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Five Ways to Get Extra Money When You Need It

Five Ways to Get Money When You Need It

Almost everyone wishes they had ways of having a little (or a lot) more cash. However, it may be difficult to pick up a part-time job; looking, applying and interviewing take time. There are alternatives to a second job, and here are just a few of them

1. Sell on Craigslist.com

Craigslist is well-known website that allows people to post items or services they hope to sell. Most populated areas in the United States have their own Craigslist site (they’re separated geographically); consider it a “new age” garage sale.

Unlike other online selling outlets, Craigslist only facilitates face to face meetings for sales/purchases. This means buyers do not have to give sellers their credit information, as nearly all of the purchases are made in cash. An easy sign of a fraud or a scam is if someone requests your credit information over the internet; avoid contact with those buyers/sellers. Craigslist also does not take any commission on the transactions, leaving all the profit to the seller.

2. Start a Paper Route

A paper route may seem childish, but more and more adults are picking up paper routes as a way to supplement their income. In this day and age, most parents don’t allow their children to ride their bicycles around town in the early hours of the morning. Because of this, the duty of delivering papers has fallen on adults with reliable transportation. To pick up a paper route, inquire with your local newspaper, and find out what they have available. If you’re willing to trade sleeping in for a paper route, you can make around $1,000 per month.

3. Sell Stock Photos

Stock photos are generic pictures that are licensed for a specific use (for example, the photos in the frame when you buy a picture frame). Anyone can take stock photos, but there’s no guarantee yours will necessarily sell. Despite this, it is worth it to give taking stock photos a try, as they don’t require much work at all. To help sell your stock photos, upload them to a stock photo sharer, such as iStock.com. These websites provide content to buyers of stock photos, helping to put you in touch with potential buyers. Once you sell enough photos ($100 worth on iStock), you have the option to begin “cashing out”. You can receive payment in many forms, including checks or PayPal.

4. Walk Pets/Dogs

All animals require their daily exercise, but not all owners can provide this to their pets. This is where you come in. Offer to walk dogs or any pets for a flat rate for an hour a few days a week. This can seriously add up quickly depending on the amount of free time you have. While the owners are busy at the office, or simply away from home, you can walk multiple dogs per trip, in a short amount of time. This is especially popular in cities, where pets can be cooped up in a small apartment.

5. Sell Your Clothes

Similar to the first suggestion of Craigslist, there are many ways to sell old clothes. If your clothes no longer fit, aren’t the style you like, or you would rather have cash, consider selling them. There are numerous consignment stores such as Spanky’s or Plato’s Closet. These places will buy what they call “gently used” clothes, and re-sell them in their store. As long as your clothes aren’t completely thrashed, it’s worth seeing how much they’re worth.

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Published Mar 15, 2013.