It's a bit of a learning curve if you've never done it, but Steem can easily be converted to cash. You just have to do the research, and once you've done it, you'll always know how to do it. I just cashed out enough to pay my car insurance today.

You have to exchange Steem for Bitcoin (though I hear others exchange it for Ethereum or Litecoin). I do this on BlockTrades.us. You then send the Bitcoin to a place where you can sell it. I use CoinBase.com. Once you transfer the Bitcoin to Coinbase, you can have the cash equivalent sent as a direct deposit to your bank account.

It's real money.