You can spend much of your life trying to work out your long-term financial plan, but sometimes you have to think about the here and now. Everyone has had times in their life when they need to come up with some cold hard cash as soon as possible. It’s no use making lifestyle changes, drawing up a budget or making a five-year plan. You need money right away, whether it’s to fix your roof or to buy a suit for a job interview. But what can you do to raise that cash, without breaking the law or resorting to dastardly payday loans? Don’t worry, there’s plenty of things you can do.

Sell Stuff

If you have any possessions, you could make money from selling them. Even if you don’t think they’re worth anything, you could still pick up some extra cash. Just be clever about what you sell, and make sure you don’t get rid of anything that’s more useful than the money. For example, don’t sell your laptop if you need it to find a job. As well as selling clothes, electronics and other obvious items, there are some surprising things you can sell too. For example, you might find somewhere to sell medical paraphernalia. Here’s a question you might never have thought to ask yourself: where can I sell diabetic test strips? But you can sell them and other medical items on many markets around the web. Other things you could sell include your hair, and things like corks and cans that crafters use.

401(k) 2012

Rent Stuff

If you don’t want to say goodbye to your stuff forever, try renting it out instead of selling it. You’ll get the most money from renting things like your home for holidaymakers, your garage and even your driveway. But there are other things people can borrow from you too, and some of them might surprise you. You could try renting out a wedding dress or tuxedo, a games console, a lawn mower and even a sewing machine. You don’t have to part with your things if you don’t want to. Just get them back at the end of the day.

Offer Your Services

If you have no physical items to offer, give your time instead. There are all sorts of odd jobs you can do for people to earn some quick cash. Some of them might seem a bit juvenile at first, but anything that gets you money is good. Try offering to mow your neighbour’s lawn, walk dogs or babysit. It can take a while to find clients, so the fastest way is to ask friends and family if they want any help.

Return Unused Items

There’s no point in unused clothes and other things sitting in your house. If you have anything you don’t use that’s still in returnable condition, take it back to where you bought it. Check the returns policy first to make sure you can still take it back. Make sure you know the consumer law too, in case you need to fight your position.

It can be very stressful when you need to come up with some money quickly. But if you use your head to get creative, you’ll be able to find the right methods for you.