When Money is Tight, These 6 Resources Will Help Nearly Everyone
When you log into your bank account, how do your savings look? Probably not as good as you’d like. It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
We’re not judging — we don’t roll like that. We’re here to help. We just don’t want you to have to sell those Elvis-Presley-signed velvet pants you inherited just to pay some lousy plumbing bill. Those pants are sweet.
Try these tips to get the ball rolling, and start building up your savings so you can breathe a little easier.
1. Ask for Some Help — You Deserve It
If you’re really in a bind, start with 2-1-1, a confidential service offered through United Way that’ll help you find the resources you need to find affordable housing, make rent or pay utilities. It’s there for people like you.
To use the service, head to 211.org and enter your location. It’ll show you services in your community and give you a number to call. It’s a clearinghouse for help with food, housing, utilities and employment. If you’ve never asked for help before, that means you don’t know what kind of help is out there.
You can also look into applying for a grant. Take, for example, Modest Needs grants, which are designed for workers just about the poverty line who are ineligible for most other forms of social assistance.
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. Sure, you can pay to play in some higher-stakes tournaments, but there’s no pressure. And, in fact, 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 a Free $105 for Playing Games
We all have our favorite ways to kill time. A good book, a good conversation, a hockey game.
Here’s another good time-killer: Playing games on your iPhone. And what if you could play for money? Real money? There’s a free iPhone and iPad app called Bubble Cash that lets Canadians play for money. You can get paid up to $105 ($83 USD) per win.
You might be wondering if there’s a catch. But there’s really not. Bubble Cash is free to download and is completely skill-based. And it’s quite popular. It has more than a million downloads and averages a rating of 4.5 out of 5 on the Canadian App Store.
Players have won hundreds of thousands in prize money so far.
To get started, just download the free app and start playing your first game immediately.
4. Cancel Your Car Insurance
When was the last time you compared car insurance rates? Chances are you’re seriously overpaying with your current policy.
If it’s been more than six months since your last car insurance quote, you should look again.
And if you look through a digital marketplace called SmartFinancial, you could be getting rates as low as $22 a month — and saving yourself more than $700 a year.
It takes one minute to get quotes from multiple insurers, so you can see all the best rates side-by-side. Yep — in just one minute you could save yourself $715 this year. That’s some major cash back in your pocket.
So if you haven’t checked car insurance rates in a while, see how much you can save with a new policy.
5. Borrow up to $4,000 From This Company
You need cash ASAP, but you know better than to go with a payday loan1with outrageous interest rates. Luckily, a company called Opploans offers a more affordable alternative, letting you borrow $500 to $4,0002 when bad credit is holding you back.
The loans available through OppLoans4 come with half the annual percentage rate (APR) of a payday loan — between 59% and 199%, though this caps out at 160% in most states5. Compare that to the 400% you could get with a payday loan1.
Loan terms available through OppLoans are up to 18 months6 (not two weeks), meaning lower payments and more time for you to repay than a payday loan.
Loans offered through OppLoans also build credit history7 by reporting your payments to all three major credit bureaus (unless you live in Texas).
With OppLoans, it takes minutes to see if you qualify4. Most customers receive a final decision same-day4.
Just enter some basic information — your address, phone number, employer, income and bank account info. Applying won’t hurt your FICO score3, and, if approved, you’ll get the money as soon as the next business day, in most cases2.
6. Add $225 to Your Wallet While Watching the News
It’s been a historic year in the news, and we’re all constantly refreshing for the latest updates. You probably know more than one news junkie who fancies themselves a constitutional scholar or a foreign policy expert.
That might not be the best news for your dinner conversations, but it’s great news for your wallet. By signing up for a free account with InboxDollars, you could add up to $225 a month to your pocket. They’ll present you with short surveys to choose from every day, which you can fill out while you watch tonight’s broadcast.
You just have to answer honestly, and InboxDollars will continue to pay you every month. This might sound too good to be true, but it’s already paid its users more than $56 million.
It takes about one minute to sign up and start getting paid while you watch the news.
1 According to the Consumer Federation America, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, payday loans range in size from $100 to $1,000, depending on state legal maximums, and carry an average annual percentage rate (APR) of 400%. The maximum APR for a loan offered through and serviced by OppLoans is 199% and loan sizes range from $500 to $4,000.
2 Subject to credit approval and verification. Actual approved loan amount and terms are dependent on standard underwriting guidelines and credit policies.
3 Applicants’ credit scores are obtained from Clarity Services, Inc., a credit reporting agency, which shows up as a soft pull on your credit report and is only visible to you.
4 Applications submitted through the OppLoans website may be originated by one of several lenders, including: Opportunity Financial LLC, a licensed lender in certain states; or one of OppLoans’ lending partners. All loans originated by a lending partner will be serviced by OppLoans.
5 Rates and terms vary by state. This is an expensive form of credit and you should determine whether our product(s) meets your financial needs.
6 Installment loan amounts typically range from $500 to $4,000. APR ranges from 59% to 199%. Installment loan lengths range from 6 to 24 months. Example: A $2,000 installment loan repayable in 9 monthly payments would have an APR of 160% and monthly payments of $395.58. OppLoans does not offer credit products in all states. Please refer to “Rates and Terms” at www.opploans.com for additional details.
7 OppLoans reports customer payment history to the three major credit bureaus. On-time payments may improve credit score. Credit reporting not available for Texas customers.
