4 Apps That Will Earn You Money with Almost ZERO Effort

I know, I know. Sounds like one of those spammy posts that suck you in with a “too good to be true” statement and it turns out it definitely was too good to be true. WELL. I didn’t say earning money through these apps was going to require zero effort. I said *almost* zero effort. So I promise, no spamming here.

Here’s the deal. I’m in my 20s. Trying to figure out life. Learning how to navigate the world of student loans, health insurance, taxes, and allllll the bills. So yeah, every little bit of moolah helps! I’ve downloaded those apps that “pay” you for taking surveys or downloading games, etc., but the time wasted on them was SO not worth the minuscule amount they offered as payment. Needless to say, I got rid of them pretty quick. But over the years, I’ve found a few apps that are actually worth the small amount of effort you put into them!

Now, I will be completely honest. You’re definitely not going to get rich by using these apps. BUT you may be able to use the extra $40 or $50 (or more, depending on how aggressively you use the apps) you make from them per month and treat yourself! Or put it in savings! What you do with it is up to you, but I’m here to tell you I’ve personally cashed out on all of these more than once and they are so, so worth it.

Ibotta

Okay, this one is probably my very favorite simply because it’s SO easy. Essentially, they have different items every week that you can earn cash back on. I just grocery shop like I normally do and there are ALWAYS items I get that are eligible for cash back. For example, I buy a specific brand of frozen pizza for five dollars, Ibotta gives me two of those dollars back. Just for scanning my receipt. How cool is that?? Yes, you do have to earn $20 in order to “cash out,” but that took me like a week. Seriously. So easy. AND if you use my referral link, you get $10 to start out with! Yes, I get $5 if you sign up through my link. Total transparency here. But I mean… You get 10, so why wouldn’t you jump on that opportunity?? Click here to sign up and get dat money!

Shopkick

Another one of my favorites! I’ve been using Shopkick for years and I’m obsessed. It’s different than Ibotta in that you redeem your points, aka “kicks,” for gift cards instead of actual money. BUT there are sooooo many gift card options that really doesn’t even matter! You can get a Walmart or Target card and use it on groceries. Or a Starbucks card and get your caffeine fix. So many cards for places you shop at on the reg! All you have to do to earn points is literally just walk in or close to a store (Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kroger, ALL THE STORES) and BOOM you get kicks. Or link your credit/debit card and get kicks every time you make a purchase at those stores! Easy as pie. Once again, if you use my referral link, we BOTH get 250 kicks! Literally no downside to this! Click here to sign up!

Walmart

I don’t know about the rest of the US, but at least in Arkansas, Walmart is the place to go for just about everything. But especially groceries. The cool thing about them,though, is that they want you to get the best deal! So if you have their app, you can scan your receipt and they will check everything you bought against the prices of all surrounding stores. If you buy something from them and Kroger is selling it for a dollar less, they’ll give you that dollar back! The only catch is that the money you get back can only be used for store credit. BUT you’re saving money in the long run and always getting the best deal, which I’m a big fan of!

Receipt Hog

This app definitely takes longer than the others to really accumulate much, but it also requires the least amount of work. You literally just snap a picture of your receipt and get coins based on how much money you spent! Eventually you get enough coins to cash out through PayPal or Amazon gift cards. I think it’s worth it for the tiny amount of work you put in!

And that’s it! These are my very favorite apps for earning/saving money. And the awesome thing is you can use the same receipt for all of them! So by the time you do that, it’s like you got several items for free! At least, that’s how I think of it. 🙂 I hope this helps you in your endeavor to not be broke! Haha! Happy saving, friends!!

Candidly,

Kristianna