How to Make Money Fast: Ways to Make Money Without a Job
Sometimes, you might find yourself in a situation where you need to make a few dollars fast. Whether it’s an emergency car repair or other unexpected expense, quick cash is the only thing on your mind.
The challenge is finding a way to make money without having to look for a second job or a side hustle that might take months before the money rolls in. The good news is that with a bit of creativity, there are many ways you can earn quick cash.
To help, I’ve come up with the following list of online jobs and side hustles that let you start earning almost immediately. So without further ado, let’s get to it!
Sell Your Stuff
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediate
This is the first idea I recommend whenever someone asks me for ways to make money quickly.
Why? Because selling items you already own but no longer need couldn’t be easier – they’re sitting in your garage, your basement, or your bedroom closet right now. All you need to do is pick them up, dust them off, and throw them up on Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, or your local community’s Buy and Sell page.
People will pay good money for everything from exercise equipment, like treadmills and dumbbell sets, to the sports gear your kids have grown out of. If you’re reading this article in the morning, you could have your items listed by noon and the cash in your hand tonight.
Freelancing
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
Do you enjoy writing, graphic design, or taking photos? If so, consider freelance work as a way to make extra cash. Freelancing can be a highly paid side hustle or career. You get to set prices, and because most freelancers work remotely, you have the freedom to work from anywhere.
If you have a marketable skill, you can get started right away. Of course, you’ll need to find clients, which may take a few weeks.
Virtual Assistant
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
A virtual assistant is typically a remote employee who provides administrative support to entrepreneurs and other small businesses. Tasks include managing email accounts, data entry, social media management, proofreading, editing, etc.
There is no shortage of businesses that need help with seemingly endless tasks, making virtual assistant jobs a great way to earn money. They may be routine, but someone has to look after them.
I recommend that you start to look for work as a virtual assistant through your existing network, but you can also advertise your services via online marketplaces like Fiverr or Upwork.
Drive for Uber or Lyft
Timeframe to Get Started: Within 1 Week
If you enjoy driving, own a decent car, and like being around people, you can start making money fast by driving for ride-sharing apps like Uber or Lyft. Both companies have minimum driver and vehicle requirements that you’ll need to meet. For example, Uber requires drivers to be at least 21 years of age, and vehicle model years must be ten years or newer, and in good condition.
The beauty of gig economy apps like Uber is that you don’t have to look for customers, they do the work for you. You’ll make more money if you live in a busy urban centre and drive during peak periods, but you do have the freedom to choose your own schedule.
Get started with Uber today.
Rent Out Your Car
Timeframe to Get Started: List your car in as little as 10 minutes.
Perhaps you have a nice car that spends most of its time parked in your driveway. In that case, or if you don’t like driving all that much, you can rent out your ride on Turo, a ride-sharing app that connects car owners with people who need access to a vehicle. According to Turo, the average host makes $600 per month listing their car.
To list your car with Turo In Canada, the model year must be 12 years or newer and have less than 200,000 kilometres. Turo is active in the following provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec.
For more information, check out our full Turo review.
Tax Preparation and Filing
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
Are you one of those odd folks who find joy in filing their own taxes? If so, you may enjoy preparing other people’s tax returns, for a fee. These days, online tax software programs like Turbo Tax and Wealthsimple Tax have taken most of the work out, so the workload isn’t all that heavy.
Start by offering your services to friends and family members. You might be surprised how many people take you up on the offer. The only drawback to this side hustle is that it’s seasonal – you’ll typically make your money between January and April.
Sell Your Creations on Etsy
Timeframe to Get Started: 24 Hours
If you love handmade items, you’re likely already familiar with Etsy, a vast online marketplace that specializes in handcrafted items and craft supplies. Instead of buying on Etsy, consider setting up your own Etsy shop as a way to have fun with crafts while making money.
There’s no limit to how much you can make, although it takes most successful Etsy sellers time to build their income. That said, it is possible to make money right away.
Flip Items Online
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
Want to know what garage sales, flea markets, thrift stores, and websites like Kijiji and Facebook Marketplace have in common? They’re all great places to find quality used items for next to nothing. You know what they say, “one person’s junk is another’s treasure.
If you have a good eye and an ability to negotiate, you can make good money by flipping items you find in thrift stores or online marketplaces for a hefty profit.
Examples of in-demand items include sports and fitness equipment, name-brand shoes and clothing, sports jerseys, music equipment, etc.
Tutoring
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
Were you an A+ student during school? If you have a sound knowledge of various subjects, like math, science, or even English, consider becoming a tutor for elementary or high school students.
It’s a great way to make extra income in your spare time, and it’s easy to find work during the school year. Tutoring can pay up to $25 per hour, or more.
Sell Your Used Clothing
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
Is your closet so full of clothes that there are items you’ll never have a chance to wear? If so, you can make money quickly by listing them on Facebook Marketplace or online marketplaces like Poshmark.
Gently used, brand-name clothes can bring in a lot of money.
Teach Music Lessons
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
You can make money teaching music lessons if you’re proficient in just about any musical instrument, you can make money teaching music lessons. It’s great if you have a proper space in your home, but your students might agree to have you teach them in their homes.
You don’t have to be a virtuoso to make money teaching music – you just have to be a few steps ahead of your students. Beginner lessons are popular as there is no shortage of people picking up the piano or guitar for the first time. The pay is good too. It’s not uncommon for music teachers to make $30+ dollars per hour.
Home Daycare
Timeframe to Get Started: Within 7 days
If you love kids and have lots of energy, you can get a home-based daycare set up very quickly. Due to the shortage of childcare spaces, parents are always looking for a spot for their children.
Finding clients won’t be a problem, and if your home is already suitable for kids, you can get started almost immediately. Just make sure you’re following the guidelines laid out by the government.
Cut Your Expenses
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
It might sound counter-intuitive, but one of the fastest ways to make money is to cut spending because extra money in your bank account provides the same good feeling, regardless of how it ended up there.
Where can you find the extra savings? Start by reviewing the past three months of transactions on your credit card or bank account statement. If you don’t regularly track your spending, you may be in for a shock.
The good news is that when you know where you’re money is going, it’s much easier to reign in the spending to save money and increase your cash flow.
Sign Up for Bank or Credit Card Welcome Bonuses
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
Here’s an easy way to make money fast. Banks are constantly offering generous signup bonuses on products like chequing or savings accounts, and credit cards. But while there are criteria you have to follow to qualify, they generally make it very easy. Take Tangerine, for example.
As I write this post, the digital banking arm of Scotiabank is offering new customers up to $400 in cashback bonuses and 4.25% interest on their savings for the first five months after you open a new account.
Not to be outdone, the RBC is offering $450 Westjet dollars as a signup bonus to new customers who spend $5000 or more on their card in the first three months. They will also waive the first year’s annual fee ($119 value).
While Westjet Dollars aren’t the same as cash in your pocket, if you have an upcoming trip planned, that’s a lot of money you can put towards your flight.
Rent Out Your Space with Airbnb
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
This one is always on my “make money lists”, and for good reason. You can make good money, and fast, by listing your home or vacation property on Airbnb. There are people who have earned thousands of extra dollars through Airbnb.
You don’t have to rent out your entire house. If you have a spare room or guest suite that you’re not using, that will suffice. Of course, you’ll make more money if you can spare your entire house or apartment.
The cool thing about Airbnb is that you can set your prices and decide when and how often to make your place available.
Odd Jobs around the Neighbourhood
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
When you have a big job around the house, it can be hard to find help. I’m talking about cleaning a garage, moving furniture or appliances, raking leaves, or painting a fence. Not everyone has the strength, stamina, or time to do these jobs independently.
If you’re relatively strong and healthy, you could be that person in your neighbourhood that people call on for help with odd jobs. And it’s ok to charge for your services, too. To get started, advertise in your community Facebook Group or post signs around the neighbourhood.
Lawncare or Snow Removal
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
Like odd jobs, lawn care or snow removal can often lead to regular work. People don’t usually hire someone to look after their yard on a one-off basis. Your customer may ask you to provide your equipment, but customers will often have the equipment for you to use.
Rent Out Your RV on Rvezy
Timeframe to Get Started: 7 days
This side hustle is similar to Turo in that you rent out your vehicle for others to use, but in this case, it’s your 5th wheel or motorhome. Owning an RV is expensive, but there are people wanting to rent an RV for that one camping or road trip they do every summer.
Getting paid for the use of your RV is also a great way to cover its operating costs, partially or in whole. A nice RV can fetch up to $250 per night, not including add-ons, while a decent travel trailer can be rented out for $150 or more.
Rent your RV when you don’t plan to use it yourself, and let RV-sharing apps like Rvezy and Outdoorsy do all of the work for you.
Pet Sit on Rover
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
Here’s a popular way to make money fast. Sign up for Rover, a mobile app that connects pet owners with animal lovers who want to make extra money by spending time with pets. You can sign up to pet sit overnight, run a doggy daycare, or just be a dog walker. Check out Rover today to find out how you can get paid to pet sit.
Cash back / Paid Survey / Get-Paid-To Apps
Timeframe to Get Started: Immediately
I’m placing a significant caveat on this one because the income potential with most money-making apps is minimal. You’ll spend a lot of time shopping, taking online surveys, and completing various tasks online only to earn a couple of dollars. But they are a legit way to get paid fast if you don’t need to earn much cash.
Cash back apps reward you with, you guessed it, cash back, when you shop at your favourite online stores from their website. Some good examples are Rakuten, Great Canadian Rebates, or Drop App.
I have seen cash back discounts of up to 30%, but you do have to spend money to make money. Usually, you can request payment via PayPal cash or a cheque in the mail when you cross the minimum payout threshold.
Paid survey apps reward you with gift cards and PayPal cash to share your opinion on everything from your spending habits to different products coming to or already on the market. Signup is free, and you can begin earning within minutes.
To maximize your earnings, signup for multiple apps. This is the best way to receive more paid surveys. Survey Junkie and Daily Rewards are two popular survey sites available to Canadians.
Get-Paid-To apps include paid surveys and various other ways to make a couple of extra dollars. You’ll get paid to watch videos online, shop online, participate in focus groups, search the web, test social media accounts, play video games, and more.
You earn rewards through gift cards, PayPal Cash, and even online gaming tokens. Swagbucks is perhaps the most well-known GPT app out there.
Deliver Food
Timeframe to Get Started: 7 Days
Food delivery services like Skip the Dishes, Instacart, and DoorDash have been around for a few years, but they exploded in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can get paid to deliver restaurant meals (Skip The Dishes, Uber Eats) or shop for and deliver groceries via Instacart.
You can choose how often you want to work and set your hours. Of course, the more availability you have, the more money you can make.
Jobs that Didn’t Make the List
I purposely left a couple of jobs off of the list, even though I’ve seen them included in other “make money fast” articles: Starting a Blog and Getting a Part-Time Job.
You can make a lot of money blogging – MapleMoney has been my business for more than a decade. But while you can get a blog up and running in under an hour, it takes a lot of time to make money. You might start to earn a small amount of income from your blog within six months if you’re lucky.
Getting a part-time job is a legit way to make money, and if you land a job, you can make money quickly. There are plenty of businesses hiring at any given time. But the post’s title is How to Make Money Fast: Ways to Make Money Without a Job, so I left it off to stay true to the title. : )
How to Make Money Fast In Canada: Final Thoughts
There you have it, more than 20 ways you can make money fast. I tried to include as many online jobs as possible, where all you need is your phone or laptop and an internet connection.
If you’re having trouble deciding which job to try, start by figuring out how much money you need to make. If you need $1000 of quick cash, online paid surveys aren’t going to cut it – but selling your stuff or doing odd jobs might.
Also, consider combining more than one job on the list. You could sell your stuff and in the process, find other items to flip. Throw in some gig work, like Uber or Skip The Dishes, and watch the dollars increase.
