Do you want to make money online but don’t know where to start or what websites are actually legitimate? This post shares some tried and true the methods! You won’t get rich, but they do put extra cash in your pocket without scams.
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Everywhere you look online there are websites and ads trying to convince you that by joining their website you will get rich. While this isn’t usually the case, there are some legitimate websites that you can earn money from! While you won’t become a millionaire overnight just by using any of the websites in this post, they are definitely worth checking out if you really want to (or even need) to find ways to make money online!
These 10 money making methods are the actual websites, apps, and Chrome extensions that I use to make money online.
10 Ways to Make Money Online
Swagbucks
The website name “Swagbucks” might sound like a scam, but it may actually be one of the easiest money-making websites out there! There is a huge variety of activities you can do to earn Swagbucks (a point system) that you exchange for gift cards. Some of the activities include taking surveys, watching videos, playing games, shopping, printing/using grocery coupons, and much more!
The earning potential can be very high depending on how much time you are willing to spend and which activities you choose to do. See the post Using Swagbucks to Make Extra Money for a lot more details on how to best use this website.
Ebay
Ebay has been around for a long time! A lot of people use Ebay to buy things for themselves, but you can also use Ebay to sell items you no longer need or want.
Setting up and using Ebay to sell your items is not as hard as you may think. The site pretty much walks you through each step, and the mobile app is just as straightforward. You will also need to have a PayPal account.
So what do you sell once you have you account? The sky is the limit! It’s pretty unbelievable what people will buy! You can sell clothes (name brand in new, excellent or good condition sell best), new beauty products, housewares, coupons, collectibles, children’s items and so much more. The other really nice feature about Ebay is how easy it is to print a shipping label from home and have the item picked up right from your front step.
Ebates
Ebates is a really easy website to use to help you earn cash back (rebates) from purchases you make when shopping online! There are thousands of stores listed!
Using Ebates is really easy. Before you buy anything online, go to the Ebates website and search for the store’s website to see if there is a cash back incentive. Then click on one of the links in Ebates to take you to the website. Shop as you normally would. The rebate amounts accumulate in your account and are paid out quarterly. If you shop online often, the cash back will add up fast! Even if you don’t shop online all that often, $5.00 cash back here or there never hurts, right?
Ebates now also has some in-store cash back incentives as well!
Honey
Honey is actually a Chrome extension, rather than a website. If you’re not using Chrome as your web browser, it won’t work for you. Because you can save a lot of money using Honey, it may be worthwhile to switch to Chrome!
So, what is Honey? Honey will save you money when shopping online. It works differently then Ebates. Rather than earning cash back, Honey will search the web for coupon codes, test them all, and apply the best ones to your shopping cart. It will even stack codes when possible! This is a huge time saver and money maker all in one!
All you have to do after you add the Chrome extension is shop online as you normally would. Once you have all your items in your cart, click on the Honey icon from the Chrome menu bar, and Honey will do it’s thing.
Mobile Couponing Apps
Mobile couponing apps are basically rebates on specific items. There are several, but Ibotta, Checkout 51, and SavingStar are most worth your time and effort.
To use the apps, you select the items you plan to purchase. Sometimes you have to do a short task, like answer a one question survey, to “unlock” the each item, but it takes only seconds. Then, if you buy the item(s) when you’re shopping, you scan or take a photo of your receipt to show you actually bought the right products, and then they deposit the refund into your account. You can transfer the money to a PayPal account or exchange it for gift cards etc. It varies per app. Some weeks will be better than others, but the money adds up fast!
Another tip – some mobile apps have rebates available for the same items! You can claim the same rebates from multiple apps. Some apps, like Ibotta, will even let you combine the rebate with a traditional manufacturer coupon. Always read the fine print though, because occasionally it will say that you can’t.
Walmart Savings Catcher
If you shop at Walmart for groceries, you should definitely download their Savings Catcher app! All you have to do is scan your receipt and if there is a better price on anything you’ve bought advertised at another local retailer, they give you the difference! You can let the money accumulate and turn it into a Walmart gift card whenever you want!
Bing Search Engine
Bing actually rewards you for using their search engine! You can earn 50 credits each day if you are on Level 1 and 250 credits each day once you reach Level 2. You can then redeem those credits for gift cards! Gift cards start around 5000 credits, but there are other types of rewards, like sweepstakes, that start much lower. You also get a discount on some gift cards once you reach Level 2. To reach and maintain Level 2 just keep using Bing! It won’t take long.
Inbox Dollars
This website offers several ways to earn money. It’s similar to Swagbucks, but the opportunities and earning potential are less. They offer some surveys, grocery coupons, tasks, and cash for doing web searches through their site.
If nothing else, sign up to join this website and just “read” the paid emails they send to your email on file. You earn $0.02 for each email read, and about every 12-18 months, you can request a check for $27.00.
I-Say Surveys
This is a survey only website. They will send you the survey invites right to your personal email. There is usually quite a few and qualifying isn’t as difficult as with other survey websites.
E-Rewards
This is yet another survey site. They also send invites to your personal email. Rewards can be used for frequent flyer miles, but they also offer gift cards to several retailers. If you stay on top of attempting the surveys they send, the earnings can add up fast – especially because they will still give you $0.25-$1.00 just for attempting a survey!
BONUS!
Start A Blog!
You will learn really quickly that there is a lot more to blogging than just writing up some interesting posts, or recipes, and taking some pretty pictures! If you have a true passion for something and a love for helping others, blogging may be worth your time and effort!
Learn as much as you can and your blog can become a significant way for you to make money online! It does take time to build an audience, but if you’re willing to put in a lot of work, it really can really pay off! You will just need to be patient…very patient!
Conclusion
Of course there are hundreds of other websites and apps out there that you could potentially make money online from. The methods listed here are all legitimate websites, apps, or Chrome extensions that I have personally used with positive experiences.
If you have any questions about the methods listed in the post, please feel free to leave a comment or send me a message and I’ll do my best to answer them! If you have any other suggestions for legitimate websites and apps that you use to make money online, be sure to let us know!
Omar Saady says
Thanks so much for sharing your awesome experience through make money online adventure.
In fact, there are hundreds of ways to make money online. One thing remains constant among all those things, however. You need to work hard.
All my best wishes,
-Omar Saady
Shim says
Thanks this was very helpful. Best of luck to you and your family.
ourlittleeverything says
Thanks so much – glad it helped!
Ray says
I’m more and more interested in Swagbucks now. Perhaps I’ll try it soon.
ourlittleeverything says
It’s easy to use – lately I’ve just beeing using the mobile apps while I work 🙂
Sherry Rindt says
I have been using Checkout51 and Savings Star for about two years now. I also use Receipt Hog and Receipt Pal apps.
ourlittleeverything says
I think I looked into receipt hog before but never got into it. I’m sure there are tons more, I can barely keep up as it is lol
Tricia says
Thanks for sharing these tips! I’m a huge fan of Walmart’s Savings Catcher. I don’t shop at Walmart much, but I always manage to get a couple backs back through the app when I do!
Tricia
http://www.thetriciacollective.com
ourlittleeverything says
It’s funny when we talk about moving, there MUST be a Whole Foods or something equally as nice, within reasonable distance! We don’t love shopping at Walmart, but, the savings do add up! I use them for bigger purchases 🙂
Jennifer says
Amazing post,Lauren! Thank you!
ourlittleeverything says
You’re welcome Jenny! Hope it was helpful!