I am basing these tips on a UK person with an education (or think further than what's for dinner ?) that may have a mortgage and is sat in front of their PC having done all the 'required' things wondering what else they can do right now ?

Money you can get in the next week

First thing I'd do is - have a really good sort out of all your possessions - but don't chuck anything away even if it's broke! - just get all your junk/unwanted stuff into nice big boxes ready to sort - stuff you can live without.

Next sort it into - carboot sale / yard sale/shop window sales/paper sales quality (i.e heavier or scruffier items for off-line sales) and lighter / higher quality items for on-line auction sites (less postage costs = more likely a sale = less chance of refunds)

With the on-line sales you might want to sell stuff in lots -I'm going to be doing this with "Tesco blue bag lots" for example with a selection of old computer games / stock / computer manuals books etc. in each one - and sell them to people looking for lots of items. You might prefer to sell items individually - but that takes more time - it's easier to just divide stuff up into bags then photograph the mix of items - you want to shift your stuff quick to get cash flow right ? - you could add some "mystery extra" free Goodies in some to make it interesting.

So photograph your lots (keep the digital camera !) To accept payments get a PayPal account - PayPal is run by eBay and it's widely accepted on-line.

Next get your items on eBay UK (presuming you are in UK) - that is the quickest way I know of to make sales on-line. Make sure you add a photo of item and it's visible in searches ! Send all items recorded delivery, accept postal orders, free local delivery. Don't accept cheques as payment (they might bounce/be fake). If you choose to accept Western union payments - don't deliver the goods until you have got the cash in your hands (literally) (note that eBay don't accept western union at all).

Make use of Gumtree (a classified site run by eBay it's the cloest thing we have to craigslist in UK) and Vivastreet (another free on-line classifieds) also look up admart / loot / trade-it in google.

What to do with the off-line junk ?
With the better quality items get some plain postacards / or a5 / a4 and advertise working/unbroken goods in local shop windows - newsagents, Chinese takeaways, supermarkets, launderettes - anywhere with a notice board - like doctors surgery or pet stores etc. and also advertise in local "free classifieds papers" also find your local car bootsale and take anything you've not put on eBay down there (if you have ebay on your mobile take the lot and cancel auctions as you go if and when you sell stuff)

=========If you need cash this Month to pay the mortgage=========

Rent out a spare room - you could try foreign students or a newly homeless/jobless "white collar worker" or go through an agency like Spareroom.co.uk

Consider tenants that get social security or are on a low wage topped up by housing benefit - as the payments are guaranteed (once they are sorted out) - and despite what you may have been told over the years by Estate Agents, not all people on state benefits are rabid drug addicts and alcoholics! (there are a percentage of disturbed people through out society this doen't mean ALL poor people are rabid.

That was / is still by some myth generated - like the boogie man is generated - to scare people into parting with more cash for "better quality" clientele. You don't have to go the whole "pay it forward thing" and get a local tramp in your house peeing in your fish tank and scaring your neighbors, just consider other types of people - that may slot into your lifestyle/interests.

If you are vetting someone - try being their facebook buddies for a while (sounds daft but millions of people use these sites) you can build up a rough picture of a lifestyle - get to know their social "persona" - if they are constantly sending you x rated videos/photos and pictures of themselves covered in sick and crisp bags on the sofa - the job (or not) they have to fund this lifestyle may not make them less of a raver in your home, where as if you get an out of work car mechanic or webmaster - they might smell funny, but have skills you can make use of...

Another option is to choose a person with a small pet - many people with small pets have lots of trouble getting rented accommodation - if they work or not - again - this is a story of the cats sleeping in the oven, dog hairs on the ceiling.

Another of those mass generalizations/horror stories created by people that have had some bad tenants, true (or poor judgment) but not all people with pets are walking fur balls - Picking a tenant that knows how to use a hoover can't be that hard can it ?

- I recommend a 3 month tenancy agreement (which IS LEGAL in the UK now) and you might want to charge for the drawing up of the agreement and get two - four weeks rent in advance instead of a security deposit, that way the tennant has paid you directly out of their own funds while they are waiting for their housing claim to be processed.

When it comes down to it you have a choice you don't need a trailer trash thug living in your home - but allowing a person with a cat, dog or budgie etc - that always pays their bill - their only "crime" is the pet or top up housing benefit for a low wage (some people have part-time jobs that are topped up with government funds) - this money could save your home going down the pan and you living in rented accommodation yourself next to "Mr and Mrs Trash the House" - the banks accept government money so in times of crisis accepting government money yourself to pay your mortgage isn't taboo, it's using your brain/surviving.

Note tips are just my personal opinion - get legal advice bfore entering into any contract.