I’m always looking for the best way to earn money. As a firm believer in having multiple streams of income, no matter how small they are.
If it brings in a cent, you bet your bottom dollar I’m doing it. I call these my “mini side hustles” and I use this money to pay for groceries or use to pay for date nights.
You’re not giving yourself enough flexibility to live your best life if the only money you bring in is from your paycheck. I also believe that the least amount of effort you can expend to bring in this money, the better.
I mean, who wants an extra part-time job?
Here are 5 easy ways to make $100 a month or more.
5 Easy Ways to Make $100 a Month – On the Side
Ebates (Now Rakuten)
If you’re like me and love to shop online, then you will definitely want to sign up for Ebates. As a member, I’m able to earn cashback on purchases I make at participating retailers online.
Depending on the month, I can easily make enough money to put towards another shopping trip. Ebates is my favorite way to make an additional $100 or more a month.
How Does Ebates Work?
You shop online, just like you usually do, but you do so after activating offers through your Ebates account.
Sometimes I forget to check to see if it Ebates eligible, so I’ve installed the Ebates button through my Chrome browser.
I am alerted each time I land on a site that has offers to activate. It also automatically applies promo codes to my cart. This makes it easy. Once my purchase is verified, the amount is added to my account.
How to Get Paid with Ebates
Ebates pays you with one Big Fat Check on a quarterly basis.
You have the option of being paid via paper check or PayPal. I have one friend who earns a check of at least $1000 each quarter, so it is possible to make a decent amount.
I’m not there yet and earn on average $75 to $150. I expect this to increase since I’ve started to use Ebates more consistently.
Hate shopping online? If you prefer to shop in the store, you can also earn cash back for in-store purchases.
You can either shop online like you usually do and then choose the option of in-store pick-up (if available, such as with Walmart) or you can link your credit or debit card to Ebates and shop for in-store offers.
Once your purchase is confirmed, you can then get cash back.
Other Ways to Make Money with Ebates
You can also download the app on your phone and activate offers while in the store as well as refer others to make money. Sign up for Ebates here and earn $10 when you do.
Swagbucks
Swagbucks is my second favorite on this list to make money.
You are able to earn money in more ways, which makes this one of the easiest ways to make money.
You can complete surveys and watch videos, among other things to earn Swagbucks. These Swagbucks can be redeemed for gift cards or entries into their Swagstakes. You can also earn cash back through PayPal, which is another great option.
Ways to Make Money with Swagbucks
Here are the many ways you can increase the money you earn with Swagbucks:
- Complete Offers (some free)
- Complete Surveys
- Refer Others
- Use their Search Engine
- Shop at Participating Stores
- Buy GiftCards
- Enter Swag Code (found on Swagbucks’ Facebook and Twitter accounts daily)
- Watch Videos
- Play Games and
- Meet Your Daily Goal and
- Redeem Coupons at Your Local Grocery Store
I increased my chances of earning Swagbucks by installing the Chrome extension as well as downloading their app on my phone. I usually just open up the app each morning and play videos.
There are people who just let the videos run while they do other activities, but I actually enjoy watching the movie trailers from upcoming movies.
Start earning $100 a month with Swagbucks here to start earning points. You earn a $5 bonus for just signing up.
Ibotta
I wrote a post on Earning Money with Ibotta While Shopping where I discussed how I use this app in my everyday shopping.
I have only used this app for three months and I think it’s easily becoming not only the easiest way for me to make money but the quickest way as well.
You earn cash back from participating store purchases. Participating retailers include grocery, drug, and convenience stores. In addition to earning rebates while dining out, you can also earn them on clothing as well. Ibotta matches you up with stores in your local area so you can start earning cash back.
How Does Ibotta Work
After you download the Ibotta app, you can search for rebate offers at your local stores.
Since I go grocery shopping at least once a week, I always refer to the app before shopping. Once you have found an offer you would like to redeem you just click to unlock them and go shopping.
You are then able to verify your purchase after your shopping trip. Most of the time Ibotta requires you to scan the barcode of the item first and then take a picture of your receipt.
Ibotta allows you to link your reward cards of certain stores. This saves me an extra step of verifying my purchases since I don’t have to take a picture of my receipt.
How to Earn Money with Ibotta
Once you have enough money in your account (usually $20) you can redeem it for gift cards or cash using PayPal or Venmo.
What I Really Like About Ibotta
There are a few features I like about Ibotta, such as not being limited to one particular store for a product.
For example, if I find a cashback offer for Dove, I can usually redeem it at any participating store.
Also, Ibotta has opportunities for you to earn rebates on generic items, such as bread and milk. They can be of any brand and from any store and you’ll still receive credit for them.
I also like how many participating stores Ibotta has. I’ve earned rebates from restaurants such as Papa John’s and Ruby Tuesday, so it pays to open up the Ibotta app before doing anything.
Though I haven’t redeemed any of these (yet), I noticed the rebates on alcohol are worth a second glance.
Earn $10 for signing up with Ibotta here.
Shopkick
How Does Shopkick Work
I just found out about Shopkick a week ago and I fell in love with this app immediately.
You can earn rewards in the form of kicks that can be redeemed for gift cards. With Shopkick’s app, you earn rewards in the form of kicks in the following ways:
- Walk-in
- Scan Items in Store
- Purchase
- Submit Receipts
- Invite Others to Do the Same
Walk-In
Yes, you can earn kicks by simply walking into the door of a participating retailer.
Shopkick tells you to open up your app when you enter into a store to earn kicks.
I’ve visited two stores thus far and I forgot to open my app while at the door, but still was able to earn kicks.
I think as long as you’re in the store and have your GPS/locator on, then you should be okay.
I also found that if you log into the store’s wi-fi (if available) it automatically awards you kicks as well.
Scan Items in Store
Now, this is probably my favorite feature of Shopkick.
Once you are in a store, open up the app and check for ways to earn kicks on your visit.
You may notice that there are a few store items listed that you can earn rewards from just scanning the barcode with your phone.
It’s just that simple. You don’t have to even purchase the item, you just scan.
Purchase
You can earn kicks from eligible purchases you make.
All you have to do is link your credit or debit card and use it to make purchases in store. Since Shopkick only tracks credit purchases, you’ll have to select ‘credit’ at the register, even if you’re using your debit card.
Submit Receipts
You can earn rebates, or what Shopkick likes to call “kickbates” from eligible in store purchases. Once you open up your app, you can find these items from the scan kick list and make your purchase. Shopkick will then ask you to submit a receipt, similar to Ibotta, for verification.
Invite Others
As with all of the programs listed in this post, you can earn kicks from referring others to try the Shopkick app. You can sign up for Shopkick here.
Inbox Dollars
An old favorite, Inbox Dollars is another rewards program I have used for years. Similar to the above programs, you can make money easily with Inbox Dollars.
I just think you have more ways to earn with them, which makes it a great option if you’re looking for variety.
How to Earn Money With Inbox Dollars
You can earn money with Inbox Dollars by:
- Completing surveys
- Reading Emails
- Playing Games
- Watching Videos and Commercials
- Completing Offers (free and paid)
- Installing and Using their Search Bar
- Shopping
- Referring Friends and
- Completing Tasks
You can earn money shopping at participating retailers, but you can also earn cashback from your Groupon purchases.
To me, that’s a double whammy and it makes the extra step worth it.
Not only do I save on local deals with Groupon, but I get cashback from them as well. In addition, Inbox Dollars offer opportunities for you to earn money from completing tasks, which I don’t think the other programs offer.
Through Crowd Flower you complete tasks such as verifying information on a website or answering questions based on interests.
This seems to be similar to Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, though I don’t know how comparable they are to payment.
How to Get Paid with Inbox Dollars
You can cash out with as little as $30 and request payment via an e-gift card, a prepaid Visa or a good ole’ paper check. In addition, you can earn points to enter into their daily sweepstakes for additional chances to win cash and gift cards.
I usually don’t have time to complete a lot of surveys, so I appreciate having a lot of options to choose from to earn money.
Inbox Dollars really make it easy for you and depending on your time, you can easily make $50 or more a month. I made $30 one year and now I clear that and more each month. So it all depends on your time and effort.
Sign up for Inbox Dollars here and receive a $5 bonus.
How to Maximize Earnings
Some people complain that these programs are not worth the effort.
I disagree.
I think if you do a little each day, you’ll see your earnings improve. You won’t get rich off of these reward programs, but you’ll earn money and gift cards you can apply to your entertainment or savings.
Since these are activities you were probably going to do anyway, why not get paid doing them?
Another great thing about many of these programs is that you have a variety of options to choose from to earn rewards. If you don’t like to complete surveys, play the games or watch videos.
Here are a few tips to maximize your earnings:
- Sign up for a variety of programs. You increase your chances of making more money.
- Be consistent and do a little each day. Ten minutes a day can rack up your points.
- Participate in activities that you actually enjoy (Hate surveys? Don’t do them!).
- Look for the many different ways to make money within a program. At first, I didn’t know I could shop and earn rewards with some programs, so it pays to know what the program offers.
- Research and compare rebates and cash back offers between programs. I’ve noticed how one program gives 2% cash back for Groupon purchases, whereas another program gives 6%.
- Refer friends. Most programs have awesome referral programs, so spread the word.
- Install the app on your phone. I have my phone on me all of the time, so it becomes pretty automatic.
- Link to programs social media accounts. Some hold contests or opportunities to win prizes if you follow them.
I hope these ways to make extra money this month was helpful. I found these to be easy and effortless ways to make a few extra bucks each month and I think you will too. Each of the ways I mentioned above takes little effort and skill and is even a good way for teens to earn a little of their own spending money.
Quick Note: Now, if you’re looking to bring in thousands