50 Ways to Make a Fast $50 — or More

No matter how carefully you plan, money can run a little short at times. Maybe your kid needs new shoes, your car broke down, or you just want a night out on the town.

Whatever the reason, there are plenty of ways to find a little extra cash these days, because the internet is the greatest job creator the world has ever known.

Following are 50 ways to make an extra $50, or lots more, in just a few minutes or a few days. For a more exhaustive resource, check out “107 Easy Ways to Make Extra Money Every Month.”

Perform tasks

You might be surprised by the things you can get paid to do. They include some simple tasks and tasks you likely already do anyway. For example, check out:

1. Fiverr: This is an online marketplace for freelance services such as graphic design, writing, marketing and computer programming.
2. Thumbtack: This online marketplace for local professionals matches folks who provide a service — anything from catering to house cleaning — with folks in need of that service.
3. TaskRabbit: Similar to Thumbtack, this online marketplace connects you with local people willing to pay you for manual labor around the house — from heavy lifting to handyman tasks.
4. Lyft, Uber or Uber Eats: If you’ve got a car, use it to earn extra money in your spare time by giving rides to folks or their food orders.
5. HealthyWage: This website and app enables you to bet on your own weight loss goal. Meet that goal and you’ll cash in.
6. Swagbucks: This company will pay you to watch videos, play games, answer surveys or use its search engine.
7. Amazon’s Mechanical Turk: You can make a few bucks performing one of the many tasks available at this site. Projects include things like writing product descriptions or selecting the best photograph for a product.
8. Field Agent: This app pays you to do things like checking prices or displays in stores.
9. Gigwalk: If you have a smartphone, you can earn extra cash through this app by doing quick jobs — “gigs” — for brands and retailers.
10. UserTesting: You can earn quick cash by looking at someone’s website or app and commenting on it.

Earn rebates

You really can get paid to spend money, including by buying everyday items you were going to buy anyway. These free tools will give you cash rebates — aka cash back — on certain purchases:

1. Ebates: Get back cash when you shop online or in stores by going through Ebates’ website or using its app or browser extension.
2. TopCashback: This is another cash-back portal, similar to Ebates. Get cash back when you shop online by going through TopCashback’s site or using its app.
3. Swagbucks: This site offers multiple ways to earn money — including cash back on online purchases. You can go through Swagbucks’ website or use its app or browser extension when shopping online.
4. Ibotta: This app offers multiple ways to earn rebates: Use the app to shop online or take photos of your receipts, or connect your store loyalty program cards to your Ibotta account.
5. Receipt Hog: Use this app to snap photos of your receipts, and they’ll send a little money your way.

Just sit there

If you enjoy caring for other people or animals — or just sitting around in an empty home — you can earn a pretty penny for it. You can start out sitting for the children, pets or homes of folks you know, or sign up for a national service. These services will connect you with potential clients in your area:

1. Rover: Join this site if you’re looking for work as a dog walker, pet sitter or house sitter.
2. Care.com: This site can connect you with folks who need a caregiver for children, seniors or pets.
3. Sitter.com: Check out this site if you’re interested in finding work as a baby sitter or nanny.
4. Thumbtack: House-sitting, pet-sitting and dog walking are among the many types of work you can find through this website.
5. TaskRabbit: You can also find pet sitting clients through this website.

Sell something

You name it and you can probably sell it. To name a few examples:

1. Gift cards: Have any gift cards you’re not going to use? Sell them through a gift card exchange like Cardpool or Raise.
2. Electronics: Sell your old smartphone or other electronics to companies like Gazelle for cash or to the Amazon Trade-In program for Amazon credit.
3. Clothing, shoes and accessories: Clothing consignment stores accept like-new clothes, shoes and accessories. When the item sells, you get a portion of the proceeds. Do it locally or do it online at sites like Swap.com and ThredUP.
4. Books: Stores like Half Price Books buy used books.
5. Entertainment: You can sell used video games, DVDs and even CDs to local resellers, or online through the Amazon Trade-In program or sites like SecondSpin. Despite its name, Half Price Books also buys used music and movies.

Rent something

If you own something, you may be able to make money renting it out to others. If you own a vehicle or home, you can really make some money renting it out. Take for example your:

1. Car: Got a car you’re not using? Sites like Turo enable you to rent it out to prescreened customers.
2. Spare bedroom: You can rent out a room — or even your couch — to vacationers via sites like Airbnb, Homestay and VRBO. Be sure to check local regulations first, though, to make sure it’s legal.
3. Home: If you’re going to be out of town for a while, rent your whole house out to someone else and earn some cash. Or perhaps you have a second home you can turn into a vacation destination. Again, sites like Airbnb, Homestay and VRBO can help you find guests.

Get artsy and craftsy

Plenty of people will pay a premium for handicrafts of all kinds. You can sell yours through marketplaces like these:

1. Amazon Handmade. This is a section of Amazon where artisans can sell their goods to the world — housewares, gifts, you name it.
2. Etsy: Before there was Amazon Handmade, there was Etsy, a long-standing international marketplace where artisans sell everything from paintings to knitted scarves.

Find money

Possibly the easiest way to make money is to check whether any state or municipality where you have lived is holding money that’s owned to but not claimed by you. Examples include old paychecks, rebates and refunds.

Here are two good places to start your search:

1. Unclaimed.org: This is the official website of the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). Click on your home state, and you will automatically be redirected to your state’s unclaimed property program. Make sure to check out other states where you’ve lived as well.
2. MissingMoney.com: This website, which is associated with NAUPA, allows you to search for unclaimed assets in the state where you live, as well as other states where you have lived or worked in the past. Simply input your name and a state.

Use your talents

If you have expertise in and a passion for a particular subject matter or skill, you can make decent money by teaching or training others. Just to name a few examples, you could become a:

1. Music teacher: If you have musical talent, offer lessons.
2. Tutor: If you are particularly knowledgeable in a certain subject, you can likely find a student who needs help. Check out sites like Care.com and Thumbtack, which can connect you with potential tutoring clients in your area.
3. Personal trainer: Organizations like the National Academy of Sports Medicine offer personal training certification.

Do some chores

If you’re willing to get your hands dirty or break a sweat, there’s likely a way for you to get paid for it.

You can start out doing odd jobs for friends, relatives or neighbors. Or you can join a platform like Thumbtack, which will connect you with folks in your area who want to hire someone to do a chore you’re willing to perform.

Just to name a few examples, you could:

1. Mow lawns: All you need is a lawn mower and customers.
2. Shovel snow: If you live in a cold climate, offer to shovel driveways and walkways for a fee.
3. Clean gutters: In the fall, offer to clean out your neighbors’ clogged gutters.
4. Clean pools: If you know how to keep pool water sparkling, this can be a lucrative gig.
5. Clean homes: Know any busy parents? They’d probably be happy to pay you to clean their house.
6. Be a mover: If you have a truck, offer to move friends for a fee.
7. Wash cars: My neighbor washes almost every car on the block once a week for $10 a pop. He can do the whole block in an afternoon.
8. Paint: Some people hate to paint. If you don’t, offer your services.
9. Scoop poop: Offer to keep pet owners’ yards clean.

Share your opinion

Yes, you can get paid for your opinion. Consider partaking in:

1. Surveys: There are plenty of survey-taking scams out there, but there are some legitimate companies, too. Check out PointClub and Springboard America, for example.
2. Marketing studies: Market research firms like Concepts Consumer Research and retailers often test products on a panel of paid consumers.
3. Mystery shopping: Like paid surveys, mystery shopping is rife with scams, but there are legit companies offering cash for evaluating a business. Check out the trade association MSPA, formerly known as the Mystery Shopping Providers Association.

Sell your body

Yes, there are legal ways to sell your body. For example, you could:

1. Sell your hair: If you have long hair that’s not dyed, you can sell it on sites like BuyandSellHair.com.
2. Sell your blood plasma: A local blood bank or hospital may pay for your plasma.
3. Participate in medical research: Medical researchers will pay you to participate in clinical trials. Check out ClinicalConnection.com.

Would you add any tips to this list? Let us know below or over on our Facebook page.