23 Stupid Simple Ways to Make Extra Cash

1. Invest in the Legal Cannabis Industry with Just $5. No Experience Necessary. If investing sounds complicated and expensive for you, it doesn’t have to be. You know you should start, but where to begin? You don’t want to just pick randomly as you want to invest in an industry you believe in. Something that can really take off and make money. So how about investing in the legal cannabis industry? It’s big business as retail sales are projected to hit $10 billion this year and is expected to grow to $24.5 billion by 2021.* You can do it with Stash, a micro-investing app that lets you invest for as little as $5 and it takes less than 2 minutes to get started. We’ll even give you $5 to get started. They curate from over 150 investments which include stocks and Exchange Traded Funds and you’ll get to choose an investment blend that meets your goals and interests. Take the $5 that we’re giving you and start investing with Stash.

2. Get Paid for Playing Free Digital Scratch-Offs Don’t bother going to the liquor store to buy physical scratchers (they get expensive too). Instead, play digital scratchers for free on Lucktastic. There are a ton of different scratchers you can play, and you can earn both cash and tokens. Scratched all of them for the day? Don’t worry, there are specific night-time scratchers that are available every night too! When you want to redeem your earnings, you can choose from: Amazon gift cards CVS gift cards Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards Check mailed to you Visa gift cards

Lucktastic keeps things free by showing a few ads here and there plus itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to play and multi-task at the same time. Average savings in a month: $18.58 What it could add up to in a year: $223 Additional Earnings: Cash prizes up to $1M Regular giveaways are always happening. Starting August 5, three winners EACH week can win $150 Back to School gift card to Walmart, Staples or JCPenney! Those still dreaming about vacation could win a trip for four to Walt Disney World too starting August 12!

3. Free Gift Cards Just for Going Shopping? Yes, please. Go on your normal grocery shopping trips. Scan your receipt after. Get points towards gift cards.No extra fuss. No digital coupons to pre-select or specific stores to go to. It’s perfect for the lazy but smart saver. And it’s called Fetch Rewards, an app where you can scan ANY grocery receipt to get rewards, aka cash. Scan receipts from supermarkets, neighborhood corner shops, wholesale clubs, drugstores, convenience stores, and even liquor stores. Unlike other apps, you’re not restricted to specific stores. As long as your receipt has any of the thousands of participating products, you’ll earn points to redeem for gift cards. You can start redeeming points for rewards with as little as 3,000 points ($3). Grab a 2,000 points bonus ($2!) when you enter this referral code: REWARD before you scan your first receipt.

4. Get a Mid-Week Boost with Earlier Payday What would you do with an earlier payday? Besides feeling pretty good about it, you might pay off bills earlier or budget for the weekend easier. No matter what you do, an earlier payday can give you peace of mind. Typically, paydays occur on a Friday but with Varo your payday could arrive up to 2 days earlier with direct deposit! Here’s looking at you, Wednesday. This is because Varo processes your direct deposit as soon as they receive it rather than holding onto it like traditional banks. It’s a pretty sweet feature and the banking account offers other perks too, like no monthly service fees, no foreign transaction fees, and fee-free withdrawals at 55,00+ Allpoint® ATMs.

In addition, they include a high yield savings account where youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll start at 2.12% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)* and could then move up to 2.80% APY* based on qualifying balance and activity. The average APY of the 5 biggest national banks right now is only 0.09%* You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to be a numbers person to understand that Varo wins. So get that mid-week boost and join the no account fees way to bank. It takes less than 5 minutes to learn more about Varo and apply for free.

5. Blackjack for $ – Not Just Against the Dealer Anymore 3 minutes. Make as many 21s as you can within that time or until you run out of moves. That’s the basic gist of 21 Blitz, a modern take on Blackjack where you’re no longer just playing against the dealer but with actual people around the world. It’s fast-paced and it basically does all of the math for you. This game is great for killing time and earning cash all at once.

You can play for free against real people for prizes or switch over to cash games to winâ&#x20AC;Śwell, cash! Cash game winners can win up to $7,000 or more in the minitournament. Stanley from The Smart Wallet deposited $25 into 21 Blitz and won $120 for his matches! Not available in AZ, AR, CT, DE, FL, LA, ME, MD, MT, SC, SD, TN, IN

Truebill also has a killer budgeting feature: it pulls your historical spending, organizes it, and allows you to clearly see your spending so you can set a target budget with context. (Aka you can see where you’re wasting money on). Already spending 74% of your dining budget and it’s not even mid-month? Time to cut back and the app will even alert you. It’s simple but actionable money management that anyone can follow and it’s free to use!

7. School Competitors in Solitaire and Ca$h In Solitaire Cube is like regular Solitaire, except you get to play for real cash! Is there a catch? Yes but not really. I tried playing for free when I first started but I realized it would take me forever to get the tickets I need to play for real cash. I gave up and deposited $25 last week and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve already won $120. The game matches you with players of the same skill level, so you have a solid chance of winning. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a good Solitaire player, you could win some serious cash, like Katie Nguyen who took home $380,984 last year as one of the Top 10 Solitaire Cube players! So if you think you can handle playing some Solitaire Cube to win some legit cash, definitely download this game for free. Not available in AZ, AR, CT, DE, FL, LA, ME, MD, MT, SC, SD, TN, IN

8. Affordable Car Insurance Exists – Here’s How You Could Save $610 This Year You’re sharing the same roads with a lot of different people. Distracted people, oblivious people, road-rage people, etc. It’s best to cover yourself with insurance when everyone is operating a giant motor vehicle. That’s why car insurance exists and is mandatory. You might be overpaying on your current insurance premium since it can be a hassle finding another provider. However, you can search for quotes easily on EverQuote. They help match you among dozens of regional agencies and insurance carriers to filter the best matches to save on your car insurance. It takes about 4 minutes to fill out the form and you’ll see a list of matches that show potential online quotes, email, and potential phone quotes.

EverQuote can save drivers up to $610 a year compared to their current insurance premiums. Once you see your list of potential matches, choose the online ones you want or wait for more information via email or phone. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a pretty simple process, so try it out to see how much you could be saving on the road and using those savings for your mortgage instead.

9. Cashing Out on The Everyday Things You Do Online The average American spends 24 hours online a week(*), but for me, I know I definitely surpass that. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same for you, capitalize on all that online time by earning points you can redeem towards gift cards, and even better, cash. You can do it with Swagbucks, a free rewards program for the everyday things you do online. Earn points by: Watching entertaining videos Shopping at your favorite retailers Searching the web Participating in surveys Playing fun trivia games Then you can redeem for a large variety of gift cards (Amazon, Target, Walmart, Starbucks are popular) or my favorite, Paypal Cash and Visa Gift Cards. Cash out in as little as $3!

You’ll even get a $5 bonus when you earn 2,500 SB points within your first 60 days. While you obviously won’t get rich doing this, you can nab an extra $10$20 a month on them. Keeping your profile updated and doing the Daily To-Do List will also earn you extra SB. There are a lot of opportunities so you can cash out early and often! More Surveys, More Cash When you have the downtime, there’s nothing easier than answering some questions in return for cash. If you want more surveys in your life, head over to MyPoints to sign up for free and similar to Swagbucks, you can participate in surveys, watch videos, and even read emails for points! Points turn into gift cards from Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, as well as PayPal Cash. Get a $5 bonus when you complete your first 5 surveys!

10. Why Yes, You Can Get Paid to Drink Alcohol Anytime you feel the need to hydrate yourself with some strong refreshments, be sure to open this app, so you don’t miss out on free money. It’s simple. All you have to do is take a picture of your grocery/bar/restaurant receipt and Ibotta will pay you cash. So before you go to the store or bar, search for your items in the Ibotta app. After your visit, take a photo of your receipt to get cash back. Ibotta is free to download and you’ll also get a $10 sign up bonus after uploading your first receipt! On average, active Ibotta users get back up $240 a year. What would you do with that extra money?

11. Get Cash Back for All the Uber and Lyft Rides You’re Already Taking Everyone uses ride-sharing services nowadays, primarily Uber and Lyft. It’s made going out for dinner and drinks so much easier now that you can rely on a phone app to get you home safely after a night out. But here’s another phone app you’ll want because it can recoup some of your social life money, which we all know, can get pretty expensive. It also gives you points (redeemable for cash) on every ride you take anywhere! Use Freebird to request your next Uber or Lyft to the bar, restaurant, movies, shopping, airport, (basically anywhere!) and get cash back and points for your ride.

Here’s how it works: Download Freebird Connect your Uber or Lyft account Connect the card(s) you want to get cash back on Ride anywhere to participating locations to get cashback Ride anywhere else to get points that turn into cash rewards To earn cash rewards, just visit a participating location that has a cash offer and make a purchase there with your connected card. Once the transaction clears, you’ll see the cash reward in your Freebird account! You’ll also earn points just for taking an Uber or Lyft anywhere which can be redeemed for cash rewards. However, to get the cash back and points rewards you have to request your Uber or Lyft through the Freebird app. You still earn Uber rewards through the Freebird app though, so there are no losses! BONUS: For our readers only, use promo code SMARTWALLET to get $5 off your first 3 rides.

12. Earn Money Back for Your Food Delivery, Concert Tickets, and More (Here’s $10 to Start) If you’re not looking for every opportunity to earn cash back, don’t worry, we got you. Even on stuff that you might not think you can get cash back on! Take, for instance, food delivery. It’s convenient, you don’t have to leave the house, everyone can order from different places, and you don’t have to deal with waitstaff and the crowds. With Rakuten (previously called Ebates), you can get cash back at DoorDash or Grubhub, which adds up when you’re ordering delivery at least once a week. And entertainment? You can get cash back on popular sites like Ticketmaster, Stubhub, Fandango, and SeatGeek for all your concerts, movies, and sporting events. You’re basically getting free cash in your pocket! Rakuten is also giving our readers a $10 welcome bonus to anyone that signs up to be a member. Membership is free and you also can earn up to 40% cash back at over 2,500+ stores including Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s, and Sephora. Plus, you’ll find coupons, free shipping codes, and awesome sales. So… why aren’t you a free member yet?

13. Buy Stuff Normally = Get Gift Cards You Actually Want If you have room for 1 more app on your phone, then it needs to be this. Actually, delete another app to make room for this one. It’s that good. It’s called Drop, a free app that gives you gift cards on stuff you already buy from your favorite stores and brands. Your everyday purchases from Amazon, Trader Joe’s, and Walmart? You’ll get points for that. Points translate to gift cards so the more you collect, the more you can redeem! The only thing you need to do is link any credit or debit card you usually use for buying stuff and that’s it! Drop will automatically recognize when you buy from your activated offers to reward. There’s literally no downside to using this free app to get more gift cards. Use it on top of your loyalty points and credit card points for even more rewards! LIMITED TIME OFFER: Use promo code SMARTWALLET to unlock 5,000 points ($5) automatically when you link your first card on Drop!

14. Get a Personal Loan Fast Even if You Have Bad Credit Your credit score is important but sometimes, unfortunate circumstances happen to good people. It’s not always a fair representation of your financial history to be judged by 3 digits. Even if you have a poor credit score you could still get a personal loan for your short-term financial needs. OppLoans can help. Submitting an application doesn’t affect your FICO credit score and you’ll be able to get the best personal loan that you may need for car repairs, medical, family, rent, major purchase, etc.

Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s who can qualify: Residents of AL, AR, AZ, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, KY, KS, LA, ME, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, ND, NE, NV, NM, OH, OK, OR, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, SC, WA, WI, WY, VA Have a minimum monthly income of $1,500 for the states listed above except AL is $3,500, and GA & ID is $3,000 Employed at your current job for at least 3 months 18+ years old (19 if from AL or NE) and cannot be an active duty service member A traditional bank account in your name thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been open for at least 90 days You get your paychecks via direct deposit Qualified borrowers will be able to borrow up to $4,000 depending on their state. And when monthly payments are made back on the loan, OppLoans will notify the 3 credit bureaus to build up your payment history!

15. The App That Helps (Broke) Millennials Invest Easily Investing sounds complicated but it doesn’t have to be. And you don’t have to be rich either to play the investment game. That’s why Acorns is a popular choice amongst millennials and anyone new to investing since they make it so easy. For every purchase you make, Acorns automatically rounds it up to the nearest dollar and then saves & invests the difference into your Acorns account. So, for instance, if you bought lunch for $10.50, Acorns will round it up and deposit $0.50 to the app’s savings account. Pretty simple, right? It can do this for every purchase.

Just connect Acorns to your credit/debit card and it’ll save automatically or you can manually choose which transactions to round up if you prefer. Since roundups are less than $1 and basically spare change, you’ll barely notice the impact initially but over time it’ll grow to make a big difference. Acorns will continue to round up and save for you, while at the same time, investing those savings so that your portfolio can grow. The very minor catch? It only costs $1 a month for accounts that have under $5,000. It’s way cheaper than an investment advisor.

16. Set & Forget Savings + Get a 1% Bonus Every Quarter (Up to $1,800 / Year) Prepare for those “oh $#@!” moments by letting this smart AI beef up your emergency savings for you. Or your vacation savings. Or your new pair of kicks savings. You won’t even notice it but Digit will make it happen. Just link a checking account and their smart algorithm will determine small but safe amounts to withdraw into your separate FDIC-Insured Digit savings account. Regular savers will get a 1% bonus every three months, netting you some free money! It’s the perfect set-it-and-forget-it app where the AI will watch your savings back. You can withdraw your money at any time you need and it’s free to use for the first 30 days. After, it’s just $5 a month.

Average savings in a month (varies): $144 or more What it could add up to in a year: $1,728 or more Quarterly bonus: 1% on your total savings amount Additional Referral Earnings: $5 per referral

17. Get $1 Million in Life Insurance for as Little as $8 /Month When you hear “life insurance” the first 2 things that might come to mind are “death” and “money.” Ultimately it’s “I love you” money to your family after you’ve passed away. So for most people, life insurance is logical but the long process could be deterring. Some life insurance companies can take up to 2.5 months for the approval process to complete, including lots of paperwork and a comprehensive medical exam which may not always be necessary. But one company is trying to change all that. Bestow’s mission is to offer affordable term life insurance in under 5 minutes without you having to talk to anyone. No exam needed either. You can get up to $1 million in coverage and they offer 2 years, 10 years and 20 years term options.

All of Bestowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s policies are underwritten by North American Company for Life and Health Insurance, whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been around for over 100 years and holds an A+ (Superior) rating with A.M. Best, a global credit rating agency for insurance companies. In plain English terms, it means your policy is backed by dependable insurance giants who have been serving customers for many years.

So if you’re between the ages of 21-55, here’s what they’ll ask: Your basic information (Name, Email, Address, SSN etc) Some Life questions (medical history, hobbies, lifestyle) Beneficiaries (who would receive the money after insured’s death) Policy and payment details (If approved, you choose the monthly payment and enter credit card info) Each policy has a “free look” period (usually 30 days) which means you can cancel if it’s not right for you and get a full refund. And you can easily change your policy at any time based on life events like marriage, job loss, divorce etc. Life insurance talk isn’t fun but Bestow is attempting to make it as easy as possible for people to get covered quickly. Go ahead and see what your rates are in just under 5 minutes. It’s the biggest “I love you” you can give to your loved ones.

18. Earn Up To $40,000 (!) A Year By Renting Out Your RV On the Most Trusted Platform If you own an RV, you know this better than anyone else: it stays dormant almost all year. And it’s true, 80% of RVs go unused for 300 out of the 365 days. While it’s great to have one ready for road-trip purposes, there are more productive (and profitable) ways to handle the sleeping beast. With RVshare you can earn up to $40,000 a year by renting out your RV when you’re not using it. List for free on their marketplace and people looking to rent can connect with you. It’s kind of like an Airbnb but for RVs. The marketplace is completely free to use, so you don’t have to worry about getting hit with a fee while your listing is active. RVshare only makes money when you do, so after your listing is booked they’ll take a small portion to keep the site up and running.

Your RV is protected. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nationwide (plus Canada) insurance for both parties along with 24/7 roadside assistance to ensure your RV is taken care of while on the road. You could also list your RV as a stationary rental, meaning it can stay on your property. This works best if your RV is parked near potential travel destinations. (Sorry, HI residents are ineligible to list!) So take that dormant RV and start turning it into cash! Since itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free to list, just add your make and model and RVshare will show you how much you can earn this year.

19. Get a Free $50 to Invest in Women and Deal with the Gender Pay Gap You already know that women make less than men. 20% less actually(*) So while women are almost half the workforce, earn more college and graduate degrees than men, there is still a gender pay gap to this day. Also? Women’s salaries tend to peak earlier than men and their earnings drop significantly after having a child.(*) Men don’t. That’s why it’s even more important to save for retirement, especially if you’re female. With females living at least 5 years longer than men(*), we have a very unique set of obstacles to overcome with our financials and to make sure we have enough money when we most need it. That’s why Ellevest exists. It’s an investment service created by and designed for women.

Men are welcome to join as well but it’s the first company to take on the gender pay gap, different lifetime earnings, and longevity into account when constructing a portfolio. It’s great for women that are just beginning to invest, want a more hands-off approach or those interested in goal-based investing (like Home, Retirement, Emergency Fund etc). So while fewer women tend to invest vs men, studies show that when they do, they outperform men because they don’t overtrade, don’t panic in down markets, or pay too much in fees.(*) When you start with Ellevest, you’ll choose some goals and then rank them in importance. You’ll then fill in some details on your current financial standings and then their system will analyze what you’ll need to achieve your goals. All the while, taking into account your current savings contributions, inflations, salary growth projects and other variables unique to females. With a $0 minimum and low fees, you could be taking control of your retirement in a few minutes when you set up a customized investment plan. Review first then commit later. Your future mature you will be thanking you. Bonus: For a limited time, The Smart Wallet readers get a free $50 towards their first funded goal with no minimum balance!

20. Pay Less on Student Loans. Get More Out of Life. If you feel bogged down by student loans, you’re not alone. 44.7 million Americans have student loan debt, making the total student loan debt in the United States above $1.47 trillion dollars(*). However, there are options to ease that financial burden. One way is to refinance your student loans (whether they’re federal, private, or ParentPLUS), consolidating that debt at a lower interest rate. Credible’s made that part easy. Their loan marketplace helps you find prequalified rates from multiple lenders in just 2 minutes. They can help you find options to lower your interest rate, reduce your monthly payment, or both! To see your options, just fill out a quick information sheet and compare your prequalified rates – without impacting your credit score. You can even get your finalized offer in as little as one business day. There are no prepayment penalties, loan application fees, or origination fees through Credible’s lending partners, and the marketplace is free to use!

21. Get the Big Picture – Then Work on Fixing Your Score It’s smart to keep an eye on your credit score to make sure it doesn’t fall too much due to unpaid bills. Did you know that a low credit score could affect your ability to actually rent an apartment or even get a car? Yea, let’s try to prevent that from happening. Credit Sesame is a free credit monitoring service that helps you improve and maintain your score. You’ll get an easy-to-read view of your total debt plus everything that is contributing to your current score like credit usage, credit age, inquiries, and payment history. It also comes with personal recommendations to help increase your score. Credit Sesame alerted me immediately when my score decreased because of a credit card and I was able to fix it right away. It’s free to use so this is definitely a must-have in everyone’s life.

22. Get $20 Sign Up Bonus + Up to 15% Cash Back Stores = Happy Online Shopper (You) If you don’t buy anything online, then you can skip reading this. But if you do, you need to know about Affinityy, an online shopping portal, that gives you up to 15% cash back on purchases at thousands of major brands. You’re basically getting free money since you’re earning cash back to buy things you were already going to buy. Offers include cash back at Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, Walmart, and much more!

Here’s how it works: Sign up for free with just your name and email Earn $3 when you download the app and another $3 when you install the browser extension Get a $20 bonus after your first purchase (limited-time offer! Earn $5, $10, and $20 cash bonuses when you shop frequently As you accrue cash back from purchases, you’ll be able to cash out via PayPal or check. Affinityy also has one of the best referral programs we’ve seen on their user-friendly site. For every friend you refer, you can earn up to $10!

23. Find Out Why 1 Million People Start Their Day With This While in college and preparing for the business world, Alex Lieberman and Austin Rief realized their classmates all felt the same way: traditional business news was dry, dense and boring. Their fellow millennials wanted to keep up with what was happening but didn’t have a news source that spoke to them. That’s why they started Morning Brew – the free daily email that delivers the latest news from Wall Street to Silicon Valley. Written in a conversational tone and sprinkled with punchy humor, it makes reading the news actually enjoyable. From Elon Musk’s latest move to the stock market’s highs and lows, Morning Brew covers the top news shaping the business world. With a touch of culture and lifestyle stories, you’ll get up-to-speed on what you need to know in just five minutes. Find out why over 1 million people start their day with Morning Brew — sign up for free here. Source Credit: https://thesmartwallet.com/stupid-simple-ways-to-make-extra-cash-this-year-snap-2/

Thank You For Watching