How to earn/find $160?

[pjlla]

Okay.... weird vague title, I know. Here's the basics..... I want to "splurge" on a Disney-related expense that will cost $160 (not being specific because it is a gift for a fellow Dis-er who may see this). Since the trip to DL is already a big splurge that I've been saving for, this extra expense really needs to be some sort of "found" money (over and above what I earn at the three jobs I currently work). And BTW, I do NOT need a judgement call on how I shouldn't be spending this money if I cannot afford it. I CAN afford it, but with two kids in college and a new car on the horizon by the end of the month, it would be NICE to "find" this money outside of the usual budget.

One thing I could do (and have done to some degree) is pick up an extra shift or two (or three) that I wouldn't normally work (although with three jobs I don't have a ton of extra time).

I contemplated opening a Disney Visa card for the reward dollars, but they weren't offering any kind of bonus that was worth the effort last time I looked.... anyone find anything different?

I got a flyer from a local credit union that offered a $75/bonus for opening a new checking account and making 10 debit card transactions.... PERFECT.... until I read the fine print and discovered it was only for students age 18-24.

I do use Ebates but since we don't shop much online (other than Amazon for basics like supplements), there isn't a lot there.

I did a "side hustle" a few months ago and earned $80 in a few hours on a Saturday and I'd LOVE to find another gig like that . It was hard dirty work, but I thought of it as a good workout!

I'm contemplating writing an article for magazine submission, but I realize that I wouldn't see any money from that for months, if ever.

I asked for a Disney gift card for my birthday, figuring I'd use it for this.... but alas, DH seems to have a faulty memory and while I got some pretty flowers, I got nothing else.... which is unusual for him, but oh well.

I do have a handful of things to list for sale on the local FB yard sale groups, but my sales have been spotty, at best. But I am willing to spend some time today to give it another shot!

We eat conservatively at home, rarely out. I do use coupons when I find them, but since most of what I buy is fresh fruits and veggies, meat from the mark-down rack, and organic dairy, I rarely find coupons that make it worth my while.

I have two sets of clothings (one adult, one kids) that needs to go and I plan to make some calls on Monday to local consignment/resale shops. Since I do not need any of this stuff, any money made will be pure profit at this point.

How about things like Shopkick and other apps that pay for shopping and/or clicking or whatever?? Open to ideas, suggestions, recommendations.......Thanks in advance!.........P

 

[DizMe]

How much time do you have before your trip?

 

[havaneselover]

Shopkick is a slow earning app. You could make $160 on Swagbucks pretty easily in 2 months.

 

[Marionnette]

Okay.... weird vague title, I know. Here's the basics..... I want to "splurge" on a Disney-related expense that will cost $160 (not being specific because it is a gift for a fellow Dis-er who may see this). Since the trip to DL is already a big splurge that I've been saving for, this extra expense really needs to be some sort of "found" money (over and above what I earn at the three jobs I currently work). And BTW, I do NOT need a judgement call on how I shouldn't be spending this money if I cannot afford it. I CAN afford it, but with two kids in college and a new car on the horizon by the end of the month, it would be NICE to "find" this money outside of the usual budget.

One thing I could do (and have done to some degree) is pick up an extra shift or two (or three) that I wouldn't normally work (although with three jobs I don't have a ton of extra time).

I contemplated opening a Disney Visa card for the reward dollars, but they weren't offering any kind of bonus that was worth the effort last time I looked.... anyone find anything different?

I got a flyer from a local credit union that offered a $75/bonus for opening a new checking account and making 10 debit card transactions.... PERFECT.... until I read the fine print and discovered it was only for students age 18-24.

I do use Ebates but since we don't shop much online (other than Amazon for basics like supplements), there isn't a lot there.

I did a "side hustle" a few months ago and earned $80 in a few hours on a Saturday and I'd LOVE to find another gig like that . It was hard dirty work, but I thought of it as a good workout!

I'm contemplating writing an article for magazine submission, but I realize that I wouldn't see any money from that for months, if ever.

I asked for a Disney gift card for my birthday, figuring I'd use it for this.... but alas, DH seems to have a faulty memory and while I got some pretty flowers, I got nothing else.... which is unusual for him, but oh well.

I do have a handful of things to list for sale on the local FB yard sale groups, but my sales have been spotty, at best. But I am willing to spend some time today to give it another shot!

We eat conservatively at home, rarely out. I do use coupons when I find them, but since most of what I buy is fresh fruits and veggies, meat from the mark-down rack, and organic dairy, I rarely find coupons that make it worth my while.

I have two sets of clothings (one adult, one kids) that needs to go and I plan to make some calls on Monday to local consignment/resale shops. Since I do not need any of this stuff, any money made will be pure profit at this point.

How about things like Shopkick and other apps that pay for shopping and/or clicking or whatever?? Open to ideas, suggestions, recommendations.......Thanks in advance!.........P

Shopkick can be spotty and not a very big earner unless you add a CC to the app and use that CC at a Shopkick-participating merchant. I earn (maybe) $50 in a year IF I'm out and about several times a week and have time to do the scans.

Check the Swagbucks thread to see if it interests you. You might be able to run the apps and snag enough points to earn $25-$50 per month (more if you have the time to spend on completing surveys). You can redeem for a $25 Target GC at a reduced rate once per month and then cash in for $25 PayPal the next time.

I earn most of my rewards through Perk. I'm not doing as well as I did last year due to changes in the program but I'm still cashing in for about $50 in Target or Amazon GCs each week. However, I have quite a few devices running the apps and I work mostly from home, so I can "babysit them" and reset the phones that have frozen or closed the app that was running.

I don't think this has to be an "either/or" endeavor. If I needed to come up with $160 in what looks like 2 months (if I'm guess right based on your signature), I would go all our with everything that you suggested. You're bound to meet your goal if you go at it aggressively.

 

[jhoannam]

Would you be willing to apply for a Chase Disney Visa ($200 Disney GC) or a Chase Freedom Card ($150 Cash back bonus)? You have to spend $500 within the first 3 months to qualify for the bonuses, but when we got our $200 Disney GC it arrived a week after we got our first bill - I spent $500 that first month paying for our bills.

 

[MommaBerd]

Yes - how long do you have to save? I've never done this, but you could look into donating (selling) your plasma. Sounds gruesome, I know, but I think they pay well. Personally, I can hardly donate blood because I always faint, so I doubt I could do this, either.

 

[MommaBerd]

(Double post - phone issues)

 

[verleniahall]

Its summer - garage sales are a good way to earn a little extra cash - do a lemonade stand or offer bottled water for sale as well. One of the garage sales that I went to even had the DH grilling hot dogs for $1 each - they were selling out quicker than he could grill them

Pay for everything in cash and put the change in a jar and cash that in - i have found that paying for things in cash is harder than swiping a card so you aren't as apt to over spend or splurge on things

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

http://www.doctorofcredit.com/best-bank-account-bonuses/

I just completed the requirements for the M&T Bank bonus. I did one account for me, one for dh. It was an easy $300. The bonus was awarded the day after each direct deposit posted.
Just be sure to read the fine print. You have to keep the account open for 180 days or it's a $50 fee. To avoid monthly maintenance fee, just have some kind of transaction. So I scheduled monthly transfers of $3 from/to a rarely used savings account (our car insurance fund). In late December I'll close them both.

The only hard part right now is that dh's employer doesn't offer a partial direct deposit. It's all or nothing. At least my employer allows me to split it up so I have our car ins bill money amount being used for the direct deposit requirement. Eventually it goes into savings anyway so there's no urgency.
OTOH, dh's pay just makes it a little more effort. We just have to be careful of which checking account to tap for ATM, which bills get paid from which account, etc.

I'm considering doing the Santander one now. Another easy $300.

The extra $600 total will kick off our Christmas savings. I like to have that all done by Oct.

Good luck!!

 

[cvjw]

I just sold a bag of old clothes to a local consignment store and made $100

 

[pjlla]

How much time do you have before your trip?

Two months.

Shopkick is a slow earning app. You could make $160 on Swagbucks pretty easily in 2 months.

I'll look into that.

Shopkick can be spotty and not a very big earner unless you add a CC to the app and use that CC at a Shopkick-participating merchant. I earn (maybe) $50 in a year IF I'm out and about several times a week and have time to do the scans.

Check the Swagbucks thread to see if it interests you. You might be able to run the apps and snag enough points to earn $25-$50 per month (more if you have the time to spend on completing surveys). You can redeem for a $25 Target GC at a reduced rate once per month and then cash in for $25 PayPal the next time.

I earn most of my rewards through Perk. I'm not doing as well as I did last year due to changes in the program but I'm still cashing in for about $50 in Target or Amazon GCs each week. However, I have quite a few devices running the apps and I work mostly from home, so I can "babysit them" and reset the phones that have frozen or closed the app that was running.

I don't think this has to be an "either/or" endeavor. If I needed to come up with $160 in what looks like 2 months (if I'm guess right based on your signature), I would go all our with everything that you suggested. You're bound to meet your goal if you go at it aggressively.

Thanks for the input.... I'll look into it all.

Would you be willing to apply for a Chase Disney Visa ($200 Disney GC) or a Chase Freedom Card ($150 Cash back bonus)? You have to spend $500 within the first 3 months to qualify for the bonuses, but when we got our $200 Disney GC it arrived a week after we got our first bill - I spent $500 that first month paying for our bills.

I would definitely be willing to look into a Disney Visa, but I haven't found a deal as good as what you mention. However, I did have someone recently offer me a referral that would get me the $200 (by the sound of it).

Yes - how long do you have to save? I've never done this, but you could look into donating (selling) your plasma. Sounds gruesome, I know, but I think they pay well. Personally, I can hardly donate blood because I always faint, so I doubt I could do this, either.

I'll be perfectly honest and tell you that I have considered this in the past and the nearest donation site is in another state....too far away. Oh well.

Its summer - garage sales are a good way to earn a little extra cash - do a lemonade stand or offer bottled water for sale as well. One of the garage sales that I went to even had the DH grilling hot dogs for $1 each - they were selling out quicker than he could grill them

Pay for everything in cash and put the change in a jar and cash that in - i have found that paying for things in cash is harder than swiping a card so you aren't as apt to over spend or splurge on things

I already have TWO buckets of change ready to cash in before we leave (Disney popcorn buckets). I usually cash in every time I fill one, but I was aiming to fill TWO and have some "unexpected" fun money! Fortunately my local bank branch has a change machine for now charge.

If you could see where I live you would know that a garage sale wouldn't work. I've tried many, many times over the past 20 years. The ONLY time I had any real luck was once when I did a large GROUP yard sale as a fundraiser for a local family with a child with cancer who needed a treatment that insurance wouldn't pay for. I think because it was for a local family and because it was heavily advertised, we did well ($1k in one day). But most of my other yard sales have been a total dud. I live about 12-15 minutes off the "main" road in my town. Even people who live out in my town think I live out in the boondock! Hence the reason I sell on the local FB yard sale groups if I have something worthy of selling. But thanks for the suggestions.... I appreciate the input.

****************

Thanks all! I really appreciate the help. I did manage to come up with $20 today without much trouble. DH and I both used to have Upromise accounts attached to grocery store frequent-shopper cards, but that local market closed and we don't use that chain any longer. But it had been a LONG time since I checked the Upromise accounts and lo and behold.... DH's account had $20!!! WOOHOO.... check is on its way!! Mine only had $2.86... oh well.

Also found an unused $15 ITunes card in the desk drawer.... that won't get me anywhere at Disney, but it sure made DD happy! I should have saved it for her birthday!

Also sending an email RIGHT NOW to a restaurant that we ate at last weekend. I was highly unsatisfied with the service and meal but DH just paid the bill. I noticed a sign on my way out that stated "100% satisfaction guarantee" so I kept the receipt and the powers-that-be are getting an email from me with a request for a full refund. I know.... I should have said something that day....but I thought that I was the only one unhappy..... it wasn't until we talked in the car that DS mentioned he didn't think his meal was very good.

Okay.... gonna dash!......P

 

[tvguy]

As Judge Judy would say, "pick up cans for the recycling money"

 

[pjlla]

As Judge Judy would say, "pick up cans for the recycling money"

If only it were that easy. I did recently recycle some metal and after a lot of hard work and a 40 minute drive, I got less than $20 for my efforts (it was the sides from an above ground pool). I had promised DS half for helping me, but the amount was so pitiful I gave him the whole thing. Granted it was "light iron" and not aluminum (the guy at the place told me if it were aluminum it would have been worth TONS more), but unless I am literally going that way, it isn't worth the effort. Plus we don't drink much here that would come in aluminum cans, so literally other than picking them up on the road (which I have done in the past... to be kind to the planet rather than for cash), I'm not sure where I would get the cans. But thank you for the suggestion!

(Edited by Admin to remove quoted referral offer)

Thanks for all of the ideas.

 

[Hikergirl]

I've earned $115 in Target GCs in the last 2 months using Swagbucks and I'm up to $50 on ebates. I do alot of online shopping though.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I agree with Swagbucks. If you do most of the passive tasks, like running the apps on your phone, you could probably add at least $50 to your total in the next 2 months.

Also, check out iBotta for grocery shopping. You get rebates on grocery store purchases and can cash out with Paypal once you hit $20. If someone gives you a referral, you start out with $5-$10 right away.

Finally, as others have mentioned, there are many banks that give bonuses for opening a checking account. I just opened one with Chase Bank and got $300. It credited within about 20 days. I just had a small amount direct deposited into the account. Very easy.

 

[tvguy]

If only it were that easy.

It really is easy. Money from recycling aluminum cans is the source of my wife's "mad" money. Usually brings in about $200 a year with not much effort. But here in California, almost every grocery store has a recycling center behind it.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

It really is easy. Money from recycling aluminum cans is the source of my wife's "mad" money. Usually brings in about $200 a year with not much effort. But here in California, almost every grocery store has a recycling center behind it.

Here they would say thanks for not throwing that in the trash. No one pays us to recycle.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

I agree with Swagbucks. If you do most of the passive tasks, like running the apps on your phone, you could probably add at least $50 to your total in the next 2 months.

Also, check out iBotta for grocery shopping. You get rebates on grocery store purchases and can cash out with Paypal once you hit $20. If someone gives you a referral, you start out with $5-$10 right away.

Finally, as others have mentioned, there are many banks that give bonuses for opening a checking account. I just opened one with Chase Bank and got $300. It credited within about 20 days. I just had a small amount direct deposited into the account. Very easy.

Thanks for mentioning this. I reread the offer which I sort of blew off before after reading about parking $15,000 in an account. (So much for carefully reading the fine print!)
Now I see that is a separate bonus for their savings account. The checking account bonus is very easy to get.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Thanks for mentioning this. I reread the offer which I sort of blew off before after reading about parking $15,000 in an account. (So much for carefully reading the fine print!)
Now I see that is a separate bonus for their savings account. The checking account bonus is very easy to get.

Yes, we didn't do the savings account portion, but the checking offer is really great.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Here they would say thanks for not throwing that in the trash. No one pays us to recycle.

Are you anywhere near a state that does pay for recycled cans and bottles?