Earn Extra Income

Just because I have been unemployed for the past few months does not mean that the bills stopped coming! In order to make ends meet, I had to come up with some innovative ways to keep funds coming in. My fiance was able to help a little, but considering he has bills of his own so he was only able to help with a tank of gas here and there. It was my responsibility to come up with ways to take care of the rest. Here are some ways I kept my cash flow running so I could make my bills. Even now that I am working again, I will continue to earn extra income by sticking with these. This way Thomas and I will still be able to meet our goals of paying off all of our debt by the end of the year, all while saving up for our wedding and our first home. Whether you are trying to pay off debt or just want a little extra spending money, these are sure to help you earn extra income. 

1. Swagbucks: This is the easiest and, by far, the most fun way I have been earning money for free from home. Signing up for at account is free! You will also receive a 30 "swagbuck" bonus for signing up. Earn my swagbucks by answering daily polls, liking the site on Facebook, referring friends, playing games, printing and redeeming coupons, searching the web, answering surveys, watching videos, meeting daily goals, and completing special offers. I redeem my swagbucks for PayPal cards, which I then cash in to pay bills. However, you can choose from other prizes such as board games, electronics, video games, household items, jewelry, baby items, personal care items, restaurant gift cards, airline gift cards, store gift cards (including Amazon, Walamart, Target, JC Penny, and more) or charity donations. I do not participate as much as I would like due to the fact that I am a full-time student, but I do earn over $50 in a typical month using Swagbucks. That is almost 2 tanks of gas or a credit card payment for me. 
If you have a smartphone, Swagbucks also offers the Swagbucks TV app. This is a free app you can use to view Swagbucks TV content on your iPhone or Android. The app is free to download and you can earn up to 50 Swagbucks per day using the app. I usually plug in my phone and turn on the app while I'm sleeping. This way I wake up 50 Swagbucks richer every morning and it is like getting paid to sleep!  

 2. Inbox Dollars: This is a free online survey website I use to earn about $30 each month. Earn a $5 bonus just for signing up for your free account. Earn additional money by taking surveys, confirming paid emails, playing games, printing and redeeming coupons, watching video, performing easy online tasks, and searching the web. With this online survey site, you earn check written out to you. 

 3. Send Earnings: This is exactly like Inbox Dollars. Sign up for your free account and get a $5 bonus. Shop online, answer surveys, confirm paid emails, search the web, play games, and more, to earn more. I make about $30 each month using this site. 

4. Slice The Pie: Sign up for your free account online at www.slicethepie.com. Here you will be paid to listen to aspiring artists' music, rate it, and write a short review. Amounts vary judging on how your review is written. After earning at least $10, you can request a payment. Payments come via PayPal so it is just like getting paid in cash! I just started using this account today, but it is super easy and I have already requested my first payment. 

Other methods I am planning on trying or in the process of trying:

5. Fivrr: This is a website that allows you to offer gigs to people for a $5 charge. I only have a couple gigs posted and I have only had them up for a couple of days, so I really cannot say more than that. However, there are a ton of users on Fivrr so it must be worth trying. 

6. Sell Unwanted Items: Clean out your closets, basements, attics, etc. and post the items on Craigslist or Ebay. Make sure you post pictures of these items so they will sell better. Also make sure you do not go alone to any of the transactions and meet in public places. I've never had any bad experiences with Craigslist, but we have all heard the horror stories. You could also have a yard sale if the weather is nice. 

7. Ibotta: This is a free app for iPhone that pays you for purchasing certain items at the grocery store. Typically I would shy away from earning possibilities such as this, but this app pays me to buy products I normally buy at the grocery store anyway. All you have to do is download the app, scroll through the products and complete a few short tasks (these are really quick like watching a commercial for a product or liking it on Facebook), purchase the item at the grocery store, take a picture of our receipt, upload it to the app, and get paid! I just did this for the first time two days ago. My total earnings...$22.50! I earned this just for purchasing items at the store like Raisin Bran cereal, Fanta, Sprite, Cascade, Garnier Fructis, Chobani Greek yogurt, Classico pasta sauce, Eggo waffles, steam fresh veggies, and more.

8. Sell items on Etsy- If you have a knack for crafting, try making items to sell on Etsy. Accounts are free! You just upload your photos and product information to your site and the customers come to you. The only thing you have to do then is ship the items. Etsy does charge you a small percentage of what you sell on their site, but it is very minimal. 

9. CrowdTap: This is a site I joined about a month ago. You answer easy questions, participate in online discussions, and complete online tasks to earn points. These points can be used to purchase gift cards. I will be using my points for Amazon gift cards to help with some of our wedding expenses such as our flower petals, isle runner, cloth napkins, and table runners that are being purchased from Amazon. 

I will warn you, these avenues of making extra income are tedious. You are not going to get rich and you are definitely not going to get rich quickly. However, I do make enough money to cover a good chunk of my bills each month. This is about $90 in additional income each month. Keep in mind I am a full-time student. If you are a homemaker or a stay at home mom, it is really easy to earn money with Swagbucks TV or the Swagbucks TV app while you are cleaning the house, making dinner, packing school lunches, or helping with homework. The more time you put into these activities, the more money you will make.