I should have put legally in the title as well, lol. I’m definitely not going to pitch the idea of a sugar daddy or a sugar momma, LOL. But seriously, these are just some of the ways that I know teachers who personally do this.
You might have had an unexpected bill arise, or may be trying to pay down debt. Whatever the reason is, these are some of the quickest ways to make money when you’re in a bind.
Sell Your Expensive Belongings
I was trying to cover a big deposit needed for my wedding. I had already used all my sources, AKA my mom. I had already asked her for so much, my pay was super low, and I did not want to go into debt for such a special occasion. So I thought of what I could sell. I was sitting on these nice TI calculators that I was given as part of an externship by TI themselves. They were part of my technology program, but I never used them in my classroom, because we always had computers or laptops. I tried giving them away before to teachers in need, but they never wanted them, because they had their own. So they were just sitting in my closet.
I knew they were worth some money, so I went to my local pawn store(horrible idea). I had never really been in one before, but I could just feel this shadiness around me. It definitely felt off for me. I asked them what they’d give me, they told me $140 the most. I was hoping to at least get $500. They wouldn’t budge. I left them and went to another pawn shop, they thought the calculators were stolen(oh joy). Then when I was leaving, the guy was like, “you should try Ebay”. I went home, checked online, and there seemed to be a demand.
I took a picture of them, created an account, put them up for auction, all in less than an hour. The bidding would take a week to finalize. The next day I got an offer of $400, but I wanted other offers, so I just waited and didn’t respond. Then a day before the bidding was to end, someone else bid $600, and it started a bidding war. Long story short the final bid was $800, and after ebay’s cut and paypal’s cut, I got around $700 for them. Not bad for an hours worth of work, and waiting a week.
There are a lot of different sites that you can sell different items on, to make some quick cash.
Side note, I have also made a lot from garage sales. It’s a hassle and a headache to plan, get the word out, setup everything, and then negotiate all day. But for one day of super hard work, my wife and I made over $800. If you live in an apartment, you could possibly find someone of Facebook that is doing a garage sale soon, and ask them if you could sell with them as well. In return, you could say you will market the sale on all your social media platforms, to drive in more traffic, so it’s a win win for them and you. Just an idea.
Give Plasma
I have a teacher friend in Chicago, who’s the only stable breadwinner, no offense to her husband, he tries. But she needed a root canal because she was in deep pain. The dentist told her, that her insurance wouldn’t cover it, because she had used all her coverage that year on her kids(shady dental plan). That she need to pay at least half in cash, around $500. She didn’t have any savings, she already her parents and a few other people, so she started searching. Then she came across a local lab, that would give her $250 for her first 4 visits. Within three weeks, she had the cash, and got her tooth fixed. It was a while to wait, but at least she didn’t try living with the pain.
She joined their referral program, convinced her brothers to do it as well, and was given an extra $200 just for recruiting them. She’s actually turned a very painful moment, into a nice little side hustle.
You’ll want to check your area though. Where I live they only wanted to give you $40, and the process time was double that of hers. So this was definitely not worth it where I live. You’re best bet to find a place nearby would be to Google “Selling plasma [your city name] [your state]”.
The Best Way
Really the best way to handle situations like this, is to have an emergency savings. I know it’s super hard for some teachers with their salaries to save at least $1,000 emergency fund, but it is so worth it. My wife and I finally got our stuff together financially, and now each have at least $1,000 in savings for emergencies(we have more, but the $1,000 never gets touched or thought of).
I would highly, and I mean highly suggest getting serious about your finances, and reading Ramit’s, I Will Teach You To Be Rich. I like some of Dave Ramsey’s stuff, but most of it I don’t care for. I want to be financially saavy, and I want my Starbucks too. Ramit forsure helps with that. Since reading ramit’s book, my wife and I have an autopilot system, that pays our bills, saves for our retirement, funds our savings account, and leaves the left over money to spend on whatever we want. I don’t have to think about budgeting, or where the money is going to come from. We take advantage of automatic systems, it’s like having our own financial manager, without the financial manager fee.
He has also helped me find more ways to bring in more income, than just from my job. I’m a big fan of his work, and it has led me to a richer life, financially and emotionally. I promise the $14 for the book, is well worth the investment, if you apply it.
I truly hoped this has helped you. Please feel free to comment any questions you may have down below.
Sending you joy, abundance, and success vibes your way.
-E
1st Year Texas Teachers 