Tuition, books, eating out, date nights, clothes, and doing adult-ish things makes it hard to save money. Also if you think about it, how hard is it to fit in social life, kids – if you have them – oh, and studying, if you try and get a job or an extra job just to help make ends meet?

There are ways to add some extra income while you just go about your regular day. I am here to spread the word on some apps that will allow you to add an extra few bucks for gas or maybe even a gift card or two to that store you wish you could afford to go into. So take note. Buckle up and pay attention to some tips that will help you make and save some money.

I am sure that many of you have added extensions to your computers like Rakuten. This extension can give you great deals on items you are already buying online. So if you haven’t added it and you shop online, you should do it. The other extension to look into is Honey. Honey looks for the best deals on the internet and gives you coupon codes to use when you make a purchase. The discounts on the items you purchase come at check out and you should see the money come right off.

Having a few extra dollars is great and easily adds up without you even doing very much. Admittedly, you will have to have a smartphone with either Android or the IOS systems to make this extra dough and it will take some time to accumulate the funds, but it will happen. 

Here is a list of apps that you can download and then you can see which ones seem doable for you.

Without further ado here is the list: CoinOut, Fetch Rewards, Shopkick, Dosh, Receipt Hog, Ibotta, Tada, and Pago. I am sure that there are more but in the last two years I have made enough to give gift cards as presents and it did not cost a dime. Without even thinking I made some extra cash and it was enough to treat myself to a little splurge.

CoinOut: Scan all receipts and earn cents that add up before you know it. Watch out at the top of the app–you can earn by adding your email address or your prime account number too.  When you reach $20, you can cash out. So make sure you never throw receipts away without scanning them first.

Fetch Rewards: It used to be that you could only scan receipts from grocery stores, but one silver lining to the pandemic is that you can scan any receipt. One extra feature to Fetch Rewards is that you can earn extra points for buying certain items at certain times. With Fetch Rewards, you can make donations from your points, get gift cards, and even payout to your Paypal account.

Shopkick: Do you shop at Walgreens, Target, or Aldi? Just to name a few of the many stores that you can earn points for just walking in, scanning items, or, if you do happen to purchase them, you score more points. Like some of the other apps, you are given the chance to save up your Shopkick points and earn larger prizes.

Dosh: When was the last time you ordered on or had takeout delivered from UberEats? How would you like to earn some money back? You won’t get the items for free, but it will add up and there will be a time when you could be shopping online at, let’s say Macy’s, and you earn three percent back. Again, it may not seem like a lot, but it is or it can be.

How does an extra $1,000 sound to you? I did that and I am sure I missed a few receipts along the way. It takes time and effort, but both of those are minimal and could potentially help you out with some unexpected items. I have tried all of these apps and I have not had any issues. Results may vary, but honestly, it is worth the small effort it takes to make some extra cash or gift cards. I even just got a year’s subscription to one of my favorite magazines just because it was my birthday.

So try these apps out and if you know of others, please let me know in the comments. Happy shopping and happier scanning. Also, keep an eye out for my article on what your extra earning potential could be with Mercari, Poshmark, OfferUp, PangoBooks, Etsy, eBay, and Amazon just to name a few.