How To Make $5,000 Fast
Sometimes, life throws sudden emergencies at you that require a cushion of cash to fix. It could be your car breaking down, losing a job, or your water heater going bust.
Whatever the case, knowing how to make a lot of money in a short amount of time is a very useful skill.
That's why this post is covering how to make $5,000 fast if you find yourself in a tough spot. And I'm including a mix of online and in-person ideas so there's something for everyone!
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18 Best Ways To Make $5,000 Fast
1. Online Freelancing
Making money by selling skills online is another way you can make quick money. For example, I started freelance writing as a college side hustle and maintained that hustle when I got my first full-time job.
When I got tired of my day job, I quit and moved down to Medellin, Colombia. And I've been traveling the world making money with a laptop ever since then!
It didn't take long before my freelance writing surpassed my old day job income. I was able to make 5k fast with a handful of clients, and at its peak, my writing income was about $8,000 per month.
There are also plenty of gigs this works for, including:
- Bookkeeping
- Content writing
- Editing and proofreading
- Digital marketing
- Graphic design
- Online tutoring
- Paid ads specialist (I did this throughout college and made way more than $5K)
- Photographer (you can sell stock photos and also do in-person photography)
- Social media management
- SEO specialist
- Web development
- Video editor
- Virtual assistant gigs
If you charge $25 to $50 per hour for certain freelance work, making $5,000 could take as little as 100 hours, which is just 25 hours per week of work.
You can find clients by looking for gigs on Fiverr or by using remote job websites like FlexJobs to find new opportunities.
2. Food Delivery Gigs
Side gig apps like DoorDash and Instacart are prime examples of gig economy jobs you can pick up to make extra money on the side.
As a DoorDash courier, you deliver fast food and restaurant meals right to people's doorsteps. Making money as an Instacart Shopper is similar, except the main difference is that you're also shopping for groceries before making deliveries.
But in either case, you can make solid money on the side if you put in enough hours of delivery.
So, if you want to get $5,000 fast, you can continue working your regular job and then do a job like DoorDash or Instacart on the side for a few hours after work.
This is an absolute grind to be fair, so it's probably not sustainable behavior. But, if you're in a financial pickle, these types of gigs come in handy.
There are also lots of other driving apps you can make money with, including apps like Uber Eats, Shipt, and Grubhub. Between all these gigs, there's no shortage of options to deliver food to make extra money.
Start making money with Uber Eats and DoorDash!
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3. Online Surveys
One of the easiest ways to make extra money is to use instant cash survey sites. These sites pay you to answer questions about a variety of topics. And I've been using them ever since college to make side money, and I love that you don't need any experience to start.
Some of my top survey sites you can check out include:
Of course, there are even more survey apps and sites you can use. And while these sites won't make anyone rich, they're an easy side hustle stack you can try out in addition to some of the other ideas on this list.
Get started with Branded Surveys!
4. Borrow The Money
Turning to friends or family is a natural option to get $5,000 fast. However, you need to be comfortable with this because this is a very large sum of money and dealing with friends and family can be complex.
Going through your bank is, of course, another option you can check out. Finally, companies like Upgrade also provide loans of up to $50,000 and offer fast payments and low rates to help you out.
If this option doesn't work, you can always explore other options, like using various cash advance apps.
For example, apps like EarnIn let you borrow $100 per day, up to $750, within a given pay period. And you just pay EarnIn back when your paycheck hits.
You should always read the terms and services of any loan you're taking out, and ideally, you can avoid this route by turning to other side hustle ideas instead.
5. Sell Stuff You Own
One of the simplest ways to get $5,000 fast is to sell off assets you own.
Granted, this isn't something many people want to do, and it also requires selling off quite a few things. That said, there are so many different selling apps and websites out there where you can sell stuff for quick cash.
Some popular options include:
- Facebook Marketplace Selling: This is one of the best options to sell stuff locally for cash.
- Mercari: This selling app is great for selling apparel, electronics, and even random stuff like old postcards, board games and sports cards.
- Depop: Depop is a popular selling app for thrifted and vintage clothing and accessories.
- Poshmark: One of the best ways to sell your new and used clothing, shoes, and accessories.
- SidelineSwap: Sell new or used sports equipment and apparel.
- OfferUp: Another popular marketplace for selling stuff for cash in person.
- Worthy: My favorite way to sell watches, jewelry, and diamonds online.
You can also try options like running a garage sale to sell off more of your old stuff more quickly. Clothing, electronics, and toys are some easy sellers, but you can also get creative and sell random collectibles like Pokemon cards or Beanie Babies.
Even if this doesn't get you all the way to making $5k fast, it can at least get the ball rolling.
6. Complete Odd Jobs For Cash
There are plenty of ways to do odd jobs for money if you're willing to hustle.
I'll give you a perfect example: search your local Craigslist for in-person cash jobs. Chances are, you can find loads of cash gigs near you that pay you for tasks like:
- Caregiving
- Cleaning
- Cooking
- Handyman work
- Landscaping
- Junk removal
- Moving help
- Painting
Granted, you're going to find some weird gigs as well, so make sure you do some due diligence and feel comfortable with whatever you're doing.
If Craigslist doesn't work, you can also try Care.com or companies like TaskRabbit that let you offer various handyman services to people in your city for cash.
7. Start An Online Business
Are you feeling entrepreneurial? If the answer is yes, then you can always try starting an online business of some kind.
Digital side hustles are how I increased my monthly income the most over the last few years. And there are plenty of business models you can consider, including:
- Making money with a blog (this is how I make $50,000 a month now)
- Starting a podcast
- Starting an ecommerce side hustle like dropshipping or your own Shopify store
- Etsy print on demand
- Starting an online service-based business
- Making money on YouTube
My YouTube channel is the perfect example. It's now scaling to $3,000 a month or more in income, and this is just one business model. Plenty of other online hustles and businesses can start generating impressive amounts, month after month.
It can take some testing to find the right hustle or business model. But all of the ideas I mentioned have $5,000 income potential or even more.
8. Rent Out Assets For Cash
If earning passive income is your goal, you can always try renting stuff out for money to increase your monthly income.
You also have lots of options here which is what makes this income stream so awesome. For example, here are some ways to make money renting things out:
- Renting out your home on Airbnb
- Renting out spare storage space with Neighbor
- Renting out your car with Turo or Getaround
- Renting out camera equipment or other electronics on Fat Llama
It's pretty unlikely you can make $5,000 dollars fast just by renting stuff out unless you have a very successful Airbnb business. But even renting out a single asset can help you work towards your goal.
Plus, some people I know make over $10,000 a month from a Turo fleet or from several Airbnb rentals. So, you can scale these low-maintenance businesses if you reinvest into growth.
Of course, you don't have to go all-in on a rental business, and it takes time to build one. But you can start by renting stuff out while grinding out your day job or other hustles, this gets you one step closer towards your goal.
9. Flip Stuff For Money
Flipping money is one of the most classic side hustles out there, and the idea is pretty simple on the surface.
The idea is to buy popular products and to then resell them in person or online. This is the basic formula for making money with retail arbitrage. Popular items people often flip include:
- Clothing
- Collectibles
- Electronics
- Jewelry
- Sneakers
- Toys
- Video games
Like regular selling, you can always use apps like eBay or Mercari to sell to people online. Facebook is also ideal if you're selling stuff in person.
Many retail arbitrage sellers also sell through Amazon FBA, so this is one more option you can consider. I actually interviewed a couple who sell through Amazon FBA, and they've reached over $1 million in sales!
Amazon FBA involves shipping products to Amazon warehouses. When you make a sale, Amazon ships them for you so you don't have to worry about logistics.
Overall, flipping stuff for extra money can be very lucrative. Our only tip is to start with a small budget and to reinvest into the business as you find what sells quickly.
Extra Reading – How To Flip $500 Dollars.
10. Invest In Real Estate
Traditionally, real estate investing has let people generate serious amounts of wealth. And, this fact still holds true today. House-hacking by buying a duplex is a great example. This is a way many people I know build wealth while saving money on their mortgage.
If you can't rent out a portion of your home, you can also look into other forms of real estate investing. For example, companies like Arrived let you invest in real estate starting with just $100!
Arrived is a real estate crowdfunding company that lets you buy shares of income-generating rental units. As an investor, you get paid dividends on autopilot and can also earn from your shares appreciating. Overall, Arrived helps people make money with real estate without needing a fortune to get started.
Of course, making $5,000 fast through pure real estate investing is challenging since it requires a lot of capital to generate this amount in dividends.
However, you can use companies like Arrived to diversify your income with real estate income. And you can also consider more traditional forms of investing for income like dividend stocks, ETFs, and bonds.
Learn more about investing with Arrived!
11. Pawn Stuff For Cash
Another classic way to make some extra cash is to pawn stuff for money.
Pawn shops are a bit notorious for lowballing people, but it's also another simple way to get access to fast cash.
When you pawn something, you're leaving an item of value with a pawn shop as collateral for a loan. If you pay back the loan on time, you get the item you pawned back. If you don't pay back your loan, you lose the item you're pawning.
Examples of popular things people pawn include:
- Antiques
- Collectibles
- Gold and silver
- Jewelry
- Instruments
- Wedding rings
- Tools
- Watches
The downside to pawning stuff for money is that you get way less cash than the value of the item you're pawning to protect the pawn shop. So, if you need $5,000 fast, you need to pawn something pretty expensive, so just keep this in mind.
12. Try Other Driving Gigs That Pay
Food delivery jobs like Instacart and DoorDash are effective ways to make more money in your spare time. However, there are so many other delivery jobs that pay.
Some popular options you can checkout include:
- Amazon Flex: Earn $18 to $23 per hour by delivering packages for Amazon.
- Roadie: Make money by delivering packages to people and businesses in your city or even out of state.
- GoShare: Deliver packages for people and get paid for larger deliveries if you have a truck or cargo van.
- Lugg: Help people move and earn $20+ per hour with Lugg!
- Lyft & Uber: Make money as a rideshare driver with either Uber or Lyft in your spare time!
- Walmart Spark: This gig like Amazon Flex also pays you to deliver packages.
The downside to these types of delivery gigs is that there's usually less order volume than food delivery apps, so you can't work as much as you want. However, you often earn more per hour, and gigs like Roadie can pay up to $650 for long-haul deliveries!
13. Online Coaching
Making money with online coaching can be insanely lucrative, and this also works for so many different niches.
For example, I've made money with Facebook Ads consulting, SEO consulting, and blogging coaching on random occasions over the last few years.
I actually found some of these jobs on Upwork as well as by word of mouth and through my personal network.
It's a revenue stream I want to grow in the near future, but the amount of money you can make is insane. This also opens the door for selling things like eBooks and courses, so there are a lot of directions you can go here.
Extra Reading – The 20+ Best Jobs That Make $5,000 A Month.
14. Dog Sitting & Walking Gigs
If you like working with animals, another option you can use to get $5,000 dollars fast is to offer dog walking and sitting services.
People are willing to pay good money to get help with their dogs. And I have a few friends from college who have made money in the past by pet sitting or even offering dog grooming services.
You can post this kind of service on local marketplaces like Craigslist. Gig apps like Rover also connect pet owners with gig workers who can help with walking or sitting.
As you can see from the Rover profiles above, people are charging $18 to $38 per hour for their services. And you can probably earn $100+ per night for pet sitting services.
It will likely take a few weeks or months to make $5,000 through this method since it takes time to build up your repeat clients. But if you want to work with dogs or other pets, this is a realistic way to make $5k fast.
15. Negotiate A Raise
Another simple and fast way to boost your income is to negotiate a raise with your employer.
A $5,000 raise is pretty typical for many starting roles, and this is actually something I got after working at an advertising agency for about a year and a half.
Just take time to practice the conversation beforehand and make sure you articulate the value you're adding to the company and why this means you're deserving of a raise.
I also suggest reading this article from Forbes in which eight managers share tips on how to ask for a raise and get it.
Extra Reading – The Best Jobs That Pay $5,000 Dollars A Month.
16. Work Overtime
If you work shift work or at a job that pays hourly, you might be able to pull overtime to make a lot of money in a short amount of time.
Of course, not every job offers extra overtime pay. But if your job does, it's a massive chance to make a lot more money than normal.
My friend works at a brewery and he can easily make time and a half or even double if he works weekends or a lot of extra hours during the week.
17. Join Focus Groups
Did you know that you can earn money online by taking part in focus groups?
This is one side hustle I've been trying lately. Personally, I use User Interviews and Respondent to find online focus groups and market research studies. And I actually completed one study with User Interviews recently that paid me $65 for a 45-minute interview.
Studies can pay even more, and it's free to join each site. And while this method won't get 5k fast by itself, you can stack it with some other hustles in this guide to get there faster.
18. Sell Your Vehicle
One final idea for making $5,000 fast is to sell your vehicle for cash. Of course, this requires having a vehicle and is a last resort for many. But a car or even a motorcycle or truck can have immense resale value these days.
Going to a used car lot is one option. You can also sell vehicles on places like the Facebook Marketplace. There's also plenty of car buy-and-sell websites you can use to find buyers, and the process is quite quick if your car is in decent shape and is a popular model.
Tips For Getting Started
Now that you know some realistic ideas to try out, here are a few tips that can make the process much easier to follow through with.
- Set Goals And Track Progress: Setting this sort of income goal is challenging, so you need to track your progress to hold yourself accountable while staying motivated. If possible, break this goal into micro goals like making $1,000 a week, or even making a few extra hundred dollars per month.
- Try Several Gigs: Trying multiple gigs at once is the best way to find what pays the most in your area. It also helps you find side hustles you actually enjoy. This could mean driving for Uber Eats, freelancing online, or selling stuff you own. Don't be afraid to experiment.
- Watch Out For Burnout: Figuring out how to make 5,000 dollars fast isn't easy. So, be careful of burning out. Sleep is important, and you need to make sure you're not grinding too hard.
Extra Reading – The Best Ways To Make $1,000 In 24 Hours.
Final Thoughts
I hope my guide on ways to make $5,000 dollars fast lets you reach your income goal as quickly as possible.
This is honestly just scratching the tip of the iceberg, and there are plenty of other ways to boost your income.
If you're still looking for ideas, you can also read our post on how to make $5,000 a month. This guide has some more consistent side hustle ideas to keep your options open.
Want to try other side hustles? Checkout:
- How To Turn $10,000 Into $100,000.
- The Best Ways To Make $400 A Day.
- The Best Work From Home Jobs That Provide Equipment.
