Do you need to make $500 fast?
You’re not the only one. According to a study by Bankrate, only 41 percent of adults have enough in savings to cover a $500 emergency.
Without cash on hand, you’ll be forced to rely on credit cards to handle any unexpected expenses that pop up. Relying too much on credit cards creates a whole new problem. You could end up struggling to keep up with your bills and falling deep into debt.
So let’s talk about a few ways to make $500 fast. There are plenty of options to choose from, including:
Table of Contents
Hold A Garage Sale
We all have a bunch of junk we don’t really need, am I right?
Well, if you need to make $400 fast, then one of the best ways to do it is by turning your junk into cash with a garage sale.
Dig through your closets, attic, basement, and garage for things you’ve had sitting around collecting dust for years. Once you have a good number of items you’re ready to hold your garage sale.
What kinds of items sell best at garage sales? Think used clothing and shoes, handbags, DIY tools, garden tools, exercise equipment, toys, and old board games.
Depending on what kind of items you have for sale, you might be able to make $500 in just one day.
Deliver Food With Doordash
If you have a car and some free time on nights and weekends, you can make extra money by delivering food through Doordash.
To get started, just download the Doordash app and sign up for a free account. Once they review your info and approve you as a driver, you’ll be offered delivery gigs in your area. You’ll see where it is and how much you’ll earn, and you can choose to either accept or reject the gig.
When someone nearby orders food, you just have to swing by the restaurant to pick it up and then deliver it to the customer. It’s as easy as drive, deliver, and earn.
Walk Dogs And Pet Sit With Rover
If you love animals, you really need to check out Rover as a way to make a quick $500 or more.
Once you sign up and create your free account, you can start offering pet services and set your own prices for each. For example, you can offer different rates for:
- Thirty minute dog walks
- Doggy Day Care where you watch their pup while they’re at work
- Drop in visits to check on their dogs or cats
- Overnight pet boarding services for people who travel
Check out the competition in your neighborhood to get an idea of how much you can earn with Rover. If you get a few customers you can earn a steady income as a dog walker.
Rent Out Your Car
Turo can help you make quick money by renting your car to other people when you’re not using it.
It takes less than ten minutes to list your car and signing up is completely free. There are no monthly fees either, Turo just takes a small cut of your earnings when someone rents your car.
You even get to set your own rental fee. Obviously you can charge more for a Corvette than you can for a Camry, but many renters are just looking for a reliable set of wheels for a day or two.
Get Paid For Your Opinion At Survey Junkie
Paid online surveys are a great way to make quick money. You won’t get rich or anything, but if you’re looking to make $500 fast, surveys will help you get closer to your goal.
Survey Junkie is one of the most popular and legitimate surveys sites around. We’ve used them ourselves and consider them a top choice. Where else can you get paid to answer a few questions while you’re sitting at home watching TV?
Related: Learn more in our detailed Survey Junkie review.
Get Paid To Watch Videos On Swagbucks
Swagbucks is an awesome site. If there was a side hustle hall of fame, they would absolutely be in it.
Swagbucks pays you to do things you’re probably already doing, like searching the web or watching online videos. You can also get paid to take short surveys, play online games, and try out new products.
You can choose to get paid in Paypal cash or in gift cards to popular retailers like Amazon, Home Depot, and more. Plus if you create a free account today you’ll get a $5 bonus just for signing up.
Related: Learn more in our detailed Swagbucks review.
Perform Small Tasks With TaskRabbit
TaskRabbit is a neat app that helps you connect with people in your area who need small tasks performed.
Just download the app and sign up for a free account. You can then choose what services you want to offer and how much you want to charge.
Just a few of the tasks you can expect to do include:
- Moving furniture
- Installing a light fixture
- Planting flowers
- Mounting a TV on the wall
- Interior painting
- Cleaning gutters
- Yard work
Those are just a few ideas to get your mind going. There are lots of other services you can offer to make money on TaskRabbit.
Make Money Babysitting
Babysitting is a popular way for teenagers to make money, but it’s also a great option for adults looking to earn extra money. Many parents actually prefer a more experienced and responsible adult looking after their kids, even if it does cost them slightly more.
You can advertise your babysitting services locally and reach out to your social media network to find customers. We used SitterCity to find a babysitter when we moved to a new neighborhood. It’s a great site that’s easy to use and it hooked us up with two amazing sitters that our kids absolutely love.
Work Overtime
If you have a job that pays hourly and the opportunity to work overtime, you have a perfect way to make $500 fast.
For example, say you make $20 per hour, which is about $40,000 a year. If you get paid time and a half for overtime that means you’ll get paid $30 for each hour of overtime you work. Volunteer to cover someone else’s shift or take on a special project that will require you to work overtime.
Putting in just a few extra hours each week will help you make 500 dollars fast.
Sell Your Stuff On Facebook Marketplace Or Craigslist
After a garage sale, the next place to sell your unwanted items is on the Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist.
Facebook works really well because everyone is already on the site constantly. You should have no trouble selling most of your items as long as you price them reasonably. People are looking for a deal so, don’t expect to get full price for your used items.
Once you strike a deal with a buyer you can have them pick it up right from your home, or for safety reasons you should meet in a public place to make the exchange.
Craigslist is another huge site where you can list all sorts of items for sale. They have a wide variety of product categories to choose from and you can even offer services like freelance writing or graphic design.
The Final Word
We all run into situations where we need some quick money. You don’t want to rely on credit cards, and you definitely don’t want to go anywhere near a payday loan to cover your bills. Those are nothing but trouble.
So if you find yourself asking how to make $500 fast, just follow one of the ten realistic strategies above. And if we’ve missed anything, feel free to drop a comment below and share your own ideas you’ve used to make $500 fast.