Earn Extra Monthly Income Without an Extra Job

Many full-time employees don’t have the time to pick up any more shifts at work or even think about starting another job, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make extra money each month.

There are plenty of ways to add to your income on things you own or often purchase, you just have to think outside the box. Check out these five ways to help your savings grow each month.

 

Wrap Your Car

It’s no secret that you can practically make a living just by having a car. With apps like Uber, Lyft and  Turo, you can make extra cash by giving rides, delivering food or renting your car out. However, there is another way that you can make more money by running your own errands.

Surely, you’ve seen regular people driving around with their rides covered in ads by companies like Petco, Coca-Cola and Google. That’s because they’re earning money every month to sport advertising for these companies, and you can easily do it too. Even if you don’t want to commit to covering your entire car, there are websites like Wrapify that offer panel, partial or full coverage options for almost any vehicle. Once you sign up, you’ll drop off your car to get it wrapped and start making money as soon as you pick it up.

Sell Everything in the Get-Rid-Of Pile

Everyone accumulates items around that house that are either in the way or serve the same purpose as something you already have. Whether it’s clothes that don’t fit or the coffee table you just replaced, you can make a return on items that someone else can still get some use out of. You can start a monthly garage sale, list online or use websites like Decluttr to sell items to a company directly.

Everyone knows by now that one man’s trash will always be another man’s treasure. This saying is especially true for electronics. Not everyone will hop onto the newest technological trends, so you can make a pretty penny by selling things you’ve upgraded. If you’re updating your movie collection to 4K discs, you can put your Blu-rays up for sale for the collector that isn’t ready to modernize and make a profit.

Take Advantage of Rebates

Rebates are one of the most underutilized but easy ways to save money. With rebates, you often have to spend first and then submit a rebate form with your receipt to get money back. It might seem tedious, but saving on things you already buy is a guaranteed way to bring in extra money each month.

There are a few different kinds of rebates; some are via mail or online, and some offer instant discounts at the time of purchase. Most rebates can even be combined with coupons, which can make some items end up costing you nothing after cashing in the rebate check.

Buy Gift Cards

Plenty of companies offer in-house deals to consumers that buy gift cards or partner with others because they want to reward loyal shoppers. You can often find deals that include things like additional promo cards, bonus bucks or free merchandise to those who purchase a certain amount in gift cards, but there are other ways to make money on gift cards for things you’re already going to need.

For example, you can save three to 10 cents per gallon at any MurphyUSA or Walmart gas stations when you pay with a Walmart gift card. Just stop by your local Walmart and purchase a card with any desired amount and use it to save at the pump. It’s hard to pay for anything the traditional way when you can instantly save money with the purchase of a gift card.

Participate in a Focus Group

Plenty of people have tried to make a decent penny taking online surveys, but the payoff for the amount of time required is pretty meager. Instead, you can make anywhere from $30-200 for spending just an hour or two participating in a focus group.

With a range of topics and activities, focus groups are an easy way to earn money by answering questions, trying new food or discussing a new product idea. Most focus groups even provide food and drinks to participants in addition to monetary compensation, so you’ll be even be saving money on lunch or dinner. Focus groups are held in almost every city, but if you can’t find one locally, you can always go online and participate in web chat groups as well.

Check for Class Action Settlements

You’d be surprised by how much money you’re entitled to through class action settlements. At Top Class Actions, you can browse open settlements and determine if any of them apply to you or your family. You could be eligible for a potential settlement if you had any involvement with certain products, services or events. You can also use the website to report your claim and see if it’s worth a settlement. Some claims are years old, so don’t be afraid to report something that didn’t happen so recently.

If you’re looking for more ways to earn extra cash, check out our blog with eight creative ways to pay down your debt.