November was a tough month for the payday lender business, as Arizona and Ohio joined a host of other states imposing caps on its fees that will effectively drive them out of business. As a result, the unbanked, it need of quick cash, are being forced back to an ancient alternative, the pawnbroker.

The main difference between payday lenders and pawnbrokers is collateral. Pawnshops require you to give them some of your personal property, often jewelry, musical instruments, or electronics, which they hold until you pay back the loan. Payday lenders loaned without collateral, except the promise you'd make good, much like loan sharks of old, without the threat of arm-breaking.

Payday lenders drew public distain for charging interest rates upward of 400% annually, although the industry argued that, given the usual short-term nature of the loan, this is an unfair description. Both payday and pawn shops would prefer to compare their rates to the late fee on a credit card ($39 on some), or a utility, or the cost of a bounced check.

Late on rent? Loan shark breathing down your neck? Can't fill your car with gas to get to work on Monday? Assuming all available funds and traditional sources of credit are tapped out, here are 25 (legal) ways to raise cash in a few days. We list them in order from least to most desperate.

When I was growing up, I watched a lot of Twilight Zone reruns. I developed what has become a lifelong fascination with pawn shops. In The Twilight Zone, pawn shops were places of magic and mystery, the kind of joint where you might find heaven, hell, hope, or redemption. It's where Jack Klugman dropped off his trumpet before he met the angel Gabriel, where Luther Adler found a genie who taught him to love his modest life, and where Larry Blyden died before going to hell. Pawn shops were the kind of places where anything could happen.

Later on, I saw more and more of the dark side of pawn shops. Watching Brandon Lee sort through stolen engagement rings in The Crow and seeing Rod Steiger abuse his patrons in The Pawnbroker, I came to realize that pawnshops can be places of misery, where people give up pieces of themselves in order to continue financing their lives. I began to understand that pawnshops occupy an interesting place in American culture. Like the three medieval gold balls that hang in front of many pawnshops, these places have a tradition and history. They hang somewhere between hope and despair, offering the one and causing the other.

Of course, most pawnshops aren't nearly as cool as the ones on the TV and in the movies. They tend to be clean, shiny, low-rent affairs, with fluorescent lighting, high ceilings, and industrial carpet. There are usually a couple of glass cases with pieces of jewelry and the occasional firearm. They're good spots for picking up used tools and DVDs, the kinds of places where you can sometimes find a great deal on some mildly threadbare merchandise.

The Today Show's Jean Chatzky explains the ups and downs of pawning in the video below. If you're desperate for cash and considering a pawnshop or payday lender, she has some good tips. One pawnshop featured in the video charges a monthly interest rate of 10% on its loans which, as Chatzky points out, might be better than overdraft fees.

But watching the video, you notice lots of really expensive merchandise: luxury clothing, Rolexes, high-priced electronics, etc.

Here's the thing: if you are desperate for cash and have a Rolex, you shouldn't be looking to pawn it with the hope of getting it back. You should be looking to sell it, simplify your life, and take care of your financial future. The idea of running out of cash and then waiting for the next paycheck to get back a watch is insane.

If you need more evidence that people do really, really, dumb things with money, look no further than this great video from the Today Show about a Beverly Hills pawnshop, where famous actors and professional athletes pawn their jewelry for some much-needed cash.

This is so incredibly stupid. Interest rates on pawn loans can easily extend into the 3-digits. It's pretty insane to use these loans in the first place, and it's really dumb if you earn enough money to be able to survive in the first place.

It just goes to show you that financial stupidity does not discriminate based on income.