But can you actually get paid to read books? Surprisingly, you can and there are multiple ways to earn a side income from your love of books. Professional reader jobs do exist, and they can offer a way to make money from your favorite reading spot.

If you’d like to get paid to read books online, here are some of the best ways for book lovers to make money.

Sites That Pay You to Write Book Reviews

One way to get paid to read books is by writing book reviews. Book review sites ask readers to share their opinions in a detailed review and offer payment in the form of cash or free books.

Here are some of the most popular review sites to make money reading books.

1. The US Review of Books

Pay rate: Varies per review

The US Review of Books hires experienced reviewers who want to earn money reading books online. With this company, book review opportunities are posted and assigned based on your experience, skillset, and reading interests.

If you want to write for the US Review of Books, you’ll need to apply first. The site asks for a resume and samples of your writing. You’ll also need at least two professional references if you want to be considered. They prefer reviews that are short, succinct, and professionally written, so make sure the samples you’re sending meet those criteria.

The US Review of Books pays for completed book reviews monthly, with checks sent out on the 5th day of each month.

Related: How to Get Paid to Write Reviews

2. Kirkus Media

Pay rate: Varies per review

Kirkus Media is one of the most established and well-known book review companies around. This company looks for book reviewers who are fluent in English and/or Spanish to review indie book titles.

Reviews are typically around 350 words each and have a two-week turnaround time. If you’d like to apply, you’ll need to email their review editor with a resume, some writing samples, and a rundown of what you specialize in as a book reviewer.

Before you can get paid to read books online with Kirkus Media, it helps if you have some experience as they do require a resume and some writing samples. If you also have editing experience, that may be worth mentioning as Kirkus occasionally hires editors.

3. Online Book Club

Pay rate: $5 to $60 per review

Online Book Club pays less than $100 per review, but it’s a good side hustle idea to consider if you want to earn a little extra money for your time spent reading.

You can apply to become a book reviewer through the Online Book Club website. It’s quick and easy to create an account and start reviewing books.

One thing to note, however, is that your first review isn’t paid; instead, you get a free copy of the book you’re reviewing. After that first one is completed, you can start getting paid to read and review books. And review copies of any subsequent books are also free.

4. Women’s Review of Books

Pay rate: Not specified

If you want to get paid to read books written by women or that center on women’s themes or issues, Women’s Review of Books is worth checking out. You can pitch ideas for book reviews directly to the editor.

The Women’s Review of Books generally prefers experienced reviewers, journalists, or readers with an academic background. But if you’re a good writer, consider applying anyway. You might be accepted as an online book reviewer based on the quality of your review writing samples.

5. Publisher’s Weekly

Pay rate: Varies per review

Publisher’s Weekly is a news magazine dedicated to the book publishing industry. In addition to the latest updates and trends, they also publish book reviews written by freelance writers and book reviewers.

The pay isn’t specified, but this could be a great option if you want to make money reading books and you prefer a variety in the genres you read. Publisher’s Weekly publishes book reviews on everything from sci-fi to romance, nonfiction, and horror.

You can check their online listings to see if any professional reader jobs are available. When you’re ready to apply, you’ll need a resume and a couple of well-written book review samples.

6. WordsRated

Pay Rate: $200 per completed book 

Not quite a book review per se, WordsRated is a non-commercial research company that studies book and reading trends, and shares that data with the public. 

Similarly, however, you’ll be asked to read popular books — usually New York Time best-sellers — and record notes about the characters, their demographics, how frequently they make appearances, and the like. 

It’s actually rather mundane, easy work, but the pay is amongst the best of any review company: $200 per completed book. 

Other Ways to Make Money Reading Books

Book review companies aren’t the only way to get paid to read books. Depending on how much time and creativity you have, you could make money reading with any of these options.

7. Become an audiobook narrator.

Audiobooks have grown in popularity thanks to companies like Audible. If you have a good speaking voice and a talent for acting, you could get paid to read books out loud as a narrator.

This is a side hustle you can do at home, which is good if you need a flexible way to make money. It requires minimal equipment; all you’ll need is a microphone and a way to record your voice. You might even go into a studio to record the book if that’s available.

If you’re interested in finding audiobook narrator jobs, you can try sites like ACX or Voices.com. Upwork is another place to look for paid audiobook narration jobs.

8. Start a book review blog, YouTube channel, or podcast.

If you want to get paid to read books and write reviews but you don’t want to work with a book review company, you could monetize your reading skills with a blog, YouTube channel, or podcast.

There are a variety of ways to make money with a book review blog, including:

• Earning money from book referral affiliate sales
• Selling digital printables such as a reading tracker or book journal
• Partnering with authors or publishing companies to write sponsored posts
• Hosting ads on your site

Starting a blog is something just about anyone can do, even if you don’t have stellar technical skills. If you’re interested in this but aren’t sure what to do to set up a blog, check out our step-by-step guide.

If writing isn’t your strength or you want to try a different medium, you can set up a YouTube channel or podcast to review books. Those can be monetized through affiliate partnerships with sites like Bookshop.org, sponsorships, and ads. You might even offer a premium paid subscription to your podcast.

9. Become a freelance book review writer.

If you have decent writing skills, you can turn that into a side hustle as a freelance book review writer.

Freelance book review writers work with different companies and brands. For example, you might write reviews or content for sites like BuzzFeed Books, Book Riot, or BookBub in addition to your own blog. And as a freelancer, you’re not an employee making this different from working as a professional reader.

Writing book reviews on a freelance basis can be a good way to make money reading books if you want something flexible that fits around your schedule.

Related: How to Become a Freelance Writer

10. Become a book proofreader or editor.

Before books are published, they go through multiple rounds of edits and proofreading. Editors review the content of a book and make revisions to help improve the flow, clarity, and organization of ideas. Proofreaders review what’s written to check for spelling errors, grammar errors, punctuation mistakes, and capitalization errors.

If you don’t have any professional editing or proofreading experience, those are skills you can learn. Taking an online course, for example, can help you learn the basics of how to make money proofreading. You can also try testing out your services on sites like Fiverr before trying to turn proofreading or editing into a side hustle or full-time job.

11. Become a freelance beta reader.

Beta readers get paid to read books when they’re in the finished manuscript stage and awaiting final publication. A beta reader’s job is to read the manuscript and offer a critique from a reader’s point of view. That critique can then be used to polish the final manuscript so the book can eventually be published.

Becoming a freelance beta reader requires an eye for detail and fluency in the language of the books you’re asked to read.

If you’re interested in finding freelance beta reader jobs, you can try a site like Upwork or Fiverr or search an online job board like Indeed.

12. Learn a new skill and implement it.

If you want to get paid to read books online, you could always come up with your own creative way to do it. For example, translating books is one option if you’re fluent in another language.

You could offer your services as an eBook formatter if you’re willing to learn the different online publishing platforms. You might even offer cover design, book marketing services, or author coaching services.

There’s an endless amount of possibilities you can offer if you want to get paid to read books.

Do What You Love and Monetize Your Reading Hobby

Having a hobby is great but having a hobby that makes you money is even better. If you love to read, finding ways to get paid to do it is a great side hustle idea. And you can always try different ideas to see which one works best.

Starting a book review blog, for example, could be lucrative over the long-term if you’re able to monetize it. But in the meantime, you could earn some quick cash writing book reviews or picking up freelance proofreading jobs online.

The more open you are to experimenting, the more possibilities there are for getting paid to read.

The post 12 Legit Ways to Get Paid to Read Books appeared first on DollarSprout.

Established in 2011, Postmates is the largest on-demand delivery and pickup platform in the country, partnering with over 600,000 merchants nationwide and serving 80% of U.S. households. While it’s available in fewer cities than other delivery services like Instacart or Uber Eats, Postmates offers far more variety when it comes to what customers can have delivered right to their door.

That was part of the appeal for Michael Lowe, CEO of Car Passionate, when he was looking for a side gig.

“I’m no stranger to delivery jobs as a side hustle and after using Postmates, I realized it was something I could do,” Lowe says. “I used to deliver food but since Postmates isn’t all about food, I didn’t have to worry too much if I took a wrong turn and the food going cold.”

Postmates offers the potential for consistent side hustle earnings with hours that can be molded to your schedule. Here’s a closer look at the perks of becoming a Postmates Fleet member.

How Postmates Does Things Differently

Brett Prentiss, co-founder of Instinct Marketing, decided to become a Postmates driver to make extra money while building his company. He loves the flexibility it offers and is happy with the cash it brings in.

“Because I’m so busy, I’ll only do it for four hours at a time, and typically, I earn between $80 and $110 per shift, which is not including gas,” Prentiss says.

That’s not bad for four hours of work.

As a Postmates Fleet member, you get paid for your miles, time spent waiting to pick up orders, and the number of orders you complete per hour. Plus, you get to keep 100% of your tips.

But just how much can you make, and what are the ways you can earn even more?

Related: Postmates Driver Review: Pros, Cons, and What to Expect

1. Offers incentive programs for drivers to earn more

Aside from paying you for your miles and time, you can qualify for incentives to help you boost your earnings. The incentives are based on the number of deliveries you make and once you’re eligible for an incentive, you’ll get a notification from Postmates letting you know what kind of bonus is available.

Here are the bonus incentives Postmates offers:

• Bonus per delivery. Earn an additional payout bonus for every delivery you accept within a specific time frame and completed within a specified zone.
• Guaranteed earnings. Earn a guaranteed minimum payout when you complete a certain number of deliveries within a set time period.
• Crushers. Earn an additional payout bonus when you complete a certain number of deliveries within a set period of time (example: earn an extra $30 for completing 10 deliveries on a weekend). 
• Invites. Earn a guaranteed amount for each friend you invite to drive for Postmates that accepts and completes minimum delivery requirements.

The main thing to know about most of these bonuses is that they hinge on timing. You have to complete the required number of deliveries and you have to do it during the time window specified by the bonus. So that means speed counts for earning incentives.

Related: 9 Ways to Turn Your Car Into a Passive Income Stream 

2. Prompts customers to tip you after each delivery

With just about any delivery side hustle, tips can account for a sizable share of your earnings. Postmates encourages customers to reward you for good service by automatically calculating a tip amount.

The automatic suggested tip is 20%, though customers can increase or decrease the tip before finalizing an order. Tips show up in your Fleet dashboard so you know in advance what you’ll earn per delivery.

Customers can choose to zero out the tip and tip in cash when you deliver. In that case, Prentiss says the faster and more courteous you are, the more likely you are to pocket bigger tips.

“It doesn’t hurt to send a text message that you’re on your way,” he says.

3. Lets you deliver (almost) anything

Postmates is unique because it goes above and beyond in terms of what Fleet members can deliver.

While Instacart is primarily for groceries and pharmacy items and DoorDash is strictly for takeout, Postmates aims to make life more convenient for its customers by delivering just about anything they need.

There are restrictions, of course. For example, you can’t deliver live animals and some states restrict the delivery of alcohol and tobacco.

But given how broad the Postmates merchant network is, there are still plenty of opportunities to earn money for deliveries. And the larger the order, the larger your tip might be.

Related: 13 Ways to Make Money Delivering Food, Packages, and More

4. Offers a free unlimited trial to new customers

One way Postmates encourages people to use its services is by offering a free trial of its Unlimited plan.

Postmates Unlimited is a membership that offers free delivery on qualifying orders from all merchants. The fee is $9.99/month or $99.99/year but the free trial gives customers a chance to try out the service.

Telling people about the free trial could increase your Postmates earnings as more people sign up to use the service using your unique referral code you can share with friends and family. Once they sign up and complete their first Postmates order, you become eligible for a credit offer.

5. Other ways Postmates increases Fleet member earnings

Aside from these ways to make more money with Postmates, you’ve got a few other options for earning extra cash.

For example, Postmates Blitz pricing is an easy way to earn more per delivery. Blitz pricing occurs when delivery demand is high, which means you can get a higher payout for each delivery you make during busy times.

Postmates also allows you to stack deliveries and make multiple deliveries at once to increase earnings. The key is making sure you can manage multiple deliveries to get them where they need to go on time. The Postmates app makes this easier by highlighting hotspots so you can group and accept multiple deliveries together.

Finally, though it doesn’t necessarily make you money, you can use PerkSpot to save money. PerkSpot gives eligible Fleet members access to perks and benefits, including discounts from local and national retailers.

More Benefits Means More Money

Both Lowe and Prentiss agree that Postmates is an easy delivery side job option.

“It’s better than most delivery jobs I’ve worked at,” Lowe says. And Prentiss says you can’t beat it if you want a passive side gig that can help you earn $100 or so a day without a huge time commitment.

Postmates makes working in the gig economy more rewarding since Fleet members have so many different ways to increase their earnings. If you’re making deliveries consistently to take advantage of incentive bonuses, inviting new members to the Fleet, and referring friends and family to use the service, being part of the Postmates Fleet could pay off when it’s time to collect your earnings.

Related: 50 Best Side Hustles for Earning Extra Money

The post 5 Ways Postmates Helps Drivers Out-Earn Other Delivery Gigs appeared first on DollarSprout.

You can get started on your own, but taking an online course can be a helpful stepping stone to starting a virtual assistant business or side hustle. One option, $10K VA by Kayla Sloan, teaches students how to earn $10,000 a month or more as a virtual assistant.

Betsy Skinner, executive virtual assistant at Skinner Virtual Services, completed the course in the fall of 2019 and is now earning $3,000 a month (and counting) as a VA.

She relayed some of her key strategies to successfully making money online as a virtual assistant.

From Corporate Employee to Online Entrepreneur

Before taking the entrepreneurial leap, Skinner worked as an executive assistant to the top six executives of a nationwide accounting firm. After leaving that job in early August 2019, she was encouraged by a relative to become a virtual assistant on her own. “Essentially, I’d been a virtual assistant within the corporate world and didn’t even realize it,” she said.

Skinner was skeptical and a bit fearful at first. But the idea of starting a virtual assistant business grew on her as she realized it had low start-up costs, low monthly overhead, and plenty of flexibility. As she researched how to start a VA business, she came across Sloan’s course. After careful consideration, she chose to invest in the course’s Pro Package, which had everything she needed to get started.

“I enrolled in the $10K VA program on August 26, 2019, secured my business license for Skinner Virtual Services, LLC by August 29th, and brought in $1,295 by the end of that year,” Skinner said.

These days, she earns $1,500 to $3,000 a month on average as an online virtual assistant.

Related: 29 Best Work From Home Jobs Hiring Now

How to Be Successful as a Virtual Assistant

Becoming a VA is a popular side hustle option, and Skinner shared a few of her secrets for making consistent income as a virtual assistant.

1. Be open to experimenting.

Choosing a niche or specialty area to focus on as a VA can help increase your earnings, but what you want to specialize in may not be apparent right away.

“Niching down was a challenging aspect for me, and I feel it’s constantly evolving,” Skinner said. During her first year in business, she took a comprehensive approach doing general VA tasks, which included email management, event planning, proofreading, and light bookkeeping.

That gave her time to sort out which types of projects she preferred and what type of client relationships she wanted to cultivate.

If you don’t have a firm idea of what you want to specialize in as a VA or what type of client you prefer to work with, don’t be afraid to try out different things. Working with a range of clients from different backgrounds or industries can help narrow down your niche and give you a feel for what you enjoy and what you don’t.

2. Don’t put all of your client eggs in one basket.

According to Skinner, one perk of being a $10K VA student is having access to a private Facebook group where you can connect with other VAs and scout out potential job listings. But Skinner said that’s not the only place you should be looking for clients for your business.

“Even though you’re considering a virtual role, be sure you’re also networking in person,” she said. That means tapping your immediate circle for potential opportunities to find leads. In Skinner’s case, her first client was a former co-worker. He learned through LinkedIn that she’d started her own VA business and approached her about handling some event planning and scheduling tasks.

Apart from networking in person, you can leverage LinkedIn and other social media sites. Online job boards and companies that hire VAs are other options for finding work.

3. Target your marketing efforts.

When you’re starting an online business or side hustle, one of the most important, and sometimes most challenging, steps is simply getting your name out there. Social media is a good starting point, but it’s important to avoid getting overwhelmed by trying to be everywhere at once.

“I advise choosing one or two social media platforms and focus on growing your following in those areas,” Skinner said. “Think about which platform your ideal client uses and start there.”

For example, if you know the kind of businesses you’d like to work with primarily spend time on LinkedIn, you could fine-tune your profile to include keywords they might be searching for when looking for VA services. Or you could take the more direct route and reach out to those businesses directly through LinkedIn to start building connections.

And don’t second-guess your abilities just because you’re new to the VA world. It’s normal to feel a touch of imposter syndrome when you’re trying to market yourself alongside experienced VAs, but don’t let it deter you from looking for jobs.

Skinner said that confidence can go a long way in attracting clients to your business, even if you’re brand new. If you’re not sure how to demonstrate your confidence, Skinner suggests defining your ‘why’ for doing what you’re doing, having a support system of friends and family, or finding a professional mentor you can turn to for advice.

She also recommends being flexible, able, and willing to adapt to grow your business. And don’t forget that the more you practice your confidence, the more confident you’ll feel.

Related: 5 Steps to Sell Your Services Online and Fill Your Schedule

4. Know your worth when setting rates.

Deciding what to charge can be one of the biggest challenges of being a virtual assistant. Skinner said she drew on advice from the $10K VA course initially: start where you’re comfortable and raise your rates as you bring on new clients.

Her current hourly rate ranges from $25 to $50, depending on the client. One mistake to avoid, however, is lowballing yourself simply to keep working.

“Don’t lower your prices just because you’re afraid you’ll lose the client,” Skinner said. That can lead to resentment. And don’t allow scope creep to shortchange you either.

Scope creep happens when you end up taking on more tasks for a project or client without seeing a corresponding rate increase. If you see this happening with a client, it’s best to address it right away instead of allowing more work to pile up without being paid appropriately for your time.

5. Keep an eye on the bottom line.

Once your VA business starts making money, you need to learn how to manage it, otherwise your business won’t be sustainable, Skinner said.

That means tracking income to the penny, staying on top of your tax obligations, and knowing what you’re spending to keep the business going. In Skinner’s case, the money she invested in the $10K VA course was easily earned back, and it saved her time. But there are other tools such as online bookkeeping software she opted not to spend money on because the value they offered didn’t justify the fee.

In her experience, investments that can save you time are usually the ones that are most worth making. The $10K VA course, for example, allowed her to fast track her business launch by giving her a clear roadmap to follow. But even something as simple as hiring a babysitter to watch your kids a few hours a week or a scheduling app to help you keep up with business tasks can be helpful.

Before investing in courses, products or services, consider how they could help grow your business in the long run. You want to make sure the money is well spent, not wasted.

Related: How to Avoid an Unexpected Tax Bill as a Side Hustler or Gig Worker

6. Be prepared for ups and downs.

COVID-19 has impacted brick-and-mortar businesses, but online business owners are also feeling the effects. For example, Skinner’s business took a hit when she lost all of her regular clients. As a result, she had to step up her networking and promotion efforts to find leads.

But even under the best circumstances, running a VA business can be unpredictable. “Each day, and sometimes each hour, as an entrepreneur has its roller-coaster moments,” Skinner said.

When things happen that are outside your control, don’t allow yourself to be discouraged. Instead, look for the opportunities.

“My advice is to have an open mind, focus on your why, and consider pivoting your business in a direction you hadn’t thought of before,” she suggested. For example, you can do this by diversifying the services you offer or the types of clients you work with.

If you’re not sure where to start diversifying, poll your clients to find out what they need or talk to other VAs to find out what they’re doing. You can be as creative as possible when shifting direction. And as a bonus, you might find that you like the new direction even better.

Earning a Full-Time Income as a VA Is Attainable

If you’re looking for a way to make money online that’s flexible, allows you to work with a variety of clients, and offers high earning potential, becoming a virtual assistant is a viable option.

Skinner’s experience is a great example of how making an initial investment in a course can pay off. Just be sure that you’re ready and able to commit to completing a course like $10K VA to make your investment of time and money worth it.

The post The Digital Secretary: How One Woman Makes $3,000 per Month as a Virtual Assistant appeared first on DollarSprout.

But how do you become an online proofreader? The shortest route might be completing an online course to learn the ins and outs of proofreading for money. Caitlin Pyle, founder of Proofread Anywhere, teaches the necessary skills to make money proofreading in her popular online courses.

Is Proofread Anywhere’s online proofreading training worth your time and money? We spoke with Tori Gellino, a former student earning over $1,000 a month as an online proofreader, to learn more.

How Tori Became an Online Proofreader

Tori’s journey into online proofreading began the way many side hustles do. It was sparked by a desire for something more than a typical 9-to-5 job.

“I’d worked a lot of customer service jobs and was looking to start a real career, something I could be proud of,” Gellino said.

In 2016, Gellino enrolled in Caitlin Pyle’s Transcript Proofreading course, which teaches students how to master legal transcript proofreading. She signed up for the course in September of that year and by November, she’d launched her online proofreading business.

These days, Gellino maintains a steady roster of 5 to 10 clients each month, working with freelance and official court reporters. Her proofreading income averages $1,200 a month consistently.

How to Succeed With Online Proofreading

Running an online proofreading business or side hustle takes planning if you want to be successful. If you’re interested in making a career or just a high-paying side gig out of online proofreading, these tips can help with reaching your goals.

Make sure it’s a good fit.

When choosing a side hustle or business idea to try, it’s important to set some realistic expectations and goals. Money-making potential might be the first thing you focus on with your online proofreading side hustle, but you should also consider how it fits with your skills, personality, and interests.

“If you have the motivation to market yourself, an eye for detail, and if you can sit for hours poring over words that may or may not be interesting, then this job is great,” Gellino said.

On the other hand, making $1,000 a month or more as an online proofreader could be more of a struggle if you get distracted easily or feel shy about promoting your business. Before diving in, consider what you want out of a proofreading side hustle and if it seems like a good fit.

Proofread Anywhere offers a free workshop that includes the five signs proofreading could be a good fit for you.

Invest in developing your skills.

Online proofreading jobs typically require some combination of experience and/or skills to land. If you don’t know the basics of proofreading, it’s helpful to spend some time and money learning them first.

Gellino credits the Transcript Proofreading course she took through Caitlin Pyle with helping her to specialize and niche down in her business. Beyond learning how to proofread legal transcripts, she was able to connect with and learn from more experienced proofreaders through the course’s private Facebook group.

“Having access to other working proofreaders to help answer questions regarding marketing, client relations, or even just grammar and punctuation has been absolutely invaluable,” Gellino said.

As far as what she didn’t care for about the class, she said some of the practice exercises included in the course were a little frustrating since they’re drawn from real-life work completed by different professional proofreaders.

But overall, she said they’re still valuable for honing your skills, speed, and personal proofreading style.

Commit to the hustle.

Starting an online proofreading business or any type of business takes a certain amount of determination. Though Gellino has achieved success as a proofreader, she encountered the typical struggles that often go along with starting a side hustle.

When she first started, for instance, she spent six weeks focusing heavily on marketing without turning up a single lead. She was on the verge of giving up when a fortune cookie gave her the motivation to keep going.

“I got a fortune that said, ‘Be patient. Good things come to those who wait,'” Gellino said.

Just a few days later, she landed three new clients, all of whom she still works with today.

Her best tip? Be willing to put yourself out there and do the hard work of marketing yourself to clients. It can take time for your business or hustle to blossom.

For example, you may be taking different approaches to finding clients, such as:

• Applying to gigs through job boards
• Cold pitching companies that hire freelance proofreaders
• Getting referrals from your professional network

Building an online proofreading business can be something of a numbers game. The more pitches or queries you send out and the more people you connect with, the better your odds of landing paying gigs.

Online Proofreading Can Be a Profitable Side Hustle

If you’re looking for a work from home job, online proofreading can be a great option. Like other types of freelance work, there’s great earning potential and you can work a flexible schedule while growing a business.

Taking a course through Proofread Anywhere can help with building the foundation you need to start a successful virtual proofreading side hustle. And as Gellino’s story shows, it’s definitely possible to earn back your investment in the course and more with a $1,000+ monthly income.

Related: 9 Transcription Jobs That Will Pay You to Type Audio to Text

The post Got Grammar? One Proofreading Expert Shares How She Gets Paid to Spot Typos appeared first on DollarSprout.

Figuring out how to balance a full-time job with a side hustle can put your time management skills to the test. As a full-time freelance writer who also runs three blogs and homeschools two kids, I understand the struggle. If you’re working a full-time job and side hustle at the same time, we’ve got some tips from side hustle experts on how to do both.

Starting a side hustle can help you to flex your entrepreneurial muscles, and it’s become an increasingly popular way to make money. But there’s some thought that needs to go into it, especially if you’re also working a full-time job.

It’s helpful to think about what your goals are, what kind of side hustle you’re most interested in pursuing, and how much time you can realistically commit to it.

If all of that sounds a little overwhelming, don’t stress. These smart habits can help you avoid getting burned out as you grow a side gig while working full time.

1. Pick a side hustle you’re passionate about.

Making a full-time job and side hustle work can be a lot easier if you’re making money doing something that gets you motivated. Gowtham Kandavel, a senior UX designer who also runs Thrilla, a website for other UX designers, said that’s key to making a full-time job and side gig work.

“Only if you are passionate will you be able to burn the midnight out without breaking down,” he said.

Kandavel learned that from experience with his first two side hustles, both of which failed. The problem is that those side hustles didn’t reflect his passions or interests, which hindered his success.

If your goal for starting a side hustle is to eventually turn it into a business, think about what you could see yourself doing for the long term. Consider your passions and use those to generate side hustle ideas so you’re doing something you love. That way, having a full time job and side hustle feels less like having two jobs.

2. Set clear boundaries.

Being an entrepreneur with a full-time job means you only have so much time. You need to be clear about what you are and aren’t willing to sacrifice, said Andrew Chen, a product manager at Google who has three side hustles, including running the personal finance website Hack Your Wealth.

Altogether, Chen estimates he spends 55 to 60 hours a week working on his day job and another 15 to 25 hours a week on side hustles. That means getting enough sleep and having a social life sometimes end up on the back burner.

Chen said it’s important to set boundaries with yourself and others about how far you’re willing to go to succeed if you’re trying to have a full-time job and side hustle.

“That will make it easier to have conversations with family members and friends in a way that makes you feel less guilty,” he said.

3. Have a schedule.

A routine is crucial for keeping up with a side gig while working full time, said Mayuri Kashyap, a full-time human resources consultant who also runs the travel blog, To Someplace New.

“Setting up a weekly and monthly schedule helps me stay on track,” Kashyap said.

That means using her daily two-hour commute on public transportation to tackle small tasks like posting to social media or responding to emails via her smartphone. She also wakes up early to dedicate an hour to her side hustle before work.

Having a set schedule for working on your side gig can help with maximizing your productivity. If you don’t follow a schedule, try keeping a time log for a week to see where your time goes each day. Then, figure out where you can carve out extra time for your hustle.

4. Take advantage of small pockets of time.

One misconception about how to balance your full-time job with a side hustle is thinking you can only work on either one in big blocks of time. Albert Lee, a doctor who works 50 to 55 hours a week and also runs home improvement website Home Living Lab, said how you use small moments of downtime can be just as important.

For example, instead of spending your entire lunch hour on social media, use that time to work on your hustle.

“These little snippets of time may seem insignificant, but they do add up,” Lee said. “I personally find that if I make full use of them, I can squeeze in about 45 to 60 minutes of good solid work during my day job.”

Again, this is where keeping a time log can help you find those small opportunities in your day. And once you find them, use the next tip to make the most of them.

Related: One Expert’s Advice on Why Weird Side Hustles Work (and How to Find One)

5. Eliminate distractions.

One of the biggest struggles with how to balance your full-time job with a side hustle is making the most of the time you have available for your side gig.

Brendan Heffernan, owner of Dunk or Three, has a 45-hour full-time job working with high school students and a lucrative part-time freelance writing and editing gig. Since he’s also a parent, he maximizes his side hustle hours by eliminating distractions as much as possible.

“When you have time set aside to work, you better be working that entire time and not perusing the internet or watching YouTube videos,” Heffernan said.

Whether you side hustle before work or after your regular job, make a point of cutting out distractions. Leave your phone in another room, turn off the TV, and consider using a special web browser extension like StayFocusd to block websites or apps that could lead you off task.

6. Take care of your health.

When balancing a side gig while working full time, it’s easy to neglect basic self-care. But that’s a guaranteed way to end up burned out. You have to make health a priority so you have enough energy to work on both.

Chris Panteli spends 50 hours a week running his restaurant while also working on his personal finance blog, Life Upswing. After being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 32, he’s realized the importance of good self-care when keeping up with a side hustle and full-time job.

“My key to balancing both is getting a good night’s sleep and making sure the quality of sleep is good as well,” Panteli said.

It’s tempting to work long hours to grow your side hustle, but consider what the trade-off may be health-wise. If you’re tired, that can hurt your productivity at work, potentially endangering your day job. And once you get home from work, you may have zero energy to focus on your hustle.

Related: How to Avoid an Unexpected Tax Bill as A Side Hustler or Gig-Worker

7. Put side hustle tasks on autopilot.

As an entrepreneur with a full-time job, it’s impossible to do everything by yourself. That’s where automation comes in.

Jonathan Sanchez works full time as a software engineer while running a side hustle as a real estate investor and founder of ParentPortfolio. He uses schedulers to keep up with social media posts and email campaigns that drive traffic to his website.

If your side hustle is website or blog-based, you could try using similar automation tools or so that you don’t have to be as hands-on with your business. You can also use automation to manage other parts of your life so you have more time to focus on your side gig.

For instance, you could set up automatic bill payments so you don’t have to worry about due dates. Budgeting apps can help with tracking your spending automatically, taking the hassle out of doing it manually.

8. Remember your why.

Working full time with a side hustle can be demanding, to say the least. It’s important to have a clear reason for what you’re doing from day one.

Lucy Reyes is a supply chain specialist and mom who side hustles with multiple blogs, including her main site, Cheers to Life Blogging. She said staying focused on why you started your side hustle is what will keep you motivated to continue working on it when you’re exhausted or feeling stuck.

If you’ve lost sight of your why, take time to remind yourself what your goals for side hustling were when you started. Whether it’s getting out of debt, creating financial security for your family, or being able to one day walk away from your day job, use your goals as an anchor for staying grounded and focused.

You Can Still Be an Entrepreneur With a Full-Time Job

There’s no magic bullet for how to balance your full-time job with a side hustle. It takes planning and patience to make it all work. But whether you’re spending a few hours a day on your side hustle or just a few hours a week, these strategies can help you find a happy medium between working for your boss and trying to become your own boss in your spare time.

The post 8 Tips for Balancing a Side Hustle and Your Full-Time Job appeared first on DollarSprout.

Even if you’re not frugal by nature, you can still learn a thing or two about saving by studying how the pros do it. To make that easier, we’ve rounded up some of the best money-saving advice from top frugal experts.

1. Double-dip on cash back to save on groceries.

Both cash-back credit cards and cash back shopping apps can put money back into your pocket. Pairing them together is a no-brainer way to boost your savings, says Nadia Malik, finance expert and founder of Speaking of Cents.

Malik uses the Discover It cash-back credit card. It pays 5% back on bonus categories and 1% cash back on all other purchases. One of her favorite ways to reap double cash-back rewards is by using her card along with the Ibotta app.

“Between the cash back from my card and the money saved via Ibotta, I save 20-25% on monthly grocery bills,” she said.

Malik also puts the usual grocery savings tips to work, including:

• Swapping out name brands for store brands
• Cutting out processed foods
• Buying in bulk and skipping pre-portioned foods

Altogether, she estimates that these money-saving hacks have helped her family trim their food costs down by 40 to 50%.

2. Stack your savings when shopping online.

Shopping online can save time, and you can earn some of what you spend back in cash when you use the best money-saving apps. Miguel A. Suro, an attorney and founder of The Rich Miser, saves 2 to 5% or more shopping online thanks to skillful stacking.

Like Malik, his strategy involves using a rewards credit card, the Citi Double Cash card, to earn a percentage of purchases back. But he increases his rewards earnings by:

• Signing up for store loyalty programs to earn rewards
• Using rewards apps to shop
• Downloading coupon and cash back browser extensions

Suro’s preferred apps include Rakuten, Bumped, and Swagbucks.

He also uses the DollarSprout Rewards browser extension and Cashbackaholic, which compares cash back offers from different apps to find the best deals.

Once you get your savings tools in place, the next part is simple: stack all of the above.

“For example, when I shop online at Sam’s Club I’ll get 2% back from my credit card, plus 1% back from Bumped,” Suro said. “I also get 2% back from Sam’s Club Plus premium membership and 2% or more from Swagbucks.”

That’s an easy 7% you could earn back from shopping like you normally would.

3. Hack your credit card for travel savings.

Using a travel rewards card could lead to major savings. Tawnya Redding, frugal expert at Money Saved Is Money Earned, saves thousands on travel by charging all of her purchases to credit cards to earn points.

She uses a multi-card strategy to maximize her points when charging travel, gas, groceries, and other purchases. Redding then parlays those points into free flights and hotels.

“I haven’t paid full price for a flight ever and typically only need to pay the fuel surcharge,” she said.

For some trips, she’s even been able to pay for a companion’s ticket or hotel room.

“I earn points for money I’d be spending anyway, so it’s almost like getting free travel for paying my bills,” Redding said.

Remember, if you’re planning to try this frugal hack, plan to pay your card balance in full each month. Otherwise, interest charges could slash the value of any points you’re earning.

4. Make money to save money.

Starting a side hustle is an easy way to make more money so you can grow your savings. But if you don’t have a lot of time, there’s a simple frugal solution: try mystery shopping.

That, along with using cash back apps, is how registered dietitian and founder of Frugal Minimalist Kitchen Bri Bell keeps her grocery budget in check. “I literally get paid to take a few photos and answer a short survey about something in the store, then I do my regular shopping,” she said.

Bell finds mystery shopping gigs through Field Agent and Mobee, checking apps daily to see what’s available.

“If I see a shop at one of my regular stores, I might decide to shop a few days early and combine my efforts,” she said. Otherwise, she’ll plan shopping trips as usual and will take advantage of any paid mystery shopping jobs available for that day.

Bell uses Ibotta and Checkout 51 to increase savings on grocery trips, along with the extra money she gets from mystery shopping.

Altogether she estimates that she saves $1,500 a year using these tactics.

If you’re looking for other side hustle options to make extra cash to save, here are a few to consider:

• Become an Instacart shopper
• Try online tutoring
• Get paid with a delivery side hustle
• Start a blog
• Become a freelance writer

If you’re considering a side hustle to save money remember to factor in any costs you might have to pay. Becoming an Instacart driver, for example, could help bring in extra cash, but you’ll have to pay for wear and tear to your vehicle.

Related: 11 Apps Like Ibotta to Earn Rebates and Get Cash Back

5. Let other people find money-saving deals for you.

Searching for promo codes, sales and other deals can be time-consuming. A simple work-around is to let someone else do the heavy lifting.

One way to do that is by following frugal experts on social media and joining deal groups on Facebook, said Melissa Garcia, founder of money-saving blog Consumer Queen.

A simple search for ‘deal groups’ on Facebook returns numerous listings for groups you can join.

“This saves me time and money because they spend their time scouring the best deals online and offline, and I get to reap the benefits,” Garcia said.

Garcia, who runs her own deal group on Facebook, says this strategy can lead to multiple opportunities to save. For example, these groups can be a gold mine for finding:

• Product giveaways
• Free samples
• Restaurant coupons
• Coupon codes for top retailers
• Access to exclusive sales

As a bonus, Garcia says some groups also include money-saving and frugal hacks, like how to make your own cleaning products at home.

A simple search can help you find bargain and deal groups on Facebook. You can vet them for quality by checking the number of members and how often new deals are posted.

Related: How to Start Couponing (a Beginner’s Guide)

6. Leverage cash-back apps for more than just shopping.

Rakuten can be a great tool for saving money, but it’s not just for buying clothes or baby gear.

Elizabeth Humberstone, frugal mom blogger at Shoestring Baby, also uses Rakuten to save hundreds on travel.

She stacks savings by going to Rakuten to choose a hotel booking company, always picking the one with the best cash-back deal. Then she signs into her account with the booking company and charges the purchase to her rewards card.

Effectively, she triple dips by earning rewards through Rakuten, the hotel booking site, and her credit card. This strategy has allowed her to earn $200 in rewards plus free award nights.

If you’re planning to book through a third-party company, keep in mind that you may not be able to pick up rewards for that same booking through a hotel loyalty rewards program.

Look at the rewards you could earn from the booking company against those offered by the loyalty program to decide which one offers more money-saving value. Specifically, compare the amount of rewards and what that could translate to in terms of free hotel stays.

7. Don’t overlook savings at home.

So far, these money-saving hacks have been focused on shopping or travel, but there are plenty of ways to save without leaving home.

Freya Kuka, personal finance blogger, and founder of Collecting Cents, uses several frugal hacks to save money on utility bills.

Some methods she uses to save money include:

• Installing a programmable thermostat
• Reducing the temperature on your hot water heater by a few degrees
• Using a low-flow showerhead
• Keeping your thermostat higher in summer and lower in winter
• Servicing your HVAC regularly and replacing air filters
• Using cold water to do laundry
• Running the dishwasher with full loads only

These money-saving measures can be more impactful over the long run, Kuka said.

“Instead of just getting discounted purchases from time to time, you’re saving money on a regular basis.”

While you’re looking for ways to save around the house, consider how you can negotiate or cut out certain bills. If you need a little help finding savings, consider using a service like Rocket Money, Billshark, or Trim to help reduce expenses.

Related: Trim vs. Rocket Money: Which App Can Save You the Most Money?

Saving Money Doesn’t Have to Be Hard

If you have some savings goals you’re working toward, these frugal hacks can get you on the right path. The tried-and-true methods included here show that it’s possible to save money on just about anything if you’ve got the right tools — and mindset — to commit to saving.

The post 7 Finance Experts Share Their Best Hacks for Saving Money appeared first on DollarSprout.

The trick is finding survey sites that are worth your time and energy. LifePoints, formerly MySurvey, is one option you may have heard of.

LifePoints lets you earn points for taking surveys and completing simple tasks online. You can then turn those points into gift cards for top retailers or redeem them for cash through PayPal. Basically, you get paid to shop just for telling brands what you think about their products and services.

Taking surveys online may not make you rich, but it could put some extra money in your pocket with minimal effort. Curious about whether LifePoints is worth your time? This LifePoints review breaks down everything you need to know.

What is LifePoints?

LifePoints is an online platform that rewards its members or panelists with points for taking surveys.

It’s actually a merger of two other paid online survey platforms, MySurvey and Lightspeed. These were both established companies in the survey-taking space prior to the merge, and LifePoints has continued to live up to that reputation.

10-Point Sign-Up Bonus

10 Points Sign-Up Bonus Earn points just for signing up.

DollarSprout Rating A fun way to earn gift cards or cash.

LifePoints awards members for completing surveys. The points are redeemable for gift cards or cash. The minimum cash-out threshold is 550 points, or $5. The site pays 10 points for signing up and 10 points for completing your profile.

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Pros

• Easy sign-up process (it takes less than 10 minutes to create an account and profile)
• Free to sign up, no credit card or bank account information required
• Wide variety of survey options that you can take online or on your mobile phone
• You only need to earn 550 points to redeem your first $5 reward
• Decent range of redemption options when you’re ready to use your points

Cons

• Some redemption options require a lot more points than others
• Some LifePoints users have complained about technical glitches that have caused them to lose progress in the middle of taking a survey
• Some of the surveys ask unusual/personal questions

Is LifePoints Legitimate?

Yes, LifePoints is a legit online survey company. Its history goes back to 1946, when National Family Opinion (which eventually became MySurvey) was established.

Today, LifePoints operates in 70 countries worldwide and has more than five million members. The company specializes in consumer research done by asking its members to share their opinions on products through surveys.

LifePoints isn’t a scam, and you’re not asked to share your financial information in case you’re worried about being hacked. However, you do have to share some personal details, such as your household income and marital status, to get started with taking surveys.

Related: 38 Easy Ways to Make Money Fast When You Need It

How Does LifePoints Work?

LifePoints works by letting you earn points as a panelist for doing various tasks. Mainly, this means taking surveys, but you can also get paid to test products, complete mini-polls, and participate in data collection activities.

As you accumulate points, you can then redeem them for rewards in the LifePoints Rewards Center. Points can be used toward gift cards or cash.

Here’s a closer look at how to get started with LifePoints, how to earn points, and how to redeem them.

Become a LifePoints panelist

Signing up with LifePoints is simple. You go to the website, hit the ‘Join Now’ button, and complete your application.

There are a few things LifePoints needs for your application, including your first and last name, email address, and physical address. You also have to provide your date of birth and gender.

Next, you’ll check off the boxes to accept LifePoints’ terms and conditions. Once you do that, LifePoints will send a confirmation email to verify your account. When you verify your account, you’ll automatically earn 10 points.

This step is where it gets interesting. LifePoints will ask you more questions about things like:

• Household size
• Number of children living with you
• Income

Then you take your first survey to earn another 10 points. The questions may seem a little unusual. For example, here are a few of the questions I got while completing my initial onboarding:

• Do you personally own a pet snake?
• Have you completed a marathon in the last 3 months?
• Have you been written a ticket for running a red light in the past 6 months?

After taking your first survey, you’ll get 10 points.

You’ll then be directed to your personal dashboard, which looks like this:

You can easily see how many points you’ve earned and how many more points you need before you can redeem them. If there are any survey opportunities waiting for you, you’ll see those here as well.

Earning points with LifePoints

Earning points with LifePoints is easy. LifePoints adds surveys to your dashboard, you choose which ones you want to take and complete them.

After completion, points are awarded automatically. Some tasks pay more points than others. For example, I took a poll that earned me one point for answering a question about whether or not I smoke.

Other surveys can take longer to complete, and LifePoints updates your dashboard with new surveys daily. If you don’t have any surveys in your dashboard, you can head to the LifePoints Community to see what opportunities are available.

For example, here’s a quick look at some of the surveys featured on my Community page today:

I decided to do one called “What is your favorite form of potato?” because it seemed fun and easy. Plus, who doesn’t like potatoes?

When I clicked on the button to take the survey, it took me to a Typeform page where I had to decide on the best way to eat potatoes. I chose waffle fries.

I didn’t earn any points for this, but it was fun.

Related: 29 Best Mystery Shopper Jobs & Companies

Redeeming rewards with LifePoints

Once you’ve accumulated some points, you can start redeeming them for gift cards or cash from PayPal.

You just click the “Rewards” tab on your dashboard to see redemption options. You can filter by the minimum number of points required or choose from any of the retailers listed on the home page.

How much are LifePoints worth? 

Redemptions vary based on the number of points required. For example, you’ll need 5,400 points for a $50 e-gift card to brands like Best Buy, Target, and Lowe’s. But you only need 541 LifePoints for a $5 Amazon card or 600 points for a $5 PayPal cash payout.

The gift card options are pretty good compared to other survey sites I’ve used. For example, you can redeem points for gift cards to places like:

• eBay
• Google Play
• iTunes
• Sephora
• Starbucks
• Bass Pro Shop
• Bath & Body Works
• CVS Pharmacy
• Domino’s
• Kohl’s
• Nordstrom

You can also donate points to charity through PayPal. Again, you need 600 points to redeem for a $5 PayPal cash reward.

Redeeming points just involves clicking a button. You choose which redemption option you want, add it to your cart, and check out to spend your LifePoints.

LifePoints Alternatives

LifePoints isn’t the only legitimate survey website you can use to make extra money. If you’re looking for some other survey sites to try, here are a few worth checking out:

• Swagbucks lets you earn points toward free gift cards by watching videos, taking surveys, searching the web, and shopping online. If you do all of those things regularly, you could have even more opportunities to earn rewards than you would with LifePoints. The site also offers a $10 sign-up bonus for new members.
• Survey Junkie also rewards you with points for taking surveys that you can turn into gift cards or cash. Each 1,000 points earned is worth $10 in redemption value.
• With InboxDollars, you can earn money watching videos, taking surveys, or playing games. Tasks can pay anywhere from a few pennies to a few dollars each and the more time you spend on the site, the more you could earn.

In Review

Overall, LifePoints can be an easy way to earn free gift cards or cash in your spare time. You can do one or two surveys a day or more, if they’re available, to pile up points.

I personally haven’t had any negative experiences with LifePoints, either during the sign-up process or when taking a survey.

I have come across some comments from LifePoints panelists in online forums that mentioned issues with the website glitching out in the middle of taking surveys, causing them to lose all their progress.

The Trustpilot reviews for LifePoints are largely positive, and the site has a 4.6 rating with almost 12,000 reviews. I saw only one negative review that mentioned the glitch. Most users seem to be highly satisfied with the site’s ease of use and ability to earn taking surveys.

Related: 15 Legit Ways to Get Free Gift Cards (Apple, Visa, & More)

The post LifePoints Review: Everything You Need to Know About the Free Survey App appeared first on DollarSprout.

Chances are, you’re paying for one or more expenses you don’t really need. But when you don’t have time to comb through all your transactions one by one to look for savings, there’s a tool you can use to do the work for you.

Trim is designed to be your own personal financial assistant for saving money. But can Trim really save you money and help lower your bills? We asked three Trim users to share their savings insight.

How Trim Works

Trim is a financial health company that’s dedicated to helping people solve their financial problems. The Trim financial assistant reviews your spending and looks for opportunities to cut out unnecessary expenses. But Trim can also help with other financial goals, like saving or paying down debt.

Try Trim for Free

Free Price Fees vary for premium features

DollarSprout Rating 4.5 out of 5 stars

Trim is a financial service that helps you negotiate bills, find and cancel subscriptions, and look for better deals on things you already pay for. The free plan also comes with monthly spending reports and some budgeting capabilities. Premium services such as bill negotiation and automated savings come with fees.

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Pros

• Free to sign up
• Negotiates bills on your behalf
• Helps cancel unwanted subscriptions
• Can get credits for cable and internet during power outages
• Cash back offers help you save money when shopping
• Convenient communication through Facebook Messenger

Cons

• No mobile app
• Must link your financial accounts
• Bill negotiation takes 33% of your yearly savings

Once Trim finds unnecessary expenses, it lets you know what they are so you can cancel them. These include often-overlooked expenses such as subscriptions, streaming services, and bank fees.

According to the company’s website, Trim has saved its users more than $40 million automatically and can lower individual bills, including cable TV and phone services, by up to 30%.

Trim offers both free and paid memberships. Free accounts include a personal finance dashboard where you can view spending alerts and reminders. For free users, Trim will also find and fight overdraft fees, detect and cancel unwanted subscriptions, and more.

Paid premium accounts include bill negotiation, debt payoff, and Trim Simple Savings.

Trim Simple Savings is an automated savings account that you can link to your checking account at your bank. Under the current promotional terms, you can earn a 4% annual reward on the first $2,000 in the account. After that, the interest rate drops to 0%. Like other savings accounts, your money is FDIC-insured up to $250,000.

Related: Trim Review: The Tool that Automatically Lowers Your Bills & Saves You Money

3 People Who’ve Saved Money Using Trim

Before testing out any new financial tool, it’s helpful to hear from people who have actually used it. If you’re considering using Trim to save money on bills, check out these personal saving success stories.

Willie uses Trim to save $40/month

Some people assume that saving money is only worthwhile if you can save large amounts at a time. But even small savings can add up and count toward your financial goals.

Willie Greer, founder of The Product Analyst, uses the Premium version of Trim, which you can try for free for 14 days, to save $40 a month on unnecessary expenses.

He was able to use Trim to cut $20 a month, or $240, a year from his cell phone bill. Greer has been using Trim to help cut costs for a year and says the savings he’s earned have been worth the fees he’s paid for the service.

His best tips for using Trim? Be smart about using the negotiation services and relying on the app to do all your money-saving for you. “Remember, the app should save you more money, not cost you more,” he said.

Here’s how bill negotiation with Trim works:

• You provide Trim with your service provider account information and current bill amount
• Trim reviews your bills to try to find better plans or promotions
• If Trim is able to lower your bill and save you money, you pay them 33% of your yearly savings

If you save $10 a month for 12 months, you’ll pay Trim $40. Make sure to weigh potential savings against the fee to help you decide whether paying for bill negotiation is worth it.

Related: Trim vs. Rocket Money: Which App Can Save You the Most Money?

Matt saved over $500 annually using Trim by cutting unused subscriptions

Matt Schmidt, owner and CEO of Burial Insurance Pro, has been using Trim for a little over a year and says it’s been an eye-opener for his spending habits.

“It really showed me how many subscription services I was paying for and ultimately didn’t need or use,” he said. He eventually eliminated about $500 in unnecessary spending, including:

• $15/month for Adobe Acrobat
• $12.99/month for Amazon Prime
• $14/month for pet insurance for a pet who had passed away
• $9.99/month for Sirius Radio

Trim helped Schmidt and his wife discover that they’d doubled up on subscriptions and were paying twice for the same thing. With the pet insurance fee, he estimates they’d paid it for 10 months without thinking to cancel it after losing their pet.

Some of the subscription services Trim monitors for includes things like:

• Streaming TV, music, and movie services
• Recurring software subscriptions
• Video game subscription services
• Paid subscriptions that kick in after free trial periods expire

These all fall under the heading of “gray charges,” meaning they’re small expenses that are easy to forget about it. If you have any of these, the free version of Trim can help you find and cancel them.

Anshul saves $50 to $60/month and earns cash rewards

If you’re caught between trying to pay off debt and save, Trim can make doing both easier.

Anshul Kahar, founder of personal finance blog Acetechdollar, has used Trim since 2018 and says it saves anywhere from $50 to $60 a month on bills. In addition to that savings, Kahar also picks up extra cash through Trim Simple Savings rewards.

The Trim Simple Savings account is included with a Trim Premium membership, which costs $99 per year. You can only earn a max of $80 a year in interest with the Trim savings account, so make sure you use the other features before signing up for a paid membership.

Premium membership also includes bank negotiation, regular and medical bill negotiation, subscription cancellation, financial coaching, and automatic credit card payments, the last of which Kahar says has helped with saving money on credit card interest charges.

Related: How to Cancel Subscriptions and Save Money on Autopilot with Rocket Money

Trim Makes Saving Money Hassle-Free

If you’re looking to plug the leaks in your budget, Trim can help you find the money to save. Whether it makes more sense to use the free version or the paid version depends on if you have the time or desire to negotiate your own bills or would prefer Trim to do the work for you.

Keep in mind that Trim won’t be much help for something like saving money on groceries or eating out less. But there are plenty of cash-back apps, such as Rakuten or Ibotta, that you can use to earn money back on those purchases and boost your savings even more.

The post Advice From 3 People Who Use Trim to Save Hundreds appeared first on DollarSprout.

Ibotta and Rakuten are two top shopping apps for earning cash back on purchases. Both can offer cash rewards when you shop partner merchants — but how do you make the most of them? Tana Williams, personal finance expert and founder of Debt Free Forties, shares her best frugal secrets for saving hundreds of dollars with Ibotta and Rakuten.

How to Maximize Savings With Ibotta and a Rakuten Like a Pro

Both Ibotta and Rakuten are cash back apps that reward you for shopping in-store or online. Williams has racked up approximately $500 in savings with Ibotta and $330 with Rakuten.

It’s easy to sign up for Ibotta or create a free account with Rakuten. Once you do, you can power up your cash back earnings with these tips.

1. Compare cash-back offers before you shop.

Williams’ first tip for making the most of cash back offers with Ibotta and Rakuten is to run the numbers before you shop.

“Compare the cash back percentages and coupons,” she said. “It’s surprising how wildly the amount of savings can vary.”

That starts with getting to know the retailers in each app’s merchant network. Ibotta works with approximately 300 retailers, including grocery and department stores. Rakuten’s partner network includes more than 2,500 stores. But there’s some overlap between the two.

For example, right now you can earn up to 10% cash back at Macy’s through Rakuten, but the rate is only 6% through Ibotta. If you’re not taking the time to compare offers from merchants across both platforms, you could be shortchanging your cash back earnings.

Related: Rakuten Review: How Does the Cash Back App Work? Is it Legit?

2. Time purchases carefully.

Cash back offers can fluctuate seasonally, so it’s smart to keep an eye on the calendar to maximize savings. For instance, Rakuten routinely offers double and triple cash back promotions seasonally that make getting paid to shop even more attractive.

Some of the seasonal deals you may want to keep an eye out for include:

• Back to school and fall promotions
• Holiday shopping
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
• Graduation promotions

While these deals usually don’t apply to every store, it’s worth waiting to make a purchase to snag them, Williams said. If you’re patient, you could easily multiply your savings on things you were planning to buy anyway.

Related: Ibotta Review: Is the $20 Sign Up Bonus Worth It?

3. Don’t miss out on added coupon savings.

Ibotta and Rakuten can both put cash in your pocket, but coupon deals can add even more to your savings total, Williams says.

There are two ways to make the most of coupons with either app. First, start by checking the coupon deals offered online at Rakuten.

Rakuten features daily coupons and promo codes that can save you money. These coupon deals combine instant savings with cash back, so it’s worth your time to scan what’s available that day before you shop.

The other way to leverage coupons is by stacking them when you shop with Ibotta. Let’s say you have a manufacturer coupon for laundry detergent. You can apply the coupon at the checkout when shopping in the store, and then scan your Ibotta receipt to get cash back rebates.

Coupons and promo codes are a simple way to double dip, but read the fine print and make sure you can stack them with cash back offers. If you can only choose one, Williams says to check the promo code or coupon savings against the cash back offer to see which one has the bigger payoff.

Also, look out for stores marked “Coupons Only” or “No Discount” when shopping Rakuten. In that case, you’ll only get the coupon deal advertised, but won’t earn cash back.

Related: 10 Best Apps Like Ibotta to Earn Rebates and Get Cash Back

4. Compare in-store versus online deals.

Both Ibotta and Rakuten let you earn cash back rewards when you shop online or in stores. But that doesn’t mean cash back deals are always the same.

For example, Dick’s Sporting Goods offers 1% cash back when you make a purchase online, but 1.5% cash back when you shop in the store with Rakuten. On the other hand, you can earn 10% cash back shopping Calvin Klein online, but only 2% cash back in stores.

When weighing in-store versus online cash back offers at Rakuten, consider the trade-offs.

For example, you could earn more cash back going to a store, but you’re also spending time and money driving there. If the cash back gap isn’t that wide, it might make more sense to shop online and save yourself some time.

“If you’re shopping in-store with Ibotta, make sure you’ve added the offers you want to take advantage of before completing your purchase”, Williams says. Otherwise, you won’t be able to redeem the offers after you check out.

Related: 11 Best Shopping Apps to Score Epic Savings

5. Consider a cash back credit card, but weigh the pros and cons.

Cash back credit cards are another easy way to stack cash back savings with Ibotta and Rakuten, Williams says.

Let’s say you have a cash back card that pays you back 3% at grocery stores and department stores. You have an Ibotta rebate offer for 3% back at your favorite grocery store and a Rakuten offer for 10% back at the department store you shop at most often.

If you were to pair your card with those offers, you could easily earn 6% back on groceries and 13% back on department store purchases. That assumes, however, that you’re paying your card balance in full each month.

Carrying a balance month to month means paying interest, which essentially negates your cash back earnings. Before you shop, consider your credit card spending and payment habits to make sure you won’t cost yourself money in the long run.

Saving Money with Ibotta and Rakuten Has Never Been Easier

If the idea of using money-saving apps sounds good, then Ibotta and Rakuten can both help with making your frugal goal a reality. The key is knowing how each one works so you can make the best use of them.

Don’t forget to have a plan for the cash back you’re earning so you can stretch those extra dollars in your budget as far as possible. You can use the funds to save for a down payment on a house, an emergency fund, or as extra spending money in your budget.

The post This Savings Pro Collected $830 from Ibotta and Rakuten Last Year. Here’s How She Did It. appeared first on DollarSprout.

With an internet connection and a laptop, it’s possible to learn almost anything from anywhere. This creates new opportunities for people who may not be certified or traditional teachers to share their knowledge with others while making a profit.

Online teaching platforms like Outschool let you teach from the comfort of home in your spare time. The main criteria for leading a class and making money on Outschool is a passion for educating, rather than a teaching degree.

But what makes Outschool different from other online teaching sites? How do you make money teaching online when you have zero professional teaching experience?

If you’re interested in pursuing online teaching jobs as a side hustle, Outschool could be a great opportunity; but there are a few things to know first.

What is Outschool?

Outschool is an online learning marketplace that connects K-12 learners with independent teachers.

While other online learning platforms cater to adults, this one is just for kids. That includes kids who attend regular school, homeschoolers, unschoolers, and any other student who’s interested in digital learning.

This San Francisco-based startup encourages learning in a social setting while giving families a chance to choose what kids learn based on their interests and needs. It’s a unique take on traditional online tutoring for kids.

How Does Teaching on Outschool Work?

Outschool features one-time classes, ongoing classes, summer courses, and courses designed to fit a flexible schedule. Topics are left up to the teachers and run the gamut from learning about astronomy with Harry Potter to how to set up and run a YouTube channel.

Robyn Parets, owner of Pretzel Kids, a company that certifies people to teach yoga to children, was one of the first teachers to join Outschool when the program launched. She offers curriculum-based kids’ yoga classes through the platform.

“I thought it would be a great way to teach yoga to kids all over the globe – and earn extra income,” she says.

As a teacher, you decide what and how many classes you want to teach, how many students you want to teach per class, and set the class schedule. You list your course on the Outschool platform, students sign up, and you get paid through PayPal.

The majority of Outschool classes are taught online so kids have a chance to interact with teachers and each other. But there’s also an option to host pre-recorded classes and communicate with students via private messaging.

Related: How to Make Money with VIPKid While Working at Home

Who Can Teach With Outschool?

Outschool has several requirements you need to meet to become an online teacher; but a professional teaching degree isn’t one of them. In fact, you don’t need to have any teaching experience at all.

Here’s what you do need to get started making money as an Outschool teacher:

• One or more ideas for a class you want to offer that meets Outschool’s content policy
• A commitment to meeting Outschool’s community standards regarding communication and professionalism
• Reliable internet service and a laptop or desktop computer to conduct classes
• Basic knowledge of administering an online class
• Good command of written and spoken English
• Residency in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, or the United Kingdom

You also need to be at least 18 years old, have proof of identity, and be able to pass a background check. Outschool uses Checkr to verify your background before you can be cleared to teach.

Parets says the onboarding process is easy as long as you submit all the information Outschool asks for. There are no upfront fees, making this a side hustle you can start with a $0 financial investment.

How Much Does Outschool Pay?

Outschool’s platform is designed to give teachers control of their earning potential.

When you create a class, it’s up to you to decide how much to charge. For example, say you want to offer a one-time class teaching kids how to play a Lady Gaga song on the ukulele.

You can choose what to charge based on what you’re teaching and how long the class will meet. In this example, based on an actual class available on Outschool, the class is $15 for 20 minutes of learning.

If you’re teaching an ongoing class, you can base the fee on the number of lessons instead. For instance, Parets charges $20 per learner for a one-time 30-minute drop-in yoga class, but also offers a four-week class priced at $40 per learner.

“Over the past couple of months, I’ve earned several hundred dollars teaching three to four classes a week with anywhere from two to eight students enrolled in each class,” she says.

According to Outschool, the typical teacher earns around $40 an hour, though some top-performing teachers make $10,000 a month through the site. That’s a serious motivator to consider online teaching if you’re looking for a high-paying side hustle.

Consider the fees.

When setting your prices, however, make sure you’re taking into account Outschool’s fee. It gets a 30% share of your earnings. So if you charge $100 for a class, it’ll keep $30. That’s higher than many platforms; but it could be worth it.

Parets says she doesn’t mind paying the fee since Outschool handles hosting for classes as well as the burden of collecting and processing payments from parents. “That allows me and other teachers to do what they do best: teach,” she explains.

Related: How a Retired Teacher Makes $2,500 per Month as an English Language Tutor

Starter Guide: How to Be Successful on Outschool

If you want to make money sharing what you know with young learners, Outschool could be a worthwhile side hustle to try.

With that in mind, here are some helpful tips for getting started.

1. Pick a great topic to teach.

One of the keys to making money on Outschool is hosting a class on an in-demand topic.

It’s helpful to spend some time researching classes and other teachers on the site to see what’s popular. For example, film animation, multiplication, and forensic science are currently popular topics.

2. Get the pricing right.

Pricing your classes can be tricky since you don’t want to lowball your efforts or set the price so high that it scares families away. Do some research to see what similar courses are charging to make your price competitive while still earning a profit.

And of course, remember to factor in Outschool’s fee to estimate how much you’ll clear from each round of teaching.

3. Make sure your classes are visible.

“If you build it, they will come” sounds great, but if you want your class to get attention, you’ll need to take the reins.

“While Outschool offers a great platform and does market classes, you also have to pull your own weight,” Parets says.

Promoting your class on social media, through your website or blog if you have one, or even on LinkedIn are all good ways to spread the word.

Teaching with Outschool Can Offer Income and Flexibility

Becoming an online teacher could be a great side hustle for moms or anyone else who’s interested in helping kids expand their educational horizons. With online learning a hot commodity right now, the potential to make money on your own schedule with Outschool is virtually unlimited.

According to Parets, “If you’re a teacher or have a skill you can easily teach online and keep kids captivated, this is a great side hustle for you.”

Related: 50 Legit Ways to Make Money Online from Home

The post No Degree, No Problem. How to Earn $50/hr Teaching With Outschool appeared first on DollarSprout.