How to make money Fast - Method 5 of 5: Do Odd Jobs

Method 5 of 5: Do Odd Jobs

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   Find focus groups in your area. Monitor local postings or search a site like FindFocusGroups.com to find a focus group in your area that you are eligible to participate in. Check frequently; though the pay tends to be excellent, they are less frequent than many other opportunities.
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   Board someone’s pet. Find a friend or a friend-of-a-friend who’s going out of town and offer to take care of their pet while they’re gone. Professional boarding places tend to be very expensive (not to mention impersonal and intimidating for a pet), so your cozy little house or apartment may seem like a very nice alternative. Around the holidays, pet-boarders fill up quickly, meaning you can probably charge more.
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   Consider day labor. There are employment agencies that specialize in this type of arrangement, and you can get paid at the end of the workday. The jobs you find through an agency can vary, but are usually in construction, factories, offices, and manufacturing. An alternative to finding day labor is to go where other day laborers meet (usually street corners or parking lots) and wait for employers (building contractors, landscapers, home owners and small business owners).

   • Check your local newspaper or internet classifieds to find quick labor gigs, like painting, mowing, or moving work. Amazon Mechanical Turk is reliable and has lots of postings, but the pay tends to be low.
   • Consider whether or not to go through an agency. If you go the non-agency route, you might get paid in cash – but keep in mind that less formal arrangements could result in you're not getting paid or, worse, getting injured without any kind of compensation.
   • Don't be shy about doing odd jobs. Lawn-mowing, babysitting, hedge-trimming, dog-walking, house-sitting, and de-cluttering can all serve as quick ways of getting cash.
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   Become a street performer. If you can dance, play music, mime, sing, or tell jokes, you can probably get some cash by performing in public. But don't do this unless you are actually good at it. Put together a good act and find a place to perform. Give people a dose of live entertainment, and hopefully they'll reward you with tips.

   • If there is a group of you trying to find quick money, put together a quick skit for a bit of street theater .
   • Sometimes you can combine something for free with a request for a donation"as wished". For example, give out free hugs but suggest to people that a donation would be appreciated. Don't push it though!
   • Always check the bylaws before performing in a public space.
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   Panhandle. A panhandler is a person who depends on the spontaneous charity of strangers for their survival. If you really need the cash, you might swallow your pride and decide to ask for help. Make a sign, find a good location, ask politely for money, and say thank you. A sign that is witty or details something interesting is more likely to have people stop and help than one filled with a litany of complaints about being down and out.

   • Cyberbegging is becoming increasingly popular, and there have been some amazing success stories, but these are the exception rather than the rule. While there are some sites on which you can beg just by putting up a brief ad, if you're looking to make any substantial money you'll probably have to build your own site and invest the time and money into it to make it successful. Moreover, cyberbegging really annoys some people and you may get bad social media feedback.
   • Be sure that panhandling or begging is permissible where you live.