If you're like the majority of vehicle owners, breakdowns are a complete surprise to you when they happen. In turn, this can create some financial distress because paying for car repairs tends to be pushed to the top of the list, no matter what other pressing bills are already on the table. But with just a little imagination, you may be able to set the course straight and come up with a few extra bucks to help pay for your repairs. Here are a few suggestions to consider:

Sell Your Gold

You may not think that there is any gold in your home to sell, but by going through your jewelry boxes and packed jewelry you'll likely find at least one piece that's made of enough gold to profit from. It's a good idea to have gemstones and diamonds taken out of the gold settings before selling the gold to a buyer, as they typically won't offer any payment for those things – although you may be able to sell the accessories at a pawn shop to bump up your profits. Some pawn shops may also buy gold, so check there first. Think about heading to the Maine Pawn Shop, for example.

Inspect Your Coins

Believe it or not, some of the ordinary change that you collect throughout the day could be worth some serious cash that can be used toward paying for car vehicles. For example, any 2004 Wisconsin state quarters with an extra leaf on them are worth up to $300 and 1943 steel pennies are worth up to $10 a piece. So make a short list of valuable coins to look out for, and inspect each piece that you collect when you're out and about.

Get Social Online

Consider signing up for a few local resale groups on social media websites and use the platforms to sell anything that you don't really use anymore. If there is a treadmill sitting in the corner collecting dust, why not take the leap and sell it? Go through your books and DVDs then fill a box with items that you don't mind parting with. Head into the garage and inspect any packed boxes out there to score a pile of stuff that you can sell. Once you have a sell pile created, it's just a matter of posting each item one-by-one with pictures to the groups that you've joined. 

Any of these techniques should help your cause, but you are likely to see optimal results by combining a few of them together, if possible.