There are opportunities out there for everyone to make money. Take a look at this list on how to make money fast – you may discover where your treasure chest lies, and what it could hold for your future!
You want to make money fast? Maybe you have a debt to repay, or an investment opportunity too good to miss. You might have a holiday coming up and need some extra spending money, a school trip all your kid’s friends are signing up for, or perhaps you need to replenish your emergency fund.
Whatever the reason, making some quick cash can be challenging. But if you think a little creatively, you’ll find there are dozens of ways to put extra cash in your pocket quickly.
I’ve listed 25 of the best ways to make money fast in this article, in order of speed-of-cash generation. If you need to make some fast cash, pick one or two and give them a go.
You never know, you might even stumble on a side hustle idea that could turn into a steady stream of extra money, or perhaps even a profitable business to replace your underpaid day job.
Fast Answer For Fast Cash
Are you looking to put cash in your pocket quickly?
With a little creativity and effort, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t, whatever your reason for making money fast. From selling unwanted items to writing and selling books – via the path of taking in lodgers, using your skills in the gig economy, flipping domains, and affiliate marketing – I outline 25 ways to make money fast in the UK.
Maybe the question is this – once you’ve satisfied your immediate need to make some cash quickly, will your entrepreneurial mindset lead to more sustainable income streams that will change your life for the better and forever?
1. Sell Unwanted Items
This is the easiest way to make fast money. We all have unwanted (or unneeded) stuff laying around the house or stashed away in the loft. I once sold my car because I needed the cash – it was sitting there unused and costing me money.
Today, it’s easy to sell stuff you don’t want to others who do – remember, what is one person’s trash is another person’s gold.
You could stick an advert in a local shop window, or post items for sale on your local community’s Facebook page. My daughter-in-law does this regularly. She makes a few quid on things like baby clothes and toys that her children no longer need, while helping other young parents to keep their bills down.
You can also go fully online, using Vinted, eBay or Facebook Marketplace to sell. Many successful small businesses have started this way.
How much you could earn depends on the items you sell, but ranges from a few pounds to thousands. You make money almost immediately, and declutter your home at the same time!
2. Take in a Lodger
Do you have a spare room? If you take in a lodger, you can charge up to around £7,500 rent per year without paying tax!
You could advertise in local classifieds, or on sites like SpareRoom or Airbnb to get lodgers. This could develop into a steady source of income, though you will be giving up some privacy.
You’ll also need to vet potential lodgers, and be sure that you are ready for a few ‘landlord responsibilities’.
3. Online Surveys
Sign up to sites like Swagbucks, Ipsos ISay, and Survey Junkie – among the best paid surveys in the UK – and you could start making money overnight.
You may only earn a small amount per survey, but they are usually easy to complete and can be done from the comfort of your own home. If you take a consistent approach, you could make £80 to £100 per month.
I like this strategy because you don’t need any special skills, and you can get started within minutes.
On the downside, while doing surveys is great for making a little extra cash, you’re never going to earn enough to make a life-changing difference. It’s more easy than fast.
4. Pet Sitting or Dog Walking
I recently read an article about a woman called Meghan Kim who is making almost £800 extra cash each month by doing something she really loves: looking after other people’s pets and walking dogs.
It’s a great way to make extra cash and meet other like-minded people, and works especially well if you work from home. Advertise your services locally, and you’ll be surprised how busy you could get.
How much you could earn ranges from around £10 to £20 per hour, more if you are walking more than one dog simultaneously.
(Little-known statistic – the average dog walker earns £26,000 per year in the UK!)
If you love cats and dogs, enjoy the outdoors and a flexible routine, pet sitting and dog walking could be the money-making animal for you.
5. Handyperson
If you’re good with your hands – maybe an able painter, can fix garden gates, mow lawns, trim hedges, etc. – then you could be a spare-time money-making machine. People who can’t, don’t want to, or don’t have time for such tasks hire others to help them.
It’s local work (you’ll find customers by advertising in shop windows and on community Facebook pages), and earnings could be per hour or per job. No job is ever quite the same, so you’ll have a lot of variety, too.
Income may be inconsistent to start with, but if you do a good job, word will soon get around.
6. Deliveries & Ridesharing
Get registered with companies like Uber and Deliveroo, and take advantage of one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK today. Hours are flexible and you can start immediately.
It’s very possible to make up to around £20 an hour, though you’ll need to keep your vehicle in good condition – wear and tear is a cost you need to consider.
Car sharing is also an option. I used to cover my petrol and parking costs by being the one who drove on the commute with a couple of friends in the car – and that’s a big cost not to have to pay.
7. Temp Work/Part-Time Jobs
This is another method of earning quick cash that I did when I’d been made redundant and was waiting for the right job opportunity to come my way.
Get yourself registered with a temp agency or search online jobs boards for short-term roles. You could register today and be working tomorrow, and earning upward of minimum wage. There’s a wide range of temp jobs available, and often with little skill or experience needed. (The temp/part-time jobs I’ve had include a lab tech, goods picker, and making reproduction furniture!)
If money is your motive, then it doesn’t matter that the temp job you have doesn’t align with your long-term goals, though you will pick up new skills and, maybe, discover something you really like to do – either as a side hustle or hobby.
8. Gig Economy
Put your skills and experience to work for you by signing up to sites like Upwork and Fiverr, where others are looking for people like you to help them. This is how I started my freelance business, which is how I’ve made my living and maintained my lifestyle for more than a decade.
You can register quickly, put bids in for work that suits you, and earn some good money working with great clients. It takes a little effort to get started, but once you have a few jobs under your belt and start to build your reputation, you’ll love the flexibility and diversity of jobs.
9. Tutoring Services
Our economy is changing, and this is resulting in a need for tutoring. You could be helping kids or adults to improve their existing skills or learn new ones.
Sites like mytutor.co.uk, superprof.co.uk, and tutorhouse.co.uk are good starting points. Or you could advertise your services locally.
It’s flexible and rewarding work. You may need qualifications or certifications to validate yourself. One downside is that while it is relatively easy to get started, earning may be inconsistent.
10. Coaching/Consulting
Put your expertise and experience to work. You may already know people or businesses who would hire you to share your knowledge.
Earning as a coach or consultant can be very high, depending on your area of expertise and demand for it. Though getting clients can be challenging, if you have a strong professional or personal network to lean on you could get coaching gigs quickly.
11. Recycling for Cash
Recycling is big business – why shouldn’t you have a slice of the cake? Collect recyclables from residents and businesses, and sell these to local recycling centres.
You’ll be helping to protect the environment, but will need to put in the time, have suitable transport, and build relationships. Apart from this, it’s easy to do, and can be lucrative.
12. Sell Handmade Items
Etsy is another great online sales platform, and it could be perfect for you if you have a creative streak. It’s the top platform for unique items ranging from jewellery to books, via bags, purses, artwork, and clothing.
You don’t need to limit your selling potential to online stores, though. Think local markets, shop windows, and craft fairs, and you’ll realise the potential to make some quick money from your passion.
This could be perfect to set free your creative side and make some good money doing so. Getting paid for a hobby – who would have thought it possible?
13. Flip Vintage Clothes
Mrs B is exceptionally good at picking up bargains at charity shops, and especially clothes. She’ll buy blouses, skirts, jackets, boots, shoes, and more at incredible prices – way under what their true value is.
Could you do the same? It’s not for me (I really, really dislike shopping), but you could get a lot of pleasure from this and make some big money, too. (A designer jacket on sale for less than a tenner, and selling on eBay at more than £500 – yep, Mrs B has been there!)
It doesn’t cost a lot to get started, but you will need a little nous about clothes, and a little online selling skills (which you can pick up easily).
14. Flip Electrical Goods
Why stop at selling your own unwanted items? Recycling electrical goods is big business, and sites like eBay, Facebook, and Gumtree are perfect for selling second-hand electrical items.
Buying cheap and maximising profits is the key. Buy electrical goods cheap, prepare them for resale, and post them to online sites. Look for in-demand items, and those with a high-profit margin.
If you have the skills to repair electrical items, there is a substantial earning potential here.
15. Upcycle Furniture
Another buying/selling opportunity is to be found in flipping or upcycling old furniture. Look for bargain items in local used furniture stores and charity shops, at car boot sales, markets, or online.
If the piece is in good shape, offer it for resale at a higher price immediately. If it’s not, then repair, refurbish, or upcycle to resell at a profit.
A route to profit for the creatives, you’ll make fast money in an eco-friendly way, though be prepared to use both your time and your space.
16. Flip Collectibles Or Antiques
Do you have an eye for antiques? Then garage sales, local antique shops, car boot sales, and markets, as well as house clearances, could be your hunting ground, while online platforms and car boot sales your playground.
The earnings potential is high (you only need to watch Antiques Roadshow to know this), and it’s great for enthusiasts. On the flipside (pun intended), you’ll need to know your stuff to make consistent profits, and the market can be unpredictable.
17. Flip Cars
Do you know cars? Can you fix them up? Get out there and buy cars for less than their real value, and sell for a profit either online or locally. Your profits will depend on the car and the deal you strike, but could be hundreds or more each flip.
If you’re a car enthusiast, this could be a road paved with gold, though you will need money to invest upfront. How much could you make from this? You don’t need to think as big as webuyanycar.com to realise the potential!
18. Domain Flipping
Domain flipping can be a lucrative side hustle, with platforms like Flippa or Sedo ideal marketplaces to sell or auction domain names. Either buy or register a domain name that you believe is undervalued, and then put the domain for sale on your online platform of choice.
Just a few pounds could get you started, and profits could be thousands. If you get the right domain name, you could be set for life – cars.com sold for more than £700 million!
Don’t get carried away with the potential. These sorts of deals are one in a million – you’ll need to keep on top of market trends, and income can be unpredictable, but this could be a quick money spinner.
19. Affiliate Marketing
Jason, founder of Wallet Savvy, knows pretty much everything there is to know about affiliate marketing programs. The idea is simple: promote other businesses’ products and services on a website, blog, or social media, and earn a commission from each sale.
How much you can earn depends on the size of your audience, but start-up costs are low and it’s a great opportunity to develop passive income streams.
However, this isn’t an overnight earning opportunity. It takes time to build an audience to make a decent profit from affiliate marketing.
20. Stock Photography
Are you a keen photographer? Then why not make your portfolio for sale via websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or iStock?
This is easy to do, and if there is a demand for your images, you’ll start making money immediately. How much you receive depends on the popularity of your images. You’ll be paid per download, and the more times your images are downloaded, the more cash you’ll pocket.
Like affiliate marketing, it’s possible to develop a passive income stream, though the market is highly competitive.
21. Sell Digital Products
Instead of selling your services as a coach or consultant, why not create an online course that could be sold time and again with no extra work needed? You could also create eBooks, software, spreadsheets, and graphics to sell.
The draw is that you are sharing your expertise and creating a passive income stream in the future. There are many websites that you could use to sell your digital products (such as Udemy and Coursera), or you could sell via your own website.
It takes time to create a course, but once you have created your first, you’ll get the gist. The upfront investment of time can be off-putting, but the potential for substantial passive income is real.
22. Dropshipping
You may have heard of dropshipping, selling other people’s products from your own online store. Websites like Shopify let you do this easily. You promote products on your website, and the order is handled by the supplier.
In effect, you’re acting as an agent, and receive a portion of the sale price (usually between 10% to 30%).
There’s very little upfront investment needed, and you have no responsibility for stock or shipping – but you will need to team up with reliable suppliers and market your website and products on it effectively.
23. eCommerce Store
If you want to be more hands-on with the product you sell, you could set up an eCommerce business. You’ll need a website, supplier agreements, a place to store stock, and a way to package and ship the products you sell.
While margins will be higher than dropshipping, so, too, will your commitment need to be. Your earnings can be very variable, and you’ll need to focus on branding and marketing as well as all other areas of running an online store.
Investment is needed, and you’ll need to be prepared to commit time to the venture.
24. App Development
If you have the technical skills to do so, why not develop a mobile app and publish to platforms like Apple App Store or Google Play Store? Monetise through ads, in-app purchases, or a purchase price.
Hit the right niche and deliver an app that makes a difference to people, and you could make millions. Apps like Candy Crush and Roblox generate tens of millions in revenue each month.
However, you need those technical skills or the ability to commit a possibly large amount of investment money.
25. Write Books
This isn’t the fastest way to make money, but these days it’s not as slow a process as you’d think.
As well as coaching, consultancy, tutoring, or creating a blog, you could also share your experience and expertise by writing a book and publishing it. You don’t need an agent or publisher, but I would certainly advise that you have your work edited professionally before self-publishing.
Print-on-demand technology means you have no inventory to carry, and no shipping costs to concern you. You could make up to around 70% on the list price of your book.
The start-up costs are low (on Amazon, for example, you can self-publish for no cost), though you will need to market and promote your book – and this, as well as quality of work, is what determines your success.
This is not an overnight money-making scheme (it takes time and dedication to write a book), but could lead to some nice passive income.
Make Money Fast For A Living
Each of the strategies I’ve discussed in this article has the potential to generate cash quickly, though some faster than others. From selling items you no longer need, to leveraging skills through freelancing or app development, there’s a strategy here to suit almost anyone’s circumstances.
Many of these strategies could also be used to develop profitable side hustles, and even businesses that can replace your current earnings from your regular job.
With persistence, commitment, and an open mind, your make-money-fast scheme could support more than just a living – it could help create the prosperous lifestyle your efforts deserve.
Tips To Make Money Fast
We could all do with making money fast from time to time. The secret of success is to be strategic in your approach. Here’s what I’ve learned from experience:
Know your financial goals
Define what you are aiming to achieve, and write down your goals. Know why you want to make money fast, and stay focused on attaining your objectives. Clarity is key to staying motivated.
Have an entrepreneurial mindset
Be open to new opportunities and willing to take calculated risks. You may face setbacks; resilience will help you to overcome challenges and capitalise on profitable opportunities.
Keep Your Costs Low
You don’t need to plough money into a new side hustle, but you will need to invest your skills, experience, and time. Keeping your initial costs low will help reduce any financial risk when you want to make money fast.
Ensure It’s Enjoyable
While you may need to take a part-time job to put some quick cash in your pocket, it’s much better to focus on what you are passionate about. This will make it much easier to put in the effort needed to be successful.
Be Diverse
Develop a bit of diversity in your money making. Why stop at consulting when you could create and sell online courses, a book, and include affiliate marketing as passive income streams? This approach will help to reduce risk and improve your financial stability.
Always Improve, Learn & Adapt
Continuous learning is crucial. It increases your worth and broadens your ability to adapt to new opportunities to meet demand. It’s critical to your long-term success as a new entrepreneur, born from your need to make money fast.
From Making Money Fast to Life-Changing Entrepreneurship
Whether you need cash in your pocket now or wish to build a sustainable income, these 25 strategies are the starting point that could improve your financial life quickly and forever.
From selling the stuff you no longer need to leveraging the internet to build an entrepreneurial portfolio of small businesses, its crucial to start with your financial goals, embrace an entrepreneurial mindset, continue to learn, and be prepared to adapt.
Your journey to financial freedom begins with the first step. Choose the path that aligns with your passion, your skills, and your experience, and you might find that making money fast gets you sprinting out of the blocks toward a profitable and fulfilling side hustle (or, maybe, fully fledged business).