Who ISN’T looking to make money from home these days? Student loans build up, groceries get more and more expensive, and then there’s unexpected vet bills, the dishwasher breaks, and your car needs new tires!
Maybe you’re a stay at home parent, or a college student looking for a little cash!
It’s always nice to build yourself a little buffer, and being able to do so with minimal effort is amazing. No need for a second job or extra shifts — you can do all of these while going about your normal day!
My husband and I are both frugal people. We both have great jobs and financial security, but we are always looking to save a penny! Whenever we find a good deal, we can’t wait to share it with each other. There’s just something really fun and rewarding about saving or making a few bucks you weren’t expecting to save!
Because of all the extra cash we make, we’re able to do home improvement projects, give our kids fancy birthday parties, and buy the fancy cheese at the grocery store.
I mean, between all of the ideas in this post, I’m able to set aside hundreds of dollars per year!
I’m going to share my favorite ways to make money from home, as well as my favorite ways to save money while doing my normal shopping, so that you too can save hundreds of dollars per year! While this post contains affiliate links, I legitimately use each and every one of these sites, and I only recommend things that I know and love.
Quick Rewards
What isn’t Quick Rewards?!
Don’t be fooled by the very 90’s-esque website appearance — Quick Rewards is totally legit! At first I was TOTALLY turned off by the website. I felt like I traveled back in time, and questioned whether the site had been abandoned back in 1998.
Once I made an account and logged in, it was 100 times better! It’s a legitimate website and you can earn cash quickly.
With Quick Rewards, you make cash or earn gift cards easily by:
- Completing surveys
- Watching video clips
- Playing games
- Offering your opinion
- Reading emails
- Shopping online
It’s free to join, and the best part is: THERE’S NO MINIMUM AMOUNT REQUIRED TO CASH OUT!
You earn either cash (usually between $0.50 and $5.00) or you can earn QuickPoints (QP) which can be redeemed for gift cards or merchandise.
I love this because you can do it anytime, anywhere, and there’s no pressure! You can do 10 surveys a day, take a few weeks off, and then log back in when you need a little moolah.
Quick Rewards also offers cash back to many sites, and coupons for big name stores (as I write this, there’s a coupon code on the homepage for $25 off AND cash back to Staples!).
Cons:
- It takes up to 72 hours to see the reward in your account, but compared to some other similar sites, that’s really not so bad!
- They will send you emails daily (you can opt out)
- There’s no referral bonus when you get your friends to join, too
Cash Back Sites
I have been using cash back sites for YEARS, and I convince everyone shopping with me to download them, too!
Seriously, this past Black Friday I had my mom and my best friend downloading apps because I couldn’t stand to see them paying extra for purchases!!
Cash back programs allow you to shop at your favorite stores and earn a percentage of the sale back. There are more cash back offers to online shoppers, but some programs allow for in-store shopping as well (note, usually you usually earn a smaller percentage back in-store).
Here are my favorite cashback sites:
Dollar Dig
Dollar Dig is GREAT for online shoppers, and is an excellent way to make money from home. You make your account (it’s free!) and then find the store you are looking to shop at. When you enter the website from their link, it remembers your total and gives you a percentage back.
So, if there is a 4% offer at Walmart, and you spend $100, you get $4 back. It may not seem like much, but it REALLY adds up!
The site also has a ton of coupon offers to browse through! I love a good coupon!
Rakuten
Formerly known as eBates, this company has been around for a LONG time!
It’s extremely similar to Dollar Dig, except for that it also has an in-store purchase option for many brands. Typically, the in-store cash back is lower, but you can link your credit card so that every time you visit that store and pay with that card, you get the cash back!
Rakuten also gives you a HEFTY bonus when you get your friends to join! And since it’s so easy to sign up for, you and your friends should all be members.
Rakuten is really best for department and clothing stores. I use Rakuten for every purchase at the holidays, and it gives me HUGE savings. I seriously got over $200 one Christmas because the cash back offers were that good.
Ibotta
So this isn’t exactly a “make money from home” kind of app, but if you have to grocery shop, you should do it with Ibotta!
I love love love Ibotta. I’ve earned hundreds of dollars back by doing my normal grocery shopping!
I’ve been using this app on and off since October of 2017. It’s SO easy to use.
You browse through the app and add items to your list. Each item is worth a dollar amount back, and some items are absolutely free. Once you’ve paid, you scan your receipt (or link to your store loyalty card) and get the money back!
There’s also challenges and deals that stack on each other to increase earning potential. I’m not great at checking those out, but sometimes the bonuses are pretty big.
Ibotta works best at grocery stores, liquor stores, restaurants and gas stations. There are BIG stores on there (think Walmart, Wegmans, Target, BJ’s…) as well as generic “any liquor store” or “any gas station” options.
You can also team up with family and friends to complete challenges for extra cash!
You can withdraw cash via PayPal, or by getting gift cards to your favorite places (like Amazon, AMC theaters, Uber, Walmart, etc.).
Con: there’s a $20 minimum to take money out, but the minimum hasn’t been hard for me to reach.
Paribus
Paribus is price tracking website that will monitor your sales and let you know if the price has dropped on something you’ve already purchased. Paribus will notify customer service on your behalf to get you a refund by scanning your emails for e-receipts.
All you have to do is download the app or go online and create an account! Paribus will email you when it detects price reductions and will do ALL the work for you.
It’s essentially effortless, and it’s totally free. Other similar sites will take a commission from the money you save, but Paribus earns most of its money from advertisements and won’t take a commission.
Paribus also notices if an item has been delivered late! I paid for two day shipping a few months ago, but my item arrived on day 3. Paribus had my shipping refunded with no effort on my behalf!
Check out this screenshot to see Paribus in action!
You may also like: Money Saving Tips for the Holidays.
Starting an Online Blog
You may not think of blogging as a way to earn money, but you’d be really really surprised to find that bloggers can make THOUSANDS of dollars a month!
I started this blog after I read a blogger’s income report online, and saw she was effortlessly making an additional $1,000-2,000 dollars PER MONTH by writing online! I thought, “hey! I can do that, too!” So, here I am, internet!
I’m not quite ready to share my income reports yet (it’s a bit awkward to publish your earnings online…) but I can tell you that there are bloggers who have quit their full time jobs to work a few hours a day from home, and are making way more money that way.
There are tons of ways to make money blogging, but here’s a quick summary:
- Advertisements — make money when people view or click advertisements on your site
- Affiliate marketing — make a commission when people buy using your personal links
- Sponsored posts — a company will pay you to talk about or review their product
- Make a product/course — many bloggers create eCourses, eBooks or other products (usually with Etsy or Shopify) and promote these through their website
Blogging is a ton of fun if you’re into writing. I have NO experience in marketing, graphic design or web design, yet here I am, baby! And I LOVE it!
Plus, you can do it from your couch! Or, if you’re like me, you do it from your dining room (because the kids aren’t allowed in there and it’s always clean and shiny, lol).
To learn more about starting your own money making blog, check out this post!
What are some of your favorite ways to earn extra cash? I love learning new ways to make money from home, so I can spend more time with my babies without worrying about finances!
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
I definitely agree with this list. Blogging is amazing and so fun. I love the support that come from the blogging community.
So do I! I’ve made so many new friends. It’s an awesome community!
Quickrewards! Wow I need to go back to that site. That was my first money making site and I have lost sight of it over the last couple years! I love my money making apps!
YES! It’s awesome! I love to log on when I have a long wait at doctor’s offices or just have a spare minute in my day. So easy to make quick cash!
I always thought that Ibotta and other cash back sites weren’t real lol I seriously need to consider signing up for some of these! Great list!
They’re real, girl! My husband and I get hundreds of dollars each year back from Ibotta! I would never recommend something that wasn’t legit — these are all tried and true!
I think a lot of people overlook how much they can get back in those cash back sites! You’re spending the money anyway, why not get credit for it?
Exactly!!
I have to grocery shop, Christmas shop, etc. so I should get money back on those purchases! It’s amazing how much you can save. I have gotten over $20 from ONE purchase! It all adds up.