9 Apps To Make Extra Money From Home Essay

There are countless ways to make money from your couch or even just driving around on your own time nowadays and with the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve all been urged to work from home where we can. In 2020, unemployment rates have reached the highest numbers we’ve seen in 50 years at a whopping 14.7% in May (it has since dropped about 5%), but that doesn’t have to be our reality. The internet and motor vehicles have given us the tools to rake in cash wherever we are, which is both incredibly revolutionary and insanely daunting at the same time due to the high number of options, some which will give us mere pennies and others which could change our lives for the better.

Finding the perfect match for you, whether it’s a remote career with a company or a freelancing gig you can do wherever and whenever you want, can be especially challenging, leading you through so many lists and Google searches that you either can’t decide or you’ve gotten such a headache from skimming through qualifications you don’t meet that you quickly just throw in the towel.

But don’t fret! Personally, I’ve done so many hours of researching for myself that I’ve come up with a massive list of opportunities that can fit into anyone’s lifestyle and schedule and accommodate any level of experience and education. I’ve also noted the ideas that do require some form of higher education or that have specific technological requirements with an asterisk and I’ve separated them out into different categories in case you’d like to scroll through specific interests! Let’s start with a list of opportunities that you can utilize daily without too much work. These don’t pay very much and they’re definitely not a substitute for your day job, but they can help raise your weekly income by a few bucks and they’re pretty fun!

Apps That Pay (small side gigs) – Surveys, Games, & More

1) InboxDollars: This one’s probably one of the most notable survey apps, where you can answer questions, play games, install apps, and even get quotes with different insurance companies for some extra cash. They give out codes on social media that will give you an extra prize each week and you can get cash back when you shop with certain offers! (I’ve cashed out $40 with them before. You have to have $30 minimum to cash out and there’s a $3 processing fee to cash out, but they add $3 to your new balance so you’re not starting over at zero. My bank will not cash/deposit checks by them since they’re not an individual that I know or a company I work for so you may want to use PayPal to cash out!)

2) Swagbucks: Here’s another big name in the survey game. Swagbucks is very similar to InboxDollars, but instead of earning a cash amount, you earn SB. I believe every 100 SB equates to $1.

3) Survey Junkie: Another survey app, but this one doesn’t offer as much in my opinion. It’s been awhile since I’ve used it, but I remember it just offering survey and paid study opportunities. You also earn using a point system with this one.

4) S’mores: This one is a lockscreen app. You install it and enable it to put ads on your lockscreen and complete small tasks like watching videos to earn more. I believe you have to click on one ad a day for it to count toward your balance, but it’s been awhile since I’ve had it on my phone.

5) Stash: Here’s an app that’s all about investing, but it’s for the little people. When you sign up with Stash, you get $5 to invest in a company of your choice. Be careful as to which one you choose, of course. Stash also has plans that allow you to save money little by little without breaking the bank. If you’re in dire need of a rainy day fund, you need to save up for car repairs, or you’d like to start a small retirement fund, go ahead and give it a shot! (I signed up with the $5 bonus a few months ago. When I checked a few days ago, my investment had gone up to about $7.45).

6) Acorns: Acorns is a lot like Stash, but they’re known for helping people save spare change. When you make a purchase at the store, they round up and take the change to deposit into your Acorns account. For example, if you spend $5.46 at the gas station, they round up to $6 and subtract $5.46 from it; they then take $0.54 from your bank and put it into your Acorns savings account. There are also ways to earn “Found Money” with Acorns. They have offers similar to those of survey apps that you can complete to make a little extra moolah.

7) Current: Supposedly, Current pays you to listen to music and complete small tasks. I didn’t give it very much time before I uninstalled it, but it seemed like a pretty good side app if you like mostly listening to music you’ve never heard of.

8) Playspot: Get paid to play games. This one is my favorite when it comes to playing for money. You just install the app, find games they list on the app, and install them. Every time you complete a level, you earn a few cents. Easy peasy, especially if you’re addicted to mobile games!

9) Mistplay: This one is just like Playspot, but you don’t just get coins. You get a few different rewards for playing that add up in different ways and there are contests you can enter to win even more.

10) Cash Alarm: Supposedly similar to Playspot and Mistplay, but I’ve never used it.

11) Rewarded Play: I see ads all over the place for this one. It’s pretty much exactly the same as the three listed above.

12) Sweatcoin: Get paid to walk, but not with cash. With Sweatcoin, you get paid in sweatcoins. Wow, how shocking! When you have enough of these, you can go to their shop and exchange them for products or free trials.

13) Nielson Mobile: So do you remember the episode of Family Guy where the Griffins become a Nielson Panel family? Well, Nielson will pay you to keep their app on their phone and basically let them track all or your information for marketing purposes. The app is actually called Mobilexpression.

14) iBotta: Did you buya something atta the store? Well, make sure you keep your receipt and take a picture. iBotta is the highest rated cashback app from what I understand. I’ve used it a few times, but I always get tired of trying to line up the receipts and take good pictures of them after I’ve put up a mountain of groceries. However, if this sounds like a great gig for you, go ahead and give it a shot. You will want to check their offers on what they offer cashback on first that you’re interested in, though, so you know what to add to your list and what to buy!

15) Fetch Rewards, Receipt Hog, Rakuten, Paribus, etc.: Let’s just group these all together instead of taking the time to explain that each of them pretty much does the exact same thing. Well, with Rakuten you get paid to shop through their website at your favorite online stores so that’s worth noting…and Paribus actually gets access to your email account to check for cashback opportunities that you didn’t realize were possible. There are several cashback apps, though, which can take a little time to choose from! iBotta is definitely the most esteemed, along with Rakuten (formerly Ebates).

Alright so I’m spanning out the master list of freelancing/remote opportunities into separate lists to make it easier to find ideas rather than scrolling through the same list twenty times. Next time, we’ll look at easy side gig apps that you can keep on your phone at all times! Yes, at all times…because the gigs are very limited in smaller cities. But they’re great to keep around just in case! Happy hunting!