The number one question I get from family and friends is “how did you get that??”. My day to day job is famous for being underpaid, so it’s no surprise that people wonder how I’m able to pay for my “fun” clothes and trips. Besides constantly being on the look out for sales and discount codes, I also actively use five different “penny pinching” sites to make extra cash.
This is not another list of 50+ ways to make extra cash.
I found those lists to be overwhelming and distracting, but boy have I done my research! I think I have tried every single app and site suggested on those “make extra $” Pinterest lists… and most of them were a COMPLETE waste of time.
I’m not here to overwhelm you. Instead, I want to share the 5 apps that I use on a weekly basis to make extra cash.
Pinch Some Pennies in your free time to make extra cash
If I’m given the choice between getting paid to do something, vs. doing it for free… I’m going to choose getting paid! That’s why I use 5 different penny pinching apps and sites to make money doing the things I was already doing!
I’ve included a break down on how I make money on each site/app below, but here are the sites I use :
How I make money pinching pennies: Step by step guides for each site/app
- Swagbucks: 1 Swag Buck (SB) = $0.01
**Get $5 – $10 dollars just for signing up!**
I’ve made over $400 dollars in about two years without trying on Swagbucks. Swagbucks is my number one recommendation because it has the most ways to make money. You can make money by online shopping, playing live trivia, answering surveys, using it as a search engine, watching videos, playing video games and more. Each activity will only bring in pennies at a time, but they all add up in the end!
I mainly make SB by getting cash back from online shopping at stores like Sephora. If you download their Swagbucks plugin it will send you a pop up whenever you’re on a site that gives you cashback! I also play the live trivia games and let their sponsored videos auto play in the background while I’m doing chores!
Click here to join Swagbucks and see all the ways you can make SB - Inbox Dollars: Earn actual money, not points!
**Get $5 just for signing up!**
I’ve only been using this site since January this year and I’ve already been able to make over $200!
Similar to swagbucks, you can earn cash back for doing several different types of activities. They include online shopping, online searches, surveys, playing free games and more. I make most of my money here by letting their videos run on mute while I’m doing something else… like at night while I’m sleeping.
Inbox dollars also has high dollar surveys ($5 and occasionally more expensive ones pop up) and tempts users with big payouts if they download and complete certain levels of free mobile games. For example, you get $40 if you can read level 17 in “Rise of Kingdoms” within 20 days.
New to Inboxdollars? You can make BONKERS $$ quickly by signing up for multiple free games at a time. When I first signed up I made $100 in a week just by playing three phone app games! - BeFrugal: Be Frugal gives you cash back when you shop on certain sites, just like inboxdollars and swagbucks! I recommend installing the plugin for all three sites so you can get the most cash back for your purchases! Befrugal is solely focused on shopping discounts and cashback. I don’t make as much $$ on it, but it often has better offers on online shopping than inbox or swagbucks.
**Bonus Offer: Sign up and when you make your first $10, BeFrugal will match it! - Achievement: 10k points = $10
Are you suddenly working out more often than normal? Checking your weight more frequently? Getting in more walks? Well achievement wants to pay you for working out!
Achievement is an app for your phone that tracks your workouts and weight loss goals and then PAYS YOU for them. I connect achievement to my health app, my running app, and any weight goal apps I’ve downloaded. If you hit a milestone on ANY of those apps, or log in any workouts on ANY of those apps, Achievement will pay you in points! Once you get 10k points, you can withdraw $10. The more you workout, the more $$ you get! - Ibotta: Price depends on the item.
** Get up to $20 free when you sign up and redeem your first offer**
I’ve made $450 and I’ve been using the app since February 2019. In my experience, it is MUCH easier, and faster, to make money on Ibotta vs. any of the other apps/sites. Ibotta pays more per item, has fun bonus challenges that pay extra $, and has team challenges where working together earns you even more money!!
Click here to join my Ibotta team and get paid for the work!
The Snowball effect
If you’re only using one of these websites or apps, it may take awhile before you start to see some dollars. They’re called “penny sites” for a reason! But if you use all of them, or even just start with 2-3 of them, you will start to see a snowball effect take shape. You’ll also start to notice which sites YOU make more money off of. Since we are all unique in our habits, we won’t necessarily have the same experience with each site.
Have you used any of these sites/apps before? Which ones did you find success in? Share below in the comments!
Make the switch to slow fashion
Looking for a change this week? Make a commitment to our planet and switch from Fast to Slow Fashion!