Do These 5 Things Before the Weekend if You Have No Savings

We all know how important it is to have some money in savings. It’s nice to have some cushion in case of an emergency, and we all have goals we’re working toward that require — you guessed it — money.

But it’s easier said than done. A lot of us can’t afford to build a savings. We’re just trying to get by.

If that sounds like you, here are some things you can do before the weekend to earn a little extra money to tuck away.

1. See Where All Your Money’s Going

First things first. You know where your money comes from. But do you wonder where it all goes? If you do, you could probably use a budget.

Budgeting helps you stay on track and visualize where your money goes every month. You might be surprised to see areas you could cut back on without much change to your quality of life.

We like the 50/20/30 budgeting method, because it’s so easy:

• 50% of your take-home pay goes toward essentials.
• 20% goes toward financial goals.
• 30% goes toward personal spending.

Use this as a baseline and experiment to find what works best for you.

2. Let This App Pay You up to $83 When You Win Solitaire Games

Lots of us already play Solitaire on our phones for fun or just to pass the time. Want to see if you can win money at it?

There’s a free iPhone app called Solitaire Cash that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.

You might be thinking: There’s got to be a catch. This is definitely one of those spammy apps, right?

Wrong. There really isn’t a catch. Most of the games are free, but cash players can join higher-stakes tournaments for bigger cash prizes. But there’s no pressure — there aren’t even any annoying ads.

With each game, you’ll battle it out against at least five other players. Everyone gets the same deck, so winning is totally a matter of skill. The top three players who solve the deck fastest can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.

Over on the App Store, it has over a million downloads and more than 15,000 ratings, averaging 4.7 stars (out of 5).

To get started, just download the free app and start playing your first game immediately.

3. Get Paid Up to $140/Month Just for Sharing Your Honest Opinion

It sounds strange, but brands want to hear your opinion. It helps them make business decisions, so they’re willing to pay you for it — up to $140 a month.

A free site called Branded Surveys will pay you up to $5 per survey for sharing your thoughts with their brand partners. Taking three quick surveys a day could earn up to $140 each month.

It takes just a minute to create a free account and start getting paid to speak your mind. Most surveys take five to 15 minutes, and you can check how long they’ll take ahead of time.

And you don’t need to build up tons of money to cash out, either — once you earn $5, you can cash out via PayPal, your bank account, a gift card or Amazon. You’ll get paid within 48 hours of your payout being processed, just for sharing your opinions.

They’ve already paid users more than $20 million since 2012, and the most active users can earn a few hundred dollars a month. Plus, they’ve got an “excellent” rating on Trustpilot.

It takes just a minute to set up your account and start getting paid to take surveys.

Plus, right now, you’ll get a free 100-point welcome bonus just for becoming part of the community.

4. Get Paid to Skip Going to the Store

Picture this: You finish paying for your groceries, only to look down at your overflowing cart, dreading having to lug all that to your car. And then into your pantry. Isn’t it so much easier to do this online?

It is easier online, and it can be rewarding, too. A free website called Rakuten gives you a kickback of 3%, 5%, 15% or more when you shop online at thousands of your favorite stores.

Between your Target and Instacart orders, Disney+ subscription and Ulta splurges, that cashback really adds up. Plus, they can deposit the money directly into your bank account, or they’ll send you a check.

It takes less than 60 seconds to create a Rakuten account and start getting cashback. All you need is an email address, then you can immediately start shopping your go-to stores through the site.

Earning money for nothing? Not having to carry 80 lbs. of groceries? Sounds like a win/win.

5. Killing Time on Your Phone? Play Bingo for up to $83 Per Win

Our smartphones are the world’s greatest time-killers. Browse Facebook, Twitter, TikTok or Instagram. Watch a video on YouTube. Play some Minecraft or Roblox.

Oh, and there’s bingo. We found a free iPhone app called Bingo Cash that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.

You might be thinking: There’s got to be a catch. This is definitely one of those spammy apps, right?

But there really isn’t a catch. Most of the games are free, but cash players can join higher-stakes tournaments for bigger cash prizes. But there’s no pressure — there aren’t even any annoying ads.

The game is based on a classic Bingo format. You’ll battle it out against other players at your same skill level. Everyone gets the same board and sees the same Bingo balls. The top three players in a game can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.

Over on the App Store, it has a 4.7-star rating (out of 5).

To get started, just download the free app and start playing your first game immediately.