I Need Money Now Desperately: 21 Realistic Ways to Make Money Today

Let’s face the truth guys, daydreaming isn’t really a productive strategy, at least not if you need money now.

Instead, why wouldn’t you devote some of your time and efforts and educate yourselves on ways to make money today?

The methods we’re about to showcase all have a decent track record of success, and they give fairly quick results as well.

Enter the game, earn money quickly, and get out young, isn’t that the plan?

The Best Ways to Make Money Today

Procrastination is the first obstacle most people stumble upon. How to avoid it? Just get off the couch, and start living your life to the fullest.

We know how hard it can be to jump over this hurdle, so we found a ton of simple jobs that can get you going in the right direction. Let’s not waste time any further, and jump straight into it.

Survey Junkie

A pretty straightforward concept, for all its purposes. After taking a few minutes of your day to register, just go on to complete as many surveys as possible.

The best thing about Survey Junkie is that you can log in from anywhere, and you don’t even have to put too much effort into it.

So, when you’re stuck in public transport or waiting in line, just log in and do a couple of quick hitters.

Truth be told, despite you’ll be able to make money in seconds this will provide you with nothing more than pocket money, but complete surveys for long enough, and the cash will somewhat add up.

Survey Junkie is totally legit site that has an excellent rating on Trustpilot (4.5/5). They pay up to $75 per survey. 

Swagbucks

Younger adults are spending way too much time online these days, right? Perhaps that’s true, but that can be time well spent.

Still, I fully understand how important fun is, and websites like Swagbucks are great, as they allow you to have fun, and earn some cash online in the process as well!

Seriously, there are so many things you can do to earn points, which you can, later on, redeem for cash rewards.

Those include taking surveys, and just casually browsing, but also shopping, as well as playing video games for cash, and watching movies!

I’m not trying to pull a prank on you, such a thing does definitely exist.

All you have to do is check it out and register for free.

It takes literally 5 seconds to sign up and you’ll even get a $10 signup bonus.

PRO TIP: You have to verify your email address to get your $10 welcome bonus.

Become an extra

A Hollywood blockbuster with yourself as the leading role! Whoops, pushed it too far once again. However, as incredible as it may sound, it’s not out of the realm of possibility to get some screen time eventually.

What’s the quickest way of doing so? By becoming an extra. Sure, the audience might never get a chance to see your beautiful face, but with the pay reaching $50+ a day, I’m sure that you’ll find a way to drown your sorrows.

Sell Your Stuff

Go through the house and post everything you no longer need/want in the Facebook marketplace to make money fast.

Donate Plasma

There are many reputable plasma donation centers where you can donate plasma for cash when you’re in a pinch.

By committing to 2 donations a week, you could pull in about $350+/mo, and each session typically lasts just about an hour.

Instacart

Instacart is a great side job that gets you out of the house and. If it starts off slow, don’t sweat it, it will get better as your track record improves.

The thing about Instacart, and similar delivery services is the possibility to work around them.

You see, if the day starts off slow, and there are no calls coming your way, why not take care of your chores in the meantime?

Once you pick up steam, just keep pushing it. There are plenty of reports from people being able to earn anywhere from $15 all the way up to $70 an hour, depending on their proficiency.

There’s one thing, though. In case you want to become that high earner, you have to be willing to put the time in, and work as many hours as possible.

The moment you let your foot off the gas, you’re going down the pole, and trust me, you’ll quickly feel it in your earnings.

So, work hard, always keep your phone battery full, and it will pay off sooner than later.

Don’t believe me? Check out the image below!

Yep, it started off pretty slow for the first couple of weeks, but it peaked at $383 during the first week of August! That’s quite a respectable number if you ask me!

Acorns

Acorns is a spare change app that allows users to invest their extra pocket change in the stock market without having to put in any effort.

The process behind Acorns is simple: when you spend money, Acorns will round up your spending amount to the nearest dollar and invest the money for you. So, let’s say you buy lunch and it costs you $7.50.

If your credit card is linked with Acorns, you will automatically invest an additional $0.50 via the Acorns app.

Right now, Acorns also offers a signup bonus of $10, so sign up for Acorns to start investing and take advantage of this nice freebie!

DoorDash

Is there anything better than having food from your favorite restaurant delivered right to your doorstep?

As it turns out, I wasn’t the first person to have come up with such a brilliant idea.

Among the various companies fighting for the number 1 spot in this field, DoorDash certainly stands out.

Not only that their service is excellent, but today, they can be found in over 600 cities across the USA.

Where is your opportunity there? Well, someone has to deal with logistics. In case you like to drive around needlessly, you probably never even considered turning it into a career, have you?

Ultimately, who wants to be a taxi or Uber driver anyway?

Luckily, instead of having to deal with obnoxious drunk people all the time, why not just deliver food from place to place and get a chance to catch up on your favorite podcast?

Even better, you will get paid for your troubles!

As you can see from the image, the amount of money you can earn totally depends on your effort, but it averages out to about $150 per week.

Learn more in our article on how to make $1000 a week with DoorDash.
Btw, tips are where you make a lot of your money and in some cases, you will get money today literally.

Just be quick, kind, polite, and make sure you read the notes and get them all they need.

Check out these other food delivery apps to make money

Poshmark

Here’s one of those websites that presents a great starting point. Ultimately, who doesn’t have at least a few clothing items that they never wear? In case these words describe you, Poshmark is the way to go.

First of all, the registration is completely free, and so are the postings. Once you make the sale, that’s when the fees come into play, and they aren’t terrible either.

All items that are sold for under $15 fall under the $2.95 fee, while the more expensive ones fall under the 20% fee rule.

The best thing about this site is that you can sell virtually anything. From expensive branded items to Walmart T-shirts and baby clothes, everything goes.

Naturally, the clothes that are new, with tags, are usually the most expensive, going for up to 60% of their original price.

It’s not that rare to find people who specialize in retail and use Poshmark as their primary platform to place their products.

You can even visit garage sales and get a bunch of items for dirt cheap, only to resell them on Poshmark afterward, and make money now. After a while, it almost turns into a game.

Mercari

Because we said so many great things about the website mentioned above, I believe that it’s now time to shed some light on one of its competitors.

You might’ve never heard of Mercari, but judging by its recent popularity, things are about to change fairly quickly.

I know you’ve probably read a bunch of articles on how to make money from eBay before, but many of those same principles apply to Mercari as well.

In fact, some people claim that the profit margins you can achieve on Mercari are substantially higher compared to some other options. I’ll leave it up to you to decide.

One thing’s for sure, with free listings and fees that only go to 10%, it’s an option worth considering.

Furthermore, the platform is simple to use, and they support both FedEx and USPS. They also offer plenty of promotion chances, all for a fairly decent price.

As noted in this image, anything goes. The website even tracks down the number of views your items receive, as well as likes.

Uber Eats

After this one, I promise I’ll stop boring you with these delivery service companies. However, Uber Eats is somewhat different than the ones previously mentioned.

Aside from restaurant food delivery, these guys also deliver drinks, as well as groceries directly to your doorstep. Furthermore, they offer monthly subscriptions to their users, so chances are, you’ll never run out of clients.

Capital One Shopping

Here’s something completely different, and yet, almost equally effective to make money urgently.

Naturally, as Capital One Shopping requires close to no effort, you won’t be looking at incredible amounts of money you receive back, but something is always better than nothing.

The process is very straightforward. All you have to do is download the app, and allow it to monitor all of your expenses.

By using different algorithms, Capital One Shopping constantly looks at the prices of the things you already bought, and once they start going down, you get some of your money back.

It’s literally as easy as it sounds, you don’t have to do a thing, and the money will simply show up in your account. Test it for yourself if you’re having a hard time believing in these claims.

Decluttr

I’m sure you got the gist of it by just looking at the name. Most gamers have a ton of old video games that serve them no purpose nowadays, except for collecting dust way up there on the shelf.

You’ll be surprised by how much you can get for these silly things. Nostalgia is a powerful force, so use it to your advantage. Just download the app to your phone, and scan the barcode.

In mere seconds, you’ll get the price you can receive for your board games, DVDs, or even books and clothes.

You can also sell various pieces of tech through this platform, including mobile phones, tablets, and even broken Apple watches.

If you lack the patience to put your items on OfferUp or similar sites, just use Decluttr instead, get things done in minutes, and make some money today from home!

BookScouter

Here’s an ideal option for all the students and other bookworms out there. In case your personal library is so full that you’re running out of space, and you’re looking to thin out the publications a bit, head right over to BookScouter.

It will give you access to a huge marketplace for used books, where you’ll be able to easily compare prices from different sources, allowing you to get a general idea of what a certain publication might cost.

BookScouter allows for manual search and has a barcode scanner, which makes it super simple to use. If you need to get rid of some books in a hurry, this is the way to do so.

iPoll

Don’t worry Android users, you are free to use this app as well if you’d like. In my opinion, you’d be crazy not to. Ultimately, compared to some other poll-taking apps, this one pays you way more.

To be honest, I haven’t had a chance to test it out, but I read a bunch of positive things about it. For starters, you’ll have to register and enter your personal information. Shortly afterward, you’ll receive polls that are intended for your age and gender.

The only thing that’s left is to just start ticking those boxes! When it comes to the money side of things, it looks like iPoll users get $1 per poll, but that figure can, later on, climb all the way up to $10 per poll!

Don’t get me wrong, I cannot personally attest to this, but thousands of satisfied users seem like a pretty credible source to me.

Slidejoy

Here’s a revolutionary app that really broke the mold. In the past, it was practically impossible to make people stick around during the commercials, but now, they are lining up to get a chance to do so. How come? Well, you put in a little cash reward, and well, that’s it.

The app itself works on some pretty basic principles. Users who download it give consent to have commercials shown on their devices each time they try to unlock the phone.

A simple swipe to the right side of the screen will unlock the device, while a swipe to the left leads users to learn more about the content being showcased.

It’s important to notice that your earnings won’t be affected by the number of ads you decide to check out. Instead, all you have to do is download the app, and continue using your phone as you normally would.

The pay ranges from $5 to $15 per month, and I know that this is not much, but hey, you literally only have to move a finger to earn it. Doesn’t that sound interesting?

Pact

Are there any fitness junkies among you? Even better, in case you needed some added motivation to keep you working hard, you’ve found it right here. Seriously, how amazing would it be to have someone paying you to train and eat healthy?

But how would they know if you slacked or not? The app uses GPS monitoring, along with videos, photos, and other services to keep you in check, and make sure that you’re not cheating.

The amount of money you collect will be directly proportional to how hard you work out during a particular week. On average, it usually ranges between 30 cents at its lowest and $5 at its absolute peak.

Just be careful! In case other members of your pact outwork you, you’ll have to pay for their efforts! Have you ever seen a better way to get motivated and crush your fitness goals?

Gigwalk

Morning commutes to work can be such a nightmare that many people decide to switch professions because of it altogether! Can you imagine getting stuck on the freeway for two hours at a time, each and every day? It’s no wonder why these sad souls are so tired all the time.

However, there’s one app that offers a solution to such problems. By using GPS, Gigwalk determines your location and then tracks down all available job opportunities nearby.

There is no better way to connect with your local businesses than to give them exactly what they are looking for.

These gigs can be very different, depending on the skill set required to perform the tasks at hand, and thus, the pay also varies a lot.

Some gigs even go up to $100! In case you wondered, you won’t even have to get bogged down with that annoying paperwork, as all payments are processed through PayPal.

Clashot

With the development of smartphone cameras these days, it seems that anybody can become a professional photographer. Well, this awesome app puts you one step closer to that goal.

All you have to do is register on the website, snap a few photos of your favorite art exhibition, building, or sunset, provide a brief description underneath, and hope that someone will like them. Naturally, you’ll also have to provide some sort of verification as well.

In case you get a few downloads, know that photos sell for anything from 50 cents, to amazing sums, like $80! Not all of that cash will go to you, as users receive only 44% royalties, but there’s still a possibility to earn a decent amount, especially for an image captured by the phone.

Sell your old mobile phone

Do you need some free money right now and you are obsessed with buying the latest gadgets the moment they show up on the market?

I wouldn’t blame you, as my wife would probably claim that I also belong to that crowd. Still, there’s a high chance that if you do so, a lot of old technology still gets left behind.

People usually decide to hold on to their previous phone, probably for sentimental purposes, but after a while, these things just become obsolete and end up in a dumpster somewhere.

Obviously, that’s not a very eco-friendly thing to do, but also, not smart money-wise. Instead, the moment you get a brand new device is the time when you need to get rid of the old one.

Websites like SellCell are a perfect source to inform you about the price you can receive for your ancient tech.

Fiverr

While this website is seemingly one hundred years old, it still remains near the very top of our list. You know what else? That probably won’t change for the foreseeable future either!

With hundreds of thousands of available gigs, there’s almost a guarantee that you’ll find a gig that suits your skills perfectly, you only need to dig long enough.

The pay is also very good, most of the time, especially in case you possess one of those highly sought-after skills, such as coding. In the past, all gigs were worth $5, but that business model has been abandoned ever since, and now, you can earn much, much more than that.

Reselling your gigs is also a possibility, but you have to know what you’re doing, or your career will be very short

Check out: Make Money on Fiverr (A Step-by-Step Guide)

Slicethepie

Become a music critic with no education whatsoever! All joking aside, but if music is already one of your passions, and if you love discovering new bands, Slicethepie is an option worth considering.

After you register and listen to a few bands, you’ll be awarded a chance to leave a review, as well as grade the performance you have just witnessed.

In the very beginning, you’ll be practically doing it for fun, but as your reputation starts to grow, the amount of money you receive back will also increase.

Some users claim that they got to as far as $40 a month. Not an earth-shattering sum, but it might come in handy someday.

Resell domain names

This can be a tricky one. When it comes down to it, the concept is pretty straightforward. Find a domain name that’s not yet been registered and proceed to register it yourself. You can do so on websites such as GoDaddy for just a couple of bucks a pop.

Naturally, you’d want to select those names that have the potential to become commercially valuable one day. All that’s left is to hope for the best and resell the name for some profit.

There are incredible success stories here, with domains being sold for several million dollars. Still, be realistic, you’re probably not going to join that group, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to turn in a nice profit.

Temporary Staffing Agencies

Just sign up, highlight your skills, and be ready to take on various short-term gigs. Often, you can start the same day.

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