15 Apps to Boost Your Daily Serotonin (+ Make Money)

Collage of photos of the same brunette displaying different emotions
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.

If you normally feel the “winter blues,” take comfort that you’re not alone. Around 10 million Americans get affected every year. Since winter days get shorter, colder, and darker, it’s hard not to feel a little trapped.

This year may even affect more people as the pandemic continues on and keeps normalcy out of reach. Instead of focusing on what’s being taken away from you, uplift your mood by trying new things or incorporating a different routine.

You’ll need that serotonin boost to keep you powering through the winter and we suggest some of the apps below that can help! Even better that they can also earn you a little side money too.

1. Free Rewards Program Gives Out 7,000 Gift Cards Daily

There are a lot of survey programs out there, but none are as popular as Swagbucks, a free rewards program where you can earn free cash for your time and opinion. They’ve paid out over $885 million to their members already and they’ve been in business for 15 years.

Earn points for doing surveys, online shopping, uploading receipts, and playing fun games then redeem the points for free gift cards to Amazon and Walmart or choose PayPal cash. 

New members can get a free $10 just for signing up, so join the other 10 million members already part of Swagbucks and start earning free rewards!

2. Get Up to $55 Per Win Popping Bubbles

Make consistent extra money playing Bubble Cash, where you match 3 bubbles of the same color until you clear the board. It’s popular, too, since the game is frequently ranked within the Top 10 in the App Store with a 4.6/5 star rating with over 74K+ reviews!

Win free cash when you collect enough gems to enter practice tournaments, and then win MORE when you enter the higher stakes tournaments (there’s a small entry fee for the bigger tournaments).

“Finally, a game that isn’t a scam! I won $71 yesterday on Sunday, and today on Monday, it was already in my Paypal” – Mzmari

Play for free now, and then switch to cash games to increase your winnings whenever you want. Obviously, this won’t make you rich, but 100% worth it compared to other games that don’t pay.

3. Get Free Money Back on All Your Shopping Hauls

Check your pockets; check your purse. And keep receipts for your iPhone.

Just grab all your recent receipts from your coffee runs, grocery trips, restaurants, and gas station fill-ups, scan them into Fetch Rewards on iOS, and earn points for free money! Connect your email account, as well, to count DIGITAL receipts from Amazon, Instacart, and more.

Basically, snap a pic of your receipt from anywhere, and that’s it; you’ve got points for money. There’s no minimum spend, no need to select items manually, scan in any receipt from any store or gas station, and it’ll automatically reward you.

It’s free and easy to use and is a must-have iOS app for anyone who buys stuff!

4. Merge Matching Blocks to Win Cash Prizes

Alice Ly | The Smart Wallet

When you want simple gameplay but with strategy baked in, check out  Tap n Merge Tournament, where you literally tap and merge number blocks to earn points.

Merge at least 3 of the same numbers to create a higher number block, and see how high of a number you can get within the 2 minute time frame. Our highest (so far) is 7! Combos and speed will also boost your overall score.

Play for free, and when you’re ready, switch over to cash games to earn faster. Cash game winners can win up to hundreds of dollars!

The relaxing background music, the gameplay, and the strategy involved will keep you entertained for a while.

Cash tournaments not available in AZ, AR, CT, DE, LA, MT, SC, SD, and TN.