10 Weird Things Guys Can Do to Make Extra Money During the Holidays

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by Derek Liu Updated on December 13, 2019
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 because talking about money should always be an honest discussion.

Who wouldn’t want extra beer money?

If you find yourself short on cash this season, we’ve got some ideas for you.

No need to sell ad space on your body, picking up dog poop, or being Santa’s Helper. (Although, you could if you want.)

But if you need more ideas, we rounded up 13 weird, but definitely legal ways this holiday, to make some extra money if you’re a guy.

Give these a shot the next time you’re in need of some extra cheer.

1. School Competitors in Quick Classic Games and Ca$h In

Classic games get modernized into quick, 1-3 minute multiplayer versions that’s fun for killing time and earning cash all at once.

When you play any of the Skillz powered games, you keep your same login and carry over any cash or virtual currency prizes you’ve earned to spend on the game of your choice.

Here are some of our favs from their library:

Solitaire Cube – This isn’t your grandma’s solitaire. And no more tediously setting up physical cards to play! Tap and drag to compete against real people in this fast-paced Klondike Solitaire game.

21 Blitz – It’s basically Blackjack with a dash of Solitaire thrown in because you’re playing 4 columns at once. You aim to hit 21 or stacks of 5 cards in each column to earn points. Bonus: It does almost all of math for you.

(*Note: Card games not available in AZ, AR, CT, DE, IN, LA, ME, MD, MT, NM, NY, SC, SD, TN)

With these games, you can play for free against real people to earn prizes, and when you’re ready to compete, switch over to cash games. The cash games are great for earning faster – Stanley from The Smart Wallet deposited $25 into Solitaire Cube and won $120 for his matches!

2. Drop All Gold Digger Relationships by End of December

You don’t need any more gold diggers in your life. The types of relationships that just has no substance and sucks the life and money out of you.

Your bank included.

Why? You might be charged on monthly maintenance fees ($10-$12 a month), out-of-network ATM fees ($2.75 per transaction), and overdraft fees ($35 per).  That’s $329 a year* just on hidden fees alone!

Skip those trips to the bank by using Chime, a mobile banking app with no hidden fees whatsoever.

No monthly fees, no minimum balance requirement, no overdraft fees, and no foreign transaction fees. It’s also FDIC-insured up to $250,000.

Even better? You can get your paycheck via direct deposit up to 2 days earlier than the rest of your coworkers because Chime processes your employer’s check immediately.

It’s banking like it should be. So take a few minutes to get set up with Chime and say goodbye to annoying fees, and hello to a better bank!

3. Invest in the Legal Cannabis1 Industry with Just $5. No Experience Necessary.

If investing sounds complicated and expensive for you, it doesn’t have to be.

You know you should start, but where to begin? You don’t want to just pick randomly as you want to invest in an industry you believe in. Something that might really take off and make money.

So how about investing in the legal cannabis industry? It’s big business as retail sales are projected to hit $66.3 BILLION by 2025. And the legal cannabis industry could soon be worth more than the GDP of 9 US states!2

You can do it with Stash, a microinvesting app that lets you invest for as little as $5 and it takes less than 2 minutes to get started. They’ll even give you $5 to start investing.

They curate from over 250 investments which include stocks and Exchange Traded Funds and you’ll get to choose an investment blend that meets your goals and interests. Their newest feature, Stock-BackⓇ rewards3 lets you invest in brands you spend on with the Stash debit card.4  Purchased something at Amazon? Earn Amazon stock rewards. It’s like cash back but with stock!

So take the $5 that they’re giving you and start investing with Stash.

5. Buy Stuff Normally = Get Gift Cards You Actually Want

Alice Ly / The Smart Wallet

If you have room for 1 more app on your phone, then it needs to be this.

Actually, delete another app to make room for this one. It’s that good.

It’s called Drop, a free app that gives you gift cards on stuff you already buy from your favorite stores and brands.

Your everyday purchases from Amazon, Target, Trader Joe’s, and Walmart? You’ll get points for that. Points translate to gift cards so the more you collect, the more you can redeem!

There are a ton of offers, and you’ll get to pick 5 Power Offers in the beginning. For instance, my 5 are Target, Uber, Trader Joe’s, WholeFoods, and Starbucks. Each time I pay for these places? Automatic points for gift cards.

You’re not restricted to just 5, but those will be your recurring/forever offers. You’ll get access to many other offers that you can activate ranging from Entertainment, Personal Care, Grocery, Apparel and more.

The only thing you need to do is link any credit or debit card you usually use for buying stuff and that’s it! Drop will automatically recognize when you buy from your Power 5 and activated offers to reward.

There’s literally no downside to using this free app to get more gift cards. Use it on top of your loyalty points and credit card points for even more rewards!

4. Play Games & Boost Your Savings at the Same Time. Win-Win.

If you’re the type that prefers to play video games all day instead of thinking about money we’ve got the perfect app for you.

Go ahead and download Long Game Savings a personal finance app that mixes fun games and saving actual money.

Just play 1 game a day, and you could win cash daily.

Yes, it’s safe. Your money is FDIC-insured up to $250,000 and you can withdraw money at any time.

After setting up your savings account, you’ll be able to play quick games like Spin to Win, Flip Cards, Slot Machines, and more for chances to win money to increase your savings. Eons better than 0.01% interest rate.

It’s like you’re getting paid to save and it only takes less than a minute of your day to play. And there’s no judgment on playing too many games.

6. Get Paid to Try New Games

Seriously! If you’re already playing games on your iPhone/iPad, this one is a no-brainer for you.

Appfrap pays you via PayPal to try out different games & apps recommended for you, and once you submit a screenshot proving you’ve played it for a certain amount of time, you get paid!

You can payout quickly (even if you’re under a $1) whereas other apps give a minimum payout threshold. No more waiting around for your hard earned reward.

There are a variety of games for different interests and it’s free to download so give it a try!

5. Smart (Ok, Sometimes Lazy) Dudes Let AI Grow Their Savings Automatically 

Prepare for those “oh sh*t!” moments by letting this smart AI beef up your emergency savings for you.

Or your vacation savings. Or your X’mas-Presents-to-Myself savings.

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.

6. Get Paid to Watch Videos and Take Legit Surveys Online

Priscilla Du Preez

Since you’re already watching videos online, you might as well earn something too, right?

With Inbox Dollars, you can watch their TV and Videos section that ranges from movie previews, entertainment news, sports, and the latest 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 your thing.

Playlists and earning potential can change, but it’s possible to earn up to $200 a month, watching videos!

10. Let’s Make Sure You Still Have Money to Play With When You’re Old

Planning for retirement. It’s a life task that everyone knows they need to do, but it gets brushed aside.

However, let’s say you set aside $1,000 a year from age 25 – age 64 in a retirement account that earns 5% a year* (just a conservative rate, for example, it can be more), that’s a total of $39,000 that you’ll invest. By the time you turn 65, you’ll have $126,840. But if you don’t get started until age 35, you’d only have $69,760. So starting just 10 years earlier would have doubled your total!

It doesn’t have to be complicated though. Just use a robo-adviser called Blooom, an SEC-registered investment advisory firm optimizes your 401(k) and keeps it gunning toward retirement.

Take a few minutes and get an initial checkup on your account for free.

Afterward, if you sign up, it’s just $10 per month to have Blooom maximize your 401(k). A small fee to pay compared to expensive advisors who would essentially be doing the same thing for $100-$300 an hour. No wonder they don’t want you to know about this service.

BONUS though: Thanks to The Smart Wallet, you can get the first month free.

*Investment scenario from Get a Financial Life by Beth Kobliner

7. Just Save Your Emails to Get Money Back

Hanny Naibaho

If you never delete emails like me (unless it’s spam) and shop online, then you’ll always have a chance at getting some money back.

A free tool called Paribus gets you money back on select online purchases even after you’ve bought them.

Price changes happen all the time after checkout. And now you can get a refund of the price difference back at online stores that Paribus monitors! (For example, Target, Kohl’s, GAP, Best Buy, Walmart and more.)

They do this by checking your inbox for email receipts. (Don’t worry, they don’t open any other email and their tech logic only identifies emails that are receipts.) Once they’ve found a receipt that has at least a $3 price drop, they’ll alert you then contact the retailer on your behalf to get the money or tell you how to get the refund back.

Also? If your guaranteed shipment is late from Amazon Prime or Walmart, they’ll help you get compensated! Perfect for the upcoming holiday season when gifts in hand are important.

Your savings mileage will vary but Paribus is 100% free to use and all the savings are yours to keep. Your pair of shoes dropped $7? You get $7 back.

8. Most People Forget They Have a Recurring Subscription. Are You Losing Money Too?

They say that 84% of people forget they have a recurring subscription still charging them. In this case, auto-pay isn’t so great.When you download Truebill, the money management app will display all your current subscriptions (in 2 minutes or less) so you can see it all in one place. Then you can decide which to cancel, and the app will do it for you! Even that pesky gym membership that’s typically so hard to get out of.

With the app, I realized I still had a very niche streaming service that I haven’t touched in about 7 months. (Thanks, free trial subscription…) I immediately canceled it through Truebill and saved $70 from that sub.

Other things that Truebill can help out on? Their team of experts can help lower your monthly bills by negotiating down rates and even getting you back credit on internet or cable outages.

9. Need Cash ASAP? You Could Take Out a Personal Loan

If you don’t want to go into your next decade of life with debt looming over you, consider a debt consolidation.

This means you’re borrowing money at a low-interest rate and using that money to pay off the outstanding balances from your high-interest credit cards.

If it sounds foreign to you, don’t stress. You can keep your research simple and annoyance-free with Fiona, which is basically a marketplace of consolidation and refinancing options.

It’s free to use and takes only three easy steps to sign up.

Fiona will search all the top online lenders to get you the best personal loan anywhere between $1,000 and $100,0000. And loan lengths can last 24-48 months depending on the lender.

Not only will they help with debt consolidation, they can help with any big moment in your life that you may need a personal loan for like Home Improvement, Wedding, Medical bills and more.

10. Get Cash Back on Your Beer Runs And More

Another trip to the store for beer? Mm, Christmas Ale and Gingerbread Stout. Now you can get cash back for it.

Take a picture of your grocery receipt and Ibotta will pay you back!

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 after sign up!

Some offers we found:

  • 25 cents back on any item
  • $3 – $5 back on various beer
  • 50 cents to $1 back on various cereal
  • 25 cents – $4 back on ice cream

Popular stores are Walmart and Target, but Ibotta also works at liquor stores, restaurants, online sites, and at the bar!

*What Americans Pay in Bank Fees Source: ChimeBank.com
*Retail Sales Statistic Source: Fortune via http://fortune.com/2017/12/06/legal-marijuana-sales-10-billion/

*Paribus compensates us when you sign up for Paribus using the links we provided.

Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser.

1Stash does not endorse the illegal use of Narcotics. This material has been distributed for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Investing involves risk.

2GDP of 9 US states – Markets Insider, 2019 | $66.3 billion legal cannabis projection – PR Newswire, 2019

3Stash Stock-BackⓇ rewards is not sponsored or endorsed by Green Dot Bank, Green Dot Corporation, Visa U.S.A., or any of their respective affiliates, and none of the foregoing has any responsibility to fulfill any stock rewards earned through this program.

4Debit Account Services provided by Green Dot Bank and Stash Visa Debit card issued by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association. Account opening of the debit account is subject to Green Dot Bank approval. Green Dot Bank operates under the following registered trade names: GoBank, Green Dot Bank and Bonneville Bank. All of the registered trade names are used by, and refer to a single FDIC-insured bank, Green Dot Bank. Deposits under any of these trade names are deposits with Green Dot Bank and are aggregated for deposit insurance coverage. Your debit account is insured to the regulatory limits by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). Green Dot is a registered trademark of Green Dot Corporation. ©2019 Green Dot Bank. All rights reserved. Investment products and services are not offered by Green Dot Bank and are Not FDIC Insured, Not Bank Guaranteed, and May Lose Value.

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