When I need cash right now, I have a few tried and true things that I do that help me out every time.  Depending on the amount of money that I need right away these things will usually cover everything, but sometimes I still have to resort to a cash advance.  Fortunately, the cash advance is for very little money since I did everything else!  Reducing the amount of the cash advance is the absolute smartest way to use them, and it helps keep you out of the trouble that many people find themselves in with this style of loan.

Selling stuff is always the fastest way to get cash now.  Obviously, what you have around your home is going to determine what you sell, but there is a market for just about everything.  To get the most money for your stuff, it’s a good idea to list it all on Craigslist.  If you live in a large city, odds are that your stuff is going to sell fast if you price it appropriately.  Many people make the mistake of lumping all of their stuff together into one listing.  Don’t do this, instead create individual listing for each thing you want to sell.  This makes it much easier for people to find what they want, which is what you’re selling.  Yard sales are also a decent way of doing this, but take a bit more time to organize.

If I can’t cover all of my expenses with this, I’ll look to my circle of friends and family to see if they have any odd jobs that I can do for them.  They will appreciate the fact that you’re not just asking them for cash, and are generally very willing to help.  Look for things like babysitting, yard work, car washing, cooking meals, cleaning houses, or whatever else you’re good at.  If they have a few bucks to spare and don’t want to do the job themselves you are going to make some money doing this!

Most of the time I can cover whatever money I need with these two simple things.  Like I said in the first paragraph, I may still need an advance, but at least it’s for a fraction of what I would have needed in the first place!