Advertiser Disclosure

How To Make $5,000 Fast: 12 Realistic Ways That Work

May 8, 2025

9 min Read

Written by Jacob Wade

Edited by Melanie Grafil

Close-up of businesswoman holding an open wallet filled with dollar bills—symbolizing finance and success.

ljubaphoto / Getty Images/iStockphoto

Commitment to Our Readers

GOBankingRates' editorial team is committed to bringing you unbiased reviews and information. We use data-driven methodologies to evaluate financial products and services - our reviews and ratings are not influenced by advertisers. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our products and services review methodology.

20 Years
Helping You Live Richer

Reviewed
by Experts

Trusted by
Millions of Readers

If you’re looking for real-life, practical ways to make $5,000 fast, you’ll be glad to know there are creative and proven options to thousands of dollars in weeks — not months.

Here are 12 ways to make $5,000 fast.

12 Ways To Make $5,000 Fast

You’ll need to find time, stay focused and put forth a massive effort to make $5,000 from your side hustles. Here are a dozen ways to make it happen fast:

Quick Cash Options

1. Rent Your Property

Estimated time to $5,000: Four years if earning $100 per month
Expected earnings range: $50 to $600 per month
Upfront costs or tools needed: Security, locks, insurance, utility costs, regular maintenance

If you own a home or some land — you can rent it out for some quick cash. But while renting a room may not be an option, some online platforms let you rent your yard, driveway or even garage space.

Websites like Neighbor.com let you list your property for rent so people can store personal items and vehicles for a monthly fee. This can add up to $100 per month or more for very little effort.

2. Rent Your Car

Estimated time to $5,000: 10 months
Expected earnings range: $500 to $800 per month
Upfront costs or tools needed: Insurance, vehicle maintenance, photos, listing costs, cleaning

If you have a car you don’t use often, apps like Turo let you rent your vehicle and earn money.

Today's Top Offers

If you own a car less than 12 years old and with less than 130,000 miles, you can quickly sign up for Turo, snap a few pics and list your car for rent, netting you hundreds per month.

3. Sell Stuff Around The House

Estimated time to $5,000: Four years, if you sell $100 worth of items per month.
Expected earnings range: $50 to $500
Upfront costs or tools needed: Camera to take photos of items, shipping supplies, listing fees, promotion or marketing

If you have anything in your home that you haven’t touched for a year, apps like Facebook Marketplace and Offerup make it easy to sell stuff locally. If you’re hurting for cash, consider selling old phones or electronics on eBay or other websites to earn even more.

And if it’s nice out, consider hosting a garage sale to sell even more items — just know that you won’t make as much as you would selling things individually online.

4. Flip Garage Sale Finds

Estimated time to $5,000: 10 months if you earn $500 each month
Expected earnings range: $200 to $2,000 per month
Upfront costs or tools needed: Storage space, transportation, listing fees, shipping supplies, money to purchase garage sale items

If you know about collectibles or the value of certain items, you might be able to start flipping. Flipping includes finding rare or collectible items at a very low price, cleaning them up, taking good pictures and selling those finds online.

If you like to go to garage sales and can find low-cost items that have some value, you might be able to make a few hundred dollars (or more) on the side.

Today's Top Offers

Side Hustles That Build Over Time

5. Become a Ride-share Driver

Estimated time to $5,000: 10 weeks if earning $500 per week
Expected earnings range: $500 to $1,000 per week
Upfront costs or tools needed: Car, insurance, maintenance, gas, mobile phone and cellular plan, cleaning supplies

Uber and Lyft have all but replaced taxi services in the U.S. As convenient as ride-share services are, they also open up a lucrative side hustle opportunity for millions. You can quickly get set up as a driver and start earning money by giving people rides.

You’ll need a car that’s less than 12 years old and in decent shape, but if you can quickly rack up some positive reviews, you’ll get more opportunities to earn even more cash.

Uber drivers can earn up to $20 per hour (or more), which can quickly turn into thousands over just a few months.

6. Become an Online Coach

Estimated time to $5,000: Five weeks if you charge $100 for a session and have 10 sessions weekly
Expected earnings range: $1,000 to $10,000 per month
Upfront costs or tools needed: Coach certification, liability insurance, website, business cards, computer

If you have some life experience, you might make a good coach. Helping others with their money, health or relationships can bring in great income — and you can do it all online.

With tools like Zoom and Thinkific, you can set up coaching calls and create online coaching programs, earning you a tidy sum and might even start to rival your day job income.

Today's Top Offers

Creative Gigs

7. Pick Up Freelance Writing Gigs

Estimated time to $5,000: 10 weeks if you earn $500 per week
Expected earnings range: $1,000 to $7,560 per month
Upfront costs or tools needed: Computer, internet, software such as Microsoft Word, online portfolio, professional development courses, if necessary

Large online media publications often hire freelance writers with specific experience to write informational, educational and promotional brand content.

Everyone’s an expert in something, and if you have some writing chops — you can turn that experience into quick cash. You can start with websites like Fiverr or Upwork to land a few writing gigs, but as you establish your portfolio, you can network for referral clients and charge more.

Within a few months, you may earn around $1,000 per month on the side.

8. Create an Online Store

Estimated time to $5,000: 10 months, if consistent profit nets $500 per month
Expected earnings range: $500 to $10,000 per month
Upfront costs or tools needed: Website, domain, e-commerce software, shipping supplies, payment processing fees, marketing

If you like to paint, make t-shirts or create designs, you may have some luck selling your products at local markets. But if you want to scale and make more money, opening an online store can help.

Using platforms like Shopify can help you create a professional retail store online, process orders and handle shipping and taxes anywhere in the world. This can vastly expand your real estate and help you earn more cash.

9. Edit Videos

Estimated time to $5,000: 10 weeks if earning $500 weekly
Expected earnings range: $20 to $100 per hour
Upfront costs or tools needed: Computer, video editing software, storage drives, portfolio, training and coursework, if necessary

Today's Top Offers

If you have a penchant for amazing TikTok edits or know your way around video editing software, you can become a freelance video editor.

You can get paid $100 or more to edit videos for brands and online creators — and eventually charge much higher rates once you’ve established your portfolio. This can be a great side hustle you can do on your own time and quickly earn thousands.

10. Play with Dogs

Estimated time to $5,000: 10 weeks if earning $500 per month
Expected earnings range: $500 to $2,000 per month
Upfront costs or tools needed: Insurance, transportation, pet supplies, insurance, if necessary

Do you like dogs? Did you know you can get paid to play with dogs? Websites like Rover and Trusted Housesitters allow you to offer dog-sitting services and get paid a decent chunk of change for the privilege. This means you can get your fur-baby snuggles in and earn a few hundred dollars on the side!

With a few good reviews, you might even become more in-demand, allowing you to raise your rates and earn even more.

Financial Tools (Loans/Investing)

11. Invest In The Stock Market

Estimated time to $5,000: 15 years with 5% annual dividends on an initial investment of $2,500
Expected earnings range: 5% in dividends
Upfront costs or tools needed: Brokerage account, investment research, financial advisor, initial investment principal

Investing helps you grow wealth, but it can also produce income. Investing in stocks and index funds allows your dollars to go to work — and can earn you money simultaneously.

Some stocks and funds pay dividends and interest, earning you money monthly or quarterly. Dividend stocks, in particular, can earn up to 5% or more in annual income on your investment. This can add up as you continue to invest over time.

Today's Top Offers

12. Get a Personal Loan

Estimated time to $5,000: Immediately after approval
Upfront costs or tools needed: Application fee, origination fee, credit check, interest

If you’re really in a tough spot and need $5,000 immediately, you might qualify for a personal loan. Some online lenders offer loans as fast as the next business day, and if you have good credit, you can get favorable rates and terms as well.

While this type of debt can be hard to pay off, it’s better than using a credit card or payday loan and can help you handle financial emergencies faster.

Side Gigs to Earn $5,000

Method	Estimated Time to Earn $5K	Expected Earnings Range	Upfront Costs or Tools Needed
Rent your property	Four years if earning $100 per month	$50 to $600 per month	– Security – Locks – Insurance – Utility costs – Regular maintenance
Rent your car	10 months	$500 to $800 per month	– Insurance – Vehicle maintenance – Photos – Listing costs – Cleaning
Sell stuff aound the house	Four years if selling $100 worth of items per month	$50 to $500 per month	– Camera to take photos of items – Shipping supplies – Listing fees – Promotion or marketing
Flip garage sale finds	10 months if earning $500 each month	$200 to $2,000 per month	– Storage space – Transportation – Listing fees – Shipping supplies – Money to purchase garage sale items
Become a ride-share driver	10 weeks if earning $500 per week	$500 to $1,000 per week	– Car – Insurance – Maintenance – Gas – Mobile phone and cellular plan – Cleaning supplies
Become an online coach	5 weeks if charging $100 per session and having 10 sessions weekly	$1,000 to $10,000 per month	– Coach certification – Liability insurance – Website – Business cards – Computer
Pick up freelance writing gigs	Varies	$1,000 to $7,560 per month	– Computer – Internet – Software such as Microsoft Word – Online portfolio – Professional development courses (if necessary)
Create an online store	10 months if consistent profit nets $500 per month	$500 to $10,000 per month	– Website – Domain – E-commerce software – Shipping supplies – Payment processing fees – Marketing
Edit Videos	10 weeks if earning $500 weekly	$20 to $100 per hour	– Computer – Video editing software – Storage drives – Portfolio – Training and coursework (if necessary)
Play with dogs	10 weeks if earning $500 per month	$500 to $2,000 per month	– Insurance – Transportation – Pet supplies – Insurance (if necessary)
Invest in the stock market	15 years with 5% annual dividends on an initial investment of $2,500	5% in dividends	– Brokerage account – Investment research – Financial advisor – Initial investment principal
Get a personal loan	Immediately after approval	N/A	– Application fee – Origination fee – Credit check – Interest

Our in-house research team and on-site financial experts work together to create content that’s accurate, impartial, and up to date. We fact-check every single statistic, quote and fact using trusted primary resources to make sure the information we provide is correct. You can learn more about GOBankingRates’ processes and standards in our editorial policy.