Changing your life is great, but sometimes it requires more than determination and hard work. Sometimes, you need cold hard cash, and figuring out how to get it can be one of the biggest obstacles to your lifestyle change. Whether you want to start a business, go back to school, travel the world, move to a new city, or take another big leap, it takes money to do it. Below are a few of the ways you might be able to get that money.

Sell Your Belongings

Selling things you already own is one way to get the cash you need. Maybe you have a major asset, such as a house, that you could sell. On the other hand, you might be underestimating the value of things that you own. If you are a senior, you might be able to sell your life insurance policy as part of a life settlement. This could be the case even if the policy itself does not have a cash value. With a life settlement, you will get less than the death benefit but can still be paid a substantial amount. You can do research to find out more about selling a term life insurance policy and which life settlement companies are the best to suit your needs.

Grants, Sponsorships, and Crowdfunding

For some endeavors, there may be grants or sponsorships available. You might be able to get a grant to help you start some type of small business or to take time off work in order to embark on an artistic project. Is it your dream to tackle an adventure trek that few people have ever tried? Talk to outdoor companies about getting sponsorships. Crowdfunding can also be an excellent way to launch a variety of projects, especially if you are social media savvy.

Budget

Sometimes the old-fashioned ways are the best and getting the money that you need might just mean making a budget and sticking to it for a year or so. The process of creating and then tweaking a budget can offer you insight into your spending habits and may help you realize that you can live much more frugally than you are currently. Tracking your spending, either manually or with the help of an app, can give you the foundation that you need to figure out where to cut back. This can also help you get out of debt, save for retirement, or have money to invest all from funds you already have.

Second Job or Gig Work

If you have explored all of the above options and none of them work for you, you could also look at trying to generate more money. There are pros and cons of second jobs, it’s a good idea to choose something that is different from what you do regularly, that won’t interfere with those hours and that you can leave behind when you walk out the door. If you work in an office, picking up a few retail shifts on evenings and weekends can give you hundreds of extra dollars each month you can put away. The advantage of gig work over a part-time job is that it is more flexible in terms of how often you work. You can adjust your schedule based on how much time you have in any given week.