Being in a situation where you need cash in a crunch is certainly no fun, yet it happens all too often. If one thing has been true about 2020, it’s that you need to be prepared for sudden events like a pandemic, and sometimes that involves stocking up on food and household supplies and building an emergency savings fund. But an emergency savings fund can get depleted, and some people have difficulty building one. If you need cash fast, asking immediate or extended family for help should probably be the first thing you do. But if they can’t help you, there are a few other ways you can get cash fast.
Now it should be noted that whichever way you decide to get cash fast, you should always allow yourself at least a few days to get the cash because sometimes it can take a little time. For example, sometimes where electronic fund transfers are involved, it needs to clear through a bank’s automated clearing house system before you can receive it. And in other cases, you may need to borrow money and wait a little for an approval time. Regardless, it’s always best to act as soon as possible to avoid the stress of payment deadlines.
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Employer Payday Advance Options
Not often talked about but sometimes an option is an advanced pay offered by an employer. If they offer it, what they’ll do is pay you an amount upfront that will then be deducted from your next paycheck. There are usually strict limits to how much you’ll be paid, and how often you can request an advance. Most employers don’t offer this because it can be very expensive and eat into their cash flow, and some state laws consider this kind of advance to be a loan. But some employers are now offering cash-out options where employees can get paid at the end their work shifts up to a certain amount. This can be a better option than waiting one or two weeks to get paid.
Offering Your Services To People
There are so many things people will pay you for immediately if you offer them your services. For example, if you have any yard work or landscaping skills, you might consider doing that kind of work for your neighbors. But you can also offer simple things like babysitting their kids, or if you have any musical skills that you could use for teaching, or can tutor children academically, you can make money doing those things as well. There’s really no limit to what you can offer skill-wise.
Selling Items At A Local Thrift Store
You probably have a habit of setting aside old items you don’t need anymore in boxes in your closet, or just dumping them in your attic. But chances are they still have value and could be sold for a few bucks. Now you could sell them in your own yard sale, or even on eBay or Amazon, but doing that could take longer. Taking items down to a local thrift store, pawn outlet or trade-in shop might be better if you want cash quicker. Although it’s important to know you probably will get far less than market value for items you sell at these places since the merchants there like to buy low and sell higher.
Taking Out Emergency Loans
If all else fails and you really need to borrow money, you can look into emergency loans such as cash advance loans that are meant for emergency situations among others. These loans are not offered by banks, but are instead offered by independent lenders who have a different set of requirements for getting approved. The application process is most of the time quicker than it is with a traditional bank loan process.
The bottom line is when you have a crisis and need cash immediately, the best thing to do is not panic but keep your options open for getting quick cash. Also, you should communicate with your creditors to let them know you are in a hardship situation and will do your best to make your payments.
About the Author:
Ray is a sought after thought leader and an expert in financial and money management. He has been published and featured in over 50 leading sites and aims to contribute articles to help novice financial planners. One of his goals is to impart his knowledge in finance to educate and help ordinary people create and achieve their financial goals.
