One of the most frequently asked questions I get are “how did you get that for free” or “can you teach me how to make extra money”. I’ve always held multiple “jobs” and never keep all of my eggs in one basket. Apart from my full time career and the little bit of money I earn through Youtube or Adsense, most of my “side income” or extra cash comes from doing the things below. The thing about being frugal is that you are not only smart with how you spend or save your money but you also have a few tricks up your sleeve for earning extra cash. Curious? Keep reading!
- Request freebies, free product samples, and more
The general rule of thumb here is if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. FREE means FREE and paying for shipping is not free. The only exception is for rebates but those can get tricky. There is more info on this in 5.)- Visit your favorite brands websites and look for “Offers” or “Try XYZ” on their page. You might find some free samples or high value coupons. Ex: Truvia will send you a free sample and a coupon.
- Email your favorite brands and tell them how much you enjoy their product. Some will send a thank you message and others will send you goodies like coupons or freebies.
- I raved about Method All Purpose Spray in a simple, short message and received a boat load of high value coupons that allowed me to get a ton of freebies at Target! They were also SUPER sweet!
- New Moms or Dads should check out Target & Amazon freebies just for creating a baby registry AND sign-up for FREE formula samples/coupons/formula checks on sites like Gerber, Enfamil, and Similac.
- Email your favorite brands or restaurants if you’ve had a bad experience and they’ll usually send you a gift as a good-will gesture to keep you as a customer. Remember to still be kind, no matter how annoyed you are.
- Follow and interact with your favorite brands on social media!
- Sometimes it pays to have your data harvested with targeted ads for free samples and coupons for the brands you love the most!
- Use Free Sample websites like Get Me Free Samples to find links to an tips for the latest free samples offerings out there.
- Sign-up for free product testing, beta testing, and market research studies
Typically, when testing products or doing market research studies, some form of time commitment or review is required but this is a really cool way to get free stuff as well as earn some extra cash. Be willing to truly share your experience on a product. Companies reward their most dedicated users with more opportunities.- Smiley360 – product testing, WOM or Word of Mouth social sharing site
- Social Nature – product testing, WOM or Word of Mouth social sharing site
- BzzAgent – product testing, WOM or Word of Mouth social sharing site
- Momsmseet – product testing, surveys, WOM or Word of Mouth social sharing site
- 2020Panel – product testing, market research and surveys
- Google Research Studies – market research
- Playstation Beta – beta testing
- Sign-up for free trials
- You have to be careful when signing up for free trials and be SURE to cancel before the trial period ends for subscription boxes, software programs, mobile apps, entertainment subscriptions, etc. I recommend doing your research on how to cancel BEFORE signing up for an offer… and again, FREE means FREE so if the trial offer isn’t free, don’t sign up.
- Free trials usually require a credit card so keep a prepaid debit card on hand if you aren’t comfortable using your main card!
- Complete surveys online
- Use cashback and rebate apps
- Ibotta – (code: pu6xg) Save on groceries, online shopping and more + earn bonuses when you use my code
- FetchRewards – (code: M8FYN) Earn points for giftcards when you scan your grocery receipts from most retailers + earn bonuses when you use my code
- Rakuten – (formerly Ebates) Save money shopping online with % rebates and coupon codes
- TopCashBack – Save money shopping online with % rebates and coupon codes
- Checkout51 – Save on groceries, online shopping and more
- Shopkick – Earn kicks (or points) by scanning items in-store for giftcards
- Get paid to do random stuff
- TopClassAction – Browse the Open Settlements for items/services that you may have purchased or actions by brands/companies that you are familiar with. You may be entitled to cash, giftcard, or other incentives for lawsuits that have been filed against these companies. Please be sure to check the settlement details before submitting a claim. I’ve received settlement checks for as much as $450 and as little as $1, store credit/giftcards, and services like credit monitoring.
DISCLAIMER: All referral code links are affiliate links. I will earn a small commission when you purchase through these links or when using affiliate codes at checkout. Thank you for the support!