Especially as we get closer to the holidays, many people are looking for “outside the box” ways to bring in some extra spending cash. I always recommend doing money maker & freebie deals (see the FREE category on the blog here), but these are ways to bring in some money past just stretching your budget which can actually cover all of your holiday expenses (or just add to your trip fund!). What other ways do you use to generate extra income that are non-job related?
Ibotta
You knew that I was going to start here! Ibotta is an INCREDIBLE app that pays you for your shopping trips. You can average $50 back on your shopping with this app, and you can use it on top of your coupon savings. They also give bonus money for redeeming offers, as well as cash back on generics (“any milk”, “any diapers”, “any dog food”, etc). IN ADDITION, you can earn cash for referring friends or family. For each person that you refer, you will earn $5, with extra $20 bonuses for more referrals. The person that you refer will also earn $10 for their first rebate; making this a win-win! Check out how you can sign up HERE.
Shopkick
Shopkick is another amazing app for earning. You can earn with some new cash back offers, as well as get cash back for linking your credit card. My favorite way to earn, however, is with their in-store “kicks”. You will get “kicks” just for opening the app when you walk into a store, as well as kicks for just scanning specific items on the shelves; no purchase necessary! The amounts that you get will increase around the holidays, but you can easily earn $20 back every month without purchasing anything. These can then be redeemed for tons of e-gift card options, like Target and Starbucks, available to be used immediately. There’s even a referral program where you get 300 kicks for referring friends and family, so you can see how this would be an extra couple hundred dollars a year! Sign up HERE.
Plastiq
Plastiq is a different kind of company, but will help you to be able to earn credit card “incentives” on your everyday items. Until very recently, all of our bills were set up to come out of our bank account. Little did I realize that I was leaving TONS of cash on the table for doing this! Credit cards offer cash back (1-5%) on your everyday purchases, and huge sign up bonuses as well. It makes SO much more sense to be able to pay the credit card bill each month with your bank account (and get the bonus $$), as opposed to paying bills with your bank account. There are lots of bills, however, that do not take credit cards (i.e. mortgage/rent), and that is where Plastiq comes in. You can send money as a “check” through this company that will use your credit card as payment (your credit card $$ —> Plastiq —> check —> your bill). There is a fee to do this, but they have HUGE fee-free offers available that will allow you to pay bills without the fees. I have a whole post on how to do this, but you basically get $500 in fee-free dollars after your first transaction, so this is a HUGE one. You will even earn $1000 fee free dollars for every friend you refer as well. Check out how you can save HERE.
Dosh
DOSH is a relatively new app (at least for me!) that will AUTOMATICALLY give you cash back on your shopping; no submitting receipts needed! This is a “set it & forget it” app where you add your credit cards, and when you make a purchase at participating stores, you will automatically get a percentage back. That’s some EASY money, and it will be ON TOP of your coupons, rebates, and other savings! They will even start you off with $5 for adding your first card. Sign up HERE
TopCashback
TopCashback offers you cash back on all of your online purchases, just for clicking through their site to your regular retailers (Best Buy, Macy’s, Toys R Us, etc). They also have games a few times a year with free money, and they even have coupon codes for each of your favorite online retailers right on their page. You can cash out with no minimum, and if you cash out to Amazon or as an American Express gift card, you will even get a 3% bonus! I like to get the Amazon gift cards and just add them to my Amazon account. That way when there is a new deal, I can just purchase with the gift card all ready to go. Check out their current deals HERE, as well as this video on how it works:
OHM Utility Savings
OHM works with tons of electric companies and gives you CASH BACK when you reduce your energy expenses. The way that it works is it tracks the energy use reported by your electric company, and if you use less than what they expect you to use (based on previous usage), you get cash back for that amount. They will also PAY you $20 to refer friends, and are probably $300 a year in savings. This is another huge one, as not only are you reducing your usage during specific tracking time frames, but you are also getting paid for doing so. They even have a deal going right now for a free $200 Wi-Fi thermostat or smart plugs. Check out more information on them HERE.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is a great online survey company, but I really use it for so much more. They are the only ones that I have found with HUGE offers on items that you purchase everyday. For example, they have offered $40 back on a $40 4-pack of delivered wine, $12 back on a $8 8-pack of delivered Gillette razors, $6 back on $2 in Kiwi shoe products, and more. There are TONS of money maker deals available every month, and I cash out about $50 from them. You will even get paid for searching online, or watching their commercials. There’s even a refer-a-friend offer of $3 for every friend that you refer, making this another one that can help you to bring in some cash. Here are the current deals I have posted for them to get you going.
Credit Cards
This one goes along with the paragraph above about Plastiq. Credit Cards are a HUGE one in our family. You can pay (almost) all of your living expenses on a credit card, and get rewarded from the companies for doing so. IF you are able to NOT rack up debt, and can pay your monthly bill off (each.and.every.month.), this is a great option for you. I have several posts right now on some big credit card offers that have paid us THOUSANDS this year, and would be incredible for your family:
- $350 Cash Bonus with the Chase Freedom Credit Card
- Get $650 CASH to travel with BEST Personal card intro offer on Chase Sapphire Preferred Card
- Get $1000 Towards Travel (or $800 CASH) with the Chase Ink Card
***BONUS*** CoinStar
You have all seen the giant green machines in the grocery store, but no one uses them because they charge TEN percent to sort your coins. However, you can use the machines to sort your coins in exchange for GIFT CARDS with no fee. Participating gift cards include Starbucks, Amazon, Home Depot, and more, and are a great way to “cash in” on all of those “extra coins” lying around. Also make sure to check with your bank to see if they will just take the coins; not all banks accept bags and bags of money 🙂
Let me know if there is anything else that your family does to bring in some extra cash for the holidays to make sure that you are able to save up that dough!
