These 4 Apps and Companies Will Actually Pay You to Get Healthy
You probably already know eating right and exercising make you look and feel better. And that generally maintaining good health will help you save on your medical costs.
But did you know you can also get paid to be healthy?
These are some of our favorite strategies…
1. Bet on Your Weight Loss
The premise behind losing weight with HealthyWage is simple, but oh-so-clever: It bets you can’t lose weight.
You pick a goal weight and time frame, as well as the amount you’re willing to bet. HealthyWage’s calculator determines how much prize money it’ll give you if you succeed.
Satisfied with its offer? Make your bet, which is payable upfront or in monthly installments, and start shedding the pounds.
If you reach your goal weight within the allotted time frame — a huge achievement itself! — HealthyWage will pay your prize money via check or PayPal.
For someone who hates to lose (and who hates losing money even more), I can’t think of a better motivator!
2. Get Cash Back for Shopping Organic
We’re already addicted to earning cash back on grocery hauls through Ebates.
Right now, Ebates is offering up to 1% cash back on Target purchases, plus free shipping on orders over $35. The best part? You can stock up on organic groceries.
This can be an easy way to get a little cash back for doing something you were already going to do. Plus, you can score a $10 gift card when you sign up and make your first purchase through the Ebates portal.
3. Get Your Fins (and Abs) in Shape
Do you want to be part of their world?
We went for a swim with the real-life mermaids of Weeki Wachee Springs in Florida to find out how they get paid to slip into fins and perform for kids (and kids at heart).
This job isn’t exactly a day at the beach, but if you can keep up, it’s every bit as magical as you’d imagine.
4. Turn Everything Off and Go Outside
OhmConnect is an online service that will reward you in cash and prizes for reducing your energy consumption during specific times of day that it calls #OhmHours.
Plus, right now, new users automatically get a $10 Amazon gift card when they sign up and connect their utility account.
#OhmHours are when the energy grid is overworking and must rely on dirty power plants to prevent a brownout. Those power plants aren’t really the cleanest, so that’s why it’s important you cut back. This typically occurs once or twice a week in the afternoons or evenings.
So how do you know the energy grid is in overdrive? OhmConnect sends you text or email notifications when #OhmHours are in effect. That’s your cue to to reduce your electricity use for about an hour by turning off lights and appliances or delaying your laundry or dish-washing duties. Instead, get outside. Take the dog for a walk, or go on a run.
If you want to automate the process, you can even connect a smart thermostat or plug and let OhmConnect do this automatically. Even connecting some of your biggest energy-hogging devices to a smart plug can help you save $500 a year — effortlessly.
But you don’t need a smart device to save: The more you do, the more money you can make.
Note: OhmConnect can only tap into a few utility companies to monitor your consumption for you. These include California PG&E, SDG&E and SCE customers; as well as Toronto Hydro customers.
Based on how much energy you save, you’ll get rewarded in cash and prizes. Enter your ZIP code here to open a free OhmConnect account, then sync it with your online utility account through PG&E, SDG&E or Southern California Edison to start earning extra cash and get your $10 Amazon gift card.
