Here are 9 Ways to Save Money This Year and Add an Extra $7,000 to your bank account
Imagine growing your bank account and having extra money for emergencies, paying down debt, and the little extras for your family. And realizing at the end of the year, you’ve still got a pile of cash leftover. I’m sure it sounds good. So, here are the 9 Best ways to save an extra $7,000 this year.
*My aim is to recommend products that will truly benefit you. I believe in transparency and want to disclose that I’ve included certain products and links to those products on this page that I will earn an affiliate commission for any purchases you make.
1. Earn Giftcards for watching videos
SwagBucks offers Giftcards for watching videos and completing online surveys. Its been featured on the Huffington Post, Buzzfeed, and The Penny Hoarder. They’ve paid out nearly $400M dollars to date.
More about Swagbucks Here
2. Get paid for Shopping:
Get Cash Back on your shopping purchases:
I use Rakuten and they give me cash back for nearly all of my purchases. They gets a commission from stores you shop at and they share the commission with you.
Average cash back is about 7%, which is great. Right now, they’re offering a Free $10 Gift Card when you join and spend $25.
More about Rakuten Here
How it works:
- Before you checkout from an online store, (download the browser extension below).
- Find your store – You’ll see discount codes (usually between 4%-12%)
- And you’ll get cashback for your purchase!
- Just use their link to make your purchase.
- And each quarter, they send you the money.
- They pay via Paypal. Probably the best way to get cash back. It’s great.
They have a browser extension that makes it so easy to save.
Browser Extension for Rakuten Here
3. Get Paid For Surveys:
These companies are ranked in terms of Quality, Reputation, Earning Potential, and other factors.
For those who want to earn up to the $650+/month mark, I suggest trying out all of the sites on the list and only sticking with the ones that work best for you.
Survey Junkie: (Great Surveys, Little Time, Great Payout)
You can earn anywhere from $12 – $18 per hour from Survey Junkie!
Survey Junkie has one of the strongest reputations on the web, and they have always paid on-time and the right amount. Not only that, but they have excellent customer service if you ever have an issue.
Taking surveys in your spare time can be a great way to earn some extra dough fast. Check out Survey Junkie which will pay you instantly with cash via Paypal. They have over 6,000,000 members and they have an 8.9/10 rating on Trust Pilot.
American Consumer Opinion: Easy to sign up. 6 Million Members.
Reviews of American Consumer Opinion:
- “American Consumer Opinion Panel has been one of the best, and probably THE best, panel that I have worked with in some time…” J.D., Texas –
- “I do surveys for several different companies and, I have to say, American Consumer Opinion ranks at the top as they have a very good site with no junk [that] seems to be well managed.” H.B., Tennessee –
Begin earning at American Consumer Opinion:
Vindale Research $2 Registration Bonus/ Up to $75 Survey
11 Survey Sites that could pay you $750 this month.
- Ipsos- : is very straightforward. All you need to do is fill out the demographic questions truthfully to determine the surveys you will be qualified for and start taking surveys. That’s it.
- Ipsos- ▪More rewards: The more you take surveys, the more rewards you get through its Loyalty program. You won’t see that elsewhere.▪More points: Earn extra points for surveys completed on top of the points you receive from taking those surveys. That’s double the benefits of taking surveys. Again, you won’t see that elsewhere.▪Time: Ipsos values your time. If you are disqualified, you’d know it right away. I can’t say the same thing for others.
Other Quality Survey Sites: The more you join, the more you can earn.
- Global Test Market: Paid over $32M in rewards. Global Test Market is a great survey site for international users since they’re currently available to 49 different countries. Expect to earn at a rate of roughly $10 per hour. Avoid their low paying surveys.
- Panda Research: You get a $3 sign-up bonus, and there are many ways you can earn cash with this website:
- Reading emails (the simplest way to earn extra cash), Taking surveys, Clipping and using coupons, and Referring friends.
- Point Club Surveys: Get a $5 Bonus when you sign up. Share your honest opinions and earn rewards so you can pick up dinner for the family tonight.
4. Become a Certified Closing Agent.
You Earn Extra Income, Set your Own Hours, and the Income is Fantastic ($75-$200 per appointment).
• First of all, it’s great money!
You can make $75 to $200 in a single signing, and a signing takes about an hour.
- You can start part-time and work around your existing work schedule since most signings occur on evenings and weekends. Simply pick up work when you want, and keep your day job
- You can get started with absolutely zero experience. There’s no resume checking prior to a loan signing. You are hired simply based on your location in proximity to the loan signing.
- You can work from home and be your own boss. Owning your own business can allow you to take advantage its many benefits, such as tax write-offs.
- You have the ability to make money almost immediately. In fact, they’ve had students make money within their very first week of getting started. [click here to see some testimonials]
Learn More about the Loan Signing System here.
5. Consolidate Your Debt to Lower Your Bills
Refinance Your High Interest Debt: SoFi:
SoFi doesn’t have the expensive overhead of traditional banks and is able to offer great rates to refinance your debt. In addition, they just hired a very respected CFO away from Twitter.
Refinancing is a great solution for working graduates who have high-interest Loans, Graduate PLUS loans, and/or private loans. Refinancing student loans with SoFi saves borrowers $4662f a month—or $30,0692 over the life of the loan.
They’ve refinanced $14B in student loans for nearly 500,000 customers and 98% would recommend them to a friend.
Check to see how much you can save on your loans with SoFi:
Check your credit:
I would suggest you use a free service to check your credit score periodically. Credit Sesame is free to signup and takes only 90 seconds. If you want to keep a closer eye on your credit, get your credit score and “credit report card” for free from Credit Sesame.
This website breaks down exactly what’s on your credit report in layman’s terms, how it affects your score and how you might address it. Once you know what’s in your credit history, Credit Sesame shares personalized resources and recommendations so you can figure out how to fix it — a better score could mean even better interest rates. Can you knock your monthly payment down $100?
Once you get your report, check for errors. Finding and correcting just one could give your credit score a significant boost
6. Start a Career as a Freelance Writer
Maggie Linnders can teach you everything you need to know to begin a freelance writing career. Work from anywhere. You don’t have to be a great writer. She can show you exactly how to get started, how to find high-paying clients and jobs, and ultimately, how to run a successful freelance business from anywhere in the world.
(Plus, if you already have some writing experience, She can show you how to scale your freelancing business to a six-figure income too.)
If you enjoy writing, want to be your own boss, and have more control over your life as well as earn a great income, then look into Maggie’s Freelance Academy here.
7. Sell unused items on Ebay:
I’ve written a complete post on how I used Ebay to make $493 in one month. Lots of tips and help to get started.
Ebay is still one of the simplest ways to increase cash quickly. Find items you and your family are no longer using, take pictures, list them, and get cash. An extra $150 per month is possible from a minimal amount of work.
8. Rent out a Room on Airbnb:
Have a spare room? Might as well use Airbnb to make some money by renting it out.
AirBnb : Fund your next travel excursion by renting a room with Airbnb
If you’re a good host with a desirable space, you could add hundreds — even thousands — of dollars to your savings account with Airbnb.
AirBnb Tips: Make your space available during high-demand times in your area. Think: concerts, conventions and sporting events. Be a good host and make sure your place is stocked with the toiletries you’d expect at a hotel — toilet paper, soap and towels. Be personable. A lot of travelers turn to Airbnb for the personal touch they won’t find at commercial properties.
If you can rent your place for $100 a night just 10 nights a year, you’ll bank a cool $1,000 over the year.
9. Sell All Your Stuff With These Apps
Are your closets and shelves packed to the brim with stuff you never use — or even look at?
You can sell virtually anything on Letgo. This intuitive app lets you snap a photo and upload your item in less than 30 seconds. Not only does it remove a lot of the hassle of selling things online, it’s 100% free to use.
But there are also apps for selling more specific stuff to people who might actually be looking for it.
Decluttr: Fast, easy way to sell CD’s, video games, electronics and more. Easy to use and Rated “Excellent” as a trustworthy site. Give it a try. Have a bunch of movies or CDs collecting dust on a shelf? Decluttr will pay you for them!
Decluttr buys your old CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays and video games, plus hardware like cell phones, tablets, game consoles and iPods. Plus, enter FREE5 at checkout to get an extra $5 for your trade-ins!
Set a goal to make an extra $100 decluttering your place this month, and add it to your bank account — every little bit helps!
Bonus: Negotiate Discounts on Your Subscriptions
We all sign up for stuff. Sometimes it’s easier to put subscriptions on a recurring payment and forget about it — yes you Netflix.
These kinds of payments can be smart for paying bills and cutting down debt, but getting rid of the subscriptions you’re not using and socking away the savings could help you roll over the $7,000 mark this month.
Review my post on how to negotiate discounts with the companies you’re currently using. You’ll be surprised by how many of them will work with you. I was able to cut my XM Sirius bill in half and save over $100 just from one phone call. Read more negotiating tips here.
I’m sure you agree there are many ideas here that can get the ball rolling to help you have a huge surplus in your bank account come the end of the year. There is no need to do them all at once. Begin with one per month and the cash and savings will snowball in your favor. Put all these strategies to use and you could save more than $7,000 this year!