Debt can seriously weigh you down. And not everyone can go get a second job to pay it off!
Here are a lot of unique but legit ways to save or make some extra cash quickly.
Choose the ones that strike your fancy, and put a plan in place to eliminate that nagging debt for good.
1. Get up to $500 a year in grocery rebates using apps like Ibotta.
You might as well get cash back on groceries you’re already buying. Rebate apps make it fast and easy.
Once you learn how to use rebate apps in order to get double or triple cash back on one item, you’ll be hooked.
When you sign up for Ibotta using KCL’s referral link, you’ll get $11 automatically when you redeem your first offer.
2. Use BillCutterz to negotiate lower monthly bills.
Honestly? I hate the negotiating process, and this is why I heart BillCutterz.
BillCutterz will do the dirty work for you by contacting each of your service providers and negotiating all of your monthly bills!
If BillCutterz is able to talk one of your bills down to a lower price, you split the savings with them for one year, but after that, the difference is all yours.
3. Save $100 a month by dropping cable and going app-based.
I recently dropped my satellite TV service and spent $35 (one-time fee) for a digital antennae.
Now I get all the local channels for free, plus I get great reception. Then I subscribed to Hulu for $7.99 a month. I was already paying $7.99 a month for Netflix and am an Amazon Prime member, so I have plenty of choices and ways to watch my favorite shows.
It saved me more than $100 a month.
Check out these 8 ways to watch TV without paying for cable.
4. Save even more when you split Prime, Hulu, and Netflix subscriptions.
Sharing is caring!
So share your $99/year Amazon Prime membership the “traditional” or “alternative” way.
And you can totally share your Netflix, Hulu, or Sling TV accounts with extended family or close friends. Each of you only pays for one of them, but you get access to all three! (I promise, it’s legit!)
5. Earn $50 per month reviewing bands and fashion items with Slice the Pie.
You can get paid to write reviews for new songs, commercials, and fashion items before they’re released to the public.
Most of your reviews go directly to the unsigned artists or fashion designers.
It might take a little time to build up your reputation, but once you do, earn an extra $50+ per month just by spending 5-10 minutes listening to aspiring musicians and fashionistas.
6. Get paid to cook dinner for other people through Eat With.
Who knew you could earn money hosting dinner parties?!
With over 500 Hosts around the world, this Airbnb startup allows you to join the culinary revolution and earn up to $265 profit monthly by catering to the community in your own home (or backyard).
If you’d rather dream up amazing recipes and not play host, check out Contest Cook for opportunities to win up to $500 (or more) in prizes!
7. Get paid to watch movie previews with Fusion Cash.
This is another company that offers money to try products or fill out surveys, but you can also get paid for watching movie premiers and other videos.
You get $5 just for signing up and each time a friend you refer signs up.
8. Get paid to let Fronto put an ad on your smartphone.
Fronto puts ads on your phone in place of the lock screen.
You can swipe to learn more about the company or offer in the ad; if not, unlock your phone as usual.
You don’t have to visit any websites or buy anything, but you will get Amazon gift cards or PayPal cash just for letting those ads appear.
9. Earn $18-25 per hour making deliveries for Amazon.
Did you know you can make serious cash delivering Amazon Now packages?
You use your own car and choose your hours. Here are 13 more ways to earn money with Amazon.
10. Get paid to help name a company with NamingForce or SquadHelp.
Small businesses can’t afford to hire marketing companies to do professional branding.
Some use websites like NamingForce.com and SquadHelp.com to conduct naming contests.
They list information about their business on the sites, and then the person who comes up with the best name gets paid anywhere from $50 to $500.
11. Save 30% on grocery bills when you buy generic brands.
When you aren’t saving with coupons, think about generic brands. (And if you’re gonna buy name-brand items, you need to be couponing!)
I promise these 25 generic items will pleasantly surprise you, so get to know them.
RELATED: These 10 Store-Brand Items Are Made by Name Brands
12. Make money testing websites with TryMyUI.
Testing websites through TryMyUI is a great way to make money while you’re at home.
A tip for actually getting gigs testing websites is being available to test right when you get the email invitation.
There are other companies that pay you to test too: check out how to make $200 per month testing websites!
13. Ditch the Costco membership fee, but still shop there.
This is totally possible. Find out how to shop without buying a membership.
The money you would have spent on the membership fee goes right to your debt payoff, and you still get amazing deals.
In fact, be sure to take advantage of these items that are cheaper at Costco than anywhere else.
14. Start couponing and sock away your savings.
Take advantage of the hand-curated deals we find daily and jump in.
We don’t use algorithms to find deals; we have actual human beings in the stores doing coupon matchups and finding deals.
- The Krazy Coupon Lady website: Search deals by store, or even select “Smartphone-only deals” to see deals you don’t need newspaper coupons for. (There’s a TON of them!)
- The KCL app: Use the app to select your favorite stores, browse deals, add deals to your shopping list and then post your couponing brag!
Learning how to combine apps with coupons, promo codes, and discounted gift cards can save up to $166/week on your grocery bill.
Now you’re paying off that debt fast.
15. Make money trying new products or taking surveys online.
Legit and easy.
Advertisers pay for your opinions and to have their products tested.
Websites like Opinion Outpost, CashCrate and Springboard America list opportunities for you to choose from. It’s sort of like mystery shopping online.
16. Resell clothes, handbags, and shoes on ThredUp.
If you want to save serious cash, like 80%, on slightly used designer brands, ThredUp is a great place to look.
It’s also the perfect place to sell your clothes, handbags, shoes and kids’ clothes. They send you a bag that you fill with stuff and drop off at any USPS or FedEx Kinko’s.
You can even get an estimate on how much they’ll give you with their online clothing calculator.
17. Earn money as a Mystery Shopper.
Mystery shopping spans a ton of industries like financial institutions, automotive, and healthcare.
The easiest way to find opportunities to mystery shop is to sign up with a third-party company that contracts with actual businesses like Sinclair Customer Metrics or Best Mark.
You can browse assignments, look at the pay, and decide which ones you’re up for.
Get even more mystery shopping tips.
18. Make up to $1,000 a month as a dog sitter with DogVacay.
DogVacay lets you set your own rates and choose which breeds you’ll accept.
You can opt to watch dogs only during the day (daycare), for overnight boarding, or both!
19. Sell CDs, DVDs, and video games you don’t want to Decluttr.
Most of us have a lot of DVDs, CDs, books, and video games lying around that we don’t use anymore.
Just download the Decluttr app, or visit the Decluttr website to enter a barcode and get a quote for what they would pay for your items. Super easy.
They don’t charge a fee to use the service, and shipping is free. They’ll even buy cell phones, tablets, iPods, and game consoles.
When I tried it, quotes for DVDs were ranging from $0.45 to $1.88. But if you have a lot, it could add up quickly.
20. Buy and sell used books with BookScouter.
I’m not just talking about selling old books lying around your house. Some people make serious cash, like 12K per year, going on treasure hunts with the BookScouter mobile app.
You can compare offers from over 35 book buyback vendors to see who would pay you most for a certain book. No registration is required, and there’s no fee.
21. Rent out a room through Airbnb.
Rent out a spare room in your house by listing it on Airbnb and make around $200 per week.
This is becoming more and more popular when people want to save money on lodging or skip touristy areas.
Not up for sharing your space or don’t have an extra room? Rent out your whole house while on vacation.
RELATED: 29 Legit Ways for Stay-at-Home Moms to Earn Money from Home
22. Sell your original photos on Foap.
If you’re addicted to capturing the beauty around you with your iPhone, you should learn about Foap.
Companies are always looking for fresh “stock” type of photography that doesn’t look like a stock image.
If Foap accepts your image, you could get $5 each time it’s downloaded. Yep, you read that right. It means you could sell the same image over and over.
23. Run errands for other people as a TaskRabbit tasker.
TaskRabbit offers something for you even if you already have a crazy-busy life.
You can choose to make deliveries for people on your schedule and at your own pace.
Or if you want to spend a little more time and make a little more money, you can choose to help people move, clean, or do odd jobs.
24. Flip new (unused) clothes and shoes by selling on Inselly.
So, here’s what you do: check out department store end-of-season clearance (think Dillard’s, Nordstrom, Macy’s) or brands you know are hot (J.Crew, Banana Republic, Anthropologie); buy when you know you could turn a profit; then sell on Inselly, an Instagram-based marketplace.
Post your items for sale via a photo on Instagram, and label and tag them with #inselly to start selling.
25. Earn money doing laundry through Laundry Care.
Sign up to be a home-based launderer, and start taking clients in your area.
If you enjoy doing laundry and you have good attention to detail, this may be a good fit for you.
26. Be a tutor to K-12 students with Tutor.com.
Do you have some mad math, science, or foreign language skills? This could be a great way to make some extra money.
If you can tutor at least 5 hours a week, pass a test in your area of expertise, and want to work with kids, of course, this could be a great fit!
27. Make money browsing the Internet, watching videos, or playing games online with Swagbucks or InboxDollars.
We all read email, watch videos and browse the internet. And maybe even play online games. Might as well make money doing it!
Learn how to earn up to $40 per month with InboxDollars or $100 per month when you use these Swagbucks hacks.
28. Make $5 per quick and easy gig on Fiverr.
Do you have solid marketing-related skills like copywriting, photography, or jingle-writing?
List the specific skills you can provide on Fiverr and sell them starting at $5 or $10 each. Quick, easy, and low commitment.
29. Get paid to give attorneys feedback about cases through Online Verdict.
Love the judicial system? Attorneys used to rely on focus groups and mock trials exclusively when trying to decide whether or not to take a case.
Now Online Verdict offers attorneys a chance to get feedback about cases from people like you, while you’re sitting in the comfort of your own home.
You could make between $20-$60 per hour for 20-60 minutes of your time at your own convenience. Not bad at all.
30. Become an evening or weekend Lyft or Uber driver.
Simply giving someone a ride can put money in your pocket. You decide when you’re on “duty” and where you will travel.
Uber drivers earn an average of $19 an hour and Lyft drivers bring home closer to $35 an hour.
Drive during peak evening and weekend hours to make the most money!
31. Shop for or deliver groceries with Instacart.
Instacart is looking for shoppers, cashiers, and drivers and offers flexible hours. Apply in 5 minutes online.
This is a legitimate way to supplement your income, but be aware, we did find some negative reviews of the company online.
32. Get paid to shop with Shopkick.
Not only can you get coupons through Shopkick, but you can earn “kicks” or reward points just for walking into certain stores, scanning products with your smartphone (no need to buy the product!), using your credit cards, or scanning your receipt.
Cash your kicks in for gift cards!
For example, you can get a $5 Macy’s gift card just for walking into Macy’s 9 times.
33. Share your shopping selfies through Stylinity.
This is a fun one if you love to shop and consider yourself a bit of a fashionista.
Take selfies in clothes from participating Stylinity retailers (no need to buy, just snap your selfies in the dressing room), upload your images to the site, and then share.
You get paid when people shop your look.
34. Get paid per click on your Twitter or YouTube accounts with MyLikes.
This is especially great for bloggers.
Sign up with MyLikes and share sponsored tweets, or place the MyLikes widget on your accounts to get paid per click.
More followers = more clicks = more cash. And after the initial setup, you do nothing.
35. Use Paribus to get effortless price adjustments on your purchases.
Okay, watching for price adjustments is a great way to get money back when things you just bought go on sale.
But who has time for that?? Especially another trip to the store. Now you can get the sale price without even thinking about it again when you sign up for Paribus.
Paribus tracks all your online purchases and when it detects a price drop, Paribus will request a price adjustment from the retailer.
Paribus compensates us when you sign up for Paribus using the links we provided.
RELATED: 5 Sneaky Ways to Outsmart Retailers
36. Get cash back with these store credit cards (must have amazing self-control).
When using credit cards, you must always pay them off monthly (no exceptions), purchase only what you can afford, and keep certain cards at home to avoid impulse buys.
If you’ve mastered your self-control, go ahead and get in on some of these top store credit card offers like Pottery Barn (10% cash back) or Target (5% cash back AND free shipping).
37. Shop with discounted gift cards from Raise.com to easily save 12-15%.
You’ve heard me preach about this before. Before making ANY online purchases or pre-planned store purchases, search for a gift card on Raise.com.
They can run up to 15% below face value. Get the code for the gift card, and use that to pay, saving you instant cash.
38. Get paid to work out with AchieveMINT.
Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
Check out these 6 ways to get paid for staying active, including up to $50 from AchieveMINT.
39. Let RetailMeNot find the best prices for you.
Here’s another way to quickly save cash on purchases — a team of professional (human) shoppers always searching for the best deals for you. For FREE!
Send a link to the RetailMeNot Deal Squad, and you’ll get instructions emailed on how and where to buy for the best price.
40. Get paid to use Swagbucks for your search engine.
Swagbucks is powered by Yahoo, so you won’t be disappointed with your search results.
The more you use it to search, the more points you earn, which translates to dollars you can redeem for gift cards or PayPal cash.
41. Work as a proofreader in your spare time.
If you have eagle eyes when it comes to catching spelling, grammar, and formatting errors, this may be for you.
You do it for free on social media anyway, right? ProofreadAnywhere.com provides a free online class to see if it’s your thing.
Then you can take jobs and get paid on average $0.35 a word or about $17 per hour.
42. Get paid to install ShopTracker or SavvyConnect on your phone.
There are a number of apps you can download that pay you monthly just for keeping them on your device.
These apps gather data like the times of day people browse or how long they visit certain sites.
ShopTracker pays you $3 each month to monitor your Amazon account.
SavvyConnect pays $5 per device each month it is installed.
43. Make crafts and sell them on Etsy.
If you love making things, might as well make money doing it!
Etsy is a tried and true marketplace where people make and sell anything from music boxes, to scarves, to umbrellas.
Keep in mind you’ll pay three fees: a listing fee, a transaction fee, and a payment-processing fee.
You’ll pay $0.20 per listing you publish in the Etsy marketplace. This gives you four months to sell your item, and once it sells, you’ll pay a 3.5% transaction fee on the sale price (doesn’t include cost of shipping).
44. Take on freelance projects through Upwork.
Do you love to write, have years of graphic design experience or an accounting background?
Upwork is a platform for people to find freelancers with the skills they need to finish a project.
Go to Upwork and set up your profile (let’s be honest, it’s more like a portfolio or resume, so make sure you have quite a few minutes). Once you’ve been approved, you can start trying to get work.
Keep in mind, it might not be the best bang for your buck. Jobs are often bid out at very low price points. But Upwork is a great way to build your portfolio, so you can chase even more freelance opportunities.
RELATED: 20 Companies That Pay You at Least $11/Hour to Work from Home
45. Start a blog on HostGator and then monetize it.
Have an interesting hobby or hilarious pet? Are you a quilting queen?
Spend a little time learning how to blog and ways to make money doing it.
46. Write an ebook and self-publish using Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing.
Have you always dreamed of writing a book? Getting published and selling your work is easier than ever before.
Once you’ve written your manuscript, simply upload it to Kindle Direct Publishing, set your sale price, and start earning 70% royalty.
It’s free and your eBook shows up next to everything else on Amazon within 24 hours.
Now you’ll want to ramp things up on social media, because in order to be really successful with an eBook, you’ll want to tell everyone you know to go check it out on Amazon.com.
47. Become a voiceover artist with VoiceBunny.
This is especially for people who have done voiceover work before, but who knows, maybe you have a hidden talent.
VoiceBunny lets you do it from home.
48. Flip furniture for a profit on Craigslist.
This might take a certain interest and skill. But it can be totally fun and profitable, especially considering the current midcentury modern craze and mid-mod vintage style popularity.
Check thrift shops, Craigslist or estate sales, and then figure out how to upcycle out-of-style pieces.
