We all know that feeling. Your fave band suddenly announced a tour and the presale is – oh god it’s in 3 days why was there no notice, oh my god how am I supposed to pull together the funds for tickets that quickly??
I’ve lived this moment more times than I’d like to admit. However, this means I’ve worked out the best practices to make money ASAP before I miss out on the tickets I want. These aren’t “get rich quick” schemes. These are “get the amount I need in the next 3 days” schemes. Even better. Read on to get yourself prepped for the next surprise onsale, and leave your tips in the comments!
1. Convert your change
This sounds like it couldn’t possibly be helpful but depending on the person, it might be the only step you need. Look through wallets, piggy banks, cup holders, the bottom of your purse…anywhere spare change likes to congregate. Take it all to a Coinstar machine – likely at your local grocery store – and find out how much you’ve accidentally saved, just by leaving forgotten change around like a squirrel hiding food for winter. The last time I went, I made $24 and my boyfriend made a staggering $50. Plus, now your purse will be about 20lbs lighter! But be warned: everyone stares at you as the money clunks and jingles its way through the machine, it is not a discreet process.
If you buy coin wrappers to roll the change yourself, you can take it to the bank instead and they won’t take the 8% from you that Coinstar would!
2. Practice Minimalism
Minimalism is super trendy right now. Watching other people de-clutter on YouTube will make you want to throw out everything you’ve ever owned. Take advantage of this sudden need to purge yourself of material belongings! Find a consignment store in your area and get rid of some clothes you no longer need. Most consignment stores take your clothes and pay you if/when they sell. Others, like Plato’s Closet, offer you the money up front. This is perfect for when The 1975 announces a presale first thing tomorrow and you really need $60 right now. They offer 30% of what they’ll sell it for, but they can be picky depending on what each store is currently buying. It’s worth bringing in everything you’ve got and crossing your fingers.
I brought in a garbage bag; they gave me $150 for half of it. Now I can donate the rest elsewhere and still cry over George Daniel’s ability to smoke a cigarette and drum at the same time. Ideal!
3. Offer your services
Have any skills you’re looking to offer up online? Maybe you’re a fantastic creative writer. Perhaps you have a knack for drawing people as cartoons. Perhaps you can’t, but you can draw people poorly and market it as a humour thing. In any case, the internet is often looking for creative people to help them with whatever it is you can do.
Fiverr is a wild collection of people offering a variety of services for only $5. You can get a drawing of yourself as a Simpsons character, have someone record your voicemail greeting in a movie announcer voice, or literally anything else you could possibly imagine. You could be one of these fine folks and do internet palm readings. The possibilities are endless, and $5 from multiple people can add up pretty quick. If you’re looking for something a little more substantial, you can also offer your freelance services on Upwork or Freelancer. Put that work in, get those tickets. ?
4. Make your iPhone work for you
This one is great because it can work from wherever you are, whenever you’ve got time for it. I already know you’re attached to your smartphone – don’t lie to me – so why not make cash in between Twitter sprees? Field Agent jobs range from a few minutes to a few hours, and involve basic tasks like taking pictures and answering questions. It’s an easy way to make a few bucks, and you can do as many as you want when you’ve got the time! Gigwalk Gigs are great as well, but they don’t have many opportunities in Canada (I’m posting the link anyway for my American friends).
So what do you think? Ready for the next time The Maine announces tickets for a festival last minute?
What tips work best for you? Share them below!