Living on your own without the steady financial support of Mom and Dad can be quite pricey. No longer is there a loaded fridge at your fingertips or a free roof overhead. Collegiettes are still expected to keep up with school, work, internships and extracurricular activities, all while making do with a limited budget. With all of these responsibilities, finding yourself short on funds can be a huge crisis.
Thankfully, there are tons of ways out there to make extra cash in one week or less that are sure to fit seamlessly into your busy schedule — you just have to take advantage of them!
1. Clean up after a party
If you or any of your friends plan on throwing a party anytime soon, help out with the cleanup by offering to take the inevitably sky-high pile of discarded recyclables to a local recycling center. With the go-green mentality trending across the country, these environmentally friendly centers are located in most communities. While you may only make a few bucks from several trash bags bursting with aluminum cans and glass bottles, the brownie points you’ll receive from your friends (along with that great feeling after doing a good deed!) will make this money-maker well worth the effort. Just search for a recycling center near your college campus and let the moneymaking begin!
2. Sell clothes at a consignment store
If you’re that girl with closets and drawers overflowing with underused clothing, take some of these garments to a local consignment store where you can actually get paid for those outfits that would otherwise be collecting dust. For the sake of getting all the extra cash you can, search the web to find a consignment shop near your campus and trade your clothes for some cash! No consignment shop near your university? Check out Threadflip, where you can sell your clothing online from any location.
3. Become a tutor
Tutoring is a great way to make some extra cash fast. Not only can you set your own price, but you’ll be mastering the material beyond your usual proficiency by repeating it and breaking it down for others.
To get started, just contact the professor of a class you aced and let him or her know you’re interested in tutoring students currently enrolled in the course. Request to visit the class before lecture starts and make an announcement, get a few takers and get tutoring! And who knows, maybe that campus cutie you’ve had your eye on will be the one who needs some extra academic aid!
4. Have a bake sale
Enjoy whipping up sweet treats? Put your dreamy domestic skills to good use by selling baked goods on campus. You can also make your baked goods stand out by making some of these skinny dessert recipes –everyone loves a sinless sweet!
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5. Sell back your books
A book buyback is an easy and much-needed way to get rid of old textbooks while making money. Most campuses have book buybacks at the beginning or end of each semester, so check your university’s website to see when you can take advantage.
Middle of the semester and broke as a joke? Not to worry! Check out CampusBooks.com! This is an online resource that will allow you to compare buyback prices with a number of different bookstores in order to sell your books for the highest amount possible. So whether you’re a bookworm with shelves full of old texts or a crafty collegiette who’s currently using your books as a television stand, sell back those books you no longer need for some extra pocket money!
6. Participate in a research study
Participating in psychology studies on campus will help your struggling wallet as well. “Psychology departments often rely on students for research participation,” says Dr. Ramani Durvasula, a professor of psychology at California State University Los Angeles. “A lot of what we know about human behavior we learned from studies done on undergraduates.” So not only are these opportunities readily available, but those doing the research are in desperate need of college women like you to participate!
The compensation varies— ranging from $8-20 per hour, according to Dr. Durvasula— and the payment amount depends on the type of experiment. Your tasks could be anything: filling out surveys, taking tests that resemble puzzles, watching a film and writing a reaction or being taped doing various activities such as working in groups. This option is easy and could be quite useful to your university, so lend your brain and see your bank account gain a few extra dollar signs.
7. Take advantage of online resources
Selling some of your nonessential possessions online is actually one of the easiest ways to make a quick buck. The great thing about this option is you don’t have to limit yourself to just selling random items around the house – instead, evaluate what kinds of items you have to sell and choose a site below that will be the best outlet for what you have to offer:
- Etsy: All you crafty collegiettes can sell your homemade creations on this website for extra cash.
- 99designs: Into making your own graphic designs? You can sell any type of graphic design on this site, like a logo, webpage design, business card design and more.
- eBay: This is your go-to site if you want to sell rare items or items with a desirable brand name.
- craigslist: Have any unneeded furniture? This is the best outlet to locally sell large items that would otherwise have a heavy shipping fee.
- Amazon: This is a great all-purpose platform because allows you to sell virtually any item!
Take our advice and use a few of these easy ways to make money when your bank account is looking a little sparse. Along with a few budgeting tips, you can go from being the queen of broke girl problems to a thrifty and financially thriving collegiette in one week!