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Saving money is pretty high on my priority list. As it is with most people. Even better if I can MAKE money! I have made a list of my top 5 favorite money-saving money making apps and I’m sharing them with you today!
While I'm not a crazy couponer, I do love a good deal and I am willing to put a certain amount of effort into saving a few dollars here and there. Click To TweetDon’t get me wrong, coupons are great and I use them occasionally but you won’t see a huge stockpile in my home. I tried the whole stockpile thing and it just wasn’t for me. Plus I don’t really like dealing with a ton of coupons.
So, it turns out…there’s an app for that!
These are my top 5 favorite apps for saving and earning a little pocket change! All five apps are FREE!
Ibotta
Ibotta is my absolute favorite out of all 5 Money-saving money making apps! I have saved the most money with this app. I have been using the app for just over a year and have earned over $400! And that is with light use! There are lots of bonus opportunities that I haven’t yet taken advantage of. Here’s a screenshot of my most recent lifetime earnings.
Not bad for using a FREE app!!
The great thing about this money-saving app is how easy it is to use! Once you have the app downloaded and your account all set up, you can start adding rebates. First, you’ll find your favorite stores. There is a TON! Everything from your local Kroger to online shopping with QVC! Oh and even local liquor stores. If you like that sort of thing :). You can get rebates back on hotel stays and restaurant visits too!
The stores I use most are Kroger, Safeway, Amazon, Joann’s, Under Armour, Walmart, and eBay. Next, browse the current rebates offered for your store and add them to your offers by clicking the plus sign next to the offer.
There are hundreds of rebates to choose from! Plenty of name brand items as well. Currently, they have a $2.00 rebate on Huggies pull-ups, $7.00 rebate for Budlight and $.50 on cuties mandarin oranges!
Ibotta rebates added, now what?
Now that you’ve added your rebates, go to the store and buy the items you need. Be sure to get your receipt, that’s how you earn your cashback!
Lastly, scan your receipt on the app either by scanning the code on the bottom of the receipt or by taking a photo within the app. (SOME STORES THAT HAVE A CLUB CARD CAN BE CONNECTED TO YOUR IBOTTA ACCOUNT. YOUR PURCHASES ARE AUTOMATICALLY ADDED IF YOU HAVE THE REBATE IN YOUR OFFERS. MAKING IT EVEN EASIER! NO SCANNING OR TAKING PICTURES OF RECEIPTS!!) Once you earn $20 you can cash out through PayPal, Venmo or gift cards! It isn’t difficult at all to reach that $20 payout threshold. There have been times I’ve done it in one shopping trip!
I love using my PayPal account because I can just transfer the balance directly into my bank account! The added security of PayPal is great!
Ibotta has a welcome bonus!
Right now you can get a $10 welcome bonus! Just for signing up you get $10! There is a small catch…you have to redeem one unique rebate in order to get your welcome bonus. UNIQUE, meaning a name brand item. So if you add the ten cents off ANY ITEM rebate and redeem that, it doesn’t count towards getting the welcome bonus. However, if you add the Cuties rebate and redeem it, that purchase will count and the welcome bonus will be added to your account.
Have I mentioned these apps are FREE?!
Ibotta also has a great referral program! $5 for every friend that creates an account using your referral code or link! If you’d like to give Ibotta a try click HERE to get started! You will get $10 just to try…nothing to lose!
Checkout 51
Checkout 51 is another grocery rebate app. It works the same as Ibotta except they send out a check once you reach the $20 threshold. I haven’t done as well with this app as I have Ibotta. However, it is probably for lack of trying. I sometimes forget about this app. Checkout 51 has bonus opportunities as well! Here’s how I’ve done so far, a year in.
$85 ain’t chump change!
Receipt pal
Receipt scanning apps are another great way to save! You literally take pictures of your receipts, earn points and redeem for cash and gift cards! Easy peasy!
Receipt pal is awesome! It’s extremely user-friendly. Also super easy to use. You earn points based on your scanned receipts and redeem the points for various gift cards. I am an Amazon Prime member so I always go for the Amazon gift cards!
On a side note…
You can try Amazon Prime FREE for 30 days! I LOVE IT! So many benefits and the annual membership has more than paid for itself!
Anyway, here is a shortlist of some of the rewards offered on receipt pal. Once again It doesn’t take long for those points to add up!
Receipt Hog
As the name implies, Receipt hog is another receipt scanning app. The rewards are cash through PayPal, Amazon gift cards or a prepaid Visa card. I always go with the cash payout through PayPal. When you upload receipts you also earn slots. It makes things a little more fun, ha! More coins, cash prizes, and trips are just a few things you can win on the slots.
You’ll be surprised how quickly your receipts add up. With five people in my home who spend money, I am never without a receipt to scan! Here is my current pile all from yesterday. This small pile should earn me enough points/coins to cash out today. Whoop! Whoop!
Achievement
The last, but certainly not least of my top 5 FREE money making/money-saving apps, Achievement! I…LOVE…this app. It is stupid easy money! So basically you earn cash money for walking! Seriously! I earn points based on all the healthy things I do. When my points reach 10,000 I get $10 cold hard cash! Achievement pays out cash rewards through PayPal or Gift Rocket. If I don’t want the cash I can donate it to charity! How great is that?!
So here’s how it works…
Do you wear a Fitbit? How about an Apple watch? Do you use any type of fitness app like Samsung Health, Apple Health, RunKeeper, MyFitnessPal, etc.? Are you on Foursquare or Twitter? Any and ALL of these apps can be connected to an Achievement account. The apps sync automatically once you get it all set up and you earn points! That’s it!! Oh, AND it’s FREEEEEEEEE!
Click here to start earning money for your steps today!
How I use Achievement
My main source for points is my beloved Fitbit! I recently upgraded to the Versa Lite and I am loving it! The heart rate monitoring feature is just what I needed to make sure I’m hitting my target heart rate when I work out. I also love that you can put apps on it like Spotify so I can control my music right from my watch! There are so many options! These are just a few.
Fellow Fitbit users…which one do you have and what is your favorite feature? For some reason, the picture makes this Fitbit look enormous but it’s really not! It’s about the size of an Apple watch.
Points are also earned by reading short health articles and taking short surveys about your health. Sometimes the survey questions are only one question! Usually worth 5 points. I think I could manage a one question survey. Also, they have a referral program! You can earn 100 points for every referral!
Give it a try! Nothing to lose, especially if you’re already using one of the apps or devices mentioned above. They have over 20 different apps that can be connected to your Achievement account, so if I didn’t mention one you use don’t worry. Chances are your app is compatible!
Click here to set up your Achievement account and start earning NOW!
How are these awesome Money-saving money making apps FREE?!
These apps are FREE because their clients (big brand names) pay them for market research as well as advertising. All of these apps store your receipts on their secure SSL-encrypted servers. So you can be confident that your data is safe. Any communication between the app and the servers is encrypted and kept safe! These companies aggregate your receipt data with other app members and develop market research to help brands create better products.
The best way to save money is to follow and stick to a budget. I have created a budget worksheet to get you started! Check that out HERE!
What are your favorite money-saving apps?
Have a blessed day!
🙂 Leigh Ann
Leigh Ann
Leigh Ann Schooley is the owner and founder of Making My Abode, a blog dedicated to helping homemakers live well and simply on one income. She is a believer, wife, and mother of three with more than sixteen years of homemaking experience. Leigh Ann is the recipient of the Wife of The Year award eighteen years running. She has also won the Mother of The Year award every year for the past sixteen years. She is a Colorado native raised by her dad who taught her almost everything she knows. Leigh Ann lives with her husband and family in Colorado.
