15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (2024)

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by Alice LyUpdated onDecember 11, 2020

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (1)

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (2)Disclosure: We’re letting you know that this post contains sponsored links which The Smart Wallet receives compensation for, which may impact their order of appearance. This site doesn’t include all available offers.

You feel it every month.

When that chunk of rent payment leaves your bank account and into someone else’s. It’s the price to pay for having your own living space and basically, a non-negotiable.

Because no matter what, you gotta keep adulting when you don’t want to move back in with family. Seriously.

So keep making those rent payments and we’re making it a little bit easier by suggesting some things you can do to earn some side cash as well as manage your money more efficiently. Even better when you can get paid for doing stuff you already do!

1. Win Up to $200 Per Solitaire Game With This App

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (3)

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (4)The time spent on your phone keeps going up, but make the most of it by winning cash and real-world prizes with Solitaire Cube. It only takes 2 minutes a game!

It’s simple: Play solitaire against other players, and the top 3 winners get real money for each game. Everyone gets the same deck, so it’s fair and based on skill.

The really good players have won thousands of dollars, but let’s be real and start with winning hundreds instead.“Win or lose, you still get tickets to stock up and redeem for prizes or cash bonuses!” – tkitchen84

Right now, they’ll even give $30 bonus cash when you add $12 to your account!

Each game is so quick that many people already use this ad-free app to earn $$. See how much you can win playing Solitaire by downloading the free app and getting your $30 bonus when you add $12.

2. Save Almost $700 a Year on Gym Membership with This

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (5)

No matter how dedicated a gym says they are to keeping the workout space safe, you just never know. With the way the pandemic is still going, it’s time to focus on workouts that you can do at home.

Plus, you’d be saving almost $700 a year on a gym membership when you use NEOU Fitness (pronounced “NEO YOU”). There are thousands of live and on-demand workouts ranging from bootcamp, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), dance, barre, strength, yoga, stretching, and more that you can access anytime, anywhere. Customize to your own schedule and mood!

It’s perfect for those that miss their group fitness classes, for people who don’t want to be bored at home, and for those that want more control over their routine.

Stream on any device screen (including laptop) and filter classes by type, duration, body focus, and more.

New members get 50% off the annual membership for just $49.99 (basically less than $5/month). Compare that to the average $58/per month for a regular in-person gym! Try NEOU Fitness free for 7-days to see how you like it!

3. 21 + Solitaire = Real 💰 and Serious Fun

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (6)

Check out 21 Blitz, an extremely fun and fast-paced mobile card game. Play against real people at your skill level to compete for cash and prizes like tech, kitchen appliances, and even a car! 15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (7)

It only takes 3 minutes to play. Make as many 21s as possible before the clock runs out or until you run out of moves.

Play for free against real people for prizes, or switch to cash games to win…well, cash! Players are invited to play in a guaranteed $23,000 prize pool tournament. Plus, get up to $20 for each friend you refer!

4. Please Spot Me Up to $2001, So I Don’t Get an Overdraft Fee!

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (8)

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (9)We got you. Or, more specifically, Chime ® has your back; the award-winning mobile financial app and debit card will have you saying goodbye to overdraft fees!

That’s because their SpotMe®️ tool can literally spot you up to $2001 without charging a fee as long as you receive qualifying direct deposits.

You need qualifying direct deposits of at least $200 a month into your Chime Checking Account to qualify, and one of the easiest methods is to route your paycheck there so you don’t have to think about it.

Other perks:

  • Get paid up to 2 days early3with direct deposit
  • Get 2.00% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)4 with the high-yield Chime Savings Account5
  • Access to a new way to build credit history with the Secured Chime® Credit Builder Visa® Credit Card6
  • FDIC-insured up to $250,000 through The Bancorp Bank, N.A. or Stride Bank, N.A., Members FDIC.7 (it’s safe!)
  • No minimum balance, no monthly fees, and no foreign transaction/transfer fees

Sign up for Chime and say goodbye to overdraft fees and other benefits!


Some of the sponsored links that appear on this page are from companies that offer investment advisory services. They compensate us; for details on our compensation arrangements, please click here.

15 Weird (But Totally Legal) Ways to Pay Rent When It's Over 50% of Your Income | The Smart Wallet (2024)

FAQs

Is it okay to spend half your income on rent? ›

It depends. One popular guideline is the 30% rent rule, which says to spend around 30% of your gross income on rent. So if you earn $3,200 per month before taxes, you could spend about $960 per month on rent. This is a solid guideline, but it's not one-size-fits-all advice.

What percentage of salary should go to rent in Kenya? ›

The 30% rule is the standard rule of thumb for determining how much rent you can afford. According to this rule, you should spend 30% of your net monthly income on housing costs. Most economists agree that the 30% rule is a helpful strategy to guide you in allocating funds for different expenses at the household level.

Is 50% of your income too much for rent? ›

Spending more than 50% of your income on rent isn't recommended, as you'll be living paycheck to paycheck. You won't be able to save or invest money for the future. If you're currently overspending on rent, solutions include raising your income, finding more affordable housing, or getting a place with a roommate.

Can I spend 40% of my income on rent? ›

Spending around 30% of your income on rent is the golden rule when you're trying to figure out how much you can afford to pay.

What is the 50/30/20 rule? ›

Those will become part of your budget. The 50-30-20 rule recommends putting 50% of your money toward needs, 30% toward wants, and 20% toward savings. The savings category also includes money you will need to realize your future goals. Let's take a closer look at each category.

Is it worth spending a lot of money on rent? ›

If something significantly improves your quality of life, it's probably worth spending a good chunk of money on. You may be able to spend as much as 50% of take-home pay on rent, so long as you're still saving for the future and comfortable having less money for extras.

Should I spend half my income on a mortgage? ›

The monthly income rule

“You want to make sure that your monthly mortgage is no more than 28% of your gross monthly income,” says Reyes.

How much disposable income should I have? ›

50% of your net income should go towards living expenses and essentials (Needs), 20% of your net income should go towards debt reduction and savings (Debt Reduction and Savings), and 30% of your net income should go towards discretionary spending (Wants).

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