Putting money away while living paycheck to paycheck can feel legitimately impossible.
But we also don’t believe you need a six-figure salary to do it.
To get started, try focusing on one extra stream of revenue per week (or month), and you’ll see your new cash stash grow.
The key here is to take on a few of these options at once and take the money you’d normally spend (plus the money you earn) and open a dedicated savings account.
These amounts total almost $13,000, so hitting that amount should be easy.
1. Use Billcutterz to save $300 ($25 a month).
These professional bill negotiators take a look at your expenses and try to get them lowered on your behalf.
Your negotiator only gets paid when they are successful at getting you savings, so there’s literally no risk to having them try.
They take 50% of the amount they saved you for one year. After that, the savings are all yours.
2. Earn up to $500 ($41 a month) using the Ibotta app.
You choose what rebates you want, go shopping (grocery or retail), scan the item and receipt, then BAM! You get rewarded in cold, hard cash.
There’s a $20 minimum to cash out, but Ibotta helps you out by offering a $10 bonus for redeeming your first offer. Level up by signing up through KCL and getting an $11 bonus instead. .
3. Review songs, phone accessories, and movie trailers for an extra $240 ($20 a month) with SliceThePie.
Just sign up and start reviewing. You’ll earn as little as $0.01/review (it increases from there), but the work is pretty quick with only 1-3 questions per review.
4. Cut your cable and start streaming to save $1,200 ($100 a month).
I’m not saying don’t watch TV, but I am suggesting that you quit paying a ridiculous amount for it.
By signing up for apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, or Sling TV, you can save around $100/month without compromising your favorite shows.
5. Earn up to $12,000 ($1,000 a month) selling books.
Think of it like flipping a house, except with books.
It’s as easy as knowing which used books to snag for a few bucks (you can enter the ISBN number to check out a potential resale value on BookScouter), then turn around to sell it for 5-10 times your purchase price.
6. Sign up to test websites and earn $2,400 ($200 a month).
You’ll have to audition, and some require you to snatch up testing opportunities within seconds. But it’s totally possible to earn roughly $200/month!
Be sure to sign up with as many companies as possible in order to increase your chances of making money. Sign up with these six companies to get started.
7. Earn $96 ($8 a month) by installing the ShopTracker and SavvyConnect apps on your device.
These two apps work in the background to gather data regarding your online behavior like what sites you visit and what you buy.
ShopTracker will pay you $3 a month and SavvyConnect pays $5 a month per device!
8. Sell your (very) gently used clothes on ThredUp for $200.
Order a “Clean It Out” kit and pack it with all the gently used items you don’t want to wear anymore.
You can expect to earn 5-80% of the expected selling price for each item.
RELATED: Legit Ways for Stay-at-Home Moms to Earn Money from Home
9. Do other people’s laundry in your own home to earn up to $7,200 ($600 a month) with Laundry Care.
Sign up to be a Laundry Care associate, and start earning around $20 per bag of laundry you complete for someone in your community.
You’ll have to pick up and drop off the laundry, but the rest is done in your own home between Netflix marathons.
10. Earn $4,644 ($387 a month) doing just 5 hours a week of deliveries for Amazon Flex.
Work whenever you want with Amazon Flex. You’ll make deliveries in your own car, and they pay between $18-25/hour.
You choose your available hours the week prior, and you’ll have the pleasure of making people smile by delivering their packages!
Check to see if Amazon Flex is available in your city.
11. Share your Amazon Prime membership to save $50 ($4.17 a month).
There’s a traditional and alternative way to share your beloved Amazon Prime membership. Both will save you around $50 a year.
RELATED: Ways to Earn Money on Amazon
12. Earn $1,716 ($143 a month) using cash-back websites.
It can be done. I know because I did it using Swagbucks, Mr. Rebates, and TopCashback.
13. Make $100-300 when you sign up for a bonus checking or savings account.
This is one of the easiest ways to earn free cash. Banks are continuously running bonus programs for opening a new account that’ll earn you a cash bonus ranging from $100-$300.
Before you sign up, be sure to ask how long the account has to stay open to avoid fees and what the terms are.
Usually you have to do a few direct deposits, and the account must stay open for at least 6 months (most banks are a little different). After that, you’re usually free to close the account and open another elsewhere!
14. Automatically transfer $120 ($10 a month) into savings.
Set up a monthly automatic transfer into savings. This can be as little as you’d like, but it’ll add up.
I know you’re living paycheck to paycheck, but if you can aim for just $10/month, you’ll have $120 in savings by the end of the year, which is better than nothing!
15. Save $70 ($5.83 a month) buying discounted gift cards on Raise.com.
Buy discounted gift cards but put the difference in your savings account. For example, you can buy a $50 Old Navy gift card on Raise.com for $42.50 (15% off). Put that $7.50 you saved back into your savings account!
16. Become a professional dinner host through Eat With for an extra $2,940 ($245 a month).
If you love throwing dinner parties, why not cater to your local community and earn some extra cash?
Eat With connects diners with aspiring chefs so you can entertain members of your community in your own home.
UP NEXT: Ways to Earn Effortless Passive Income
Tell us what you think