If You Have Less Than $5K in Savings, These 5 Steps Will Help Get You There
Getting your savings account to where you want it (and keeping it that way) can feel like an uphill battle.
But it’s important to have something to fall back on in case of an emergency. What if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
If you have less than $5,000 in savings, we have seven tips to help you get the ball rolling and get your savings account growing. You’ll be able to breathe a little easier.
1. Try to Save $1,000 or More — By Leaving Your House
Look. We get it. Your home is your sanctuary. Your place to be alone. Some days, you don’t even want to have your own family over — let alone people you don’t know.
So, the idea of listing your place on Airbnb is daunting for a lot of folks.
Use Airbnb’s price calculator to see how much money you could make in your area.
Tonya Peters’ husband, Miles Rugh, was one of of those skeptics.
She wanted to list their Virginia Village basement apartment in Denver, Colorado, on Airbnb, but he wasn’t keen on welcoming strangers into their place.
Finally, though, he agreed to give it a try. Now, three years later, the couple has hosted too many guests to count. And the extra income has been a great for them. They plan to use it for some home renovations they’ve been wanting.
“He’s definitely changed his tune,” says Peters, now an Airbnb Superhost. “And he loves having the extra income.”
(Hosting laws vary from city to city. Please understand the rules and regulations applicable to your city and listing.)
2. Get Paid to Drop off Starbucks
Your city is filled with two things: Starbucks, and people who want Starbucks.
An app called Doordash will pay you to pick up and deliver an extra latte when you’re already out and getting your caffeine fix. And it’s not just coffee. You can deliver from Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Five Guys and hundreds of other restaurants in your area.
With Doordash, you set your own hours and work as much or little as you want, meaning how much you make is up to you.
You’ll earn money for each delivery, plus tips.
The best part? No passengers — that grande, no-whip macchiato will be the only thing to hear your beautiful singing voice.
If you sign up for Doordash now, it’s possible to get your first paycheck this week.
3. Add $225 to Your Wallet While Watching Movie Previews
If we told you that you could get paid while watching videos on your computer, you’d probably laugh.
It’s too good to be true, right?
But we’re serious. By signing up for a free account with InboxDollars, you could add up to $225 a month to your pocket. They’ll send you short surveys every day, which you can fill out while you watch someone bake brownies or catch up on the latest Kardashian drama.
No, InboxDollars won’t replace your full-time job, but it’s something easy you can do while you’re already on the couch tonight, wasting time on your phone.
Unlike other sites, InboxDollars pays you in cash — no points or gift cards. It’s already paid its users more than $56 million.
Signing up takes about one minute, and you’ll immediately receive a $5 bonus to get you started.
4. Get Paid to Fill This out
We’ve all been there. Netflix drones in the background as you scroll Instagram. What are you even doing?
But there’s a company that will pay you for all that screen time.
Yep. Swagbucks is a reader favorite, because it pays you in free gift cards for taking surveys and other activities right on your phone. You’ll even earn a $5 bonus when you sign up and earn 2,500 points within your first 60 days.
Online surveys won’t make you rich, but if you’re just vegging out on the couch, why not click a couple buttons and earn some cash to add to your savings account?
5. Turn Those Crumpled Receipts Into Prepaid Visa and Mastercards
A free app called Fetch Rewards will turn your receipts into gift cards. It partners with tons of brands to give you points for every grocery receipt you share. Then you can exchange them for prepaid cards for Visa and MasterCard.
All you have to do is send Fetch a photo of your receipt, and it does everything for you. No scanning barcodes or searching for offers — and you can use it with any grocery receipt.
When you download the app, use the code PENNY to automatically earn 2,000 points when you scan your first receipt — you’ll be well on your way to your first gift card.
No, you can’t put a Visa card in your savings, but, these cards can go a long way on your next grocery run and free up some cash to tuck away into your account.
