a local college or university — you’ll have even better luck if the same textbook is used in their current course offerings.

You can also sell used books online through sites like Bookscouter, Decluttr, or Amazon’s trade-in program.

9. Deliver Food

Opportunities to deliver food have been taken to a new level thanks to app-based devices. There are numerous food delivery apps such as Postmates, Uber Eats, and DoorDash that are a great way to make some extra cash without requiring you to work for a food establishment.

With the flexibility to select when, where, and how much you want to work, food delivery apps make it possible to make quick side money.

10. Get a Roommate

How important is it to you to live alone? If you have an extra bedroom or two in your house, you could be missing out on a significant amount of savings. If you charge $1,000 per month in rent, that averages to around $33 per day in savings.

To find someone who is the right fit for your lifestyle, you can turn to websites like Roommates, Roommate Match, and Roomster, which match you to a roommate based on your preferences.

11. Find Quick Jobs on Craigslist

If you’re looking for a quick side gig, you’ll find new opportunities on a regular basis through Craigslist. You can either sell a service you’re offering or find a job that matches your strengths. If it’s the first time you’re meeting about a gig, be sure to meet your prospective boss in a well-trafficked location to ensure your safety.

12. Become a Pet Sitter

According to ASPCA, approximately 44 percent of households in the U.S. have a dog, and 35 percent have a cat. There is a big opportunity for you to make money from pet sitting, whether it’s overnight or during the day.

With apps like Rover, you can create a profile to get matched with pet owners in the area. It’s common for people to get recurring gigs if they over-communicate and provide excellent service during your first pet sitting gig.

13. Do Freelance Work

Do you have a knack for writing or a background in development? There are thousands of freelance jobs available for people of all different areas of expertise. Sites like Upwork or Freelancer allow you to create a profile of what you bring to the table, and you can either apply for applicable jobs or get seeked out by people looking for freelancers.

Note that if you stick with one platform, you’ll build your presence in the freelance community, ultimately helping you land more gigs.

14. Clean Houses

If you don’t mind physical labor, there are countless housekeeping and cleaning jobs available online or on local job boards. Sites like Care or Indeed consistently post opportunities in your area.

Be proactive and apply for jobs as soon as their posted! If you have a background in cleaning, make sure to include that in your response to increase your likelihood of getting hired.

15. Participate in Research Studies

Programs such as NIH Clinical Center and ITHS offer opportunities for people to participate in research studies if you meet their requirements. Search for studies in your area and make sure to research the effects of participating to see if it’s something you want to follow through with.

16. Recycle Your Old Electronics

If you have old electronics such as laptops, smartphones, or music players collecting dust you may be sitting on some serious cash. Find a ecoATM kiosk in your area to earn money upon approval or go through brand trade-in programs like Apple GiveBack, who will provide a gift card if you recycle an old device with them.

17. Wash or Detail Cars

Offer your services on Craigslist or reach out to local dealerships to see if they have any opportunities available. Most dealerships rely on car washers to spruce up their cars for showrooms to intrigue potential buyers, so you might find part-time or full-time work washing, waxing, and detailing their cars.

18. Earn Cashback When Shopping

You can earn cashback when shopping for your typical items with affiliate-marketing businesses such as Ebates. By joining Ebates, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a percentage of what you buy back. The percentage of cashback varies, but you can typically expect between 5 and 20 percent.

19. Review Music

Get paid for your opinion by signing up and engaging in sites like Slice the pie. Not only does the site give you the chance to hear new music before anyone else, but it allows you to give a rating and feedback to artists for some extra cash.

20. Lower Your Bills

It’s easy to put your bills on autopay and forget about the cost associated with them. But, you might be surprised by how much you can deduct from your monthly payment simple by taking stock of your spending habits.

Do you need your own video-streaming and music membership? Or, could you split them with someone to save on costs? If you split that $10 per month, you could end up saving $60 annually.

 

21. Be an Extra

You don’t always need to live near Los Angeles or New York City to land some air time for some extra cash. Sites like Backstage and Central Casting will help you find extra casting calls in your area.

Be prepared with a headshot to apply for a gig where you meet the requirements!

22. Find Unclaimed Money

Did you know that there is nearly $58 billion of unclaimed money out there?

Find out if some if it is yours by searching for unclaimed money or property in every state that you’ve lived in. Unfortunately the government doesn’t have one website to locate unclaimed money, but you can follow the USA.gov steps for finding what’s rightfully yours.

23. Rent Out Your Parking Space

If you live near an event venue or convenient area in your city, rent out your parking space when it’s in high demand. Encourage people to park in your driveway or even on your yard for some extra cash. If you have limited space, park your car at a friend’s place or on a distant side street.

24. Babysit

It’s likely that there are families in your area seeking out an experienced and trustworthy babysitter. Use sites like Care or Sittercity to find babysitting jobs that fit your schedule.

25. Negotiate a Pay Raise

It can be daunting to request a raise at work, but being proactive could result in more money in your paycheck. Prepare an argument as to why you deserve a raise, and bring it to your boss. Even if they don’t accept immediately, it will show your company that your asking salary is a request that you’re working towards.

26. Flip Free Stuff

With people constantly moving out or changing their style, there are countless opportunities to get free stuff. Peruse through Craigslist and stop to check out items that you see marked as “free” on the side of the road. With a little elbow grease, you could be able to spruce up the item and sell it for a profit.

27. Participate in Focus Groups

Get paid to share your opinions by joining a focus group in your area. It’s easy to fill out an application on FocusGroup.com, and then all you need to do is wait for an invitation to the next research study, whether in-person or online.

28. Sell gift cards

Have you received a gift card for a birthday or holiday to a store or restaurant that you’re unlikely to frequent?

Sites like Cardpool or CardCash will allow you to earn cash for those gift cards, sometimes earning up to 92 percent cashback.

29. Become a Mover

Moving companies can be expensive, so sometimes people will look for independent contractors to help them with their move.

If you’re willing to do a physically demanding job, you can find opportunities to help people move in and out with sites that connect you with people in your community who are moving like TruckPlease or Dolly. You may even be able to find a gig last minute that fits your schedule.

30. Do Photography

If you have an eye for photography, you can sell your photos as stock photography through sites like Shutterstock or Getty Images. Complete the process of applying as a contributor and you can sell your images. You’ll earn a percentage of sales for every image purchased.

31. Help With Gardening or Landscaping

Whether your neighbor or friend is going out of town, or simply need an extra hand in the yard, offer your services as a gardener or landscaper. You can agree upon an hourly wage and mow their lawn, water their garden, plant flowers, or help with anything else they need.

Still looking for ways to make quick money in a day? Take pen to paper.

Write down all of your skills and uncover how you could use them as a way to earn an income. You might surprise yourself by all of the potential side gigs you qualify for.