Hunt in the usual places for change: check the pockets and lining in your coats and jackets, check your couch cushions, your desk drawers, under the bed, your car, etc. I know this is obvious, but most people never think of looking in all those places when they need quick small cash. They will usually look in most of them, but forget one or more.
Check the rebate sites and match products against receipts of recent purchases. If you don't check you will never know what money you have thrown away, that you were entitled to get back.
Put some ads on your site or blog. Adsense is easy to set up and you will eventually make something from it. And there are other programs that will pay off even sooner, since they have lower minimum payout thresholds. So shop around and see what is agreeable with your conscience and can fit in well with your site and not scare your visitors away.
Give away something for free on your site, and put a donate button right under it...and ASK for a donation! If you have any kind of art software like Photoshop, Paintshop Pro, Paint.net, etc...and you know how to use it...make some blank buttons or something, that people can use for their websites and post it in your blog. Release it under a Creative Commons license, require a link back to your site if they use it, and even if people don't donate, it will drive some traffic your way, which you just might make some money off the ads they may click.
Sell off your unwanted junk at a yard/garage sale, flea market, ebay craigslist, etc. Why throw away something other people want and would be willing to pay for?
Turn your trash into treasure by getting crafty, then sell your creations. I once took a bucket of water, some glass bottles & jars, and old nail polish and made some really cool looking stuff by filling the bucket with water, dripping the nail polish on top of the water, and dipping the glass into the bucket. The effect was like a swirly Easter egg, and since some of the nail polish had glitter in it, it looked even better. I painted the rims with some crappy quality silver nail polish that I didn't like and sold them for $0.50 each at a flea market. I made quite a bit by cleaning out my recycle bin and selling the stuff, rather than letting it all go to the curb. Tall narrow jars, like the kind from olives, make nice bud vases and sell even faster with an old silk flower you would have thrown away, stuck inside it. Wash the flowers first, if they look a bit grimy.
Return bottles for deposit. In some states, you are required to pay a deposit on bottles, which is included in the purchase price of the product and will be refunded upon the return of the empty bottles. If you live in such a state, go get your money back.
Find a coupon for $2 or more off on some brand of cigarettes, purchase the cigarettes, then sell them to someone else for $1 off the regular price. It helps if you know a smoker that smokes that brand before you buy, though.
Sell your old cd's that you don't listen to any more to a second hand cd store. Tastes change, and there is no reason why you should keep something you aren't going to listen to any more, just to let it take up space and collect dust. You can get cash for it and someone else won't have to pay full price.
Sell your old unwanted fiction books to a used book store. Keep reference books, and in the future, get your fiction from the library instead of buying it. There is no reason to pay for something you will read only once. The library has so much in the way of good works of fiction that you will never run out of stuff to read. And you can read it all for free.
Check your state's unclaimed funds list for your name. I have found quite a few people I know on the list for my state, including my uncle, and an ex-employer.
That recent purchase you haven't opened, used, or worn that you really don't need, take it back for a refund. Impulse spending can be a serious drain on your wallet. Learn to control it.
Sign up with mysurvey.com and take surveys. The more people you have in your family, the more surveys you will be asked to take. You will make at least 10 points per survey, more if they ask you to take a long one. I have taken surveys worth 250 points each. When you have 1000 points you can cash them in for a $10 check.
Sign up with memolink.com and click links in emails and take surveys. You don't have to buy anything to make cash from them. Use some free email account to do it separate from your regular one. They will send you emails that if you visit the site you earn points. When you earn enough points you can redeem them for money. I have received quite a few $10 checks from them doing that.
Do some paid consumer product testing with ACOP. They are one of the few companies I know that will pay you for product testing. It's not a scam. It can be tough to qualify for a product test, but when you do, you usually can make a few bucks and get a free product out of the deal, too. I have tested all kinds of things from toothbrushes, to shampoo, to feminine hygiene products. I have been paid from $2 to $7 per test. I have also taken paid surveys with them. They don't run on a points system and they don't make you wait till you have accumulated a certain amount in rewards before sending you the cash. They pay for each thing you qualify and participate in, and mail out the money soon after you complete it.
Check your junk mail to see if it has cash included. I once received a letter from some magazine company asking me to go to their website and take a survey. The letter came with a $1 bill as compensation for my time and trouble, that I could keep even if I declined to take the survey. Now I never throw away junk mail without checking it for cash first.
Keep an eye on your neighborhood trash for sellable furniture. Grab it, clean it and sell it. (see #4) I once had a neighbor that was moving and threw away some beautiful glass tables that I grabbed & cleaned and hid in my basement till the following month's yard sale. I then sold them to another neighbor for $50. She never knew she had bought someone else's trash.
Write an easy to follow guide or how-to book and self publish it on lulu.com. Everybody knows how to do something that not everyone else knows how to do. All you have to do is explain it well. Put some time & thought into it and write something worth buying. Then upload the .pdf and charge a reasonable price for it.
Think up witty sayings to put on T-shirts and start a cafepress shop and sell the stuff on your site. Ask your site visitors to send you photos of them wearing the shirts, for publication on your site. Start your visitor gallery page off with a photo of yourself or your pet wearing one of the shirts. It's a great way to connect with your site visitors and a great incentive to get them to buy a shirt.
Sell your broken jewelry as scrap metal. If you can't wear it, and it's not fixable, it's as good as trash. But it's trash with a monetary value, if you sell it to a jewelry store.
Sell the collections (coins, stamps, toy cars, comic books, baseball cards, dolls, etc). You are probably keeping them thinking that some day they will be worth something. Today is someday. You should check and see if it is true. If it hasn't gone up in value after 5 years, sell it for whatever you can get for it and cut your losses. There are better ways to invest your money than in "stuff". If you have fallen in love with the stuff and can't bear to part with it, you have reduced its value to $0. Never fall in love with an investment. Sentimental value can't put food on the table.
Sell your old vinyl records. If you don't have a turntable any more, what good are they to you? You probably will never listen to them again. You might as well turn them into cash and let someone else enjoy them before they get warped or damaged and become worthless.
Sell those textbooks you don't need any more. Next time buy used books and you might even make a profit when you sell them.
Stand by a pay phone, holding the phone to your ear, and ask people that pass by if they have a quarter. People will assume you need it for the phone and usually give it to you if they don't mind wasting the time it takes to dig in their pocket for it.
Check the ground in the parking lot outside a convenience store for change. You would be amazed at how many people don't like change and will just throw it on the ground. There is a store in my neighborhood that is always good for finding at least $1 in nickels, dimes, and pennies.
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