Disclosure: We’re letting you know that this post contains sponsored links which The Smart Wallet receives compensation for, which may impact their order of appearance. This site doesn’t include all available offers.
No matter your level of adulting, there’s an invisible line that should be avoided. And that’s the “move-back-in-with-your-parents-cause-you’re-outta-money” line.
For real though, you don’t want to resort to that.
Even if you have the best relationship in the world with them, it’s not your own space.
They probably also have a knack for saying stuff that really riles you up, or is that just my own immigrant parents? (“Don’t eat so late, you’re gonna get fat,” “You’re throwing this away? Why? I’ll save it for later.”)
So to avoid that situation altogether, let’s make rent. Regularly.
Of course, you’ll still need a full-time job on your own. But to give you some extra cushion though, you can check out these simple ways to make rent.
1. Figure Out Where You’re Wasting Money and Stop With This App
Realistic budgets are hard to make, especially if you’re kind of lazy, to begin with. (No judgment, I can be too).
You know you should start, but it just gets put off.
Here’s an easy solution though: Truebill.
Their simple to follow budgeting pulls your historical spending, organizes it, and allows you to clearly see your spending so you can set a target budget with context. (Aka you can see where you’re wasting money on).
It’ll also track budget pacing, which sounds fancy, but it just means you’ll see the percentage of how much you’ve spent so far in each category. Like it’s only the 2nd week of the month, and I’ve already spent 74% of my dining budget? Time to eat out
less.
Truebill will also alert you if you’re getting a little too spend-happy in your budgeted categories so you know when to curb it.
It’s simple but actionable budgeting that anyone can follow and it’s free to use!
2. You Gotta Eat! Get Up to $240 Cash Back in Grocery Savings
Did you know that it’s 325% more expensive to eat out versus eating at home*? Maybe it’s time to make more trips to the grocery store instead.
You’ll be aware of all the ingredients in your meal, in addition, you’ll get paid just for shopping!
It’s simple. All you have to do is take a picture of your grocery receipt and Ibotta will pay you cash.
Here’s how it works:
Before you go to the store, search for your shopping list items in the Ibotta app. After your store visit, take a photo of your receipt to get cash back.
Ibotta is free to download and you’ll also get up to $20 in Welcome Bonuses when
you sign up!
Some offers we found:
- 25 cents back on any item
- $3 – $5 back on various wine
- $2 back on KIND Protein Bars
- 25 cents – $4 back on ice cream
- $2 back on Herbal Essence Haircare
Popular stores are Walmart and Target, but Ibotta also works at restaurants, online shopping sites, and at the bar! On average, active Ibotta users save up to $240 a year or more that can go back to your rent.
Welcome Bonus: Up to $20
Average savings a month: $20
What it could add up to in a year: $240
Additional Referral Earnings: $5 per referral
3. Save $610 on Car Insurance So You Can Better Afford Rent
You’re sharing the same roads with a lot of different people. Distracted people, oblivious people, road-rage people, etc. It’s best to cover yourself with insurance when everyone is operating a giant motor vehicle.
And chances are, you’re probably overpaying on your current insurance premium when you can be using those savings on rent.
However, you can search for quotes easily on EverQuote. They help match you among dozens of regional agencies and insurance carriers to filter the best matches to save on your car insurance.
It takes less than 4 minutes to fill out the form and you’ll see a list of matches that show online quotes, email, and potential phone quotes.
EverQuote can save drivers up to $610* a year on average compared to their current insurance premiums. Once you see your list of potential matches, choose the online ones you want or wait for more information via email or phone.
It’s a pretty simple process, so try it out to see how much you could be saving on the road!
Average savings in a month: $50.83
What it could add up to in a year: $610
4. School Competitors in Solitaire and Ca$h In to Pay Rent
When you want to take a 5-minute break, check out Solitaire Cube, which is like regular Solitaire,
except you get to play for real cash.
Is there a catch? Yes but not really. I tried playing for free when I first started but I realized it would take me forever to get the tickets I need to play for real cash. I gave up and deposited $25 last week and I’ve already won $120.
The game matches you with players of the same skill level, so you have a solid chance of winning. If you’re a good Solitaire player, you could win some serious cash, like Katie Nguyen who took home $380,984 last year as one of the Top 10 Solitaire Cube
players!
So if you think you can handle playing some Solitaire Cube to win legit cash, definitely download this game for free. It’s
a nice but potentially profitable break to pay your rent!
Cash tournaments aren’t available in AZ, AR, CT, DE, FL, LA, ME, MD, MT, SC, SD, TN, IN but residents can still play the free games for swag up to a real car!
5. Get a Personal Loan Fast Even if You Have Bad Credit
Your credit score is important but sometimes, unfortunate circumstances happen to good people. It’s not always a fair representation of your financial history to be judged by 3 digits.
Even if you have a poor credit score you could still get a personal loan for your short-term financial needs.
OppLoans can help.
Submitting an application doesn’t affect your FICO credit score and you’ll be able to get the best personal loan that you may need for car repairs, medical, family, rent, major purchase, etc.
Here’s who can qualify:
- Residents of AL, AR, AZ, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, KY, KS, LA, ME, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, ND, NE, NV, NM, OH, OK, OR, RI, SD, TN, TX, UT, SC, WA, WI, WY, VA
- Have a minimum monthly income of $1,500 for the states listed above except AL is $3,500, and GA & ID is $3,000
- Employed at your current job for at least 3 months
- 18+ years old (19 if from AL or NE) and cannot be an active duty service member
- A traditional bank account in your name that’s been open for at least 90 days
- You get your paychecks via direct deposit
Qualified borrowers will be able to borrow up to $4,000 depending on their state.
And when monthly payments are made back on the loan, OppLoans will notify the 3 credit bureaus to build up your payment history!
*OppLoans APR ranges from 59%-199% depending on your state of residence (Rates and Terms here). Credit reporting not available for Texas residents.
6. Make 1.92% Interest On Your Money with This Fee-Free Banking App
Yep, Varo has no monthly service fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no ATM withdrawal fees. On top of having no fees, Varo lets you make more money on your money. Varo provides a high yield savings account that starts at 1.92% Annual Percentage Yield (APY)1 that can move up to 2.80% APY1 based on qualifying activity. To put this into perspective, the average APY of the 5 biggest national banks is 0.09%.*
Varo has a few sweet extra features too:
- Get your paycheck up to 2 days earlier4 (super helpful for rent!)
- No minimum balance requirement
- Over 55,000+ AllPoint® ATMs worldwide to use your Varo Visa® debit card
- Offers personal loans to pre-qualified customers who want to consolidate debt
- Varo will send any paper check to anyone in the U.S. on your behalf
- Varo Personal Forecast tracks your spending to manage your cash flow
- “Save the Change” rounds up your purchases to the nearest dollar and saves the difference to your Varo savings account
If you’re sick of being charged banking fees and want to make more out of your money, check out Varo. It takes less than 5 minutes to learn more and apply for free.
7. Free Gift Cards Just for Going Shopping? Yes, please.
Go on your normal grocery shopping trips. Scan your receipt after. Get points towards gift cards.No extra fuss. No digital coupons to pre-select or specific stores to go to.
It’s perfect for the lazy but smart saver.
And it’s called Fetch Rewards, an app where you can scan ANY grocery receipt to get rewards, aka cash.
Scan receipts from supermarkets, neighborhood corner shops, wholesale clubs, drugstores, convenience stores, and even liquor stores. Unlike other apps, you’re not restricted to specific stores. As long as your receipt has any of the thousands of participating products, you’ll earn points to redeem for gift cards.
You can start redeeming points for rewards with as little as 3,000 points ($3). Grab a 2,000 points bonus ($2!) when you enter this referral code: REWARD before you scan your first receipt.
8. Fun Times in 3 Minute Increments – Blackjack for Rent $
3 minutes.
Make as many 21s as you can within that time or until you run out of moves.
That’s the basic gist of 21 Blitz, a modern take on Blackjack where you’re no longer just playing
against the dealer but with actual people around the world.
It’s fast-paced and it basically does all of the math for you. This game is great for killing time and earning cash all at once.
You can play for free against real people for prizes or switch over to cash games to win…well, cash! Cash game winners can win up to $7,000 or more in the mini-tournament. That can be pretty good rent money.
Stanley from The Smart Wallet deposited $25 into 21 Blitz and won $120 for his matches!
Cash tournaments not available in AZ, AR, CT, DE, FL, LA, ME, MD, MT, SC, SD, TN, IN but residents can still play the free games for swag up to a real car!
9. Binge on Food, Entertainment, Health & Tech News TV for Money
I can barely cook but I love watching food videos. The new season of Chef’s Table? I’m there.
If you’re a video junkie too, become an Inbox Dollars member where you can watch theirTV and Videos section
that ranges from Trending News, Entertainment, Food, Health, Tech, and even the latest World News to earn some cash. You’ll also get $5 as a sign-up bonus too!
They set it up in playlists though and they’ll tell you how long it takes as it can range from a few minutes to half an hour. Tip: You can set it to Play, open up another browser tab and let the videos run while you continue doing something else if you’re multi-tasking!
Playlists and earning potential can change, but it’s possible to earn up to $200 a month, watching videos!
10. Get $20 Sign Up Bonus + Up to 15% Cash Back Stores = Happy Online Shopper (You)
If you don’t buy anything online, then you can skip reading this.
But if you do, you need to know about Affinityy, an online shopping portal, that gives you up to 15% cash back on purchases at thousands of major brands.
You’re basically getting free money since you’re earning cash back to buy things you were already going to buy. Offers include cash back at Target, Macy’s, Kohl’s, Best Buy, Walmart, and much more!
Here’s how it works:
- Sign up for free with just your name and email
- Earn $3 when you download the app and another $3 when you install the browser extension
- Get a $20 bonus after your first purchase (limited-time offer!
- Earn $5, $10, and $20 cash bonuses when you shop frequently
As you accrue cash back from purchases, you’ll be able to cash out via PayPal or check.
Affinityy also has one of the best referral programs we’ve seen on their user-friendly site. For every friend you refer, you can earn up to $10!
11. Automate Your Savings! Get an Average $1,720 a Year for Rent
If you’re part of the 80% of Americans that have some sort of savings but could use a little more help, you’re definitely not alone. The key to saving is automation.
You won’t even notice it but Digit will make it happen.
Just link a checking account and their smart algorithm will determine small but safe amounts to
withdraw into your separate FDIC-Insured Digit savings account.
Regular savers will get a 1% bonus every three months, netting you some free money!
It’s the perfect set-it-and-forget-it app where the AI will watch your savings back.
You can withdraw your money at any time you need and it’s free to use for the first 30 days. After, it’s just $5 a month.
Average savings in a month (varies): $144 or more
What it could add up to in a year: $1,728 or more
Quarterly bonus: 1% annualized savings paid every 3 months
Additional Referral Earnings: $5 per referral
12. Extremely Passive Income – Just Leave This App On & Get Paid
Panel App is a loyalty incentive app that will give you points just by leaving the app running in the background. This is passive income
at it’s best.
Because it gives you points on location, go ahead and enable location services. Then just turn the app on before you go about your day and head to school, work, gym, walk your dog, wherever.
After testing it we think it’s a great (lazy) app that rewards you for doing almost nothing. If you’re still skeptical, know this:
- You don’t have to complete offers
- You don’t have to watch ads
- You don’t have to buy anything
- You don’t have to do anything but leave the app running
We snagged a $5 Amazon gift card via email after a few weeks of just leaving the app on and forgetting about it. You can also choose VISA gift cards, MasterCard gift cards or sweepstakes entries.
Overall, a solid choice for earning a bit of money to add to your rent for literally just leaving the app running on your phone!
TIP: When you’re a new member, it’ll ask you if you want to keep the app running in the background. Just tap “Yes” to continue getting paid!
*325% more expensive eating out vs home source: Investment Zen
*EverQuote’s individual savings, if any, and premiums will vary by customer. Savings amount based on countrywide survey of users from Nov 2018 to Apr 2019 who reported old and new premiums.
