Being categorized as a newly disabled person needs some getting used to, but what could be really frustrating is the long wait for the first check to come through.
There is always going to be a lead time between your first filing and the subsequent disability payment, but you still have to take care of your bills, e.g. food and shelter, in the meantime.
But the problem is that your bills will keep coming as usual.
So, what do you do?
How do you pay your bills while waiting for your disability check?
Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to lessen the burden.
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Making extra money is one of those options.
One that fortunately can be done in a variety of ways.
Table of Contents
1. Sell Unwanted Stuff
Try to sell old items you no longer need to raise some needed cash. The straightforward way to do so is to place a small classified ad in the local newspaper to announce their availability.
Selling unused stuff is the number one way to quickly make money when you’re broke and are in a pinch.
You may think you don’t have anything valuable to sell, but these days you can even sell your trash for cash.
I’m sure you can find a few things that can be sold for some quick cash.
This may be also the time to let go of items that were previously deemed necessary or invaluable.
You can put up the extra car for sales, and for that matter, the extra computer, barbecue set, and furniture.
You can simply put an ad on Craigslist or on any of the Craigslist alternative sites that are available.
2. Donate Blood for Cash
If you are healthy, donate blood plasma at a local blood bank, and perhaps on a regular basis. Most of these institutions allow you to exchange blood for solid cash.
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Most of these institutions allow you to donate blood for solid cash.
You can get anywhere from $20 to $40 for every donation, some even more.
For example, Biolife pays you up to $260 a month for donating your blood plasma.
It’s an easy way to get some quick cash while at the same time helping patients in need.
Needless to say, if you have any condition that could jeopardize your health if you donate blood, you should talk to your doctor or a health professional beforehand.
Although, most blood bank centers have professionals on hand who will evaluate your health before letting you donate.
3. Use Your Talent
Can you hold a sign?
Can you prank call people?
Can you sing happy birthday to someone?
Can you…
No matter what kind of talent you have, you can turn it into a cash cow through a site called Fiverr.
What is Fiverr?
It’s a sort of crowdsourcing site where people sell all kinds of services just for $5 (hens the name, Fiver.)
Although the site started as a place to sell small gigs and services just for $5, now you can offer more expensive services as well.
And when I say “services” or “gigs,” I mean anything you can think of.
The more bizarre your service, the better. People pay for the craziest of things on Fiverr.
To get started, visit Fiverr.com, browse some of the gigs for inspiration, join for free and offer a service of your own.
You want services that can be done quickly and easily. The name of the game here is volume. the more gigs you complete, the more money you can make.
4. Get a Job
American Disabilities Act regularly publishes temporary jobs for the disabled at ADA.gov.
Head to ADA.gov and check if there’s anything in the local branch you can take up on a short-term basis.
For longer-term engagement, you can go to disability.gov to see if you are the right match for some of the jobs posted there.
National Telecommuting Institute, Inc. specializes in matching home-based jobs for disabled people. You can consider registering with them for any feasible work.
There are also many part-time jobs that you can manage comfortably in spite of your condition.
5. Small Side Business
Alternatively, just you can become your own boss of a small side business venture. Think of services that you can comfortably perform, in light of your physical condition.
Think of services that you can comfortably perform in light of your physical condition.
Some suggestions here include cleaning offices, washing windows for local companies, walking dogs or pet sitting, or delivering business documents or packages for local companies.
6. Do Some Freelancing Work
Depending on the kind of disability you have, you may be able to make some quick cash by doing some freelance work. You can even
Things like:
- freelance writing
- building website
- coding
- virtual assistance
- and much more
And there are tons of places where you can find such opportunities.
We have published a few posts on such opportunities and places to find them.
For example, our Get paid to write post includes a list of over 100 sites that pay you to write for them.
You can also use freelancing websites such as eLance and Freelancer.com to find projects to work on.UpWork and TaskArmy to find projects to work on.
7. Buy & sell used books
Selling used books is a great way to supplement your income.
You ain’t gonna get rich, but you can make a little extra cash in your free time.
Your local thrift stores and garage sales are the best sources for finding and buying books for pennies on the dollar.
Install the free BookScouter app so you can enter the ISBN of any book to get a quick estimate of how much you can sell it for.
BookScouter searches on over 40 book buy back sites and find the ones that pay the most for any given book. By using it, you can make sure a book can make you money before you even buy it at the second-hand store or yard sale.
Bonus tip:
For a great resource that will help you save a ton of money, be sure to check out Coupon Chief’s “Retail Savings Guide for People with Disabilities.”
It’s packed with a list of available programs and help for people with disabilities.
It includes things like:
- Organizations that help people with a disability get discounts and special pricing
- Financial assistance
- Educational assistance
- Legal help
- Tax assistance
- Transportation discounts and services
- Utilities discounts
- And much more.
Final Words
Whether you undertake a short-term/long-term job or start a new business venture, there may be restrictions on the continued viability of these options once the disability payments start to kick in.
There are regulations in place to govern how much more one can make (e.g. $1,000) on top of the disability payment. You can check
You can check Ssa.gov to get a better understanding of the rules.
But keep in mind that the exact amount you can earn while receiving benefits varies across states. Check with your local social security officer what the cap is for your state.
I recently found myself in this situation and it was brutal trying to make money from home. For anyone trying to make money, I can’t recommend the freelancer option enough that you mention. It was the one thing that really got the money coming in fast and reliably.
I hear you, Robert. It can be brutal, not to mention dangerous if you are not careful (so many scams). I am glad freelancing has been good to you.
If you dont mind me asking, what kind of freelancing do you do (wiring, design…?) and what sites have you been using?
I have been awaiting on my disability for 2 years now and I have brain cancer. I’m not sure what I can do because of my memory loss and headaches,etc…I feel as though I am lost and dependent on family and friends that don’t have anything to help me with. This really is a bad time in my life that I can’t get away from. Is there anyone else that has any ideas that can help me please.