Learn how to save more money on groceries by using these rebate apps.
I am sure you will agree with me when I say that the grocery bill takes the most chunk out of every household’s monthly budget for variable expenses. You can’t help it because food is one of the basic needs of mankind.
You can cut corners on any part of your budget but it is hard to cut corners when it comes to food.
But in today’s post, you will discover the grocery rebate apps that you should have in order to save on your grocery bill.
I personally use all of these grocery rebates apps and they had helped me make the most of my grocery shopping.
7 Best Rebate Apps To Save On Groceries
#1 Ibotta
Ibotta has been one of my favorite grocery rebate apps. I first signed up with them out of curiosity, but I haven’t used them as much. However, later on, when I got into budgeting, I started using them again, and I was sorry I did not use them as much earlier.
I was able to save quite a lot on our grocery bill. Check out how I saved over $1000 since I started incorporating Ibotta in my shopping routine.
Ibotta is an app that earns you money just by shopping anything, anytime, anywhere and any brand.
You can download the app but you can also use your desktop. I just prefer the mobile app since I can add offers on the go.
Add offers to qualify for cashback before you go shopping.
Redeem the cashback by scanning your receipt on the Ibotta app.
That’s it! Your cashback will immediately be added to your account.
#2 Checkout51
Checkout51 is my second favorite grocery app next to Ibotta. What I love about it is I can use it in addition to Ibotta.
Checkout51 is a FREE grocery savings app that allows you to make money from brands that you shop for every day. Their offers are updated every Thursday for new saving opportunities.
Earning Potential: Your earning will depend on the offers you will complete. The more offers you complete, the bigger will be your earnings.
Best Feature: It is a FREE app that allows you to make money from doing the things you are already doing.
Start browsing and adding offers to your shopping cart.
Redeem the offers after you buy the items by scanning your receipt.
And that’s it! Your earnings will be added to your account instantly.
#3 ReceiptPal
Your receipt can also make you money just by being a receipt. If your purchases do not qualify for any of the Ibotta or Checkout51 cashback, you can still earn points with Receipt Pal. The only thing I do not like about Receipt Pal is they do not have any referral program.
Receipt Pal is a FREE app that awards you with points every time you scan any type of receipt; paper receipt or email receipt and even accepts your Amazon receipts if you connect your account.
Earning Potential: Your earning will depend on how many receipts you submit. The first time you join, you will be given five 100 point cards(requires 4 receipts). After that, you will get three 100 point cards to fill out each week.
According to Receipt Pal, five is the maximum number of cards that you can have but Receipt Pal is encouraging you to submit as many receipts as you can and use your excess cards for the Sweepstakes cards.
Best Feature: It is a FREE app that allows you to make money just by scanning any type of receipt.
Earn 100 points for every four receipts that you scan. Reach 2000 points and start redeeming.
Redeem your points for Amazon gift cards or retailer gift cards.
#4 Shopkick
Shopkick is the most pretty brainless app that can help you save money just by walking into a store.
Shopkick is one of those apps that rewards you with “kicks” for shopping instore or online. You will get rewards by walking into a store, scanning items or purchasing products. Also, you will get rewards by visiting Shopkick’s partners online, viewing offers or making purchases.
Earning Potential: The more you shop, the more “kicks” you get. And just recently, you can get more “kicks” faster just by linking your card. “Kicks” can be redeemed at any store of your choice like Target, Amazon, Starbucks, etc.
Best Feature: Shopkick has the simplest way to get rewards.
Visit online stores that are partners with Shopkick.
View selected online products.
Make online purchases.
Watch videos.
Watch your “kicks” add up.
Redeem your gift card.
That’s it! Keep completing the tasks to get more “kick”.
#5 Fetch Rewards
Feth Reards is a newer app that rewards you for any grocery receipts that you have. You can also use this in conjunction with Ibotta and Checkout51.
Fetch Rewards is a mobile app available to IOS and Android that rewards you points for shopping at grocery stores, convenience stores, club stores, drugstores, and liquor stores. The points can be redeemed in the form of gift cards.
Earning Potential: The more you shop, the more receipts you scan and the more points you get. You earn more points when you purchase participating products or special offers, an also by referring a friend or family.
Best Feature: Fetch Rewards is a FREE app that rewards you for the thing you are already doing.
One of the must-have app for your grocery needs is the loyalty app of your favorite store. It is not technically one of the grocery rebate apps but I included it on the list because saving money is like getting a cash back anyways.
Loyalty cards are reward program that retail stores offer to their customers. Customers will be offered discounts, coupons or points.
You will be able to save money when you take advantage of their discounted items or coupons. You may also receive free products when you accumulate enough points.
To make loyalty cards work for you, apply in every store that you frequent.
#7 Drop
Drop is a FREE app that rewards you with points every time you use your linked card to make purchases.
If you do your grocery shopping at Walmart, Costco, Sams Club and any online food shops like Instacart, Blue Apron, Thrive Market and etc, then you can get the most out of the Drop app.
Earning Potential: The more you shop, the more points you get. You earn more points when you link all the cards that you use for shopping.
Best Feature: Drop is a FREE app and it offers many opportunities to earn points; whether grocery shopping, taking Uber somewhere or just ordering a snack.
Process:
Download the App. We’ll both get $5 if you use the link or my referral code “d0m46”.
Create an account.
Link your credit/debit card.
Start shopping as you normally would.
Rack up5,000 points
Redeem your points for any of their available gift cards like Amazon, Aerie, AMC, Nordstrom and more.
There you have it!
Those are the 7 grocery rebate apps that I use to help me save some money on my grocery bills and at the same time helped me earn some gift cards that I used on my other shopping needs.
Yep. We’re six-figure income household and yet we’re broke.
Don’t you wish you can turn back the hands of time and erase your mistakes? Or do something that you know will make your life better in the present?
Wouldn’t it be nice, right?
Unfortunately, you cannot. Neither can I. Mistakes have already been made, and they’re made to teach us lessons. We’re a six-figure income household, and yet we’re broke. We’re not even in living in the worst places for six-figure households.
The husband and I made financial mistakes in the past that brought us to where we are now, negative net worth, minimal savings, and mountains of debts.
Poor financial planning and bad money management placed us in a position where we are not financially secure.
I admit I do not sleep well at night because I worry about money.
To give you an idea where we are at right now, take a look at our financials.
Income
I would say we have a pretty decent salary. The husband and I both work in the healthcare industry, and between him and I, we make a six-figure income household.
The demand for our services makes it possible for us to earn more outside our full-time hours, which is nice.
Therefore, on the days that we don’t have anything planned, we go to work.
Savings
Well, for having a decent income, you would think we have decent savings as well. Unfortunately, that is not the case in our situation. We actually don’t have any savings except for our 401K and some equity in our home.
Don’t get me wrong; we used to have liquid savings; however, we used it to help come up with a 20% downpayment on a townhome that we’re currently living in right now. So, that left us with nothing.
Debt
I used to tell myself that a little bit of debt is okay because I will be able to pay it off anyway. With this thought mindset, I permitted myself to keep on spending and accumulate debt.
It was not until we sat down and looked at our financials that I realized we might have gone too far. The amount of debt that we have was nauseating.
Credit Card Debt
In early 2019, our total credit card debt was $35,000. It all came from mindless spending and bad decision making. I honestly don’t know what we spent it on. However, part of it also came from fertility expenses, which of course, NOT a mistake.
The husband and I were having a hard time getting pregnant, so we sought medical help. We used credit cards to pay for fertility treatment.
We got pregnant, but unfortunately, we lost the baby through miscarriage.
Student Loan Debt
The husband’s student loan debt as of early 2019 was $120,000. Yup, that’s a massive amount. It was from two degrees, though. He decided to go back to school so he can earn more, which was not a bad idea.
Thankfully, I’m an immigrant, and I got my education abroad, so I did not incur any student loans. Educational expenses abroad were minimal that, with the help of a cousin here in the US, I was able to pay it off.
Mortgage Debt
The husband and I both came from Asian families and getting a house is a huge thing. You’ve got to get a house.
So we bought a townhome worth $285,000.At that time, we did not have enough savings to put 20%. However, our family insisted that we put down 20% no matter what.
So then, both sides of the family topped whatever we have to come up with $57,000.
Of course, it was not free money, but at least it was interest-free. So we spent the first two years paying the family back.
Investment Property Loan
This property is yet another expensive mistake that we fell into. We bought a rental property abroad, which was worth $65,000. We took out a loan to pay it off, and now we’re stuck with the loan.
The good thing is that the rental is making a little bit of money which helps my family abroad.
How did we get here
After reading our financial story, you are maybe thinking about how dumb and naive we were. We let society dictate how we live.
I came from a poor family, and my husband is from a frugal family. Taking those into account, we both should be prudent.
But instead, we let lifestyle grew with our income. We made ourselves believed that we deserved every spending that we did. And because of that, we’re in a deep hole.
Now What?
The most important thing in life is to be able to recognize mistakes that you made, learn from it, make a plan to attack it, and then act on it.
It was hard for the husband and me to realize that we’re actually broke. We thought we were doing good, but actually, we don’t have a positive net worth.
But then again, it’s never too late to start anew.
There is no one to blame but ourselves. We made our six-figure income household broke and now it’s time to make it into a thriving six-figure income household.
So earlier this year, we decided enough is enough, we’ll pursue financial independence.
Action Plan
When you have your eye on the prize, you will do everything to get it.
That’s what exactly happened to us. We were willing to work towards our goal.
We read financial books, listened to podcasts, and even joined the finance community group.
With the amount of knowledge that we accumulated, we were able to come up with a plan.
Start A Budget
Starting a budget changed our lives. It made us see where we really at financially. All along, I thought that since we’re bringing in a decent amount of money, we were staying ahead.
However, the numbers surprised us! We were actually spending more than what we were earning. And a huge chunk of it was spent on dining out.
Once we knew where we’re at, we created a budget that we thought will work for our situation. We cut down on some of the expenses, which include expensive gym membership, dining out, shopping, etc. We even managed to sell some of our stuff that we don’t use anymore.
Save A Starter Emergency Fund
I learned that an emergency fund is very crucial when you have a financial goal. It gives you peace of mind by knowing that you have something set aside in case of unexpected expenses.
The typical recommendation is to have at least $1000 in a starter emergency fund, but you are welcome to do more if you can. However, for us, $1000 made more sense because we have other goals to tackle.
Contribute to Retirement Up To Match
Contributing to 401K was something I did not immediately do when I first started working in the US, which was again, a mistake. I only started contributing after working for two years.
My husband was worse. He only opened a 401K after five years from when I opened mine. Mainly because he was still studying and do not have a full-time job yet, he could have, but he chose not to.
Payoff Credit Card Debt
We were determined to pay off all credit cards before 2019 ends. We researched the best ways to pay off credit cards and created our debt pay off plan.
Fully Fund Emergency Fund
A fully-funded emergency fund consists of three to six months’ worth of expenses. This fund will cover all your expenses for three to six months if you happen to be laid off or be temporarily unable to work.
It is recommended that if you are self-employed or have irregular income, you should aim for more than six months’ worth of expenses.
Three months’ worth of expenses made more sense to us since we’re both working, so that’s what we are aiming for.
Open An Investment Account
Contrary to the recommendation of tackling one goal at a time, we’re tackling this goal while also working on fully funding our emergency fund.
This is because the husband and I are amazed by the power of compound interest. Since we are already in our mid 30’s, we wanted to start investing. Therefore, the moment all credit cards are paid off, we’ll open a brokerage account.
Pay Off Real Estate Investment Loan
We took out a personal loan to pay off this condo abroad, which we should not have because of the high interest. However, we plan to pay off this loan before it matures so that we could save on the interest.
Pay Off Student Loan
The husband’s student loan is like another mortgage; however, we’re not earning equity on it. Luckily, the husband’s mom was nice enough to lend us the money to pay off the loan and then pay her back with no interest for twelve years.
Since it is zero interest, we will not be aggressively working on this loan; we’ll just make sure that we will not miss our monthly payments.
Pay Off Mortgage
After researching, I found that there is mix advice on whether to pay off a mortgage sooner or not. However, it all boils down to what your numbers will say.
For us, it made more sense to keep the mortgage and invest the extra money because the annual return is more than the mortgage interest.
There you have it.
We are a six-figure income household in Illinois, no kids yet, and yet we are broke. Bad decisions and poor money management were made. As a result, we incurred credit card debt, a personal loan, a student loan, and a mortgage loan.
We messed up! That we did.
However, we’re on it. We identified the problem, and now we’re going to tackle it like real adults. And hopefully, we’ll be able to enjoy our six-figure income soon.
I am sure we’re not the only six-figure income household who are broke. If you’ve made financial mistakes in the past, it is never too late to learn from it and start fresh.
What about you? What financial mistakes have you made in the past?
Debt snowball technique is a quick and efficient way to pay off your debt.
If you have been searching around the internet about debt payoff techniques then most likely you have come across Dave Ramsey Debt Snowball technique.
And you might be wondering who is Dave Ramsey?
Dave Ramsey is a well-known finance guru who helps people like you and me achieve financial freedom. His principles came from his own experiences in the financial world.
His inspiring life story includes the time when he was very wealthy, to the time when he became broke and how he worked his way back up again.
Dave Ramsey recommended the Debt Snowball technique to his followers as the preferred way to manage debt. As a result, it became a very popular way to pay off debts.
In this post, you will learn more about the Dave Ramsey debt snowball technique and you will be able to decide if this technique is the right debt management for you.
This post includes the benefits of the debt snowball as well as the step by step guide on how to use this technique.
So without further ado, let’s dive in.
What is Debt Snowball?
Debt Snowball is a debt management method in which you list down all your debts and start paying off the debt with the smallest balance first, regardless of interest rates.
For example, if you have three debts in which Debt A is $2500, Debt B is $3000 and Debt C is $500. You will pay off Debt C first, followed by Debt A and then Debt B.
Who is it for?
The Dave Ramsey debt snowball technique is for you if you are someone who needs small wins along the way to stay motivated
Another variant of the debt snowball worth checking out is the debt snowflake.. If you see that you were able to pay off one debt, then most likely you will be pumped up to tackle your next debt.
On the other hand, if you are someone who wants to save on interests in the long term, this technique is not for you. You are better off using the Debt Avalanche technique, in which you pay down the debt with the highest interest first.
However, the idea behind the debt snowball technique is that if you will stay motivated to pay off your debt then you can still save on interests because you will pay off your debts in a shorter length of time.
Benefits of Debt Snowball
One of the reasons why the debt snowball method is very popular is because it works. Those who were successful with it shared their experiences with their friends.
So what are the benefits of using the debt snowball method?
And because you are motivated to pay off your debts, you will be able to pay off your debt faster.
#3 Keeps you Out of Debt
When all your debts are paid off, you will recall the hard work that you put into it and this thought will keep you out of debt for good.
How to use the Dave Ramsey Debt Snowball Technique?
Surprisingly, the debt snowball technique is not hard to set up. Here is the step by step guide to starting your debt snowball.
#1 List Down All Your Debts
Gather all your bank statements and list down all the debts that you have including the name of the company, balance and the minimum payment.
List down everything except your mortgage. Your list may include borrowed money from friends/family, a loan from a bank, medical debt, credit cards, and others.
#2 Rank Your Debts
Rank your debts starting from the smallest to the largest. Your debt #1 will be the debt with the lowest balance.
#3 Pay the Minimum
Every month, you will pay the minimum of all the debts you have including debt #1.
#4 Pay Extra
Add all extra money to your payment for debt #1. Payment to debt #1 will be minimum payment plus extra payment.
The more extra payment you put on debt #1, the faster it will be paid off.
#5 Roll Payment
Once debt #1 is paid off, move on to debt #2. Payment to debt #2 will include minimum payment to debt #1, minimum payment to debt #2 and the extra payment.
Once debt #2 is paid off, move on to debt #3. Payment to debt #3 will include minimum payment of debt #1, minimum payment to debt #2, minimum payment to debt #3 and the extra payment.
As you move along to your next debt, your snowball effect gets bigger and you pay off your debts faster.
Once you have a budget, you can start trimming the budget amount on areas that you can live without. The most common area where people spend most of their money on is restaurants.
Evaluate all your expenses and eliminate those that are not necessary for the time being. Simple sacrifices you can do now will all be worth it.
#3 Work Extra Hours
If your company offers overtime, take advantage of it. If your company does not offer overtime, get a second job. Or, you can even pick up a side hustle that can help you earn some extra money.
#4 Stick To Your Budget
The most important way to make the debt snowball successful is to stick to your budget. If you stick to your budget, then it will be less likely that you will not spend your extra payment.
The Dave Ramsey Debt Snowball technique is one of the most popular ways of tackling debt that works. It makes you stay motivated to tackle your debt one after the other. As a result, you will be paying off your debts faster.
Although it is proven to work, evaluate your situation carefully first to make sure it is the right method for you.
What debt payment method are you using? Are you going to try the Dave Ramsey Debt Snowball Technique?
Your must-have list of great side hustles for guys that your husband can do.
I think you will agree with me that side hustles for men never get old. It is the most sought after by a lot of people when it comes to earning extra money and growing income.
And what’s exciting about it is that there are lots of side hustles added to the list every day.
Most often than not, when you see new side hustles ideas added to the list, you are surprised and will say, “I didn’t know I can earn money doing that!”
Side hustles come in many different forms and what is good about them is the flexibility—you can do them in your spare time. Although they will not make you wealthy, they can significantly grow your income if done right.
That is the precise reason I love side hustles—they somehow manage to help me financially and also break the monotony of my full-time job.
So if you are looking into growing your household income or need extra cash for a big purchase or vacation, check out all the great ideas for side hustles out there that are available for your hubby.
I even made a side hustle income tracker that is FREE for you to download and use.
There are a lot of side hustles that can be done by both men and women, but today you will learn about the best side hustles for men.
Best Side Hustles For Men
Side Hustles For Men Using Phone
Whether you have an iPhone or an Android or any smartphone, you can use it to make extra cash or earn gift cards.
In today’s technology and age, you can turn your phone into a money-making machine.
Every smartphone can put some money in your pocket just by using their apps.
So check out this method and even start implementing them right away and start earning real cash.
#1 Get Paid To Fill Out Surveys
We all have opinions about everything so why not make it profitable. You can earn money by voicing out your opinion about certain items and services.
Here are some of the apps that pay you for just speaking up your mind.
Please do not throw away those receipts; they may earn you some extra cash. You can get cashback from what you already bought. You can also even get some money back when the price of the item you bought drops.
Another way of making money is just by using your phone is via shopping. You can get cashback by shopping through the apps and the craziest part is that you can get points just by walking into the store.
Swagbucks– you will get up to $10 just by signing up
Side Hustles For Men Using Laptop
Another method in which you can make extra cash is through your laptop or your desktop. As with the phone, you can make extra cash just by doing the things that you love to do.
#7 Take Online Surveys
Taking online surveys is a flexible way of earning an extra income because you can do it either on your phone or your computer.
Affiliate marketing is also one way of making extra money. Although affiliate marketing works better if you have a blog, you can still do it even without your own website.
In affiliate marketing, you will be promoting products from companies that resonate to your audience.
When one of your audience purchases a product through your link, you will be paid a commission. Check out how I made my first $100 in affiliate marketing even though I was just a new blogger back then.
Although Trim is not a direct way of earning money, I included it on the list because Trim can lower your internet, cable, and phone bills. They even find and cancel an unwanted subscription that you forgot to cancel.
Learn a skill or hone your existing expertise and make money from it. When you become an expert on a craft, people will be willing to pay for your services.
CreativeLive has thousands of affordable classes from photography, music, designs, arts, crafts and everything in between that can help you become a profitable creator.
A virtual assistant is someone who gets paid to provide a wide range of various services for the growth of someone’s business.
Services can include social media management, email management, bookkeeping, content research, calendar management, editing and proofreading, and the list goes on.
The Bootstrap VA will teach you all the things you should know about becoming a successful virtual assistant.
#13 Become Transcriptionist
A transcriptionist is someone who listens to a speech and then types, formats, corrects punctuation and spelling in order to transform it into an excellent transcription.
The transcription industry is also one of the growing demand due to corporations, TV networks, academics, authors, entrepreneurs and more who use transcripts for their business growth.
The good thing about transcription is you do not need a degree to be a transcriptionist, you just need the right training. Getting the right training will set you up for success.
Your car also has the potential of becoming a money-making machine. You can use it to provide services for customers at your own time.
You can use the earning towards a car payment or save it for your emergency fund.
#14 Lyft
Lyft is a ride-share program that offers car rides to customers. You can earn money with Lyft by signing up as a driver. Once approved, you can start accepting your first customer.
The basic requirements to become a Lyft driver are to be at least 21+ years old, have a car and have a smartphone.
Your city might have additional requirements. Therefore, make sure to double-check. If you do not have a car, Lyft can also help.
Pro Tips
If you do not have a car or don’t want to use your car, Hyrecar offers affordable rental cars perfect for driving Uber, Lyft, or delivering food.
Amazon flex is a program started by Amazon. Basically, your job is to deliver packages for Amazon. Their website claims that they will pay you $18-25 per hour.
The good about this program is flexibility. You will set your own schedule and accept only the amount of job you can do.
All you need is a smartphone so you can download the app and a car so you can deliver the goods.
The process is simple, you set your availability, pick up the packages and deliver them to their destination.
#16 GetAround
GetAround is a newer gig in which you rent out your car to customers who needs a car. The idea behind GetAround is to make money while you are not using your car.
GetAround claims on their website that you can earn over $800 a month by renting out your car through their program.
The good thing about GetAround is the flexibility, you can still use your car and rent it out when you are not using it. And it’s FREE to start.
#17 DoorDash
DoorDash is another way that can make your car earn money for you. The concept behind DoorDash is to provide food delivery to customers from their favorite restaurants. DoorDash caters mostly to high rated local businesses.
DoorDash also provides flexibility in a way that you can choose your own hours and the amount of job you want to do. At this time, DoorDashers can make up to $25 an hour and the guaranteed minimum pay is $10. Plus, you get to keep the tips.
Don’t donate those books that you used when you were in college yet, you can make money from them. There are a lot of places where you can sell your textbooks but the most popular ones are Bookscouter.com and Amazon. Both of these companies can pay you either by direct deposit, check or by Paypal.
#19 Sell Electronics
Got used electronics laying around your house that you are not using anymore? Gather them all up and trade them in at Its Worth More.
With their competitive trade-in offers, you will be confident you are getting the most of your electronics.
Its Worth More makes it simple for customers to trade in their electronics. Basically, you will get a quote, ship the item for free and then you will receive your payment within two days after they receive the item.
FBA Amazon is one way of making money by selling on Amazon. FBA Amazon literally means Fulfillment by Amazon, meaning Amazon will do all the hard work for you.
All you have to do is pick a product, keep replenishing the inventory, and to advertise the product.
Here is an outline of how Amazon FBA works:
You pick a product >>> You List it on Amazon >>> You send the product to Amazon >>> Amazon keeps the product in any of their warehouses >>> Customer orders the product >>> Amazon packs and ships product to customer >>> Amazon follows up with customer
As you can see, you are not doing the heavy lifting. However, starting an Amazon business is not free, there are fees associated with it like subscription fees, Amazon fees and inventory cost. You will need to have an initial investment.
To start selling on Amazon, you need to create an account. You have two options, an individual account or a professional account. The individual account is free however it has higher sales fees. On the other hand, the professional account has a monthly subscription fee but has more perks and lower fees.
If you plan to sell more than 40 items per month, I would recommend signing up for the professional account, for the monthly fee to be worth it.
The amount of profit that you can get from selling on Amazon depends on the products that you choose. The idea is for you to find a deeply discounted item and resell it on Amazon at a higher value.
If you want to learn more about Fulfillment by Amazon as a side business, check out how The Selling Family made a full-time income from selling on Amazon.
#21 Shutterstock
If you like photography and videography and has the skill of capturing great images and videos, then why not turn that hobby into a profitable pastime.
Shutterstock is a popular company that allows you to create high-quality images and videos and submit them to their easy to use platform. Whenever your content is downloaded by customers around the world, you will earn money.
And what’s more interesting is that you can earn even more if you decide to introduce your like-minded friends to the program.
There are times when you are asked to run some errands for friends or family, like house sitting your Uncle’s house, dog walking your neighbor’s dog, or even babysitting your friend’s kid.
You do this for free because of your love for your family and friends, and maybe your neighbor too. However, why not scale it up a bit and earn money from doing tasks for others.
The companies listed below allow you to make money from providing services that you like.
#22 Completing A Project
TaskRabbit is a company that aims to connect customers who have projects that need to get done to someone who has the skill to perform the tasks.
If you have the skill of a handyman, then TaskRabbit is for you. Other categories in which you can be a Tasker are cleaning, delivery, moving, furniture assembly, and more.
It is also simple to become a Tasker. You need to register online, attend a Tasker onboarding session in your city, and then download the Tasker app. That’s it! You can start accepting your first task.
Mystery shopping is one of the side hustles for men in which you will be paid to do a task, usually to gather data based on customers’ opinions, for a business to help them improve.
A mystery shopper is asked to report back to the company about how the employees, products, and services are doing. The data will then help the company improve its business by addressing the issues found.
Mystery shopping also offers flexibility, you are your own boss, you can choose which kind of assignment you want to do.
An assignment can be to a restaurant, movie theater, retail store, amusement parks, self-storage facility, bank, grocery store, apartment community and more.
The best thing about mystery shopping is that you can pretty much start anytime. You do not need a degree or certification but in order to help you succeed, you should look into a training course that will teach you the basics.
The only drawback about mystery shopping is you have to sign up with multiple mystery shop companies in order to have more assignments. You also need to be cognizant of scams out there. You can learn more about mystery shopping in this mystery shopping manual.
#24 Providing Care
Having the patience to take care of someone other than yourself can be profitable as well. If you have that patience, consider looking more on Care.com.
At Care.com, you can make money by babysitting, tutoring, providing senior care, housekeeping, providing pet care and more.
#25 Lose Weight
Who would have thought you can earn money just by losing weight? Healthy Wage is a wellness company that aims to help people lose weight and get in shape. It allows you to make money while taking care of yourself.
One of the most popular products of Healthy Wage is the Healthy Wager. The concept behind the Healthy Wager is to make a wager on your own weight loss. Participants in this program can earn up to $10,000.
Another popular product of Healthy Wage is the Team Challenge, wherein participants form a group of five and compete for the $10,000 prize. Here’s my review of the Healthy Wage.
The only investment that you need to make in these programs is your “bet”, although the Team Challenge requires participants to pay $75 to join the challenge.
However, this program is a win-win situation. You will make money and you will also lose weight and get in shape.
So if you want to get in on the “dieting for dollars” craze and up your potential for weight loss success? Bet on yourself and start your HealthyWager today. Then lose the weight and get paid, simple as that!
If you have a home but you rarely stay there because you travel a lot or if you have a spare room that you are not using, you can rent it out and make passive income.
Airbnb is a company that aims to connect travelers around the world to local cultures by providing the best accommodation.
By becoming an Airbnb host, you will get the chance to earn money by renting out your home or room and connecting with other people.
The best thing about becoming a host for Airbnb is that they cover every booking with $1M USD in property damage protection and another $1M USD in insurance against accidents. So you will rest assured that your property will be protected.
Side Hustles For Men That Involves Investing
Investing is another way of making money; however, investing can be daunting, especially to beginners.
You can listen to podcasts about money to improve your knowledge. It is a fun way to learn. You can listen to podcasts about money to improve your knowledge. It is a fun way to learn.
The stock market, real estate, mutual funds, DOW, SP500, peer-to-peer lending are enough to make your head spin.
That’s why there’s been a lot of companies emerging that are geared towards beginner investors. The goal is to get their feet wet first and eventually immerse themselves further into investing.
The list below is some of the best investment companies for beginners.
#27 Acorns
Acorns is a micro-investment company aiming to save you money and invest your spare change while growing your knowledge.
The way Acorns work is that you will first link your debit or credit card. Whenever you make a purchase using the card, Acorns will round up the purchase and save the spare change.
For example, if you purchased a coffee for $4.50, Acorns will round up the purchase to $5.00. The $0.50 will go into your Acorns account.
Once you reached $5.00 on your account, Acorn will then invest it for you.
Lending Club is an investment company that allows you to invest in consumer credit asset class.
The way this works is you invest your money through Lending Club, a consumer will borrow that money, then you will receive monthly payments from the principal and interest.
The best thing about Lending Club is you can pick a strategy and automate it. The initial deposit to start investing with Lending Club is $1000.
#29 Swell
Swell is one of my favorite investing platforms because of its goal, which is to deliver profit and as well as purpose.
When you invest with Swell, you will be investing in companies that work on innovative solutions that will undertake global difficulties, like renewable energy, clean water, and healthcare.
Some of Swell’s portfolios include clean water, zero waste, green tech, disease eradication, healthy living, and more.
There you have it! Those are the side hustles for men that are easy to do.
Side Hustle Frequently Asked Questions
What side hustles make the most money?
The side hustles that can make the most money include freelancing, writing, affiliate marketing, blogging, renting out stuff (like books), becoming a virtual assistant.
What are some passive income ideas?
Passive income ideas include selling physical products online, selling digital products online, selling services online, renting out things you own (like furniture), getting paid per click, and so much more.
What is the best side hustle you can start with just 15 minutes per day?
The best side hustle you could start with just 15 minutes a day would be to sell something online.
Final Thoughts On Side Hustles For Men
What makes the above side hustles simple is that they allow you to make use of the things that you already have, like your phone, computer and your car.
And the best thing about them is the flexibility; you can do them at your most convenient time. You can be a business owner and be your own boss.
However, although these side hustles for men are easy, it is sometimes hard to succeed in them. In order to be successful with these side hustles, you need to have the right mindset and goal.
These side hustles may not make you very wealthy but they sure will supplement your income and you will be able to have more freedom to do the things that you want to do or buy the things that you want.
What side hustles for men have you tried to supplement your income?
Learn the most efficient and effective ways of budgeting biweekly paychecks.
You are probably here because you just landed a new job and found out that you will be paid bi-weekly. Or, you have been paid biweekly but do not know how to set up a biweekly budget.
Or maybe, you are probably here because you are on a quest for a better budgeting system. Whatever your reason is, don’t worry you are in the right place.
My husband and I are paid biweekly and I have been budgeting on a monthly basis and it works well for us. However, everyone is different, what might work for us might not for you.
So without further ado, let’s dive in.
Just to be clear, getting paid biweekly does not mean you get paid twice a week. No. It means that you will receive your payment on a set day every other week.
Technically, you will be paid twice a month resulting in 24 paychecks. However, in some months you will get three paychecks for a total of 26 paychecks. Occasionally, depending on the year, you will get 27 paychecks.
If you are mindful of your budgeting and stick to twice a month budget, you will be able to use the “extra” paychecks for debt payment, beefing up your emergency fund, or funding your savings.
So here are some ways on how to budget biweekly paychecks.
How To Set Up A Biweekly Budget
Before you start figuring out which method of budgeting biweekly paychecks is best for your financial situation, you will first make your monthly budget.
Grab a pen and paper and block out an hour or two of your day to create your budget.
Let’s start budgeting.
First, you start by figuring out your monthly expenses. To better facilitate this process, gather all your bank statements from the last month and list down all your expenses. Here is a checklist of budget categories for reference.
Mortgage. Car payments. Groceries. Cable. Phone. Internet. Gas Money. Student Loan.
Everything and anything that you have to spend money on, write it down. Next, list down the due dates of all your bills and create a bill payment calendar.
Now that you have your monthly budget, you can now start to figure out which budgeting is best for you.
So here is how your monthly budget can look like.
#1 Take Monthly Expenses and Divide It By Two
The first method on how to budget a biweekly paycheck is to divide your monthly expenses into half. For example, if your mortgage is $1200, you divide that into two, and you will have $600.
If your total monthly expenses is $4000, divide that into two and you will have $2000.
Your first paycheck will pay the first half of your monthly expenses and the second paycheck will take care of the second.
So your spreadsheet will look like this.
This method may be perfect for some but there are some bills that cannot be paid twice monthly. Also, some mortgage companies do not honor two payments in a month. You might even get penalized for not paying the full amount.
A work around this can be setting aside the half-payment on a separate account and then when the bill is due, you can transfer that back to the checking and pay the bill. It adds more work to your budgeting tasks but it has its advantages.
When you separate the half-payment, you will eliminate the temptation to spend it on other stuff.
#2 Each Paycheck Pays For Fixed Expenses or Variable Expenses
Another method on how to budget biweekly paychecks is to give each paycheck a job. Either to pay the fixed expenses or variable expenses. In addition to the two types of expenses, some add a third one which is the savings.
If I am using this method, I would add savings to the fixed expenses because I like to treat it as a fixed expense that I need to pay every month.
Fixed expenses are the bills that you pay every month that does not change. It can be your mortgage, rent, car payment, HOA, utilities, savings, etc.
Variable expenses are the ones that change every month and you have the ability to spend less or more on it. It can be dining out, groceries, gas, entertainment, etc.
Now look at your expenses and categorize them into fixed and variable. Your spreadsheet can look like this.
The downside of this method is not all of us have lesser fixed expenses. Most of us might even have higher fixed expenses than our first paycheck, which can cause a huge problem.
A work around this can be to use the first paycheck to pay just the first and/or second biggest fixed expense. It can be your mortgage and car payment.
This adjustment will give you a wiggle room for other expenses.
#3 Budget By Due Dates
The third method, which I think is the most reasonable out of the three is utilizing the due dates of your bills.
Go back to your fixed expenses and pay attention to the due dates of your bills. If for example, your paychecks come on the 5th and on the 19th of the month, group all expenses by due dates.
Your first paycheck will pay all the bills that are due before the 5th of the month and the second paycheck will take care of the bills that are due before the 19th of the month.
Your spreadsheet can look like this.
In this method, the variable expenses are divided into two. For example, if your budget for grocery is $400, you divide that into two to come up with $200.
I personally use this method and in here I categorize savings as a different category from fixed expenses. But I still divide them into two and put them away in a savings account.
For example, if I am budgeting $50/month to save for a vacation, I will take the half-payment every paycheck and put it in our savings account.
The same thing for annual fees like a gym membership, car insurance, home insurance, etc. I will divide the total annual fees into 24, and that will be the amount I will set aside from each paycheck.
So if your home insurance is $1200, divide that by 24. The result will be $50, so for every paycheck, you set aside $50 dollars. By the time the home insurance is due, you already have the full amount to pay it off.
This process is called funding your sinking funds. A sinking fund is a way of saving a little money each month to save for a big purchase later on.
Biweekly Budget Frequently Asked Questions
Why do some employers pay their staff biweekly while others pay weekly?
Some companies pay their employees biweekly because they want to make sure that they get paid twice a month. This way, there is no chance of being shorted any money.
What’s the best way to create a budget when bi-weekly income varies greatly?
You can budget an irregular biweekly budget by first getting the average of your income over a period of time. You can do this by adding all the income you made in the last 12 months. Then, take that number and divide it by 12. That will be the average monthly income that you will budget. Also, make sure you have cushion money set aside.
How do you create a budget when you get paid biweekly?
If you get paid biweekly, then you need to calculate how much you will earn per week. Take the average of your earnings over the past year and multiply it by 52 weeks. Divide that number by 52 to find out how much you should budget.
What’s the 50 30 20 budget rule?
The 50 30 20 budget rule states that you should spend at least fifty percent of your income on necessities, thirty percent on wants, twenty percent on savings, and ten percent on entertainment.
The Last Thing You Need To Know About Budgeting Biweekly Paychecks
If you are just starting out on your biweekly budgeting, do not be discouraged if you mess up the first time, second time, third or fourth. Budgeting takes practice, the more you do it, the better you’ll get.
It is important to note that in every budgeting, it is a good practice to always have a buffer. If you have a buffer, you will less likely be hit with fees.
Before you start budgeting, I recommend saving up for a month’s worth of expenses so that you’ll be covered. I usually have last month’s salary paid for this month’s expenses.
There you have it!
Those are the ways on how to budget biweekly paychecks. There are a lot of creative ways on how to budget, but the most vital thing for it to work is to stick with one that works for you and your family dynamics.
