If you need some cash relatively fast to buy a present, fund an outing, or fill the gas tank, there are fairly easy ways to go about it. Forget get-rich quick schemes. Forget multi-level marketing and pyramid scams. Forget investing any money at all.

If you have an object or a talent of any value, now may be the time to cash it in. It isn’t effortless, but you may find one of the following ideas easy enough (or fun enough) to make a habit – and possibly a living – out of it.

In many cases, presentation is very important. Spelling and grammar count when making a sales pitch in print, and certainly a friendly manner is important in a person-to-person situation. Some opportunities don’t require sales talent whatsoever.

Here is a brief list of some quick money-making methods.

• Pawn Shops buy items as well as loan money against items. If you’re looking to sell, a pawn shop will give you less than what they think they can sell it for. This way they can earn a profit on the sale. Take a stroll through a couple of pawn shops to see what they carry, and if you have anything like it at home that you can part with, take it in and consider their offer.
• Second Hand Stores often buy used items at reduced prices. Books, records, CDs, etc. may be purchased by some second hand stores for as much as 50% of their face value.
• Redeem empty cans and bottles. We did it as kids, and many a street person lives off this method. 100 soda cans brings in at least $5. Go to office buildings and offer to take their empties every day. Scope out picnic spots and rest areas.
• Provide Home Services. Clean houses, straighten out garages, mow lawns, wash cars, shovel driveways, weed gardens, clean pools, paint walls, repair windows, baby sit… if you have a household skill, chances are there are people in your neighborhood who will pay at least $10 an hour for your help. Use the customer’s equipment and materials to avoid those costs.
• Haul Stuff. If you have a truck or other vehicle that can be used to move heavy and/or large objects, hire yourself out. Just be sure to cover your costs for gas and dumping fees, if any.
• Temp Agencies will sell your services to companies looking for part time help. All you do is sign up (it’s like a job interview) and be on call.
• Day Labor. Less formal than temp agencies, you can hang out on the corner with your town’s day laborers or post a note on a few local bulletin boards. Many construction companies, farms, warehouses, and private individuals hire by the hour or by the day.
• Check out your local paper’s Help Wanted section or the Gigs section of Craigslist.com. Many odd jobs are listed that pay a one-shot fee.
• Sell Your Creative Talents. Free classified ad websites like Craigslist.com, Kajiji.com, and MySpace Classifieds will let you post an ad for your personal services. You can get quick work ghost writing, editing, programming, etc. and in most cases work from your home computer.
• Craigslist.com is a great sales venue, as well. You can list items for sale with pictures at no charge whatsoever. Craigslist is structured to serve local communities, so your transaction (sale and pickup or delivery) will be local and fast and usually in cash.
• Garage Sales take a little more time and planning, but the money could be substantially more. You could combine your efforts with friends and neighbors. Clean unwanted items out of your house or apartment and convert it to cash.
• Sell Your Blood – well, sell your plasma, actually. This is not the same as donating your blood to the Red Cross. To sell your plasma, you’ll have to pass a brief medical and be free of prescription drugs (and illegal drugs, thank you). The process involves the removal of some of your blood, from which they extract the plasma and then return the blood back into your body. It’s all legal and medically controlled, and quite lucrative for the dedicated.

O.C. DeeDee

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