# I need money fast! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 12, 2006, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486 "2006-05-12T07:09:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/21 "2006-05-14T16:37:25Z")
It’s not fabulous money, but day labor is always an option. If your town has a labor-ready you just show up early in the AM and people will come and give you work. It’s hard manual labor, but I’ve seen even my pretty unathletic friends do it for a short period fine. With any luck you can get $100 a day. ---
**Author:** ![xiix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/d6d6ee/32.png) [@xiix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xiix)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/22 "2006-05-14T22:30:00Z")
why no link to the aforementioned hilarious prank??? ---
**Author:** ![Lochdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/edb3f5/32.png) [@Lochdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lochdale)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/23 "2006-05-14T23:25:43Z")
> [@Brain Wreck](#): > > If that’s true then why don’t we see more fabulously rich bartenders? Why aren’t kids falling over one another trying to get into bartending school? It’s actually very tough to get a good bartending gig in a big city. It is a competitive industry. At a good bar in Chicago a bartender can take home more than $300 a night in tips alone. $500 is not unheard of. If you live in a big city you could also try babysitting which pays fairly well (might be tougher for a man though). ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/24 "2006-05-15T01:34:47Z")
Sometimes landscapers make good money, and you might be able to start right away. I echo the ideas of selling plasma, selling uneeded goods, and if it gets too bad, panhandling for value menu money. If you have a car, you can make decent money delivering for a busy pizza place. ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/25 "2006-05-15T05:55:11Z")
The bartenders I know all make considerably more than most of the college grad white collar folks I know. But then I know people who’ve been at it a long time, with weekend shifts in “real” bars where people tip well/as expected. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/26 "2006-05-15T14:31:42Z")
Also, if you have an economical reliable car, this WILL NOT provide instant cash, but a motor paper route does bring in income. It won’t pay the rent, but it will keep you in Ramen indefinitely. I’ve never seen anyone NOT get hired to deliver papers. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/27 "2006-05-15T16:29:52Z")
Depending on what kind of time you have on your hands, do a sleep study. Many don’t involve drugs at all, just time. They can go from one weekend to two weeks, and pay more the longer the study is. I’ve seen ones that pay a few thousand dollars for two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/28 "2006-05-15T16:34:49Z")
> [@Lochdale](#): > > It’s actually very tough to get a good bartending gig in a big city. It is a competitive industry. At a good bar in Chicago a bartender can take home more than $300 a night in tips alone. $500 is not unheard of. > > If you live in a big city you could also try babysitting which pays fairly well (might be tougher for a man though). I agree. I worked at a crappy bar in college, by no means “the place to be” and I still could manage $200 in tips alone on a friday or saturday night. Sometimes more if we had a band that night. At a popular, upscale bar you’re looking at a lot of cash, and not just on the weekends. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/29 "2006-05-15T21:12:06Z")
Ask Social Services, not for money, but for a bankruptcy plan? [Here](http://http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=271875) [are](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=240600) a few other SDMB-threads with idea’s. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/30 "2006-05-15T22:44:00Z")
Andrew Bug, I must confess that I have been drawn into this thread, and am just very curious about your thoughts on the suggestions, and on what path you might be taking. Inquiring minds wanna know! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/31 "2006-05-15T22:44:33Z")
Careful with bankruptcy. The scar on your credit is mostly repairable in the long term, but it’s usually the LAST bullet in your gun and should be conserved for the right time. Never file unless you have ALREADY fixed the problem that got you into debt to begin with, otherwise you’ll be wishing you could file again in 18 months and be stuck waiting most of a decade to be able to do it. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/32 "2006-05-16T00:43:57Z")
> [@Mr. Slant](#): > > Careful with bankruptcy. > The scar on your credit is mostly repairable in the long term, but it’s usually the LAST bullet in your gun and should be conserved for the right time. > Never file unless you have ALREADY fixed the problem that got you into debt to begin with, otherwise you’ll be wishing you could file again in 18 months and be stuck waiting most of a decade to be able to do it. Good advice. You remind me of my brother’s situation in your post. He went bankrupt once, then did so twice. My bestust friend then told him, LiveOnAPlane-Junior, the next time you do this, you realize your mother will probably be dead, and you are gonna be asking your step-father (whom you hate, and likewise), for a place to stay. \<\\> ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2006, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486/33 "2006-05-16T02:43:00Z")
Oh, no joke about that. I read on MSN Finance or somesuch that there are a healthy quantity of people out there who basically file bankruptcy EVERY TIME it’s available to them. The pattern: Go wild with credit, have fun, go deadbeat, go bankrupt, wait two years for credit to get better, rinse, wash and repeat every 7 years from age 18 to grave. Be interesting to see if the new laws change that, but I suspect they’ll just require serial BK filers to keep better records and pay twice as much for their lawyers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-need-money-fast/356486.md?page=1)