You’re broke and payday is still a week away. You need to figure out how to make money fast.
Rejoice, you’ve arrived at the right place.
Whether it’s the end of the month and you’re short on cash, or you’ve got a small debt that’s come knocking, often all you need is a few bucks to get you over the hump (and preferably something you can start today).
To that end, if you need to somehow come up with 300 cedis (or more) in the next few days, you may be able to find a few options on this list to help you pull it off.
On the other hand, if you’re deeply in debt and need a large sum of cash on short notice, this list probably may be your guide. Outside of selling thousands of cedis worth of belongings, anything that promises four figures in a short time frame is likely a scam.
Be safe and stick to the legitimate ideas you’ll find here. Everything included has been vetted as a real way to make money. Whether it’s a short-term work-from-home or cashing in on a unique promo opportunity a company has to offer, we’ve done the due diligence on dozens of different money-making ideas so you don’t have to.
starting your own food delivery service
Earning potential: 500+ cedis per month
Even before the coronavirus pandemic hit the world, food delivery services were increasing in popularity. Now, we are seeing record levels of orders being placed every day.
Cash in on this trend by considering the ways you can make money delivering everyday items to people in need. Even in a post-pandemic world, the demand for the convenience of delivery will still be there. If Amazon has taught us anything, it’s that people love having stuff magically show up at their doorstep.
Take paid surveys
Earning potential: 20+ Cedis per month
Paid survey sites sometimes get a bad rap, but that’s usually because people have expectations that are too high. Surveys won’t make you rich (not even close), but they are an easy way to earn money in your spare time.
Market research companies such as Branded Surveys are hired by brands and businesses to find out more about consumers. Research companies often use surveys to gather these insights, and they pay survey takers for their time. Most surveys usually pay somewhere between 5 cedis and 15 cedis per day, but some outliers pay significantly more.
If you need help paying bills that are imminently due, surveys aren’t going to work out well for you. If instead, you want a way to slowly accumulate (25 to 50+) cedis every month in cash or gift cards without committing to too much work, surveys are perfect. Other high-paying survey sites include InboxDollars, Survey Junkie, and Swagbucks.
Earn cashback and rewards
Earning potential: 3000+ cedis per year
If you do any shopping online, you are probably familiar with cashback and reward apps. The premise is pretty simple: find something you like online, buy it through an app, and save some money you would have otherwise spent. The rewards are usually modest, but they add up over time.
One thing I am guilty of is finding one thing I like and sticking to it without ever trying anything new. I’ve caught myself doing this with cashback and reward apps over the past year or so. I used to exclusively use Capital One Shopping because it was easy and usually got me discounts or rewards, but now I make a point to do a quick “comparison shop” between tools to make sure I’m getting the best deal available.
Sell your textbooks
Earning potential: Up to 300 cedis or even more If you’re a college student or have graduated within the last year or two, chances are good that you still have some textbooks that you could easily sell for a few extra bucks. Usually, when you sell back textbooks, you get a tiny fraction of what you paid for it. I remember getting around 40 cedis for a 300 cedis physics textbook that I sold back to my friend — a horrible deal though but I made some cash.
Nowadays, there are sites like Amazon when it comes to selling back your textbooks.
Amazon, which tops our list of the best places to sell textbooks, is an online platform that lets you compare buy-back prices from over 30 different vendors so you can get the most money. If I had known about this back then, I probably could have got at least double for my physics textbook.
Teach English as a second language online
Earning potential: 13-20+ Cedis per hour
As I was researching tutoring jobs, I was surprised to learn how large the demand is in teaching English as a second language. In the United States, most students take 2 or 3 years of a foreign language in high school and then move on.
According to a 2016 study by China Youth Daily, nearly 70 percent of parents in China report that “their own children or children they know started learning English before five years old, mainly due to Chinese parents’ fixation on giving children an early advantage.” That is vastly different from how things are in Africa, which also means that the need for qualified teachers is constantly growing.
Many private companies specialize in remotely teaching English to Chinese students, but two of the most prominent are VIPKid and EF Education First.
Invest in your own health
betting on weight loss leads to higher made goal weight rates
Earning potential: (50-2,000+) cedis in 6 months
To some degree, money is a motivator for most people. And the prospect of losing money is an even greater motivator.
Sites like HealthyWage and DietBet understand this side of human psychology and use it to incentivize their users to hit weight loss goals. If you want to lose weight and make some extra money in the process, consider placing a “bet” on either of these sites. If you reach your goal (which will be measured via a verified weigh-in), you get paid. If you don’t meet your weight loss goal, you lose your bet. See HealthyWage’s price calculator get an idea of how much you stand to win.
Rent out your space
Earning potential: 500+ cedis per month
If you have a spare room in your home, perfect way for you to easily make some extra money.
The premise is simple: see how much your space might be worth, list a single room (or the whole house) on tonaton, screen potential guests, and then get paid.
To get started, create a listing by filling out a description, take and upload photos of your space, and set a price. Your listing helps guests get a sense of what your place is like. Then, set the dates space will be available and draft your house rules. Once your listing is live, guests can book their stay at your home, and you start earning money.
Help with product testing
Earning potential: 20+ per month plus products
Before a big product launch, brands solicit research companies, such as Vindale Research, to get as much feedback as possible from potential customers. Putting something out in the market without getting any input beforehand is a recipe for disaster (and lots of wasted money).
To get that valuable feedback, companies often use product testers. Product testers agree to give the product a test ride and their honest thoughts, usually in exchange for a free product or monetary compensation (or both).
To get started with product testing, sign up with market research companies and fill out your demographic information. If a testing opportunity comes up that fits your profile, you will be notified of the next steps.
Rent out your car
Renting your car isn’t the only way to make money with a vehicle.
If you have a car sitting in your driveway or storage, you can join yango and rent it out to travelers. It’s free to register and list your vehicle, you have complete control over how often you rent your car, and how much you charge. You can even choose to offer upgrades like unlimited mileage or pet-friendly reservations.
Since many travelers are interested in cars but don’t have the funds to purchase their own, this is a good opportunity for you to earn passive income
Get interviewed one-on-one by brands
Earning potential: Usually 100+ cedis per hour, sometimes much higher
While companies embrace the idea of using surveys and market research companies to gather insights on their consumers, sometimes they want to dive deeper and talk to people one-on-one. Sites like Respondent.io specialize in making these connections happen.
The requirements for each individual “interview” are more stringent than your normal survey site, so you won’t qualify for as many opportunities. The ones you do qualify for, though, tend to pay quite well. It’s not uncommon to see some interviews fetch 200 or more for an hour of your time (though, again, the requirements for these are quite specific).
Another site to check out for this type of in-depth research is UserInterviews.com.
Lower your bills and cut subscriptions
Earning potential: 1,000+ cedis per year
Before you go crazy and try every side hustle under the sun, take a few minutes to look at your current spending. Where can you easily cut back?
Subscriptions are another huge budget-killer. In fact, as I was putting together this article, I decided to take a look at my own lineup of subscriptions:
there are definitely some splurges I can get rid of and still survive.
In your situation, start by identifying areas you can save money or cut out subscriptions. If you’d like someone to negotiate your bills for you, several services specialize in this.
Take advantage of bank signup bonuses
Earning potential: Usually 100-300. cedis Up to 700 cedis in some cases
The banking industry is cut-throat, and banks will do anything they can to get new clients. Banks are smart; they know that once they get someone to bank with them, that person is very unlikely to leave. Think about it. When was the last time you switched banks? It’s probably been a while.
So, to encourage clients to leave other banks and come to them, banks will often offer hefty sign-up bonuses and high-interest rates for new accounts opened. There is usually a minimum deposit amount needed to qualify for a signup bonus, so be sure to check your eligibility before making any moves.
Online banks — with no physical locations — often offer savings accounts with interest rates in the neighborhood of 5-6x the national average. You can find an up-to-date list of the most competitive online savings accounts
Become your neighborhood’s top dog walker
Earning potential: 200+cedis per month
some Ghanaian spend a staggering amount of money on their pets each year. In fact, it is estimated that 72.56 billion was spent on pets in 2018. This includes food, veterinary care, and toys, but it also includes pet sitting and dog walking.
That’s where you can come in and make some extra cash.
Pick up a freelance writing assignment
Earning potential: 25-500+ cedis per article
Have you ever tried to read a long email or message from someone who can’t write? It’s a painful experience: the grammar errors, run-on sentences, and disorganized thoughts make it hard for anyone to follow.
The truth is, that’s how most people write. This means that if you can write in a way that engages a reader and keeps them wanting more, you have a skill that you can charge money for. And, in some cases, a lot.
Making money as a freelance writer comes down to two key steps:
Develop a baseline proficiency as a writer and subject matter expert in a particular field (i.e. cooking, budgeting, technology, politics, etc.)
Finding clients in that field who need your writing expertise. Online publications, like canva, often hire freelance writers to create content.
Get a promotion at work
Earning potential: 1,000+ cedis per year
If you’re willing to go above and beyond and prove your value to your boss, you can move up the corporate ladder. More responsibilities equal more money.
Leaping to the next level, no matter where you work is one of the best ways to immediately lock in extra money.
Ask for a raise
Earning potential: 1,000+cedis per year
Getting a raise is harder even requesting is the hardest of all than getting a promotion. Think about it from your boss’s perspective. Would you rather
a) pay more money for the same service,
b) pay more money for additional responsibilities? Regardless, sometimes a raise is in order, especially if you have worked for several years without one.
Pressure washing, lawn mowing, carpet cleaning
Earning potential: 200+ per weekend
There are two things many homeowners don’t like: manual labor and buying expensive tools for projects. If you have a lawnmower, a pressure washer, or a heavy-duty carpet cleaner, you can solve those problems and get paid in the process even without any of these you use manpower.
To advertise your services, you can post flyers in your neighborhood, post in local Facebook groups, or do it the old-fashioned way and knock on doors.
Become a research subject
Earning potential: 20-500+cedis depending on the study
When I was a student at the ghana institute of journalism, I participated in a 6-week study and got some cool cash
If you live near a university, check the web pages of different departments to see if any researchers are looking for subjects. but beware of giving out any personal information before you know for sure that the opportunity is legit.
Teach a live webinar on something you know
Earning potential: 50+cedis per webinar
Webinars have been around for years, usually as a sales funnel for a paid product or service. But with video conferencing via Zoom or Skype becoming more mainstream, nothing is stopping you from hosting your own live teaching session to paying students.
For example, a personal finance blogger is offering training on search engine optimization (SEO). If ten people signed up for $40 each, that is a quick $400 he just made. For this model of making money, you don’t need a particularly large social media following — you just need to get the right people in the door.
Ideas you can try:
Leadership Team
what is business potentials
Writing workshop
An Excel class
Nutrition coaching
first-time homebuyer class
Resell your unused gift cards
Earning potential: 70-90% of a gift card’s value
Have you ever found yourself with a stack of gift cards after the holidays or your birthday? If so, you might know the feeling of being compelled to spend money at a certain merchant just because you have a gift card, not necessarily because you want or need anything from there.
I had one pair of American Eagle jeans as a teenager that I didn’t particularly like, but a family member (who shall not be named) thought I was a die-hard American Eagle fan. Every year I would get a gift card for AE, and I never knew what to do with it.
Turns out, there are plenty of websites, like Raise.com, that offer cash for gift cards. For instance, I might be able to sell a $50 American Eagle gift card for $40 cash. Sure, I’m getting less than the card is worth, but at least the gift card is converted into cash that can be used for anything.
Sell handmade art in cafes, restaurants, or online
Earning potential: 10-100+cedis per piece sold
Do you like creating art as a hobby? If so, there are lots of opportunities to turn a hobby into a profitable side hustle.
Etsy is an online platform that allows artists to sell their handmade art to a large audience in exchange for a small portion of the final sales price.
If you’d rather sell locally, ask around at non-franchised cafes and restaurants near you if they’d be willing to display your art for sale in their dining area. If the owner or manager likes your work, most will gladly say yes. You’ll probably still end up paying a commission on any sales, but at least your art will be enjoyed by patrons in the meantime instead of sitting in your home.
Sell your old gold or silver jewelry
sell your old jewelry
Earning potential: varies
If you have any jewelry laying around the house and don’t mind parting ways with it, checking out places to sell your jewelry online is a great way to make money fast. When you go to sell your jewelry, keep these tips in mind:
Know what type of gold or silver you have
Find a reputable buyer
Know the current price of gold and silver
Get an appraisal of your piece
Shop around to find the best deal
Take advantage of a referral program
Earning potential: 250-2,000+cedis per referral
Many employers are often on the lookout for top talent to join their teams. Depending on where you work and the needs of your employer, there may be incentive programs that give you the chance to get paid for any successful referrals you provide.
Example: Let’s say you are a Registered Nurse (RN) working at a regional hospital. The hospital has a referral program that offers $500 to any employee who refers another RN to join the team. If you have a friend who is about to graduate nursing school and you tell them to apply at your hospital, you would get $500 if they are successfully hired.
To find out if your company offers a program like this, ask your HR department.
Find house sitting gigs
Earning potential: 25-45 cedis per day
This is an especially popular way to earn quick cash during the holidays and over the summer when many families are vacationing. The requirements needed to become a house sitter are usually fairly low; you’ll need a clean criminal record and a positive reference or two. If you are interested in learning more, check out our guide to making money as a housesitter. Sites like Care.com are perfect for finding house-sitting gigs near you.
Become an Amazon Flex delivery partner
Amazon delivered roughly 3.5 billion packages worldwide in 2019.
Earning potential: 18-25 cedis per hour, according to Amazon*
Amazon never seems to go out of style. But did you know that the company has an almost constant need for more drivers to deliver packages? Similar to companies like Uber, Postmates, DoorDash, etc., Amazon is always on the lookout for independent contractors (i.e, not employees) to join its fleet.
If you have a vehicle that can reasonably fit several packages and meet other requirements, you can start making money on your own schedule with Amazon. According to Amazon’s site, delivery partners sign up to fill delivery windows, which are typically between 2 and 6 hours.
Avoid These Sources of Immediate Cash If You Need Money Now
Sometimes what seems like the simplest or easiest solution comes with the most risk. Before using crowdfunding or opening up a new credit card, make sure you carefully weigh those against the benefits.
Payday lenders
Using a payday lender seems like the most effective way to get cash when you need it. The process is simple, locations are easy to find and accessible, and you’ll walk out with money in hand.
However, the interest rates can be 400% APR or more, and the repayment term is short, making it difficult to pay back the money you borrowed without having to take out another loan.[1]
It’s easy to find yourself perpetually indebted to the loan company. If you truly have no other option besides a payday loan, do whatever you can to pay back the initial loan by the due date to avoid getting trapped in the payday loan cycle.
Borrowing against your retirement
While you can borrow against your 401(k) for a tax-free loan, it’s generally not a good idea. This comes with a large opportunity cost.
When you take out money from your retirement account, you lose any compounding interest and your contributions decrease, along with any possible company matches. If you do borrow against your 401(k), make sure you fully understand the repayment options and consequences.
By borrowing against your house,
you’re using the equity in your home as collateral, impacting your home’s resale value. Second mortgages can be expensive thanks to things like appraisals and fees, and if you don’t pay your loan, you risk losing your home to foreclosure.
Although interest rates are generally lower than credit cards, make sure to carefully weigh if this is the best option for getting quick cash. Proceed with caution if you go this route.
Borrowing from family and friends
Asking friends or family for money can be a humbling experience. It’s difficult to admit being in a financially vulnerable position, and it’s even harder to ask for help. If you have generous friends or family members, they might be willing to provide you with an interest-free short-term loan.
If that happens, both parties need to understand the repayment terms and other conditions. You need to make sure you’re fulfilling your obligations to them and not engaging in frivolous spending. Be sure that borrowing money from them won’t negatively impact your relationship. If you have any doubts, don’t ask.
Crowdfunding
GoFundMe or other crowdfunding platforms may seem like a good idea for getting money when you need it, and it prevents the embarrassment of asking friends and family directly. However, it comes with many of the same risks.
You may open yourself up to criticism, comments, and insults about your financial situation and you as a person. If you have a strong community and support system and are aware of the possible backlash, then crowdfunding may be an okay option.s
Final Thoughts
While there is a time and a place for quick money-making ideas, keep the big picture in mind. Easy wins are great, but they’re usually small, and somewhat fleeting. They won’t make a huge difference in your life over the long term.
That’s not to say that every side hustle you undertake has to turn into a full-fledged business, but one of the true keys to building wealth is to create real, sustainable value for others.
You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want. Zig Ziglar
If you want to create a meaningful change in your income, you have to do something meaningful for other people.
No matter what your circumstances may be right now, remember one thing: earning more money means having more freedom.
Freedom to eat what you want to eat, live where you want to live, vacation when and where you want, and more. Making extra money starts with a simple decision: do you want more freedom in your life?
If the answer is yes, it’s time to go for it. You may have to try more than one idea on the list before you find one that sticks. But once your income starts to rise, you will gain control of your life and find even more opportunities than you could ever imagine.
