This College Grad Paid Off $50K in Student Loans in 18 Months. Here’s How

Kelsey Kronmiller had a problem many college grads know too well: How are you supposed to start paying back more than $100,000 in student loans when your first job out of school pays somewhere around $30,000?

Looking back on her early 20s, sharing an apartment with her then-boyfriend, she lamented, “Here I was in this committed relationship, and I realized all the things I ever wanted in life — a wedding, a house, a family — would never happen because of all the debt I was carrying.”

But Kronmiller wasn’t willing to give it all up.

She told John McDermott of Mel Magazine how she paid off $50,000 in student loan debt in just 18 months.

How This Designer Hustled to Pay Off Student Loan Debt

Kronmiller got deep into Dave Ramsey’s “Complete Guide to Money,” and publicly announced her commitment to pay down her debt on her blog in August 2014.

After settling into a new visual design job paying $40,000 the same summer, Kronmiller dramatically cut back on her spending and “started working, like, 500 jobs, because $40,000 a year just wasn’t going to cut it.”

She used You Need a Budget to minimize spending and get a handle on her budget.

But how did she make the extra cash?

Well, it helps to have many talents.

Kronmiller worked overnight pet-sitting gigs for about 12 nights a month, which brought in an extra $10,000 to $15,000.

She also made $12,000 in just three months selling handmade ornaments on Etsy.

She picked up freelance web design gigs, too, for an extra $3,000-$5,000 per year.

“All this time, I was putting all my extra money toward my debt,” Kronmiller told Mel.

“Prior to the life change, I had only been making minimum payments, just paying interest and putting nothing toward the principal.”

How She’s Designing a Debt-Free Future

Since the summer of 2015, Kronmiller has cut back on her side gigs.

She took a $70,000 job at the Boston Globe that August, which allowed her to scale back while still making considerable debt payments.

She’s conquered the $50,000 student loan in her name and is now focusing on paying down the $68,000 she borrowed from her parents for college.

Head over to Mel Magazine to read Kronmiller’s whole story — and then start figuring out how to snowball your own debt payments.

Your Turn: What creative ways to pay down student loans have you used to pay off debt faster?

Disclosure: Here’s a toast to the affiliate links in this post. May we all be just a little richer today.

Lisa Rowan is a writer and producer at The Penny Hoarder.

The post This College Grad Paid Off $50K in Student Loans in 18 Months. Here’s How appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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The 11 Best Short Term Investments For Your Money

I have $65,000 that I need to invest but I want to make more than the bank is offering.  Where can get a high return on a short-term investment with limited risk?

<Sigh.>

This exact question was asked of me just the other day.

You would be surprised how often I get asked something similar.  It has definitely been more times than I can count!

We're in an eventful time where the stock market is behaving like a schizophrenic  and interest rates are at record lows – again. (I've refinanced my house twice!)

Low mortgage rates are great, but how do you actually make money fast in the short-term?

In such an unstable market, short term investing may be a safer alternative for investors. Short-term investing allows investors to invest their money, whether that be investing 10,000 or investing 100,000, with little or no risk, while knowing their money is not going to be tied up for long periods of time.

The typical short-term investment is expected to grow for several months, or a few years, and can be turned into cash or other short term investments when they reach maturity. (In the investing world, “long term” investments are really long term — often decades — which leaves room for short-term investments that can still last several years.)

Before I share the best short-term investments for your money, I first want to share where not to put your money: the stock market.

This can mean individual stocks, mutual funds, ETF's – whatever.  If you know you need the money back in the short-term, the stock market is the last place you need to be.

Even if you think the market is down or your eyeballing a stock that has recently spiked lower than usual – it's not worth it.

Too much can happen in the short-term that can wipe out your principal with little time recover.

Peer to Peer Lending

Peer-to-peer lending websites allow investors to broaden their investment portfolio by spreading out the investments and reducing their risk.  These websites work as tools to connect investors to qualified consumers in need of a loan and allow investors to become the bank, providing a small percentage of multiple borrowers’ loans.  Investors purchase notes and receive a monthly income in the form of loan repayment and interest. In the end, this can easily be a win-win for everyone involved.

1. Lending Club

Lending Club sets the interest rate on notes based on specific credit criteria.  And since they only accept desirable borrowers, they dramatically reduce the risk for default and potential losses for the lenders.  Lenders may start out small and increase the amount of money they are willing to lend as their confidence in the company grows.  Lending Club offers loans from a few hundred dollars to over $10,000; how much you should invest depends on the level of risk you're comfortable with as well as your investment timeline.

Here's a video that walk you through the Lending Club investment process. You can also see my review post on Lending Club.

2. Cash Back Rewards Offers

Although investing $65,000 has little to do with credit card rewards, we wanted to include this tip from our resident credit card expert, Holly Johnson. If you really want to earn some easy money in the short-term, Johnson says “credit card rewards can offer epic returns with almost no effort on your part.”

While pursuing rewards may not automatically come to mind when you think of short-term investments, the signup bonuses credit cards offer can actually be extremely lucrative. However, your “earnings” will be based on your spending instead of the dollars you invest.

Here's how it works: Let's say you signed up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred^® card in order to score the huge signup bonus. The current offer will award you with 50,000 points worth $500 after you spend $4,000 on the card with 90 days. And since the $95 annual fee is waived the first year, you can earn this bonus without paying anything out of-pocket to do so. Are you with me so far?

To make the most of an offer like this one, you'll want to meet the minimum spending requirement with stuff you were going to buy anyway. Think groceries, gas, and your regularly monthly bills. Then you'll simply pay off your card right away to avoid credit card interest. It's as simple as that.

The thing is, there are so many ways you can spend 50,000 Chase Ultimate Rewards points. For example, you could book $625 in travel through the Chase travel portal – that's more than enough for a round-trip flight! Conversely, you could turn in those same 50,000 points for a $500 statement credit or $500 in gift cards.

Read about cards that offer up to 6 percent cash back at Card Ratings.

Short-Term Investment Account Options

Here’s what you need to know about the various short-term investment accounts available to you:

3a. Online Checking Accounts

Just like online savings accounts, an online checking account can also serve short-term investment needs. You get many of the benefits of an online savings account with even more liquidity because the number of withdrawals isn't limited. Since you would be storing your money in a checking account rather than a savings account, you do take a hit on the interest rate. Unfortunately (or fortunately!) interest rates are so low that the difference isn't as significant as it could be. In using this account for short-term investing you'll get:

• A guarantee to never lose principal on your investment as long as you keep your total deposit at the bank below FDIC coverage of $250,000.
• A small, risk-free return on your investment. Current online checking interest rates are very low. You probably won't earn enough to keep up with inflation, but it is a risk-free return.
• Extremely high liquidity. You get unlimited withdrawals via transfer, debit card, or ATM use with online checking accounts. Get your money out at any time without paying a fee as long as you use a no-fee ATM.
• A hassle-free investment – Even though you don't earn a lot of interest with this strategy, you won't have to endure much of a hassle, either. Opening an online checking account is a fairly painless process that won't stress you out or take up too much of your time.

In using this account for short-term investing you'll miss out on:

• Potential higher returns from other types of investments, including savings accounts if you don't need daily access to the money. When you park your money in a checking account, you miss out on higher returns elsewhere.

Looking for an online checking account? Check out the best online checking accounts currently available from EverBank and Capital One 360.

3b. Online Savings Accounts

Want to guarantee your investment will not lose any money while at the same time generating a little bit of a return? The online high yield savings accounts are a great fit for that goal.

In using this account for short term, investing you'll get:

• Guarantee to never lose principal on your investment as long as you keep your total deposit at the bank below FDIC coverage of $250,000. Deposit your money and walk away knowing that it will be there when you're ready to cash out.
• A small, risk-free return on your investment. Current interest rates are very low, and those low returns mean you won't earn a lot of interest for the time being. For now, it won't be enough to keep up with inflation. However, online savings accounts do offer a risk-free return you will never have to lose sleep over.
• High liquidity. Most of the high quality online banks allow 6 withdrawals per month from savings accounts. In other words, you can generally cash out your funds at any time without much hassle or expense involved. Meanwhile, you won't have to worry about forking over part of your profits to sell your investment since it is safely tucked away in a low-risk savings account.

In using this account for short term investing you'll miss out on:

• Potential higher returns from other types of investments. Since online savings accounts aren't offering the best interest rates right now, you could potentially do better by putting your money elsewhere. However, that would require more risk, too, which is something you'll want to avoid when it comes to short-term investing.

Not sure where to start? The best online savings accounts are available at online banks like Capital One 360.

4. A Roth IRA

I know what you're thinking, “Jeff, the Roth IRA is NOT an investment.” Trust me, I totally get it. But let me explain why one of my favorite retirement accounts also can work as a short term investing account. With all other types of retirement accounts – from 401ks to Traditional IRAs – you get hit with an early withdrawal penalty and income tax if you withdraw funds before retirement.

The Roth IRA is different. Since you fund your Roth with after-tax income, you are free to withdraw any contributions (not earnings on those contributions) at any time you want. It isn't recommended because you would much rather the money stay invested, but it does give you the option to set money aside for retirement now but withdraw it if times got tough. I have seen far too many people not save enough for retirement, and pay heavily for it in their later years, which is why I came up with some great ways to save money for your reference! Funding your Roth IRA allows to get a huge head start on this. In using this account for short term investing you'll get:

• The ability to withdraw funds. Transfers take a few days and you may have to sell investments at inopportune times in order to cash out. However, the fact that you can take your actual contributions out without a penalty does stand out as a huge benefit.
• Potentially higher rates of return. With a Roth IRA, you get access to other types of investments like mutual funds, ETFs, and bonds to earn a higher rate of return. If the market does well while dollars are invested, you can secure healthy returns and profit from your investment.

In using this account for short term investing you'll miss out on:

• Risk-free returns. When you invest your money into stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs you are accepting risk for a potentially higher return.
• FDIC coverage. If your brokerage fails you will be able to file a claim with SIPC coverage, but it won't cover investment losses — just losses from the failure of your broker. (That's why it is so important to find a great place to open your Roth IRA.)

Just remember, if you think you need you're money in the short-term, avoid the stock market for now. If you realize that part of the money can now go towards retirement, then you can shift it over. Think opening a Roth IRA is complicated? We've told you the best places to open a Roth IRA in the past. Brokerage firms like Scottrade and E*Trade are great and also have lots of options to choose from.

In summary, a Roth IRA can provide a solution for individuals who crave the potential for higher returns but want the ability to withdraw their contributions if the really needed to.

Definitely check out our reviews we have for your reference on great investing options:

• Motif Investing Review
• E*Trade Review
• TradeKing Reviw
• OptionsHouse Review

5. Money Market Account

Money Markets are currently paying a very close APY to one year CD’s.  Investors familiar with the discipline of owning a CD can earn a similar return with a Money Market and still have immediate access to their funds.

Money Market accounts provide depositors with ATM cards, checks and deposit slips.  Money Market accounts are based on the account balance, not the length of time you invest your money.  When CD rates begin to rise, clients can move their money from the Money Market without paying a penalty for early withdrawal.

All of these factors combined are why many people consider money market accounts as a type of “savings account on steroids.” While there isn't much risk involved, you can potentially secure a higher rate of return.

Looking for an online bank that does Money Market Accounts? EveryBank is offering some of the best rates.

Short-Term Investment Options

Here are some investments you could use with the above accounts.

6. Short-Term Bond Funds and ETFs

Short-term bond funds are products that are usually only managed by a professional financial advisor. Bonds are not as stable as money markets, but they do offer the potential to earn a higher yield.  These bonds are a product of the market and will pay out according to the market's current condition in fluctuating monthly payments.  Short-term bonds usually mature in terms within 2 years or less, which can make them an ideal choice for investors with that type of timeline. You'll need a brokerage account like Betterment, Scottrade or E*Trade to be able to trade bond funds and ETFs.

7. Certificate of Deposits (CD’s)

Banks offer a variety of terms for their deposit accounts, ranging from 3 months to 5 years. Which length of CD will work best for you depends on your timeline and how long you want your investment out of your hands. CD’s allow depositors to invest their cash for a specific length of time. The longer the term of investment, the higher the yield will be. A client wishing to receive monthly interest payments can elect to do so at the time of application. However, most individuals who buy CDs let the interest accrue until the CD matures.

The only downside to a Certificate of Deposit is the fact that, if you need to pull money out before the maturity date, you will pay a fee. The fee is usually equivalent to 3 months worth of interest, and that can take a huge bite out of your earnings. You can get the highest interest rates for Certificates of Deposit at online banks like Compass Bank and Discover Bank.

Short-Term Bonds

There are three main short-term investments within the bond category, and each is one you could consider.

8. 5-Year Treasury Inflation Protected Securities

Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, also known as TIPS, are government bonds that are indexed to inflation. The interest rate on a TIPS is fixed, but the underlying value of the security rises with inflation as measured through the Consumer Price Index.

You might only get 0.5% in interest (paid semiannually), but over 5 years the value of the bond might increase 2.5% per year. The end result is, at the end of the term, your initial investment will be worth as much as it was when you first invested. However, you will earn a small bit of interest on top of it.

You can buy TIPS directly from the government at TreasuryDirect.gov. However, due to TIPS interest being taxable, most investors prefer to invest in a TIPS ETF or mutual fund. To purchase shares of an ETF or mutual fund you will need a brokerage account. Again, Scottrade or E*Trade are good places to start if you want to open a new brokerage account.

9. Municipal Bonds and Corporate Bonds

Municipal bonds are slightly more risky than TIPS and other Treasury investments, yet a majority of municipalities do not default on their bonds. The more significant risk is “interest rate risk.” In a low interest rate environment, if rates rise in the marketplace, the value of the bond decreases to compensate.

If you could get 4% on a municipal bond today, that's a great return. But if rates go up and your bond loses 6% of its value, you're suddenly on the losing side of the equation. However, the decrease in the value of the bond only impacts you if you sell before maturity. If you hold the bond to maturity you will get 100% of your initial investment back plus the interest yielded to you.

If you're looking for short-term investments, you could buy a bond from someone else that was closer to maturity through a major brokerage firm.

Likewise, corporate bonds are even more risky than municipals and Treasury bonds because they are not backed by a state, local, or Federal government. As always, increased risk can mean an increase in your rate of return. The same interest rate risk issue applies to corporate bonds; holding to maturity will eliminate this one piece of risk.

Where to Buy Individual Bonds?

You'll need a brokerage account like Scottrade or E*Trade to be able to trade individual bonds, bond mutual funds, and bond ETFs.

10. Pay Off High Interest Debt

Looking for a great return on your investment? Pay off your high interest debt. If you have a credit card with a 15% interest rate carrying a $10,000 balance you have an opportunity for a great return on your investment. If you pay off that debt it is like getting a 15% return on $10,000.

There are few investments that will earn the high returns of paying off debt. Not only are you getting a great return on investment, you're saving money from future costs and bettering your overall financial situation. It's the ultimate win-win.

You can pay off high interest debt on your own. However, financial tools like Mint can help you manage your finances so you can see what kind of an impact your debt payoff is having.

Even better, you can transfer your high interest balance to a 0% APR balance transfer card to speed up the process. With these offers, you literally transfer your balance from one card to the next in order to score 0% APR for anywhere from 12-21 months. If you're paying a lot of interest right now, going through with a balance transfer can improve your finances and get you out of debt that much faster.

Bonus Idea – Prosper

Prosper does not set a specific interest rate for borrowers.  Instead, the website connects borrowers and lenders through online auction-style bidding.  This set-up allows lenders to be more in control of their monthly income since they only accept interest rates they are comfortable with.

Borrowers list their loan and the highest amount of interest they are willing to pay. After that, lenders bid the interest rate down based on the lowest amount of interest they are willing to accept.  This feature provides the stability of a predictable, high yield income on the notes.

If you need more info, check out our review post on investing with Prosper.

Have high interest debt? Consider these two offers:

Chase Slate^® – The Chase Slate^®card offers the best deal for balance transfers on the market. Not only do you get 15 months at 0% APR, but you can transfer balances with no balance transfer fees for the first 60 days. If you're paying high interest rates on existing debts, consider how much money you could save if you paid no interest for 15 months, it's like getting free money. You might even be able to use those 15 months to get out of debt for good! Read here to learn more about the Chase Slate^® card.

Discover it^® – The Discover it^® card gives you 18 months with 0% APR. That's well over a year to pay down your high interest debts without paying interest at all. If you're struggling to pay down high interest debts, you could save tons of money by transferring your balance and creating a plan to become debt-free once and for all. Read here for more details about the Discover it^® card.

The Bottom Line

If you're looking for a place to sock away some cash for the short-term, don't be afraid to think outside of the box. Thanks to the constant evolution of the world wide web, you shouldn't have trouble investing your funds in any number of innovative online platforms.

As I shared above, however, short-term investing is much different than investing for the long haul. When you need to invest your money for only several weeks or months, you don't want to pour cash into investments that aren't easy to liquidate, charge fees for withdrawals, or are too risky for the short-term.

How do you invest your dollars for the short-term? Have you ever used one of the strategies listed above?

The post The 11 Best Short Term Investments For Your Money appeared first on Good Financial Cents.

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CLOSING BELL: Stocks steady at beginning of jam-packed week

This upcoming week is full of events that could swing markets: The Federal Reserve may raise interest rates, more countries around the world may move to shake up the economic status quo and several high-profile updates on the U.S. economy are due.

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38 Proven Ways to Make Extra Money at Home Without Getting a Regular Job

Want to make some extra money from home?

We’ve got 38 ways you can boost your bottom line — most of them you can do without even leaving your couch.

DISCLAIMER: This post is LONG — so we recommend you bookmark it and tackle a few things each day and watch it add up.

How much do you want to earn this week? This month? This year?

Get started with small steps today. You may be surprised how much you can make!

1. Make Money Off Your Love for Disney

We’ve come to realize people who like Disney aren’t casual about it. Disney fans friggin’ love everything about the company: movies, rides, costumes, characters, you name it.

Did you know you could cash in on that lifetime of cherished memories?

We keep an eye on open casting calls, and we see calls for Disney movies and commercials all the time, all over the world. We even found a work-from-home opportunity with the Disney Store!

Could there be a better way to earn money than by working for the most magical place on Earth?

Keep an eye out for these casting calls — Disney always has something going on. These are our favorite sites:

• Auditions Free

• Project Casting

• Backstage

And if you want to keep up with what we find, follow The Penny Hoarder Jobs on Facebook.

2. Stop Deleting Your Emails

‘Nuff said.

It turns out that deleting your emails could be costing you serious money. Intrigued?

Paribus is a tool that gets you money back for your online purchases. It’s free to sign up, and once you do, they will scan your email archives for any receipts.

If it discovers you’ve purchased something from Amazon, Target or one of the other 16 retailers listed on their website, it will track the item’s price and issue you a refund anytime there’s a price drop!

You don’t have to do anything!

3. Get Paid to Share Your Opinions

Hard to argue with her…

OK, we’re probably not the first to admit surveys aren’t the best way to make extra money. But if you’re just lounging, why not put that time to use?

You can just click a few buttons — no one has to know you got paid without even getting dressed today.

Ipsos Panel and Vip Voice and  are legitimate paid survey companies (both with an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau). You might recognize the name Ipsos from the news, because they conduct a lot of presidential polling.

Some top-end surveys can pay up to $95, but those are going to take some time, and they don’t come around often. Most will pay $1-$2 and take about 10 minutes to complete.

You could earn $100 or more a month just doing surveys during commercial — or bathroom — breaks!

4. Get a $5 Bonus When You Download Stash

No more excuses. It’s time to start adulting.

We’re kind of obsessed with Stash around here (and not just because it gives you $5).

We love that anyone can use Stash to start investing. You don’t have to have an MBA or even make it all the way through “The Big Short” to understand how to invest with this app.

You just choose from a set of simple portfolios reflecting your beliefs, interests and goals, and it does the rest.

To get the $5 bonus:

1. Click this link and enter your email here.

2. Download the Stash app on your smartphone, and set up your account with the same email address. Within two business days, you’ll see the bonus added to your account.

For what it’s worth, though, “The Big Short” is worth your time. It has Ryan Gosling in a tailored suit and Margot Robbie in a bubble bath.

5. Get Out of the House, and Drive With Uber

This could be us…

If you want to work for yourself without sacrificing human interaction, Uber is a great way to do it! Get out of the house and meet new people every day.

As an Uber driver partner, you set your own schedule and decide when and how long you want to work each day. So how much you can earn is up to you. Your earnings will be calculated by adding a base fare, plus time and distance traveled after your pickup, and Uber charges a service fee (20-35% depending on your city)..

If you want to give it a try there’s a few things to keep in mind:

• Must be at least 21 years old

• Have three years’ driving experience

• Have an in-state driver’s license and a clean driving record

• Be able to pass a criminal background check

• You car must be a four-door and seat at least four passengers

• Your car must be registered in state and covered by in-state insurance

Here’s a link to apply with Uber.

6. Sell Your Unnecessary Clutter

Lucky mom!

For virtually anything, you can use 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 also 100% free to use.

Have a bunch of movies or CDs collecting dust on a shelf? Clear some space to help you breathe, and put that old stuff to work for you.

Decluttr will pay you for these items — plus your Blu-rays, video games and other electronics like cell phones, tablets, game consoles and iPods. Plus, enter PENNY10 at checkout to get an extra 10% for your trade-ins!

Seriously, it’s time to let “Jagged Little Pill” go. Or at least sign up for Spotify.

Do you still have a prom outfit from, like, 10 years ago?

It’s never going to fit — or come into style — again, but something just keeps holding you back from sending it to Goodwill.

Maybe money could change your mind? Instead of storing clothes indefinitely, try selling them on an app like Poshmark.

And those textbooks probably cost you a fortune in the first place. You might as well make a little money back, now that you’ve put college behind you.

You can sell used textbooks through online textbook buyback company Bookscouter. Just search using your book’s ISBN, and the site will connect you with more than 25 of the best-paying and most reputable buyback companies online.

7. Your Medical Condition Could Get You Up to $100

And they can make bank, too!

Unfortunately, there’s no cure for psoriasis, and as many as 7.5 million Americans live with the disease. That’s about 2.5% of us — so if you’ve got it, you’re not alone.

Here’s a way for you to get a little payback for your suffering — and help others while you’re at it.

You can earn $5-$100 taking online surveys and contribute to advancements in medical treatment — without even leaving your couch!

– Migraines – If you’ve never had a migraine, be glad you can just take my word for it: They’re really, really bad. Local research studies may offer payment/compensation up to $1,150 (learn more here). These studies help doctors discover better ways to treat — and hopefully eliminate — migraines.

– Cluster Headaches — If a doctor has diagnosed you with a cluster headache, you could qualify for a variety of studies that pay up to $300, depending on the study and number of study visits. You may also receive no-cost study-related care for the length of the study. (Learn more here.)

– Rheumatoid Arthritis – Do you wake up really stiff in the morning? That’s one common sign of rheumatoid arthritis, which affects more than 1.3 million Americans — 75% of whom are women.

If you have rheumatoid arthritis in the knee or hip and are otherwise healthy, you may qualify for studies offering compensation up to $625 depending on the number of study visits. You can find more info here.

Just a head’s up, you’ll need to provide a valid phone number and see a study doctor to see if you are eligible, and complete the study-required visits, before you’ll be compensated for participating.

– Crohn’s disease – Have you been diagnosed with this chronic gastrointestinal disease? If you’ve had Crohn’s for at least three months, you may qualify for one of the local studies that may offer payment that varies by study up to $750. Plus, you may also receive no-cost study-related care for the length of the study. (Learn more here)

8. Get Paid to Lose Weight (Seriously!)

The one time you definitely want to be a real BIG loser.

Picture this: You step on the scale and finally see your goal weight.

Congratulations! But it gets even better.

You’re about to receive a generous check you can spend on a celebratory dress in your new size, use stock up on household necessities or wisely stick into your savings — all just for losing weight!

It’s not a fantasy. If you wager on your own commitment with HealthyWage, this could very well happen for you… as long as you stick to your guns and lose the weight.

Here’s how: Sign up for HealthyWage, and define a goal weight and a timeframe to achieve it. Place a monetary bet on yourself, between $20 to $500 a month.

HealthyWage’s calculator will consider how much weight you have to lose, how much time you give yourself to do it and how much money you wager to determine your reward. You could win up to $10,000!

9. Get a Free $10 Gift Card When You Shop Through MyPoints

Got something to say?

You’re not going to believe us when we tell you you can get paid for shopping and sharing your opinions, but it’s true.

Have you heard of MyPoints? It’s a cash-back site that lets you earn rewards by shopping online, printing coupons and taking paid surveys.

MyPoints’ shopping portal is an instant way to save on everything you buy at thousands of retailers. For example, you’ll get up to 5% cash back on purchases in some categories on Amazon.

Plus you’ll get a free $10 gift card just for signing up. Here’s how to get it:

1. Sign up for MyPoints here using your email address (it’s free).

2. Use the MyPoints portal the next time you need to shop online. You can shop thousands of stores, including major retailers like Walmart, Amazon and Target.

3. Make a purchase of $20 or more within 30 days, and MyPoints will reward you with 1,750 bonus points, which you can redeem for a $10 gift card to a retailer of your choice.

You’ll also receive invitations to surveys you may qualify for, and you’ll earn extra points for completing those.

10. Get Paid to Watch Videos

Carl knows what’s up…

Did you know you can actually get paid to watch videos online? They’re not all “Grumpy Cat” quality, but if you’re just sitting around watching TV anyway, you might as well make money doing it.

FusionCash is one legit site that will pay you for watching videos. Just sign up and start watching… and earning. Right now, it’ll even give you $5 just for signing up.

11. Download These Apps

Why not make it every day?

Did you know you could earn money just for having certain apps on your smartphone? It’s one of the simplest ways we can think of to set up a passive income stream!

Companies want to know how people are using their phones, and they’re willing to pay for the information.

These apps collect data from your phone and help them better understand web and mobile usage — like when you’re browsing, how long you stay on sites or use apps, and what types of sites and apps are popular (or not).

So, you get paid to use your phone like you normally would: to ignore the people around you.

And the data is reported anonymously, so don’t worry; no one will tell your boss how much time you’re spending on Facebook!

Install these apps, and you could earn $400 a year or more:

– ShopTracker – If you’re a regular Amazon shopper, you can earn money each month contributing to research to help companies understand what people are buying online. Download and connect this to your Amazon account. They’ll instantly send you a free $3 Visa gift card, plus another $3 for every month you keep it installed.

 – SavvyConnect – You can earn $5 per device (phone, tablet, computer) for each month SavvyConnect is installed. You can make up to $180 per year to help rank the most popular sites and apps. Make sure you keep it installed at least one month to get your first $5 per device.

– Smart Panel – This app will pay you up to $110 just for downloading it and keeping it on your smartphone for a year. All the info the app collects remains anonymous. (Note: This panel is currently only open to iOS users.)

– Nielsen Mobile Panel – If you have a smartphone, this Nielsen panel will pay you $50/year to keep this app on your cell phone and browse the web like you normally do. After you’ve installed it for one week, you get to play an instant rewards game for a prize (everyone wins something, from gift cards to TVs). The longer you stay an active panelist, the more rewards and prizes you can earn and win. (Note: This panel is currently only open to males)

12. Attach This Device to Your Browser

Surf’s up!

Digital Reflection Panel will pay you over $200 a year to let the company gather information about your internet habits in hopes of one day making online experiences even better.

All you have to do is connect a simple device to your wireless router and do device updates every now and then. It takes about seven minutes to fill out the necessary panel and survey to participate.

The meter will end up on your doorstep and you’ll earn a $25 bonus for installing it within four days of it arriving.

On top of that, you’ll get $60 after the first two months, and $10 each month you keep it plugged in after that.

13. Start Investing With $1 Today

Our pleasure!

Do you ignore opportunities to start investing because you don’t think you have enough money? You could be missing out.

We found an app called Clink that lets you invest in the stock market with just $1 a day. Plus, you’ll get a free $5 bonus to invest just for downloading the app.

And you don’t have to be a financial genius to get started. (We even have writers who figured out how to invest with this app…)

Clink does the heavy-lifting for you. You’ll link your bank account and decide how much you want to invest and how often — daily, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, and it’ll handle the rest.

To get the $5 bonus:

1. Enter your email here to download the Clink smartphone app.

2. Set up your account with the same email address. Use the promo code: PH2016

14. Provide Customer Service — in Your PJs

This guy takes casual Friday to a whole new level.

Have you ever considered doing customer service from the comfort of your home? An increasing number of companies are hiring work-from-home customer service reps, instead of running call centers.

These jobs can be full– or part-time and offer a variety of schedules, including daytime, evening and weekend shifts with a range of pay depending on the position and location.

Your job is usually to answer customer questions over the phone or via online chat. You may find sales positions that include higher pay and performance incentives; or technical support positions, which are best if you’re tech-savvy and have an interest in helping people understand technology.

You should enjoy helping people, though! You know how a bad customer service call can totally ruin your day? You don’t want to be the bad rep on the other end of that call.

If you don’t like working with customers, keep an eye out for other work-from-home jobs at these job sites.

15. Apply for a Job With One of These Companies

‘Nuff said.

Work-from-home companies can get a bad reputation. Unfortunately, there are a lot of scams out there that take advantage of your desire to make money online.

It’s not fair.

So we did some research and put together a list of 16 legitimate companies that let you work from home and set your own schedule.

These all have a B+ or higher Better Business Bureau rating — and they span a variety of interests, so you should be able to find something to fit your skills and lifestyle.

16. Be an Image Reviewer for Shutterstock

Um, we call that winning, Alice.

Like looking at photos?

Mountain landscapes? Cats? Food? Funky illustrations? Your own face?

If you have some professional photography experience, but want a break from the field, a work-from-home job with Shutterstock could be perfect for you.

Shutterstock offers millions of royalty-free photos, illustrations and videos and has openings for work-from-home editorial image and illustration reviewers.

As a reviewer, you’ll check images to be sure they meet Shutterstock’s guidelines before hitting the online stock image or illustration catalog. You’ll work from home on a freelance basis for about 25-30 hours per week.

Interested? Apply here to review editorial images and here to review illustrations.

17. Hang Out With Cats and Dogs

Not a bad way to make new friends!

Do you want to make extra money spending time with cats and dogs? Pet-sitting could be a great side gig.

Take a dog for a walk — or just stop by to keep them company while friends or family are out of town — and you could earn about $40. It’s a fun way to make some bank and get your Fido fix, especially if you can’t have a pet of your own.

Get an even closer connection — and more cash — by offering to watch pets overnight while their owners are out of town.

18. Sell Stuff Through Fulfillment by Amazon

I think it’s time to downsize…

We all knew those Beanie Babies and Furbies would be worth something one day, right?

Well, maybe they’re not the cash cows we hoped, but if you have a stock of toys or other items like this, you could make some money selling them through Fulfillment by Amazon. You provide the goods, and FBA handles the rest, from storage and shipping to customer satisfaction.

It’s one of the simplest ways to run an online business from home.

Choose from Amazon’s categories to sell anything you want, ideally something you know well.

The Penny Hoarder founder Kyle Taylor used to buy and resell toys, and he made $10,000 through FBA in November and December 2014!

FBA offers a great opportunity to do a little bit of work around other daily tasks. It’s perfect if you want to make extra money around raising kids, doing housework or even a day job — or just clear your basement and clear out those old collections.

19. Start a Blog

We hear ya…

It’s definitely not a quick way to make money, but starting a blog can eventually help you earn extra money. If you enjoy writing, this is a super fun way to cash in on it.

You can blog about anything you want, so choose something you’re passionate about! Read our step-by-step guide to building an audience and making money from your blog. If you work hard, it could even replace your full-time income.

“As I worked to develop my blog, it began to attract advertisers,” says Cat Alford, blogger and mom of twins, told The Work at Home Woman.

“Now, I field emails (from advertisers) every day, and in the last three months, I’ve made a full-time income from my website after only making pocket change for several years,” Alford explains.

20. Sell Unused Gift Cards

It’s like a surprise gift from yourself!

More than $44 billion dollars in gift cards went unused between 2008-2014, according to the New York Post. We’ve got a much more productive way to put that money to use!

Sure, it’s disappointing to receive a gift you might not want. But if it’s a gift card, quietly thank the aunt (or other distant relative) who gave it to you for not trying too hard to buy something you wouldn’t have liked anyway.

It’s not cash, but a gift card is the next best thing — even if it’s for a store where you don’t usually shop.

That’s because you can sell it to someone who does want to shop at that store.

List your unused — or even partially-used — gift cards on a gift-card exchange site. Buyers use these sites to find a good deal on gift cards, and you get to turn that unwanted present into cash!

21. Rent Out Extra Baby Stuff With This App

They seem so small…

Traveling with kids can be rewarding, but also very challenging. The goBaby app aims to make it a little easier on parents — while giving other parents the chance to make some extra cash.

Babies and young kids need a lot of stuff, apparently, to survive. Packing and hauling that stuff across airports, planes, trains and automobiles sucks, and it might even cost you extra money.

Through the goBaby app, New York City-based mother of two Natalie Kaminski created a parent-to-parent marketplace where traveling parents could rent baby gear like strollers, car seats and other items from local parents with the same to spare.

This Airbnb-style exchange for baby supplies is available in New York City and will be launching soon in Boston, Miami, San Francisco and Chicago.

If you live in one of these cities, use the app to monetize your extra baby gear!

Here’s how it works:

1. Download the app for free here.

2. Take a photo of the item you want to rent out. Add a brief description, and set your price.

3. Choose whether you’ll deliver the item or have the renter pick it up.

4. Give the item to the renter, and get it back within the scheduled dates.

5. Get paid. Repeat!

22. Start a Freelance Business

Freelance life is simply the best.

If you’re dreaming of setting your own schedule, working in sweats most days (or even your underwear, we won’t tell) and letting your facial hair fill out without consequence, freelancing could be perfect for you.

It could be your full-time job or a part-time side gig — the beauty of freelancing is you get to choose your work and how much time to put into it.

You can start a freelance business based on any skill you want, but these are some of the most common areas:

• Writing

• Graphic design

• Social media

• Photography

• Coaching

But don’t just start a business doing what sells!

You’re going to put a lot of time and effort into this, so it should probably be something you love. Find the service that fits what you enjoy doing, what you do best and what people are willing to pay you for.

Once you know the kind of work you want to do, follow our ultimate guide to starting a freelance business to take the next steps.

23. Earn Money Off Your Psychic Abilities From the Comfort of Your Home

I see working from home in your future.

Do you have experience and skill in any of these metaphysical abilities?

• Astrology

• Tarot

• Dream interpretation

• Numerology

• Clairvoyance/clairaudience/clairsentience

• Crystals

• Runes

• Empathy

• Medium or channeling

Psychic Source has openings for advisors for its phone or chat readings. You’ll get to work from home and set your own schedule, anywhere between eight and 40 hours per week.

You’ll receive support and promotion from Psychic Source, and pay is a base rate per call (not specified), plus a per-minute bonus depending on the length of your calls.

To apply, access the application process here. Or just apply telepathically (just kidding, don’t do that).

24. Do Other People’s Grocery Shopping

Cheers!

Some people hate grocery shopping so much they’ll actually pay someone else to do it for them.

That someone else can be you!

If you’re 21 years or older with reliable transportation, you can sign up to be a delivery driver with Instacart.

This app and website lets people who don’t have the time or motivation to battle the crowds for a box of cereal skip the grocery store. And it lets you make money as their personal shopper.

You should be relatively comfortable with common groceries, so this might not be the gig for you if your typical grocery trip is just a beeline to the Pizza Rolls.

Your application will include a short online quiz about common grocery store items. You’ll need to identify grocery items like a lemon or an 18-pack of eggs, and you only have two minutes to answer the 21 questions.

After that, your local manager will call you to set up a 15-minute phone interview to learn about your background and experience.

25. Make Music Videos for YouTube

Then you ought to make money doing it!

Want to make money playing music? You can do it without leaving home by putting your music on YouTube.

There are two primary ways to do this. First, simply make and monetize YouTube videos. If you get enough traffic, you can make some serious money.

Second, create YouTube music lessons.

If you’ve been playing a while and know how to explain the basics to beginners, set up some video lessons. Some YouTube music lessons get millions of pageviews. Monetize your videos, and that kind of traffic can translate to serious money.

26. Sell Your Old Makeup

Because eating is so overrated.

Do you have makeup sitting around that you know you’ll never use? It’s time to part with that palette of 42 shades of eyeshadow. You always knew you’d only use the brown.

The website Glambot buys your old — yes, even used — makeup to resell to users at a discount.

It’s a great way to make some extra cash clearing out your vanity drawers!

Here’s how it works:

1. Enter your items to see how much they’re worth here.

2. Decide what you want to sell, and Glambot will email you a free shipping label.

3. Ship your items via USPS.

4. Glambot will email you an offer within within five business days of receiving your package. Accept your offer in cash store credit.

If you’re worried about sanitation, don’t worry. This writer was concerned, too, and learned from experts that used makeup is generally OK to apply.

Plus, Glambot authenticates and sanitizes all products before selling. 

27. Write Songs (and Sell Them)

They’re pretty much always coming to you.

You may have heard the music industry isn’t the best place to make a living these days. That’s not totally wrong — but it’s not totally right, either.

While the move to digital downloads has made record deals less lucrative for artists than in the heyday of rock ‘n’ roll, flexible musicians know there are still smart ways to cash in.

Songwriting is one of them.

Selling songs outright isn’t common, because it’s not a great deal for the writer. If you sell all the rights to a song, you’ll only make a few bucks, even it becomes a huge hit — or, even better, gets played in a movie or TV show.

A better plan is to set up a royalty deal. That way, the amount you earn is based on the song’s success.

Mechanical royalties earn you a statutory rate of 0.091 cents per song, per manufactured unit (such as a CD). If the song you wrote is on an album that sells 10,000 copies, you would make $910.

Performance royalties are a separate deal. To collect royalties for the right to perform your song, join one of these three performing rights organizations:

• ASCAP

• BMI

• SESAC

If you can’t break into the music industry in the usual ways, you can always look for contests to enter. For example, the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) hands out cash, prizes and recognition to 71 winners.

ASCAP maintains a list of songwriting competitions.

28. Add This App to Get Paid for Picking Up Your Phone

Can’t argue with “free” money, can you?

We’re constantly told we have a smartphone addiction in this country. You glance at that tiny screen dozens of times a day to check the weather, answer emails or text the next love of your life (you hope).

And you can actually get paid for it. Take that, technophobes.

Instead of a picture of your dog or some flowers on your lock screen, the Slidejoy app presents ads for various products and services. Like what you see? Swipe left on the ad to go straight to the advertiser’s website, YouTube video or app download page.

If the ad doesn’t resonate with you — or if you’re in a hurry — simply swipe right to go to your phone as normal.

It’s like a dating app for ads, except instead of nonsensical pick-up lines, you get paid for your swipes. You can earn up to $60 a year just by using your phone as you normally would.

Click here to download the app for your Android phone.

29. Earn Cash Back for Shopping Online

Don’t you love cracking open the mailbox to see a package inside?

Yeah, we can come up with a lot of ways to save money when you’re shopping. But isn’t it better to get paid to go shopping?

When you shop through a cash-back site like Ebates, you’ll earn cash-back rewards you can redeem for gift cards.

Even better, it’s giving away $10 gift cards if you sign-up as a new member and earn your first cash-back rebate. You can choose either a $10 Target, Walmart, Macy’s or Kohl’s gift card.

You do have to wait 30 days. But, it’s free money so can you really complain?

30. Do Some Freelance Proofreading

Classic proofreader humor.

If you’ve got a keen eye for grammar and formatting, freelance proofreading could be your next great gig — one that pays about $17 an hour.

Got your attention? Yeah, we thought so.

To get started, sign up for this free seven-day mini-course on ProofreadAnywhere.com to learn how to build your freelance proofreading business.

Typical pay for proofreading is about 35 cents per page, so how much you earn depends on how efficiently you can work. To earn $17 an hour, you’ll have to proof about 49 pages each hour, which you’ll need experience to work up to.

Proofreading is a great gig for Type A personalities — perfecting grammar, punctuation and formatting and getting paid for it? That’s much better than just keeping a pencil in your nightstand to mark up your library books.

31. Help Companies Improve Their Websites

Please spread the word.

Have you ever clicked on a link because it promised valuable information, but bounced off the web page immediately because it was so unpleasant to look at?

Some websites are just so annoying to use or difficult to navigate that users don’t want to hang out on them.

You can help change that — and get paid to do it.

With UserTesting, you’ll help companies determine how customers use their websites.

You’ll make about $10 for spending 20 minutes evaluating websites or testing apps. The best part? You’ll be paid via PayPal within seven days.

This opportunity is available in the U.S., and we’re hearing there are a also ton of jobs in the UK, Canada, Germany and Australia right now!

32. Rent Your Designer Clothes

Can’t get enough!

Have a pricy dress you bought and only wore once wasting away in your closet? Earn your money back — and more — renting it to others looking for a good deal.

You can make money renting clothing through sites like Loanables or Style Lend.

If you’ve got lots of special-occasion or high-end clothes, you could practically be running your own Rent the Runway from your closet!

Rent the Runway is popular with frugal fashionistas, especially around the busy wedding season. People can rent your designer dresses for just a few days to save on cost of buying a new one.

You get to cash in on the demand. Plus, it takes the sting out of splurging on that designer dress for your friend’s wedding last summer you’ll never wear again — it’s just an investment!

33. Test Drive Cars as a Mystery Shopper

Here’s your chance!

Working through a mystery shopping company like BestMark, you can go to car lots and pose as a potential buyer.

So you get to test drive a car, which is pretty cool.

It also means you listen to the sales pitch, which is less exciting. But then you report back on your experience and get paid. Joke’s on them…

The Penny Hoarder founder, Kyle Taylor, used to do automotive mystery shopping, and reports earning $60 for each dealership he visited. Not too bad for less than an hour’s work acting like a P.I., not to mention the chance to drive a new car!

34. Work From Home as a Bookkeeper

We don’t hear that too often. This is a perfect job for you, Ashlee.

Does earning $60 an hour sound appealing? Duh, of course it does. How about the freedom to work remotely with small business owners?

Those are the perks of working as a bookkeeper, says Ben Robinson, a certified public accountant and business owner who teaches others to become virtual bookkeepers.

And no, you don’t have be a CPA to be successful in this business. In fact, all you really need are decent computer skills and a passion for helping business owners tackle real-world problems.

It’s a great opportunity for moms who want to work part time, millennials who are just out of college and anyone who wants to bring in real money while working from home.

35. Get Paid to Stay in the Know About Popular TV Shows

So do we, Jessica. So do we.

OK, just hear us out on this one. It’s definitely possible to get paid to watch TV shows you love. RewardTV pays you to answer trivia questions about last night’s TV shows.

Do you know who they killed off on “Game of Thrones” last night? Tell RewardTV about it and you’ll get paid.

Do you know which contestant got kicked off “The Voice” this week? You could get paid.

Just don’t tell your friends, who DVR’d the show!

You’re not going to get rich doing this, but it’s a fun way to make an extra $15 to $20 a month for the shows you already enjoy watching.

36. Sell Your Weirdest Stuff

And, oh, those summer nights… selling them online.

If you want to work directly with buyers, you can list your most unique treasures to sell on Ebay.

Seriously, when we say “unique,” we mean it. Did you know you could sell dentures on Ebay? What about old — sorry, vintage — panties?

If you’ve lived in one place for a while, you’re bound to have a few odd items stuck in the back of your closet. Those could be valuable to someone.

You can also cash in on your location through Ebay. If you live by the beach, collect bunches of seashells and driftwood to sell to crafters. If you live near the woods, collect pine cones. Don’t underestimate the value of those things you see everyday!

37. Take Care of Someone Else’s House

#lifehacks

House-sitting is a killer way to make money for introverts, travelers and anyone who just wants to make a little extra money in their free time.

It’s like a sleepover you get paid for. Just water some plants, mind the temperature and keep the lights on at intervals that alert potential ne’er-do-wells that the place is occupied.

When you’re traveling, house-sitting could mean free lodging — and it’s usually cushier than a cheap hotel and more private than couch surfing.

House-sitting in your own town is a way to make money just for stopping by a couple times a day, or even spending the night in a place that’s probably a step up from your own.

Read our guide on how to find house-sitting gigs to get started.

38. Get Paid for Driving Safe

Better safe than sorry…

You’re a safe driver… right? We hope you are!

With an Allstate auto insurance policy, you can actually turn your conscientiousness into cash.

Avoiding car accidents makes life better for everyone.

Allstate offers drivers “safe driving bonus checks” — you’ll get two $50 checks for every year of accident-free driving.

That’s $100 a year — and you’ll be safer.

In addition to bonus checks, you’ll also be rewarded with a reduced deductible — saving you money anytime you have to make a claim for your vehicle.

You’ll get $100 off your deductible when you sign up, and an additional $100 off each year you continue driving safely, up to $500.

Your Turn: Will you try any of these ways to make extra money?

Advertiser Disclosure: This post includes affiliate links. We’re letting you know because it’s what Honest Abe would do. After all, he is on our favorite coin.

The post 38 Proven Ways to Make Extra Money at Home Without Getting a Regular Job appeared first on The Penny Hoarder.

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