Quick money making ideas

Skint? Need some quick money making ideas to get you through to next pay day? You may have just what you need, right in front of you!

Let's get one thing straight here, before we start - I am not going to suggest anything that would get you locked up!

OK, now what is in front of you? Apart from your computer? (You can find out how to make money from that in our Internet Income section of the site.)

Look around the house, garage, garden or office. What haven't you used for ages, if ever?

• How about those Christmas and birthday presents which were kindly meant but have never been taken out of their boxes?
• That lawn mower that has been stuck in the shed since you bought the bright shiny new one?
• The tennis rackets and other sporting equipment that you purchased with good intentions?
• The latest gadget that your children bought you, but you never worked out how to use?

All of these things clutter up your living (or working) space for no good reason. What's that? They might come in useful some time! So they may, but are YOU ever going to use them? Could someone else give them a home? The chances are that the answer is yes!

Would some extra cash be more useful to you at present? Well read on and I'll show you how to swap these unwanted items for quick money.

Your first job is to do some sorting.

You are going to make two piles of stuff. One for small, light stuff that can be posted to a new owner. The second is for the heavier, bulkier items, that cannot!

The items in the first pile can be sold online, either by advertising on CraigsList or by learning how to sell on ebay.

It is the second pile we are going to deal with on this page. The large, heavy stuff.

Organizing a garage sale

Have you considered having a garage sale? (Or if you live in the UK perhaps you would be more familiar with a car boot sale?) This is an ideal way of getting rid of stuff you no longer need or want, and a quick way of making money.

A weekend is the best time for garage sales, as more people will be free to come. Give yourself a little time to get everything sorted out and to advertise your event, so make it the weekend after next if you can.

Now, if the things you are wanting to sell have been kicking around for years, they may need a bit of spit and polish to make them presentable. Brush them off, wash them and make them look loved even though they aren't. Would you buy something that looked grubby or dog eared?

Getting the word out

Do you get a free newspaper in your area? That would be a great place to start. Or of course there is the ever useful postcard in local shop windows, village noticeboards or anywhere that people gather. The cost of advertising will be minimal, after all you are wanting to make quick money not spend it!

You might also consider using your car as a mobile advertising board. Pop a card in the window so that when you are parked at the grocery store other shoppers will see it. Make it big enough to read clearly and add some color to get it noticed. Include the address, day and time of your garage sale and if you have any special items don't forget to mention them.

Make sure you tell all your friends and family that live nearby, about your sale too!

Garage sale tips for a successful event

On the day of your sale, put a notice up in the garden, written in big letters so that passing motorists can see it. After all if your advertising has worked you want people who are looking for you to be able to find your sale.

If the weather is fine, you can utilize your garden or driveway as well as your garage. It will give you more room to spread things out so that there is space for people to walk around them. The light is likely to be better as well.

Ask a few trusted friends or family members to help. The more hands available the easier it will be.

Have a stash of bags at hand, to pop bought items into. Some string or sticky tape might be handy too.

Large items can be stood on the ground, but smaller or more valuable things are best displayed on a table or counter. Pasting tables come in handy here. Be wary of putting things inside boxes or baskets that you aren't for sale as you may well get offers made for them too!

Pricing your goods

You will also want to consider pricing.

If you have lots of similar items you can write one card saying, for example "hard backed books $2 each". Some items will, however, need to be priced individually.

Don't be greedy, put a sensible price on things so that everyone wins - your customers get a bargain and you get that quick money you need. Be prepared to be flexible, and be alert to the chance of a sale if you drop the price a little.

You might find that items that are not priced don't get sold. People might think they are too expensive if they do not have a price tag on them.

After the garage sale

Hopefully these garage sale tips will have helped you get rid of clutter and turn it into quick money. But there will inevitably be some items left over. Instead of sticking them back in cupboards use this opportunity to donate them to local goodwill or charity shops. They may even come and collect if you ask.

Or you can make one last ditch effort to find them a new (paying) home, by writing up more postcards with enticing descriptions and a bargain price, to put up in those shop windows again. It won't take much out of your earnings and could do someone else a favor.