I might have forgotten what Sister So-and-So taught us about Daniel, but I haven’t forgotten the songs.

One such song that we sang went something like this: “I got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart! Where? Down in my heart!”

Another song included these lyrics: “Joy unspeakable and full of glory, full of glory, full of glory…”

We often talked about and sang about joy and happiness in church. As I grew older, however, I discovered that life was not always full of happiness.

Happiness, in many situations, is a state of mind.

Joy, conversely, was a state of my heart.

It was important for me to discover what God said about joy and happiness. He said a ton about both!

Let’s uncover as many Biblical truths about joy and happiness together as possible.

Bible Verses About Happiness

We should be happy, right? I’ve heard some well-meaning Christians demean happiness because it’s reliant upon circumstances.

Can we be real about life? Sometimes circumstances are challenging. We will not always be happy and that is okay. However, we shouldn’t always appear as though we’ve been sucking on a lemon either!

Here are some things that God, through His Word, says about happiness.

Psalm 128:2 When you eat the fruit of the labor of your hands, You will be happy and it will go well for you.

Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding.

Deuteronomy 30:15 See, I have placed before you today life and happiness, and death and adversity.

Ezra 6:22 And they held the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days with joy, because the Lord had made them happy, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them to encourage them in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained But happy is one who keeps the Law.

Ecclesiastes 3:22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?

Isaiah 52:7 How delightful on the mountains are the feet of one who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”

Bible Verses About Joy

Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit. Gifts are freely given but fruit must be cultivated. We partner with God to develop the fruit of the spirit in our lives. It’s not always easy but it is most definitely possible.

Jesus, in the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John, gives us a sneak peek into how fruit is cultivated.

Galatians 5:22–23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law.

James 1:2–3 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

I Chronicles 16:27 Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in his place.

Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set You above your companions by anointing You with the oil of joy.

Psalm 35:27 Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.

Hebrews 12:2 Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Luke 15:10 In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.

Bible Verses About Being Still

At times, life can seem overwhelming. Here are a few verses to remind us that God is in control. He knows our tomorrow better than we know our yesterday. He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

Isaiah 25:9 And it will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let’s rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”

2 Chronicles 20:17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.

Isaiah 40:31 Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.

What Does the Bible Say About Contentment

James informs us that we can be joyful even when our situations are trying. Why? Well, when we put our trust fully in God, we can be confident that His plans for us are good. There will be times when we must overcome challenges but in them, we can be content that Father knows best.

Job 36:11 If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.

Proverbs 19:23 The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Philippians 4:11–13 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Bible Verses About Laughing and Laughter

Laughter is contagious. When I hear a toddler laughing I can’t help but laugh as well.

My wife had a ritual in college that she called her “ugly afghan laugh”. She would wrap herself in an old homemade afghan, lie on the floor, and fake laugh until she would begin to genuinely laugh. When the pressures of life began to overwhelm her she would practice this ritual.

Perhaps we need a genuine belly laugh to readjust our funny bone!

Psalm 2:4 He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.

Job 8:21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting.

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Psalm 126:2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, And our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

I Samuel 2:1 And Hannah prayed and said: “My heart rejoices in the Lord; My horn is exalted in the Lord. I smile at my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation.

Psalm 94:19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.

What Does the Bible Say About Being Joyful

Joy is independent of circumstances and situations. Even when our world appears to crumble around us we can choose to be joyful.

The apostle Paul spoke of rejoicing. That speaks of repeating or reiterating an action. It’s almost as if he thought being joyous was insufficient — we had to do it again!

This is the same person who was in and out of jail because he wouldn’t stop sharing the Good News. When others laid low he would charge full speed ahead into danger.

Here’s a brief synopsis of some of his hijinks:

2 Corinthians 11:24–26 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.

This is the same person who encouraged us to rejoice always…

Psalm 95:1 Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.

Isaiah 49:13 Sing, O heavens! Be joyful, O earth! And break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted His people, And will have mercy on His afflicted.

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Psalm 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Zephaniah 3:17 The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will rejoice over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.

Psalm 95:2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.

Philippians 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Psalm 126:5 Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy.

Bible Verses About Gladness

Luke 1:19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.”

I Chronicles 16:27 Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place.

Psalm 30:11 You have changed my sadness into a joyful dance; you have taken away my sorrow and surrounded me with joy.

Hebrews 1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Proverbs 24:17 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles.

Habakkuk 3:17–18 Even though the fig trees have no fruit and no grapes grow on the vines, even though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no grain, even though the sheep all die and the cattle stalls are empty,
I will still be joyful and glad because the Lord God is my savior.

Revelation 19:6–7 Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord, God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.

Find Happiness And Joy In Him

We all will have good days and bad days. Sometimes we will laugh uncontrollably and other times we will be more reserved. Please know that laughter and joy are part of God’s grand design for us all.

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say, REJOICE!

More Bible Verses To Give You Joy

Want to find more verses to help give you happiness and joy for a future in Christ? Read the articles below, with plenty more verses and commentary.

• Bible Verses About Worry
• Bible Verses About Faith
• Bible Verses About Love
• Bible Verses About Hope
• Bible Verses About Not Giving Up

Don’t have a Bible of your own? Read our article on how to get a free Bible.

You can buy practically anything in their superstores, both online and in store. Walmart is also considered one of the most affordable ways to shop, with practically endless choices and great convenience.

Short of receiving cash, earning free Walmart cards is a great reward.

In this article we’ll explore 17 easy ways to get free gift cards, and it’s easier than ever.

Swagbucks

Swagbucks makes it simple to earn for lots of different activities, including watching videos, taking surveys, downloading apps, and even doing online shopping.

You can earn cash back for your shopping and rack up points as you surf the internet as you would do anyway. Swagbucks is a well established brand, and the company sends thousands of gift cards each day, with over $320 million already paid to its user base.

There are a few aspects of Swagbucks that are really cool. Firstly, there is a wide variety of activities and tasks to earn Swagbucks that can be redeemed for free gift cards. While the surveys don’t tend to pay very much, you can rack up serious points with other activities.

Another nice thing is that you can redeem earnings when your balance reaches just $5, so you don’t need to wait months before you can claim your Walmart gift card. New Swagbucks users can also receive a $5 bonus for creating a new account.

Go to Swagbucks

Nielsen

At some point, you’re likely to have heard about Nielsen research, as it is a well respected research organization. However, what you may not be aware of is that Nielsen pays internet users to simply provide access to your usage.

The Nielsen Computer & Mobile Panel is easy to set up and you can start earning immediately. All you need to do is enable Nielsen access to any of your internet enabled devices and go online every day as you typically would.

Nielsen uses points, and you can track your points on your profile page. When you reach 800 points, you can cash out for a $5 gift card. You can earn rewards per registered mobile device up to $50 each year, but there must be activity on the device to qualify. There is also a sweepstakes payout each month with $10,000 split among 400 winners per month.

Go to National Consumer Panel

Survey Junkie

This is arguably one of the most trusted and popular survey websites and a great way to get a free Walmart gift card.

Survey Junkie pays people to provide honest opinions and help brands to improve products and services. When you sign up for a free account, you can immediately start making money completing surveys matched to your personal profile.

Survey Junkie takes you through how many points you will earn on each survey and how much time it should take before you start any survey. This can be helpful to avoid wasting time on a low paying task.

You will earn $1 for every 100 points, and you can choose to cash out your earnings by gift card or PayPal.

Go to Survey Junkie

Ibotta

Ibotta is a very popular cash back app providing cash back offers on products with lots of retailers and websites. You can claim offers you want and either link the app to your loyalty cards or scan your receipt. This makes it a great way to save money and earn free gift cards.

Not only can you receive Walmart gift cards, but you can also save money on your Walmart shopping. There are plenty of cash back offers for your Walmart purchases, and the offers periodically change, so keep checking the Ibotta app to check what offers are currently available.

The process is straightforward; all you need to do is go to the app and select the products you might buy. When you purchase the item, snap a photo of your receipt and upload it to the app. The rewards can vary greatly; you may get a dollar for buying dog food and $2 for buying a six pack of diet Coke.

There are several pay out options, including a free Walmart gift card. You can also get a $10 bonus when you sign up for a new account.

Go to Ibotta

One Opinion

One Opinion is a platform for taking surveys, and it rewards its users in either gift cards or PayPal credit. You receive points for completing every survey that are added immediately to your account.

What makes One Opinion stand out is that it is well regarded for offering clear details of each task. You will know how long it will take, what you are required to do, and what you will earn before starting any task. This is also supported with excellent customer service. Unlike many platforms, One Opinion offers 24 hours a day Member Services team for any issues or queries you may have about your account, making it easy to earn free gift cards.

Go to One Opinion

Vindale Research

Vindale Research pays users to take surveys on any device, so you can earn free gift cards at home or when you’re out on the go. There are hundreds of surveys added to Vindale Research’s website each day, and the company has already paid out over $6,955,991 to its members for taking surveys.

When you sign up, Vindale Research will ask you to share your demographic information to match you with appropriate surveys. The site allows you to browse the available surveys, or you can rely on the Vindale email notifications as qualifying surveys become available.

Vindale Research protects your personal data with TRUST-e certified data privacy and offers full support. You don’t need to worry about adding up points, as Vindale Research allows you to redeem your earnings as a PayPal transfer or Walmart gift cards.

Go to Vindale Research

Point Club

Point Club allows you to start earning gift cards or cash with a simple two step sign up.

You will earn points for taking surveys, but there are also new ways to earn additional points, such as linking a social media account or confirming your email address. You can redeem your accumulated points for gift cards from a variety of retailers, including Walmart, with a choice of physical gift cards or e-gift cards.

Point Club is completely free, and new users will also receive a $5 bonus for signing up when you first join.

Go to Point Club

MyPoints

MyPoints allows you to earn free gift cards doing fun, easy online tasks. MyPoints users have collectively earned $236 million in rewards to date.

You can earn MyPoints by playing games, watch videos, or taking online surveys. You can also earn cash back on your online shopping from popular retailers, including Amazon, eBay, and Walmart.

Currently, MyPoints offers 15 points for every dollar you spend at Amazon and 8 points for every dollar you spend at Macy’s. There are also special offers, such as 50 points for every dollar you spend at a specific flower delivery website on a special holiday.

You can accumulate points to be exchanged for gift cards for over 75 retailers, including Walmart cards.

MyPoints is also offering a $10 bonus for signing up.

Go to MyPoints

MySoapBox

MySoapBox will pay you gift card reward to help them let brands know how they are doing. This online research community compiles feedback on services, products, and even member experiences, rewarding members with free gift cards. This is a way for the brands to discover how well they are performing, where they can do better, and what they need to do moving forward.

Not only does My Soap Box allow you access to free gift cards by reviewing the things you use, buy and do in your everyday life, but there is also the option to redeem rewards for gift cards from popular retailers.

Go to MySoapBox

Fetch Rewards

Fetch Rewards is an app for iOS or Android that gives you rewards, just for scanning in your grocery receipts.

When you scan in your receipt it will identify products that you bought that can earn you extra points.

For example, I recently bought 2 pints of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream and that gave me an extra 1,000 points for each (or $1 towards a Walmart gift card. It also identified some Pepsi products and Doritos chips. Often you can earn several dollars worth of rewards from one shopping trip, even without trying!

The best way to maximize your earnings is to buy things you were going to buy anyway, but just buy the brand that they have listed in the app to earn bonus points.

You can also earn points by referring other users to the service. Use my referral code, MREFX, during signup and you’ll get 2,000 Fetch Points ($2 bonus) just for signing up with my code. (We’ll get one too!)

Points can stack up pretty quickly, and you can get gift cards from Amazon, Walmart, Visa gift cards, iTunes and tens of other stores.

Go to Fetch Rewards

Drop App

Drop is a rewards app that is completely free to join and use. There are currently over 1 million downloads of the iOS app with an impressive 37,000 reviews.

You can earn points by shopping directly through the app, and you can also link your debit or credit card for automatic points when you shop at specific retailers. If you like using the app and share it with your friends, you’ll earn a further 5,000 points for the first ten referrals that link a card and confirm email addresses.

The rewards from your purchases can take up to 8 days to appear in your account, and once you reach 5,000 points, you can redeem for Walmart gift cards or gift cards for many other popular retailers.

Go to Drop App

How To Redeem Your Walmart Gift Card Code

Walmart gift cards take the form of plastic cards or electronic gift card codes. While you may be familiar with using a plastic gift card at your local store, redeeming your free Walmart gift card codes can be a little more confusing.

Walmart gift cards can be redeemed at:

• Walmart.com
• Samsclub.com
• Walmart Stores
• Walmart Gas Stations
• Sam’s Club Stores
• Vudu.com

To use your gift card code in store, you will need to print it out and take it with you to your local Walmart. The cashier will enter the card number for you as payment, and if there is not sufficient funds on your gift card to cover your purchase, you can make up the difference with another form of payment.

You can also use your gift card code to make an online purchase. When you reach the payment page on checkout, you need to select the “Use a Walmart Gift Card” option and enter the card number. If the amount of your card is more than the purchase, you can store the remaining amount in your online account for a future purchase.

If you have several Walmart gift cards and you want to store them in your account for a future purchase, you can store up to five Walmart gift cards in your account at one time. To save your gift card in your account just do the following:

1. Sign in to Your Account
2. Select Account
3. Under Manage Account, select Gift Cards
4. Select Add a New Gift Card
5. Enter the gift card number, PIN and a gift card nickname
6. Select Save

Your information is now saved in your account and you won’t have to enter the account number or PIN again when redeeming the codes.

Your Walmart gift card can also be used at Walmart gas stations. You will need to choose the pay inside option at your pump and take the card to the Walmart cashier to finish the transaction after you’ve pumped your gas. Again, you will need to print out your gift card, and the cashier will exchange it for a plastic card for use at the pump.

Beware Of Walmart Gift Card Scams

Walmart is very diligent about gift card scams, however, you need to be aware of these scams in order to avoid them.

Many of these gift card scams involve receiving a spam email that asks for personal information in exchange for your free Walmart gift card. You may then be asked to “participate” in “sponsor offers” that may end up costing you fees, subscriptions, or other charges. This is why it is crucial to only use reputable companies, apps or websites to take surveys and earn free Walmart gift cards.

One Walmart gift card scam involved consumers being invited to click on a link and enter a free code. Once you click the link, you need to provide personal details, such as your cell phone number. Once you agree to this, the scammers will start costing you money, as the fine print details that you will be subject to carriage fees and $13 every two days. So, subscribing to the service could cost you for that bit of celebrity news, funny video, or game.

Fortunately, there are some simple measures you can take to protect yourself against scammers. First, only sign up with reputable companies. The ways we’ve listed here to earn free gift cards are reputable companies with a solid reputation for honest service. Additionally, the companies will protect your personal data.

Second, you should always read the terms and conditions of any service before you complete the sign up process.

While these documents are often a little long winded, it is important to read through the details to check for any fees, charges, or other negative aspects that are not widely advertised.

There Are Plenty Of Ways To Get Free Walmart Gift Cards

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to score free Walmart gift cards.

While the majority of these involve taking surveys, there are ways to accumulate points by playing games, watching videos, or even doing your shopping. That means that if you find taking surveys a little boring, you’re not excluded from earning a free Walmart gift card.

Although you need to be wary of scams, there are some highly reputable companies who will reward you for your participation, allowing you to earn gift cards as a decent side gig around your other commitments.

Do you know of other companies that will give you a free Walmart gift card? Tell us what they are in the comments!

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on December 11, 2019.

Today, there are more options available for side jobs than ever before.

Whether you are providing a service in your local area, working through the gig economy, or working online remote side hustles from home, there are plenty of options for making extra money.

This article will cover some of the best side hustles that give you the possibility of making an extra $500 per month. With these side hustle ideas, you’ll be able to easily find the right fit for your own situation.

1. Virtual Assistant

Working as a virtual assistant can be a great side hustle for a few different reasons including plenty of work available, increasing demand for quality VA’s, good income potential, and a flexible work schedule.

A virtual assistant (VA) is a remote worker that provides clients with a wide variety of services. The exact services offered can vary from VA to the next, but some common services include things like customer service, managing social media profiles, forum moderation, writing, blog editing, and other administrative tasks.

Many businesses, especially small businesses and entrepreneurs, choose to outsource work to VAs rather than hiring full-time or part-time employees.

One common criticism about working as a VA is the fact that many VA jobs are low-paying and not a legitimate income unless you live in a developing country. While it’s true that there are a lot of low-paying VA jobs that are outsourced to the Philippines and other parts of the world, there are also plenty of VA gigs that pay quite well. In fact, some VAs are able to charge more than $100 per hour.

As a VA, you’ll have full control over the specific services that you offer. Many of the highest-paid VAs specialize, rather than offering a very wide range of services. By specializing, you are able to brand yourself as an expert in your area of emphasis, and clients will be willing to pay more for your services.

To learn more about working as a VA, please see 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success.

2. Social Media Manager

If you enjoy spending time on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter, why not get paid to do it?

Many business owners don’t have the time to manage their own social media pages/profiles, or they lack the experience or knowledge needed to have a successful social media presence.

As a social media manager, you can provide services to clients who need help, and you can make good money and benefit from a flexible schedule.

Social media managers may take care of all of the day-to-day tasks related to managing a business’s social media account, or they may focus on managing social ad campaigns for clients.

Ad managers will set up advertisements for clients, test and tweak ads to maximize the results, manage the advertising budget, and take care of any other details related to social advertising campaigns.

If you decide to work as a social media manager, you’ll have the opportunity to earn a great income while you are helping clients to improve their businesses.

The Facebook Ads Side Hustle course from Bobby Hoyt teaches students like yourself how to make money by managing Facebook ad accounts for small business clients. Making $500 per month isn’t too difficult with this side hustle, and in fact, you might be able to reach that amount with just a single client.

3. Bookkeeper

Working as a bookkeeper is an under-appreciated side hustle, in my opinion. There are no formal requirments for being a bookkeeper. You don’t need a degree and with some basic experience, you could branch out on your own and start taking clients.

Although you won’t need specific education or many years of work experience to be a bookkeeper, the pay can be quite good. And on top of the earning potential, you’ll benefit from flexible hours that make it a great side hustle or full-time business.

Many of your bookkeeping clients will retain your services month-after-month, which means that once you get a few clients you won’t need to constantly look for work. Making $500 per month is possible with just a handful of clients.

4. Freelancing

There are a number of different types of services that you could offer as a freelancer, including:

• Writing
• Proofreading
• Editing
• Design
• Coding
• And much more

The specifics will depend on the type of services that you offer, but many freelancers are able to earn a very good income. And of course, like some of the options covered already, freelancing offers a lot of flexibility, as well as part-time or full-time potential. The flexibility that comes with freelancing is one of the major draws for many people.

Of course, you’ll need some skills in order to work as a freelancer, but it’s just a matter of identifying the skills you already have, and building on them if necessary. Maybe you have some experience from a past or present job that you could use as a freelancer.

Freelancing is something that I feel very strongly about personally. Back in 2007, I started working as a freelance writer while I was growing my own blog, and it was that freelance work that really made it possible for me to leave my full-time job and enter the world of self-employment. I’ve worked as a freelance writer off-and-on for about 12 years now to make some extra money on the side whenever needed. Actually, I am writing this article as a freelancer, so it is a perfect example of what’s possible.

If you decide to pursue a side hustle as a freelancer, my advice is to focus on services that involve ongoing work, or find ways to turn a one-time service into a package that involves on-going work. Ongoing work means less time looking for new clients and the ability to use a higher percentage of your time for billable work.

5. Photography

Continuing with the trend of service-related side hustles, working as a photographer in your spare time can be another great way to make money.

You could offer family photography, engagements, maternity, newborns, senior portraits, and more. Photographing sports teams, local events, and schools/pre-schools can also be good opportunities. Wedding photography can be very lucrative, but it tends to be more competitive and it can be a high-pressure environment that probably isn’t the best choice if you’re just getting started.

Many of your clients will need evening or weekend sessions to fit around their schedule, so you can also easily do it around your own existing work schedule.

You could make $500 per month with just a few new clients each month, so it’s a very realistic opportunity. To get started, simply check with your friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers and you’ll probably find a few people who would be interested.

6. Design T-Shirts

If you have some design skills, designing t-shirts can be a great way to make money. There are several websites that allow you to sell your designs, but Merch by Amazon is possibly the best opportunity.

Merch by Amazon allows you to tap into Amazon’s massive reach and to make money passively from your own designs. You can upload your designs with no need to purchase inventory or take any risk. Customers will be able to purchase a t-shirt with your design and Amazon will handle printing and shipping the shirt. You’ll earn a commission for every sale.

Due to the fact that Amazon handles pretty much everything aside from the design, Merch by Amazon provides a great way to make passive income. You’ll spend some time creating designs (or outsourcing that work to someone else) and then your work is pretty much done.

In order to start selling through Merch by Amazon, you will need to get an invitation. You can go to the MBA homepage and request an invitation.

Unlike some of the service-related side hustles, selling t-shirts through Merch by Amazon will require more time before you start making money. With a service, you can find a couple of clients and start making money right away. Selling through MBA will require you to get several designs on their platform and slowly build up your revenue.

If you want to learn more, please read this Merch by Amazon review with all the details for sellers.

7. Rent Out a Room

Depending on your situation, you may be able to easily make some extra money each month by renting out a room in your home or apartment.

Many people are turning to short-term rentals through Airbnb or other similar platforms as a great way to make extra money.

Renting a room for short-term rentals gives you the potential to make more money than you could make by renting it out to a long-term tenant, but it will also involve more work on your part. You’ll need to clean the room between each guest, or hire someone to do the cleaning for you.

8. Delivery Driver

If you’re looking for a way to start making money quickly, one of the best options is to work as a delivery driver. There are several restaurant delivery apps like DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats, and Postmates that allow you to apply, get approved, and start working very quickly. Instacart allows you to shop and deliver groceries.

Amazon Flex offers a similar opportunity, but you’ll be delivering packages instead of food.

Some drivers earn $20 per hour or more, so you won’t need to work a ton of hours in order to reach $500 per month.

Aside from the income potential and the opportunity to get started quickly, working as a delivery driver also allows a great deal of flexibility. You can set your own schedule, work whenever you want, and work as much or as little as you want.

Driving for Uber and Lyft get a lot of attention for side hustlers, but most people would prefer to deliver food or packages and not have the need to drive strangers in your car.

9. Flip Products

Another side hustle that is ideal if you want/need to start making money quickly is to buy items and resell them at a profit. You can find plenty of underpriced items at yard sales, flea markets, auctions, estate sales, and thrift stores.

When you find something that is undervalued, you can buy it and resell it through the Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Letgo, or other similar sites.

In some cases, you may need to do a little bit of work to clean up an item or do minor repairs, and in other cases you may be able to sell it as-is with no extra work.

Many people use flipping as a side hustle to make extra money, and some even turn it into a full-time income. And of course, it’s a very flexible side hustle. You can go to yard sales on the weekends or look for new items to buy whenever you have time, and you can post your items for sale online around your existing schedule.

This free workshop will show you how to get started in 14-days or less: Flea Market Flipper

10. Yard Work

If you like to work outside, offering yard work as a side hustle is a perfect way to make some extra money. This could include mowing lawns, trimming plants and shrubs, cleaning up leaves, and snow removal.

There is plenty of work available and jobs to be done in every season, although winter may be slower than other times of the year.

Getting started is easy. All you need is some basic tools and equipment, which you may already have. You can talk to everyone you know, and chances are, you’ll find people who would be interested in hiring you.

Start working with the people you know and try to grow your business through word-of-mouth. You can also post ads to Craigslist, and start a Facebook page or your own website to increase visibility.

11. Pressure Washing

• The work is relatively easy and you don’t need experience
• The equipment needed to get started is relatively inexpensive (as little as $100 for a cheap pressure washer)
• You can earn a decent rate for your time
• There are a lot of people who need your services

Pressure washing is probably not the first side hustle that comes to mind, but it can be a great opportunity for a few reasons:

You can offer to pressure wash sidewalks, driveways, patios, decks, outdoor furniture, houses, and more.

It ‘s possible that you already own a power washer, and in that case you can just start looking for a few customers.

12. Trash Cleanup

This is not the most common side hustle, but it can be a great way to make money either part-time or full-time.

Brian Winch has been earning a six-figure income since the 80’s with a simple trash cleanup business. Now, Brian shows others how to follow his blueprint and run what he calls “America’s simplest business”. His book Cleanlots shows how to set up and run a very efficient and highly-profitable trash cleanup business.

While this may not be the most glamorous side hustle, it can be a great way to make money. One of the really nice things about this type of business is that it can be done part-time or full-time, and can be scaled up if you want to.

Brian’s business model involves contracting to clean up trash from parking lots and areas outside of businesses like retail stores, strip malls, and office buildings. Many businesses and property managers need these services and sometimes there is not much competition. It’s also work that you can easily outsource to someone else and still turn a profit, or you can do the work yourself.

13. Junk Removal

Another not-so-glamorous but potentially-lucrative side hustle is to start a junk removal business. You’ll need a truck or van and somewhere to get rid of the junk, but there is plenty of demand for this type of service.

Some junk removal companies will simply show up, pile the junk in their vehicle and haul it away. Others will actually remove the junk from the customer’s house, which takes more work but also allows you to charge more.

I’ve hired people for junk removal a few times during a move and it’s definitely something I would hire for again in the right situation. So if you’re looking to start a business that offers a much-needed service, this could be a good fit.

This is definitely something you could do part-time or full-time, but the hours may not be as flexible as some of the other options.

14. Handyman

If you’re good at working with your hands, working as a handyman could be the perfect side hustle. Handymen (or women) typically do a wide range of jobs both inside and outside the home or office, and there are always plenty of people looking to hire someone to handle odd jobs for them.

On top of the fact that there is a lot of work available, you can also earn a nice hourly rate by working as a handyman. You’ll also have the flexibility to set your hours (as long as your hours are also convenient for customers) and you could do it part-time or full-time.

You could find customers through word-of-mouth, advertise your services on websites like Craigslist, Thumbtack, or HomeAdvisor, or work through a company like Handy.

15. Painting

Painting (indoor and outdoor) is a task that many people have experience with, and it’s a service that is in high demand. Some people don’t have the time to do their own painting, or maybe they prefer to have someone else do the work for them. Either way, there is a lot of work available for painters.

You could start with simple jobs like painting interior walls and ceilings, or you could get more involved with painting vaulted cathedral ceilings, shutters, and other exterior parts of a house or building.

Painters can demand a nice hourly rate (although most jobs will be priced per project rather than hourly) and it can be done part-time or full-time. It’s also very easy and inexpensive to get started since you don’t need any expensive equipment.

16. Clean Houses

Another service-related business that can be easily run as a side hustle is cleaning houses (or offices). Cleaning typically does not earn as high of an hourly rate as some of the other services covered in this article, but you don’t need a lot of existing experience or skills in order to clean.

Many of your clients will be repeat clients that hire you every week, every month, or whenever they need your services. If you want to do it part-time, just find a few clients and service them. If you want to grow it into something larger, you’ll have that option.

You could find clients on your own, work part-time for an existing cleaning business, or create a profile at a website like Care.com that helps customers to find reliable cleaners.

17. Babysitting

Babysitting may be the original side hustle, but it’s a service that will always be in demand. It’s not just for teenagers either. If you like working with kids, working as a babysitter could be a good way to make some extra money.

Most babysitting gigs will be on the weekends or in the evening, so if you have traditional working hours, this is something you could easily fit around your existing schedule.

There are several websites where babysitters can create a profile to find clients, including Care.com, SitterCity, and UrbanSitter.

18. Dog Walking

If getting paid to exercise sounds good to you, dog walking may be a side hustle that you should consider.

Dog walkers can make good money and $500 per month is a very realistic number.

Websites like Rover and Wag allow you to create a profile so pet owners can find and hire you. With the popularity of these sites, some dog walkers don’t even need to work to find clients on their own.

A great perk of this side hustle is that you can probably start making money fairly quickly. Sign up at Rover or Wag, create your profile, and you’ll be ready to start making money as soon as a client hires you.

19. Teaching/Tutoring

You could provide teaching or tutoring services, either online or in-person (or both). You could find clients on your own or use a site like Wyzant, VIPKid, Tutor.com, or several others.

Some websites and companies that hire tutors or allow tutors to create a profile will have specific requirements, but those requirements will vary from one site to the next. You may need a college degree or you may need some experience, but that is not always required.

And of course, you could also work as a substitute teacher in a local school district.

20. Be A Friend

This may sound like a weird side hustle, but people are actually making money with it. You can create a profile at RentAFriend.com and people who are looking to hire a friend can find you.

You might be wondering why someone would pay another person to be their friend, but there are actually a lot of reasons that make sense. In some cases, the person may want someone to go to the movies with them, or attend a concert or game rather than going by themselves.

The person hiring a friend could be new to the area and not know many people, or even just traveling and passing through town. There are a lot of legit situations where it makes sense.

As a friend, you’ll be able to set your rates and terms. Some friends simply ask for free admission to wherever they are going, but most friends also charge an hourly rate or flat fee.

According to RentAFriend.com, some friends are making $300 — $500 per week just by working weekends (and you get to keep 100% of the money that you charge).

With The Right Side Hustle Jobs You Can Easily Make $500 Or More

As you can see, there are plenty of different ways to make extra money.

Five hundred dollars per month may not sound like a lot of money, but honestly, it can have a big impact on your budget. There are many different ways that you can realistically earn that much outside of a full-time job.

Take a look at the possibilities covered in this article to see what might be a good fit for you, and also keep in mind that you could combine more than one of these options to get the results that you want.

Get creative, find a side hustle that you enjoy, and start making some money on the side!

Wants some more creative side hustle ideas? Check out the Reddit side hustle board.

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on November 6, 2019.

We have two kids, and we like eating out. Our family doubled in size from two to four people within the past few years, and our dining out budget quickly got much more expensive.

One thing that definitely helps keep spending in line is if the kids are eating without paying!

No, we’re not suggesting that they should dine and dash! We’re talking about taking advantage of promotional “kids eat free” policies at local and national chains.

Why not go where your kids can eat free?

So the question is this, where can kids eat free? What restaurants have policies that allow your kids to have a free meal, free dessert or birthday freebie? What days do they offer free kids meals?

Today we’re going to share a giant list of restaurants where your kids can eat for free, and while we’re at it, share a couple of other tips to save you money while you’re eating out. So let’s get started!

Save More At Restaurants By Using Discount Gift Cards

Before we dive directly into the list of restaurants, there are other strategies you can use for saving money while eating out.

For example, if you know where you’re going to be eating out, it’s pretty simple to plan ahead and buy a discounted gift card for the restaurant you’ll be going to.

Use a service like Raise or Gift Card Granny to find a discounted gift card for sale for your restaurant of choice.

• Raise
• Gift Card Granny

Save At Restaurants By Using Cash Back Apps

You can also save while eating out by using a variety of cash back and coupon apps.

For example, we recently ate out at one of our favorite restaurants, and before we went I saw that you could get 5% cash back at that restaurant via the Dosh app.

We used out credit card that was linked to the app and got a $3 cash back payout. An easy win for no real extra work.

Another night out we used the GetUpside app and we saved 10% off our order at Wendy’s.

These apps work great for all kinds of restaurants, grocery stores and online and in-store shopping discounts, not just when you eat out. They’re free to use and are definitely worth a try.

• Dosh App
• Ibotta
• GetUpside
• Rakuten

Ultimate List Of Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free

We scoured the web to find all of the local and national chains that offer free meals for kids. This page has a listing of all of the restaurants that we found where kids can eat for free.

Many of the offers are tied to a specific day of the week, and will carry with them some fine print. Things like you have to have 1 paying adult for each kid, or you can get one kid’s meal free when you pay for a second.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that the offers on this page are subject to change and restaurants often change their policies and promotions that they’re running. Please call to confirm the information on your own, to make sure that your kids will in fact eat for free, and to find out all the fine print for their offers (kids eat free with paid adult, etc).

If you find any on this list that are in error, please let us know and we’ll make an update to the article.

Have your own restaurants, either locally or nationally that offer free food for kids? Tell us what they are in the comments.

Kids Eat Free Every Day Of The Week

Some offers for kids to eat free are tied to a day of the week. Some restaurants, however, offer freebies for kids that aren’t tied to a specific day. Here are some of our favorites.

• Bruster’s Ice Cream: Kids less than 40″ tall will receive a free baby cone.
• Fricker’s: Kids eat free all day, every day, with the purchase of an adult entree.
• McDonald’s: McDonald’s has a mobile app that will regularly give you free happy meals as a perk. Doesn’t need to be used on any particular day.
• Cici’s: Some locations will allow kids under 3 to eat free with the purchase of an adult entree.
• Steak ‘n Shake: Home of some of my favorite burgers, for every $9 spent, you can get one free kids meal.
• Norm’s: One free junior entree with an adult entree purchase.
• Culver’s: Free custard (delicious) for kids 12 and under with purchase of a meal.
• Cafe Rio: Kids 6 and under get a free quesadilla with adult entree.
• On the Border: Free sundae with kids meal purchase. Time for a sugar high!
• Ihop: Kids eat free every day from 4–10pm. Free 12 and under meal with adult meal purchase.

• Dickey’s Barbecue Pit: For every adult entree purchased a kid 12 and under can eat free.
• Woody’s Bar-B-Q: Children 12 and under eat free with the purchase of an adult entree.
• In-n-Out: Not a free meal, but kids can get free hot cocoa on rainy days.
• Golden Corral: Kids 3 and under eat free. Ages 4–12 can get buffet and drink for just 99 cents.
• O’Charley’s: Kids 10 and under eat free with an adult entree.
• Denny’s: Two kids eat free with one adult entree purchase of $6 or more. Call your location as days/times may vary by location.
• Double Dave’s: Buy an adult entree, get one kid’s buffet for free.
• Hard Rock Cafe: One free kids meal with each paid adult at participating locations. For kids 10 and under, every weekday (Mon-Fri).
• 99 Restaurant and Pub: If the Red Sox win, kids 10 and under get a free meal.
• Texas de Brazil: Kids 2 and under eat free with an adult meal. Discounted rates for kids under 12.
• Red Robin: While they don’t have a regular night where your kids can eat free, if you sign up for the “Red Robin Royalty” program your kids get a free burger entree in their birthday month.
• Holiday Inn: Kids eat and stay free. Up to 4 kids eat free with a paid adult.

Kids Eat Free Monday

Shrug off a case of the Mondays with a free meal for the kids!

The following restaurants let the kids eat free on Monday!

• Chili’s: Kids eat free through the Chili’s Rewards program where they’ll send you free kids meal offers that can be redeemed in the restaurant or online.
• Arooga’s: Kids 12 and under can get a free kids meal with one paid adult entree.
• Rock Bottom Cafe: This Minneapolis restaurant and brewery has some great beers, and kids 12 and under eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Which Which: Our local shop closed, but if you have one near you you can get a $0.99 kids meal with a purchase of a regular 7″ sandwich for an adult. Deal valid on Monday or Saturday.
• Texas Roadhouse: Participating locations have kids eat free night. One near me has it on Mondays 4–10pm. Check their site for details.
• Fuddruckers: Kids 12 and under can order from the kids menu for $0.99, drink included. Mondays 4–10pm.
• Macaroni Grill: Kids 12 and under get a free meal with parents paid entree.
• Cinzetti’s: Kids 12 and under eat free between 5–8:30pm. Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Brewzzi: Kids 12 and under eat free, up to 2 kids with one paid adult of $12 or more.
• Cody’s Original Roadhouse: Two kids eat free with each paying adult on Mondays and Tuesdays. Kids 10 and under.
• Planet Sub: Kids eat free all day on Mondays. One free kids meal per paying adult.
• TGI Friday’s: Kids eat free on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Kids Eat Free Tuesday

Get your free food on a Tuesday! It’s a popular day for freebies for the kids!

• Carrows: Kids eat free Tuesdays from 11am to close. Two free kids meals with purchase of a regular priced adult entree.
• Famous Dave’s: Free Lil’ Wilbur Meal on Tuesday for a child 8 and under with purchase of an adult entree.
• Applebee’s: Kids 12 and under eat free on Tuesdays when an adult purchases a full price entree.
• Bennigan’s: With one adult entree purchase you’ll get one free kids meal on Tuesdays.
• Black Eyed Pea: Tuesdays from 5pm til close, kids 12 and under get a free meal with an adult entree purchase.
• Ikea: On Tuesdays, kids eat free at participating locations. Kids love the Swedish meatballs!
• Green Mill: Kids 12 and under eat free with a paid adult on Tuesdays between 4–8pm. Limit 1 kid per adult entree.
• Perkins: On Tuesdays you can get one free kids meal with each paid adult entree.
• Back Yard Burgers: Kids eat free on Tuesdays with an adult combo meal purchase.
• Bob Evans: Kids eat free on Tuesdays after 4pm. Requires purchase of an adult meal for each kid.
• Chevy’s Fresh Mex: Kids eat free all day. Just requires one paying adult with each free kid’s meal.
• Atlanta Bread: Kids eat free from 4pm to close. One free kid’s meal with adult meal.
• Chik-fil-A: Kids eat free on Tuesdays with purchase of an adult combo meal between 5:30–8:30pm. Some locations may charge $0.99. Also sign up for their mobile app for regular freebies.
• Lone Star Steakhouse: Get 2 kids meals free on Tuesdays with the purchase of 1 adult meal.
• Moe’s Southwest Grill: You get a free kids meal with every paying adult. Kids eat free all day Tuesdays.
• Captain D’s: Kids eat free on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays. Up to 2 free kids meals with each adult dinner purchased.
• Godfather’s Pizza: Kids 10 and under eat free with paid adult.
• Pizza Street: Kids age 4 to 9 eat free with adult purchase every Tuesday night from 4–9pm.
• Ponderosa Steakhouse: Two kids eat free with every adult meal purchased, Tuesdays after 4pm.
• Shari’s: From 10am-11pm on Tuesdays, 2 kids eat free with every adult meal purchase.
• Souplantation: Club Veg members get a free kids meal.
• Sweet Tomatoes: Join Club Veg and get a free kids meal.
• Luna Grill: One free kids meal with an adult purchase of a salad, wrap or plate. 10 and under.
• Uno’s Chicago Grill: Tuesdays kids can eat free with an adult meal purchase.
• Fazoli’s: Not free, but almost. Pay $0.99 for a kids meal on Tuesdays, from 5–8pm. Up to 2 kids meals with 1 adult entree.
• Ruby Tuesday: Buy an adult entree and you get a free kids meal. Tuesdays from 5pm until close.
• Smashburger: Kids eat free from 4–9pm on Tuesdays. Adult entree purchase required.
• Genghis Grill: Kids 12 and under eat free with an adult meal purchase.
• Chompie’s: Kids 10 and under eat free all day Tuesday with the purchase of an adult entree.
• Freebirds: Kids 12 and under get a free kid sized entree with an adult entree purchase on Tuesdays.
• Beef O’ Brady’s: Kids eat free every Tuesday with the purchase of an adult entree.
• Marie Callender’s: Kids 12 and under eat free on Tuesdays and Saturdays, with an adult entree purchase. Plus kids get free pie!
• Pizza Ranch: Tuesday 4–8pm kids 12 and under. 1 free buffet with adult buffet purchase.
• Zaxby’s: From 4–9pm on Tuesdays, kids get a free meal with an adult meal purchase.
• Hy-Vee Market Grille: Kids eat free on Tuesdays 11am to close.

Kids Eat Free Wednesday

The kids can eat free on a Wednesday at a variety of places.

• Claim Jumper: Every Wednesday kids eat free with a paid adult entree. Might be a limited time deal, so call for details.
• Luby’s: Wednesdays after 4pm you get a free kids meal with an adult meal purchase.
• Bertucci’s: Every Wednesday receive one free kids meal with every adult entree.
• Qdoba Mexican Grill: Kids eat free on Wednesdays, although some locations may have a different day.
• Firehouse Subs: Get a free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entree. Deal available on Wednesdays 5–8pm.
• East Coast Wings: From 3:30 to close on Wednesdays, kids eat free with an adult entree purchase.
• Logan’s Roadhouse: Children 12 and younger eat free with an adult entree purchase.
• Jeffrey’s Sports Grill: One free kids meal with every paid adult meal. Wednesdays from 5–9pm.
• Little Bitty Burger Barn: Kids 10 and younger eat free with a paid adult meal. Wednesdays from 5–8pm.
• Skyline Chili: Get one free kids meal with an adult entree purchase of at least $5. Wednesdays from 5–9pm.
• Mr Gatti’s Pizza: Purchase an adult buffet meal, kids 10 and under get a free kid’s buffet.
• Friendly’s: From 4pm to close kids eat free with an adult combo purchase.

Kids Eat Free Thursday

Thursday specials aren’t as easy to find, but there are a few.

• Johnny Rockets: Kids eat free on with the purchase of an adult entree and beverage. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4pm-8pm.
• C.B. & Potts: Kids 12 and under eat for $1 on Thursdays with a full priced adult meal. Days and location participation vary.
• The Chartroose Caboose: With an adult meal purchase, kids eat free on Thursdays.
• Cafe Brazil: From Sunday through Thursday, kids 12 and under get a free meal with an adult entree purchase.
• Old Country Buffet: Kids don’t eat free, but almost. $1.99 buffet with adult buffet purchase.
• Quaker Steak & Lube: Kids eat free with adult entree purchase. 10 and under.

Kids Eat Free Friday

Friday night everyone is out having fun, and not many places are offering specials.

• Shoney’s: Kids under 4 eat free with an adult meal purchase on Fridays.
• JJs Grill: Kids eat free every day with purchase of an adult entree.
• Maple Tavern: One free kids meal per adult entree.

Kids Eat Free Saturday

One of my favorite restaurants, Fogo, offers a special on Saturdays. Beyond that pickings are slim.

• Fogo de Chao: One of my very favorite restaurants. Kids 6 and under are always free. Kids 7–12 are always half price.
• Texas Land and Cattle: Kids eat free Saturdays from 11am-4pm.

Kids Eat Free Sunday

Sundays are a popular day for families to dine out, so there’s a few more options for kids to eat free.

• Zebb’s Grill and Bar: For each adult meal purchased, kids 10 and under at eat free.
• Bonfire Wood Fire Cooking: One free kid’s menu item per adult entree purchased from 4–9pm on Sunday.
• Crave: One free kid’s meal per adult entree purchased.
• Willy McCoy’s: One free kids meal with an adult meal purchase.
• D’Amico and Sons: 1 Kid 10 and under eats free with each adult meal purchase.
• Jose Pepper’s: Kids eat free all day Sundays.
• Souper! Salad!: Kids 4 and under eat free with adult purchase.
• Slim Chickens: Kids eat free on Sundays all day. One free kid’s meal with purchase of an adult entree.
• Baja Fresh: Get one free kids meal with a purchase of an adult entree with drink.
• Jason’s Deli: Kids under 12 eat free all day Sunday (sometimes Monday or Wednesday). For each paying adult get one free kids meal.
• Arriba Mexican Grill: Kids eat free on Sundays. One kids meal per paying adult.
• White Castle: Kids eat free on Sundays from 4–8pm. Purchase of an adult meal over $4 is required.
• Salsarita’s: Kids eat free Sunday and Tuesday from 4–8pm with an adult entree purchase.
• The Nook: Kids eat free Sunday with a paid adult meal, 4–9pm. This is a local St. Paul, Minnesota place. I only add it because they have what I consider some of the best burgers in our area.

Offers & Specials May Vary By Location

I mentioned it above, but I feel it’s important to mention it again. Offers for kids to eat free can vary over time, and by restaurant location.

Some franchisees might offer the free meal to kids, while other locations of the same restaurant will swear the special doesn’t exist. It may not at their particular location.

Make sure you call ahead before you leave the house, make sure they offer the free meals for kids where you’re going. If they don’t, find somewhere else to eat. We’d also appreciate if you leave a comment for us here so we can update the post and remove any offers that no longer exist.

Have a great meal!

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on October 18, 2019.

A work-from-home job can free up a significant amount of time that can be used for other things, like more quality time with family and friends, or more time to pursue a hobby.

Not only will you be able to save time by working from home, but you’ll also be able to save money on gas, car maintenance, insurance, lunch, and clothes.

There are many significant reasons to work from home, and most people don’t need to be convinced about the perks of working from home. An online job from home is desirable to most employees who currently commute to an office.

I’ve been fortunate enough to work from home for almost 11 years now, and I hope that this list will help you to find an opportunity that may allow you to do the same.

The Best Work From Home Jobs

We’ve taken a look at a wide variety of work from home jobs for moms (and dads), for teens and students, part time and full time.

You can be assured that while not all of these are easy, they are in fact real work from home jobs, not crazy MLM scams. So let’s jump right in.

1. Sales

Some sales jobs offer a lot of flexibility. It really depends on the job, but you may be able to work out of a home office and avoid commuting every day.

Many sales reps are able to use the phone, email, and online conferencing to get the job done. Of course, some sales jobs do require travel, but that’s not always the case.

Another reason why sales is a great opportunity is that there are always sales jobs available. Even when the job market is tight, companies need salespeople.

How Much Can You Make?

According to PayScale, the average salary of an outside sales representative is $49,257.

How to Get Started

You can search Indeed (or any other job board) for remote sales jobs, or go to a company like NexRep that hires for phone-based sales jobs.

2. Bookkeeper

Working as a bookkeeper can be a great job, and it often comes with the flexibility to work from home.

You could get a job as a bookkeeper or start your own bookkeeping business. Starting your own business will give you the chance to work from home, and working for someone else may or may not allow you to work from home.

Working as a bookkeeper can also be a great option because it does not require you to have a college degree. Of course, the specific requirements can vary depending on the job, but many bookkeeping jobs do not require a degree.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale lists the average salary for a bookkeeper at $49,929.

How to Get Started

If you’re looking for a job, you can search any job board for remote bookkeeping jobs. AccountantList is another great resource for finding jobs, especially remote jobs. Many companies will provide training for entry-level bookkeeping jobs.

3. Freelance Writer

If you enjoy writing, working as a freelance writer may be a perfect fit. As a freelancer, you can work from home or anywhere with an internet connection.

With countless websites and blogs producing new content every day, there is a strong demand for freelance writers. And one of the best things about writing for websites and blogs is that many of your clients will hire you for ongoing work. Once you land enough clients, you won’t need to constantly dedicate time to finding work.

Working as a freelance writer is an entry-level job that doesn’t require specific experience. You could put together a few writing samples and immediately start applying for jobs.

A nice perk of being a freelance writer is the fact that you can write on just about any topic, so it’s possible to use your existing experience and knowledge or write about a topic that you enjoy.

How Much Can You Make?

According to PayScale, the average freelance writer makes $40,299 per year.

How to Get Started

There are a number of job boards that are dedicated to freelance writing and blogging opportunities, including ProBlogger, Blogging Pro, and FreelanceWriting.com. You can set up your own blog and publish articles to serve as writing samples, and then apply to opportunities that you find at job boards.

While the job boards can be helpful, many of the opportunities on those job boards will be somewhat low-paying. Another option is to proactively contact websites and blogs that publish articles from freelance writers. It takes a little more effort, but you can often find better jobs with this approach.

4. Pet Sitter

While it’s not a typical online job, and the work that you’ll be doing is offline, the internet offers great opportunities for finding clients for pet sitting and dog walking services. Websites like Rover make it easy to create a profile and allow clients to find you.

In my opinion, this is one of the more underrated ways to make money. You don’t need any specific experience and the pay can be quite good. Starting a home-based doggy daycare is something that you may want to consider if you’re an animal lover.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale lists the average salary of a pet sitter at $30,000.

How to Get Started

Rover is the best platform for promoting your pet sitting and dog walking services. If you want to learn from someone who is making $40,000+ per year with a simple home-based doggy daycare, read How to Become a Pet Sitter.

5. Web Developer

If you have some coding skills, working as a web developer is a natural fit. You could freelance and find your own clients, or land one of the many remote jobs for developers.

If you don’t already have the coding skills or experience, it’s something that you can learn without the need to attend a traditional college. Flatiron School offers online courses (as well as classroom training in some cities) that are intended to teach you everything you need to land a job in just a few months.

And while coding is a perfect opportunity for some people, another option is work as a web designer. Designers typically handle the visual aspect and sometimes the HTML and CSS coding, whereas developers deal with the more complex coding.

How Much Can You Make

The average salary for a web developer is $59,029, according to PayScale, making it the highest-paying opportunity on this list.

How to Get Started

If you have already have some coding ability, there are plenty of job boards that showcase positions for web design and development. See this list of web design/development job boards. On these job boards, you’ll be able to find both freelance and employment opportunities.

6. Graphic Designer

Graphic designers can offer a wide variety of services including logo design, brochure design, illustration, packaging design, social media images, and much more. You can specialize in a certain area or offer a broad range of services.

This is another one that could be done on a freelance basis or as a remote employee. Many companies are hiring remote workers for graphic design positions.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale lists the average salary for a graphic designer at $44,084.

How to Get Started

Create a portfolio website if you don’t already have one, and you can find graphic design jobs at most of the job boards from the link above for web design jobs.

7. Social Media Manager

If you spend hours on sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest, you probably already have some experience that would allow you to help business owners who don’t have time to manage their own social media profiles.

As a social media manager, you could offer clients a service of managing their profiles for them. Many social media managers will also manage advertising accounts for clients. If you don’t have experience with Facebook Ads or ads on other platforms, there are plenty of online courses that will teach you the ins-and-outs.

There is a lot of demand for social media managers because many businesses recognize the impact that social media can have, but small business owners usually don’t have the time to do the work themselves.

How Much Can You Make?

According to PayScale, the average social media manager makes $49,841.

How to Get Started

To get started, define your services and the social networks that you will use. Many social media managers offer packages with set monthly fees. For example, you might offer a certain number of posts on Pinterest and Facebook for $X00 per month.

The best way to find clients is to start with your personal network. Gain a little bit of experience working for a client or two, and then get more aggressive with promoting your services. You can use a blog and social media to get more exposure for your services.

The Facebook Side Hustle course from Bobby Hoyt teaches you how to run Facebook Ads, which can be a very lucrative service to offer.

8. Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant (VA) can offer a wide variety of services including some of the other services already mentioned here, like writing and social media management. Many VAs also offer services like blog editing, design of images for social media and blog posts, Facebook group moderation, customer service, and other admin tasks.

While there are a lot of different services that can full under the umbrella of a VA, most VAs specialize and offer a few specific services. For example, some VAs specialize exclusively on managing Pinterest profiles for their clients.

There is a strong demand for quality virtual assistants with so many entrepreneurs looking to outsource tasks to improve their own time management.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale lists the salary for the average virtual assistant at $37,984. Although that’s on the lower side compared to some of the other options listed here, there’s actually plenty of potential to make very good money as a VA. Some VAs (usually the ones who specialize) are able to charge more than $100 per hour.

How to Get Started

The best way to get started is to define the specific services that you want to offer, and then approach potential clients that you think would benefit from your services.

There are also some great learning resources that will teach you everything you need to know about running a successful business as a VA, like 30 Days or Less to Virtual Assistant Success.

9. Transcriptionist

If you’re able to type quickly and accurately, working as a transcriptionist may be a good choice. There is plenty of work available, you can work from home, and the hours are extremely flexible.

Most transcription jobs allow you to work as much or as little as you want, and whatever hours fit your schedule.

Transcriptionists can work in several different fields, like legal, medical, or general transcription. General transcription may involve transcribing from recordings of business meetings or transcribing podcasts or other audio files.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale only provides data for medical transcriptionists, which have a listed average salary of $32,803.

How to Get Started

Transcribe Anywhere offers courses for general transcription and legal transcription that will teach you everything you need to know to start making money.

10. Teacher/Tutor

Teaching/tutoring has been a way to make money for a long time, but technology now makes it possible to do from home. There are many companies that hire tutors to provide video-based training to students locally or around the world.

Another option is to work as a teacher for a cyber school or virtual school. Some teachers are able to work from home instead of commuting to a school building each day.

The requirements will vary depending on the job. Many of the online tutoring jobs will require a college degree but no teaching experience, but there are some that do not require a degree. Of course, most teaching jobs will require a degree and certification.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale doesn’t have a separate classification for the online version of these jobs, but it lists the average tutor’s salary at $36,721 ( source) and the average teacher’s salary at $48,210 ( source).

How to Get Started

There are several different websites where you can apply to work as an online tutor. VIPKid allows you to pick your own hours and pays up to $22 per hour.

Another very flexible way to make money without a traditional job is to buy and resell items (also known as flipping). Many flippers will shop at yard sales, thrift stores, or on websites like Craigslist, Ebay, and the Facebook Marketplace.

It’s not that hard to find items that are underpriced that you could resell for a profit. Many flippers make most of their money by selling on Ebay or the Facebook Marketplace. There are also other sites and apps like Poshmark that are great for selling certain types of items.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale doesn’t list any data on income for flippers, but there are people making small amounts of extra money all the way up to six figures.

How to Get Started

If you want to learn from successful six-figure flippers, this free 75-minute workshop is the perfect place to start.

12. Grant Writer

Many non-profit organizations rely on grant money to fund their programs. In order to get that grant money, the organizations must complete proposals that provide details about the organization and the specific ways they will use the money. Some organizations will complete the grant proposals in-house and others will hire a professional grant writer.

A grant writer’s responsibility is to compile all of the data into a format that meets the guidelines of the foundation or entity that will be reviewing the proposals. Some will involve a lot of writing, and others are shorter. (On a side note, my first job after college was working as a grant writer.)

If you want to work as a grant writer from home, the best option is to freelance.

How Much Can You Make?

The average salary for a grant writer is $48,048, according to PayScale.

How to Get Started

Get some experience (you may need to offer your services for free or at a deep discount if you have no experience) and then reach out to non-profit organizations that may be able to benefit from your services.

13. Recruiter

Recruiters help companies to find ideal candidates for job openings, and they are paid by the hiring company. Your options would be to work for a recruiting agency that allows you to work at home (which is not uncommon) or to freelance and start your own business. Freelancing in this industry can be difficult if you don’t have experience.

Recruiters are typically paid on commission, so if you’re able to get results for your clients, you can do very well financially, but it’s not the most consistent income.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale reports the average salary for a recruiter at $49,421.

How to Get Started

You can check a job board like Indeed for openings. Since recruiters are paid on commission, some companies may be more willing to take a chance on working with you as a freelancer or contractor. You could try reaching out to recruiting agencies and pitch your services.

14. Voice Actor

If you enjoy acting, working as a voice actor or doing voiceovers could be a good fit. There is a lot of work available involving sales videos, commercials, and audiobooks.

How Much Can You Make?

PayScale shows the average salary for voice-over talent as $49,132.

How to Get Started

Most of the work in this field goes to freelancers. You could set up a profile on a site like Fiverr or Upwork to get started quickly, although you’ll need to put in some time and effort to build up your profile and land work consistently.

15. Medical Coder

Medical coders review patient records and insurance records to code the services that have been provided, to handle billing paperwork, and to ensure that records are accurate. There are thousands of different medical services that have codes used for records and paperwork, so medical coders have important roles.

Not all medical coding jobs can be done from home, but home-based opportunities are available from some employers since the work can all be done digitally.

How Much Can You Make?

The average salary of a medical coder is $41,244, according to PayScale.

How to Get Started

See this article, How to Become a Medical Coder, for all of the details about the requirements of the job and how to find work.

16. Customer Service Representative

A lot of companies these days have outsourced their customer service to a remote workforce.

Many of them will offer training on the company and their products or services, and then you can start working full time helping their customers.

How Much Can You Make?

The average salary of a customer service rep is $38,037, according to PayScale.

How to Get Started

For most of these types of positions you’ll need a high school diploma or previous customer service experience.

Check out job boards like Indeed, FlexJobs, and Upwork for remote customer service positions.

17. Blogger — Online Publisher

More and more people are becoming bloggers, and turning it into a full time income instead of just a fun hobby.

This site is just one example of a side income that has been turned into a full time work from home job.

While it won’t probably make a ton right away, if you work hard you can build it into a profitable occupation.

How Much Can You Make?

The average salary of a blogger is $39,344, according to PayScale.

How to Get Started

Check out our article about how to make money with blogging as a side hustle. It can give you a good idea of where to start, what your expectations should be and some ways that you can make money.

Also check out the ebook course, “ Blueprint For How To Make Money With A Blog “.

Conclusion

The options covered in this article are only some of the possibilities, of course, but hopefully these 17 jobs have given you some ideas that you can pursue if you’re looking for online jobs at home.

Whether you want to work from home part-time or full-time, there are plenty of possibilities.

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on August 16, 2019.

Why pay good money for things, if you don’t have to?

In the past couple of years I’ve realized that there are a ton of easy ways to earn free gift cards.

How?

There are any number of websites, services, cash back sites and survey companies that will ask you to do certain tasks, and in return they’ll give you points that you can use towards free gift cards for Amazon, Walmart, Target, Starbucks, Visa gift cards or any number of online and bricks and mortar stores. Free gift cards are just as good as cash in most instances.

I’m a technophile, I love new technologies and gadgets. The problem? I don’t want to pay for all those gadgets.

So what do I do?

I write about those products on this site, and often companies will send out free gadgets for me to use in a review. For the ones I can’t get free, I use free gift cards that I’ve earned online to pay for them.

Today’s article will show you how you can get free gift cards of your own.

Finding Free Gift Cards

If you do some quick keyword research on Google for the term “free gift cards”, you will quickly find that thousands of people are searching on this topic. I mean, who doesn’t want free stuff?

The search term “free gift cards” has over 70,000 searches a month, while other similar search terms are getting tens of thousands of searches as well.

It’s clear that a lot of people are trying to get free gift cards, and there are a thousand and one sites and services that claim to give you free gift cards, for little to no work. In fact there are over 1.3 billion sites in the search results for that “free gift cards” search!

The problem is, while many of those sites may in fact give you free gift cards for performing certain activities, on many of them it is next to impossible to get enough points or dollars in order to actually claim a gift card.

Today we want to walk you through some of the best and easiest ways to find free gift cards, ones that will actually pay out, and where you won’t have to take on a second full time job just to get a $5 Starbucks gift card.

So let’s get started.

Best Ways To Earn Free Gift Cards

So what types of companies are going to pay you in free gift cards for doing something on their site or app?

There are several main categories of companies that will pay you in free gift cards.

• Survey sites: Most survey sites are paying you to fill out surveys for companies that are doing market research. You take the time to fill out the survey, and when you complete one you get points that can be put towards a reward of some kind. In many cases that means free gift cards.
• Cash back apps: There are a lot of cash back apps and websites that will give you cash back or points for buying products or services through their shopping portal link. You can then redeem the points you earn for free gift cards.
• Receipt scanning apps: There are receipt scanning apps that will pay you in free gift cards for scanning all of your shopping receipts. Once you’re earned enough points, you can redeem them for rewards.
• Miscellaneous sites with referral programs: There are a ton of sites out there that will pay you in free gift cards for referring other users to their service. Some of my most successful free gift card payouts have come from referring other users to services using my social media accounts.
• Vehicle test drives: I don’t see this one mentioned very often, but it’s an underrated opportunity. You can often find free gift cards for $50-$100 just for doing a quick test drive.

Here’s a look at my Amazon account currently, as you can see I’ve been claiming all sorts of Amazon gift cards, and you can too! So let’s get started!

Free Gift Cards By Filling Out Surveys

There are a ton of survey sites out there that will give free gift cards for filling our questionnaires. How does it work?

Typically once you’ve signed up and confirmed your details, you’ll start receiving notifications about surveys that you can fill out to receive points or credit.

Once you’ve gotten enough credit you can redeem your points for a gift card.

Most of the sites that do surveys will only be available for U.S. panelists, so be sure before you sign up.

• Go to Survey Junkie
• Go to Pinecone Research
• Go to MySoapBox.com
• Go to Springboard America
• Go to MySurvey
• Go to Survey Spot
• Go to National Consumer Panel
• Go to Opinion Outpost
• Go to Permission Research
• Go to Reward Survey
• Go to PrizeRebel
• Go to Swagbucks

Free Gift Cards Via Swagbucks (And A $5 Bonus)

Swagbucks has been one of the cash back and survey sites of choice for me for a few years. I’ve gotten hundreds of dollars in free gift cards from them by now.

How does it work?

Once you’ve signed up for Swagbucks you can earn points by filling out surveys, shopping via their shopping portal, playing games or watching videos.

They have a rewards store on their site, so you just figure out what kind of a reward you want (Visa gift card, PayPal, Amazon gift card, etc) and then keep earning points until you have enough to redeem for the reward of your choice.

One thing I like about Swagbucks is that there are plenty of rewards that you can get for low dollar amounts, so it won’t take months to get a reward. Some other sites may require you to earn enough to get $10 or $20 worth of gift cards before redeeming, which means it can take forever.

Get a $5 bonus just for signing up for Swagbucks through our link when you earn 2,500 SB points within the first 60 days.

• Go to Swagbucks (Get Your $5 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Using Prize Rebel

Prize Rebel is a site where you can do things like answer survey questions, complete offers, watch videos and more, and in return they’ll pay you in gift cards or cash.

I’ve been using Prize Rebel for a while now and they consistently pay out gift cards very quick. You can redeem points for Amazon gift cards, PayPal payments, or a host of other redemption options.

One thing to love about this site is that they have some very low levels of points that you can redeem for cash or gift cards. For example, for only 200 points you can get a $2 gift card!

Another way to earn points ist by referring other users to the service. When a user you referred earns points on the site, you’ll earn 20% of their earned points too.

Read our full PrizeRebel review here.

• Go to Prize Rebel

Free Gift Cards By Using Fetch Rewards (And A $3 Bonus)

Earning rewards with Fetch Rewards is pretty simple.

All you have to do is scan your grocery store receipts whenever you shop. Once the receipt is scanned it’ll find products that you’ve bought that can earn you points. Earn points on thousands of products, every time they appear on a receipt.

You can redeem your points for your choice of hundreds of available rewards.

For example, just by signing up for the app with a promo code I got 3000 points right away, which is enough credit to get a $3 gift card for a number of stores including Amazon, Target and others.

If you are feeling charitable, you can also donate your points to a charity of your choice.

Use my referral code, MREFX, during signup and you’ll get 3,000 Fetch Points ($3 bonus) just for signing up with my code.

• Go to Fetch Rewards (Get Your $3 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Using ReceiptPal

The ReceiptPal app is another app that gives rewards when you snap a picture of your shopping receipt. This one however, doesn’t accept solely grocery receipts.

Snap photos of your receipts from grocery stores, restaurants, and local retailers and submit them so that companies can do market research. In return they’ll give you points that are good towards gift cards from places like Amazon, Visa, Walmart, Target, Home Depot and more.

You can also link your email and Amazon accounts and get credit for e-receipts and shopping you do online as well.

You can also earn points from ReceiptPal answering surveys, playing fun mini-games and more.

• Go to ReceiptPal

Free Gift Cards By Using Ibotta (And A $10 Bonus)

Ibotta is an another app where you can earn cash back by scanning receipts. It is an app for your Android or iOS device.

How does it work?

Before you go shopping you just browse through the offers on the app and add the ones that you might want to buy to your account.

Then, you go shop.

When you are done shopping just snap a picture of your receipt, and after the purchase is verified the cash back will be added to your account.

While I don’t always find a ton of cash back offers I want to use, sometimes I’ll find some higher dollar ones that definitely make it worth my while. Plus the small amounts add up over time.

Get paid in gift cards from a variety of places, or simply get cash back to PayPal or Venmo!

You can get a $10 bonus just for signing up for Ibotta through our link and activating your first offer within 15 days of signing up.

Read a full Ibotta review here.

• Go to Ibotta (Get Your $10 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Using Dosh Cash Back App (And A $5 Bonus)

Dosh is an app that gives you cash back on the purchases you make in person, or online.

Just view cash back offers within the app at a variety of stores like Pizza Hut, Costco, local restaurants and more. You can shop online or in store using a linked credit card, and you’ll get cash back on those purchases.

When you have a balance that reaches $25, you can cash out. They’ll send your payment via PayPal or a linked bank account.

To get started just sign up through our link and use our referral code:

Use the code: PETERA18 and link your first credit card to Dosh, and you’ll get a $5 credit.

Read our full Dosh app review here.

• Go to Dosh App (Get Your $5 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Using Drop App (And A $5 Bonus)

Drop is a cash back shopping app that lets you earn gift cards from your favorite retailers, just by using their app as the starting point when you shop.

So how does it work?

First, you need to download the app to your phone. Then, just link your credit or debit card to the app.

Next, browse through the cash back offers within the app. Find cash back from stores like Target, Best Buy, Walmart and more. Click the shopping link for the store you’re buying at and then use your linked card to earn cash back.

Drop also offers drop points for filling out surveys, playing games and more.

Once you have enough points in the app you can redeem them for a reward, with as little as 5,000 points.

Read our full Drop app review here.

• Go to Drop App (Get Your $5 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Using BeFrugal.com (And A $10 Bonus)

BeFrugal.com is another cash back site that helps you to give cash back when shopping online via their shopping portal or browser extension.

Get cash back at sites like Walmart, Amazon, Ebay and more.

You can redeem your cash back for get cash payments or gift cards. If you choose to get a gift card often you’ll get a bonus. For example, if you cash out with an Best Buy gift card, you can get a 2% bonus over the cash payment! Choose a gift card of your choice, tons of them to choose from.

Sign up for BeFrugal through our link, and get a $10 bonus. The bonus can then be redeemed once you’ve reached $25 in cash back.

• Go to BeFrugal.com (Get Your $10 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Using ShopKick

ShopKick is a cash back app that helps you to earn points (they call their points “kicks”) for doing things like linking a credit card and making purchases, submitting receipts, making online purchases through their app, scanning product barcodes or even things as simple as just walking into a store.

The process for earning free gift cards is pretty easy and they claim that most users can earn their first free gift card in a week. It definitely helps that they have so many different ways to earn points.

They have a ton of available gift card types from Starbucks cards to Amazon and Walmart gift cards.

• Go to ShopKick

Free Gift Cards By Using Inbox Dollars (And A $5 Bonus)

Inbox Dollars pays you to take surveys, watch videos, play games and shop via their portal to earn cash back.

You can also refer friends to the site and earn a bonus each time someone signs up, and then earns money! You’ll get a $1 bonus, and then 30% of your friend’s earnings while they’re active users.

The only downside to Inbox Dollars is that you do have to earn $30 to cash out to a gift card, so it may take little while to earn enough to cash out.

• Go to Inbox Dollars (Get Your $5 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Using My Points (And A $10 Bonus)

MyPoints helps you earn points when shopping online. Just start by shopping through their site and you’ll earn points that you can use towards a variety of rewards.

Redeem your Points for gift cards, award miles and more from over 75 top retail, restaurant and travel partners!

• Go to MyPoints (Get Your $10 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Using Honey Extension

Honey is an extension for your web browser that helps you to get cash back and save money when you’re shopping online.

Let’s say you’re shopping on Fanatics.com for a jersey for your favorite sports team. When you arrive at the site, if that site has cash back available through Honey you’ll get a notification to activate it.

Then once you’re checking out Honey will automatically try to find a working coupon code for that site as well. So you save twice by getting cash back and you save using coupon codes.

When you get cash back points, also called “Honey Gold”, you’ll have a balance in your account that you can redeem once you’ve reached 1000 Honey Gold.

One thing that’s nice is that you can also earn Honey Gold by referring other users. You get 500 points per user.

1000 Honey Gold points can be redeemed for a free $10 gift card of your choosing.

In writing this article it reminded me to check my Honey account and I had enough to get a $10 gift card!

Read our full Honey review here.

• Go to Honey

Free Gift Cards By Referring People To Personal Capital (A $20 Bonus)

Personal Capital is a website and app that helps you to track your entire financial situation from assets and debts, to investment accounts, credit cards, home values and mortgages. It will give you a complete financial picture, and a peak at your net worth.

Personal Capital has been my go to financial app for years now. We use it just about every day.

Personal Capital is offering a free $20 Amazon gift card for new users when you sign up for an account through our link below.

What do you have to do?

Just link at least one valid investment account (brokerage, 401k, IRA, etc) with at least $1000 in it within 30 days of registering. Most people will be able to do that. It doesn’t get much easier than that for a free $20 Amazon gift card!

Read our full Personal Capital review here.

• Go to Personal Capital (Get Your $20 Bonus)

Free Gift Cards By Doing A Test Drive

One way you get some pretty high dollar gift cards pretty easily is by taking advantage of free test drive offers from various vehicle manufacturers.

If you have a free Saturday you could even take the time to visit several dealerships and get free gift cards from all of them.

For example, in my area we have one particular highway that has 10–15 dealerships within a couple miles of each other. You could easily visit 4–5 of them within a couple of hours, do test drives and get a couple hundred dollars in gift cards. Often if it’s busy the salespeople will ask you if you really want to do the test drive, or if you would just like the gift card. Because of that it might pay to visit during a busy time.

The only caveat for this free gift card is that you’ll have to give up some personal information in order to get a gift card, and you’ll likely end up on the dealer or manufacturer’s mailing list.

Here is one current offer available for a free gift $50 gift card for doing a test drive.

The best way to find out what the current offers are is to go to a manufacturer website, click on “new inventory” link, and usually if there is a test drive incentive a pop-up will come up on your screen.

• Buick
• Chrysler
• Dodge
• Ford
• GMC
• Honda
• Hyundai
• Infiniti
• Jeep
• Land Rover
• Lexus
• Mazda
• Nissan
• Subaru
• Toyota
• Volvo

Other Places To Get Gift Cards Or Cash For Free

The places above to get free gift cards are some of our favorites but they’re not the only places you can go.

Here are a few more places we recommend.

• Rakuten: One of the best cash back sites out there. We didn’t mention it above only because they only give cash back — no gift cards. Highly recommended though.
• InstaGC: View videos, fill out surveys and more to earn credit towards gift cards.
• Job Spotter: Open their app and take pictures of “help wanted” signs to earn free gift cards.
• Earnably: Complete offers, fill out surveys and more to earn free gift cards or PayPal payments.
• TopCashBack: A cash back shopping site where you get cash for shopping through their portal. Low cashout threshold is a big plus.
• WikiBuy: Similar to Honey, WikiBuy is a browser extension that helps you to find coupon codes, or to get cash back. You can also refer others to earn free gift cards.
• Checkpoints: Watch videos, take quizzes, complete offers, shop the web to earn points, redeemable for gift cards. Use our code: ande1352 to get bonus points when signing up.
• Microsoft Rewards: Earn points for using the Bing search engine, taking quizzes, answering poll questions and more. Redeem for a variety of gift cards and prizes.
• Mr Rebates: This is a cash back site that pays you when you shop through their portal. Get cash payments, or gift cards.
• Capterra Reviews: Write reviews of online software, services and products and earn Amazon gift cards.

Get Bonus Savings Every Time You Shop With Your Free Gift Cards

Want to save triple the money when shopping online? Here’s what I do in order to stack my savings using my free gift cards.

1. Shop via a cash back portal: When you shop online make sure to first activate cash back via a site like Rakuten, Swagbucks or Honey by using their browser extension. Most browser extensions will pop a message asking if you want to “activate cash back”. Before you do, however, figure out what cash back site has the best cash back percentage via Cashback Monitor.
2. Use Honey extension to try coupon codes: When you find the item you want to purchase and add it to your cart, proceed to the checkout process. On the page with a space for coupon codes, use the Honey browser extension to search and try the available coupon codes automatically, to save you more money! RetailMeNot is another one to try for coupon codes if Honey doesn’t have any.
3. Buy gift cards from Gift Card Granny to cover the balance: After you figure out the order total after the coupon code is appplied, if you don’t have enough free gift cards to cover the total, head over to Gift Card Granny to buy gift cards at a discount to to pay the balance.

Activate cash back, use a coupon code, and pay for your order with a discounted gift card. When you do, you’ll triple the savings!

How To Get Free Gift Cards Online?

We all have things we need or want to buy online, but if you’re paying with your own money it can be expensive.

Thankfully there are a ton of ways to earn free gift cards online whether it’s filling out surveys, getting cash back on shopping your doing already anyway, or if it’s scanning your grocery receipts.

Free gift cards are out there and available. It just comes down to figuring out which programs are the best for you, and then going for it.

Let’s get to earning some free gift cards!

Have your own places to recommend where you can earn free gift cards? Tell us what they are in the comments!

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on August 10, 2019.

Character development can prove to be a challenging and uphill climb. We want to do well but sometimes find it difficult to do so.

Some days we are living a life of victory and other days we’re too ashamed to look ourselves in the mirror!

There are days when we’re crushing our financial goals and other days when our budget is busted and we’re disgusted. Such is life.

Thankfully we’ve been given the fruit of the spirit.

The Fruit Of The Spirit

God, in His infinite wisdom, placed in side of each of us the seeds of nine character traits that need to be developed.

The nine fruit are: Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.

Each of these, as you will soon discover, have a financial element to them. Money touches virtually every area of our lives and God’s grace is quite beneficial to ensure we operate according to His will.

Non-Christians have two favorite verses that they often quote: Matthew 7:1 and I Timothy 6:10. Often these verses are misquoted or taken totally out of context.

The verse from I Timothy is often misquoted as, “Money is the root of all evil.” That rendering of the verse is incorrect.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs (I Timothy 6:10, NIV).

There are several unique definitions for love and they’re often intermingled.

One might declare, “I love pizza!” but that type of love is different than the love one would have for a child.

Jesus informed us that loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, while loving our neighbor as ourselves, was the most important thing we could do. It’s vital to keep love in its proper place.

In the parable of the unjust steward Jesus instructed us to make friends of money.

What does that even mean?

In the context of that entire parable we’re to use our money to plunder hell and populate heaven. Here is a message that I delivered recently that explains it in greater detail.

Make friends of money but do not love it.

Joy is not based on our circumstances or situations — that would be happiness. James encouraged us to count it all joy when we fell into trying situations.

We can choose joy or misery.

It’s impossible to avoid difficult financial situations. Each of us will face a situation that tests our faith and at times our sanity. During those times, count it all joy. I know it’s easier said than done but it can be done.

Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, “Let the Lord be magnified who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant” (Psalm 35:27, NKJV).

It’s okay to win at wealth. According to Psalm 35:27 God takes pleasure in it! I am convinced that we could shout for joy a bit more.

Money fights are one of the leading causes of marital friction and ultimately divorce.

I know that things can get nasty when a couple fights about money. Egos are bruised, weaknesses are exposed, dreams are shattered, and hope is deferred.

Peace, as mentioned in the fruit of the spirit, is the absence of or the end of strife. It’s a state of untroubled and undisturbed well being. Doesn’t that sound cozy & comfy?

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful (Colossians 3:15, NIV)

Sounds as though we have a part to play. It’s up to us to allow the peace to rule in our hearts.

Yes, it’s much easier to lash out in anger but that is not peaceful. Our fallen nature wants to cast blame, point fingers, and make sweeping accusations. Those behaviors do not produce peace.

Be thankful. The budget is challenging and sometimes there is more month than money. We all still have reasons to be thankful.

I’ve realized that I am often thinking about things I do not have rather than the countless blessings that I do have. There are billions of people who would gladly trade their problems for mine. When the budget is tough, take some time to truly be thankful for what God has already done.

Allow the peace of God to rule in your heart and family.

#4 — Patience

I totally expected you to skip this one. Few people like to talk about patience. Furthermore, many Christians are superstitious about it. They are convinced that if they mention it, all kinds of crazy things will happen to them. Not true. Yes, we must overcome but God is not a despotic dictator.

Before we go deeper, a definition of patience would be helpful. It’s not having a sunny disposition while waiting at the DMV for half a day. It’s much more than that.

Patience is the quality that does not surrender to circumstances or succumb under trial. A person operating in patience is consistently constant.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2–4, NKJV).

Bad things, challenging things, and difficult circumstances will find you. You can run but you cannot hide. When these circumstances hit, it’s time to adjust our perspective.

Crying about how life is unfair won’t solve the problem. Actually, it might be prolonged.

When these tests happen count it or consider it joyfully. Why? God is still at work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure. He has not give up on us. He’s still working on us! (That’s actually good news!)

I know that it’s difficult. I’m in a season of life where it seems that I have the anti-Midas touch. I feel like Andy in The Office when Michael gave him all of the largest accounts as a going away present. “I’m going to lose them all!”.

Yet, when I fall into these trials I know God is working in me. Patience is being developed and God will reward it.

#5 — Kindness

Kindness, regrettably, does not carry the same gravitas as some of the other fruit of the spirit. Perhaps it is misunderstood. Hopefully after today you will have a newfound appreciation of the persimmon of the fruit of the spirit known as kindness.

The fruit of kindness is having the harmlessness of a dove without the wisdom of the serpent. I chalk it up to that feeling you get when you want to be generous but before your brain kicks and talks you out of it. You simply want to be a blessing.

It’s also the mellowing of our character. As we get older we’re often less antagonistic and more apt to give a person the benefit of the doubt. We’re generally kinder after surviving this thing called life.

#6 — Goodness

Goodness is character energized and expressing itself in action. It’s the desire to DO something. Kindness supplies the idea to be a blessing and goodness puts the plan to action.

Earning money is awesome but we all eventually realize that there is more to life than collecting another dollar. Some desire to change their financial, family tree.

Others want to use resources to start a scholarship or feed children or to start a hospital.

Goodness energizes our kindness and makes things happen.

#7 — Faithfulness

Sadly, faithfulness is not the word I would choose when discussing the money habits of most people.

Almost 80% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Nearly 40% of Americans could not cover a $400 emergency with cash.

However, these same people have luxuries that people just twenty years ago did not enjoy.

The average car payment is now over $550 per month. Car loans are easy to get. I know many twenty + year olds who are driving cars that are new — and they have the payment to prove it. They have little discretionary income as much of it spent before it is earned.

Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful (I Corinthians 4:2, NKJV).

Financial faithfulness is not a mere suggestion. The language Paul uses is quite strong. Faithfulness is required.

# 8 — Gentleness

Gentleness gets a bad rap just like kindness.

In some translations the word meekness is used instead of gentleness. Yep, not much better. However both words are powerful!

We’re told that Moses was meek. Moses marched into Pharaoh’s palace and bossed him around! We read in the Psalms and in the Sermon on the Mount that the meek shall inherit the earth. Not too shabby.

Jesus described Himself as gentle. Gentle doesn’t mean soft. A gentle person is not a pushover.

The one who has fully developed the fruit of gentleness is powerful and is fully aware of the power. Jesus entered Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey — lowly and gentle. He was fully aware of who He was and the power at His disposal. At His disposal, were legions of angels who could have wiped out humanity. He chose the route of gentleness.

There is no need to brag about money or wealth. No need to use wealth as weapon against others.

Exalting ourselves based on financial scorekeeping is bad form and quite tacky. Remain humble. We’re simply managing God’s resources. He is trusting you with it. Run it like He would run it — gently.

For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? — I Corinthians 4:7

#9 — Self Control

I’m a firm believer in living a life free from debt. The Bible never mentions debt in a positive manner. The borrower is slave to the lender.

Living a life free of debt can be challenging because debt is a ubiquitous method of financing a life style we cannot afford. Willingly going into debt (bondage) could be viewed as being discontent with God’s provision.

We feel as though we deserve a European vacation but the cash is not available. The siren song of Visa and MasterCard can be seductive. Before we know it we’re charging coffee and croissants at a bistro in the Latin Quarter of Paris.

Self-control is the fruit of the spirit that requires us to roll up our sleeves. This is the one that takes discipline. Jesus said if we wanted to be His disciple we would need to deny ourselves daily. Easy? Nope. Worth it? Yes.

Conclusion

Gifts of the Spirit are given but the fruit of the spirit must be developed.

If we dig deep we could witness dramatic financial results simply by developing the fruit of the spirit in our lives. These traits are inside each of us.

Let’s ensure they blossom.

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on August 4, 2019.

It’s not a real estate crowdfunding platform — which tend to be higher risk — but a public, non-traded real estate investment trust that provides high dividends, plus the potential for capital appreciation.

The returns on the REIT thus far are comparable to those provided by the S&P 500 over the long-term. This makes it a perfect diversification if you’re looking to move beyond stocks, and add commercial real estate to the equity portion of your portfolio.

Commercial real estate often performs in different cycles then stocks, and can provide healthy returns when stocks are sinking.

Who Is stREITwise?

When you invest with stREITwise you’re investing in an equity REIT. This type of investment has several advantages over both real estate crowdfunding platforms and direct investments in real estate itself. As an equity investor, you not only get the benefit of a steady stream of dividends paid by the underlying investments, but you also participate in capital appreciation when the properties are ultimately sold. That gives you potential to increase the profit from your investment. And unlike owning real estate outright, you don’t need to manage the property or get your hands dirty.

A REIT itself has many advantages over other asset classes. It essentially operates as a mutual fund, except that it includes commercial properties instead of securities. Properties included can be office buildings, retail space, warehouses, hotels, and large apartment complexes, as just a few examples. Since they hold multiple properties, they’re often geographically diversified across many different markets. Properties are primarily income generating real estate.

There are tax advantages to REITs as well. By law, they must return a minimum of 90% of their taxable income as dividends to shareholders. Typically, at least part of the dividend income is offset by depreciation expense, which is a paper expense that reduces the taxable income. Meanwhile, as pass-through deductions, REIT investors can deduct up to 20% of their dividend income. And when the underlying properties are sold, investors get the benefit of lower long-term capital gains tax rates.

stREITwise is a relative newcomer, having begun operations in 2017. It’s REIT is non-listed, which means it doesn’t trade on any exchanges. All properties held in the trust are directly owned by the REIT. By owning shares in the REIT, you have indirect ownership of the properties held in it.

Investing With stREITwise

When you invest with stREITwise you’ll purchase shares of the trust’s common stock. The stock price is currently set at $10.11* (*Number changes quarterly). That means with a minimum investment of $1,000, you’ll own around 98.9 shares in the REIT.

The REIT currently holds two large commercial properties, and has been paying an annualized dividend of 10% since the trust was launched. Dividends are paid on a quarterly basis, and are net of fees. The dividend alone is comparable to the long-term performance of the S&P 500, and well above interest rates paid on fixed income investments, like bonds and CDs.

stREITwise fees: stREITwise has two fees. The first is a 3% upfront fee when you purchase your shares, followed by a 2% annual management fee. Once again, the dividends paid thus far are net of the 2% annual fee.

stREITwise investor requirements: One of the issues with many online real estate investment platforms is the accredited investor requirement. It requires participating investors to meet one of the following requirements;

• Have earned income that exceeded $200,000 (or $300,000 together with a spouse) in each of the prior two years, and reasonably expect the same for the current year, OR
• Have a net worth over $1 million, either alone or together with your spouse (excluding the value of your primary residence).

When you invest with stREITwise you don’t need to be an accredited investor as long as your investment in the REIT doesn’t exceed the greater of either 10% of your individual or joint net worth (excluding the equity in your primary residence), or 10% of your individual or joint income for the most recent two years. If your investment exceeds these numbers, you will be required to be an accredited investor.

REIT redemption policy: stREITwise REIT has a one-year “lockout”, during which you cannot redeem your shares. After that, you’ll have a quarterly option to participate in the stREITwise Stockholder Redemption Plan. The redemption plan enables you to redeem 90% of the net asset value of your position after one year, rising in gradual increments to 100% after five years, subject to certain restrictions as detailed in the offering documents.

Read full detail sin the offering circular.

stREITwise Investment Methodology

stREITwise is led by its three founders, with a combined 40 years of experience in real estate investing, worth more than $5.4 billion worth of properties. But the founders not only manage the REIT, they also have direct ownership in each investment. That gives them the all-important “skin in the game” that leads to more careful investment management. They currently have $5 million invested in the REIT.

Their investment strategy involves looking for properties that meet the following requirements:

• Value oriented investments — considers strategic location, nearby amenities, established employment, quality construction and sustain occupancy.
• Creditworthy tenants — usually larger, better established tenants, like Wells Fargo, IBM, Edward Jones, and Verizon.
• Non-gateway markets — stREITwise avoids the high-priced coastal markets, favoring more moderately priced cities that provide higher dividend returns.
• Modest leverage — high leverage equals high risk, so stREITwise favors properties with lower leverage. The company targets a leverage range of between 40% and 60% of the value of each property.

When stREITwise invested in commercial property, they generally expect to retain the investments for about 10 years. More specifically, the property will be held until the value reaches what management believes to be an optimal level. Once that point is reached, the property will be sold. When that happens, the proceeds will either be distributed to investors, or invested in a new property.

The stREITwise REIT currently holds two commercial properties, but regularly considers adding others. The two properties held in the REIT are described below:

In total, the company has $28 million invested for active investors. Tryperion Partners has previously invested in properties in San Antonio, Texas, Minneapolis, Cleveland, and Tempe and Chandler, Arizona.

stREITwise investments are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), under Regulation A of the JOBS Act.

stREITwise Features and Benefits

Minimum initial investment: $1,000. Additional investments can be made in $500 increments.

Available account types: The stREITwise REIT can be held by individuals or in corporations, LLCs, trusts, and self-directed IRAs or 401(k)s.

Dividend reinvestment: stREITwise offers a dividend reinvestment plan (DRIP) where you can elect to have your dividends used to purchase additional shares in the REIT.

Customer service: Contact is available by email and live chat. Phone contact is available at (310) 907–5527, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Pacific time.

Platform security: All investment documents are processed electronically through stock transfer agent services. The services are provided by FundAmerica and Computershare, both of which are secure SEC-compliant platforms.

How to Sign Up with stREITwise

stREITwise is available to both US citizens and legal residents, as well as non-US customers. However, non-US customers must open an account over the phone, with wireless payments enabled.

US-based customers must provide the following information:

• Full name.
• Email address.
• Indicate that you are investing as an individual.
• Indicate if you’re investing jointly.
• The dollar amount you plan to invest.
• Street address.
• Email address.
• Telephone number.
• Social Security number.
• Date of birth.
• Indicate if you are an accredited investor or a non-accredited investor. In either case, you will have to confirm your income and net worth information.

You will then need to complete an ACH Authorization Form to connect your bank account. You’ll need to supply the name on the account, as well as both the routing number and account number, then indicate what type of account it is (business or personal, checking or savings).

Finally, you’ll need to electronically sign the Subscription Agreement. Once you’ve completed and submitted that form, you will receive a confirmation of the dollar amount transferred from your bank account.

When you purchase actual shares of the stREITwise REIT, you can do so through the Computershare Investor Center, where you can also log in to see your portfolio and get access to statements online. You can even set up dividend reinvestment there.

stREITwise Pros & Cons

Pros:

• stREITwise is available to both accredited and non-accredited investors. Accredited status will be required only for larger investments.
• You can make an investment with as little as $1,000.
• stREITwise REIT can be held in either self-directed IRAs or self-directed 401(k)s. Since real estate is an excellent long-term investment, it’s perfectly suited to retirement plans.
• The current dividend yield of 10% matches the long-term return on the S&P 500. This makes the stREITwise REIT an excellent diversification to add to a portfolio of stocks and bonds.
• stREITwise uses a fundamentally sound investment strategy in selecting investment properties. This includes purchasing investments in lower-cost markets that offer higher potential dividend yields.
• As an equity REIT, stREITwise offers investors an opportunity to earn regular high dividends, as well as participate in capital appreciation upon the sale of investment holdings.
• The managing partners are also invested in the REIT, giving them greater incentive to manage the trust responsibly and profitably.
• High liquidity. The stREITwise Stockholder Redemption Plan gives you an opportunity to redeem your stock for 90% or more of its value after just one year. By contrast, real estate crowdfunding platforms typically require you to remain fully invested until the underlying investment has been disposed of. That can take several years.

Cons:

• The company charges an upfront fee of 3% which is allocated to operations. The fee is lower, however, than the upfront fee charged by most real estate crowdfunding platforms.
• The current offering is a single real estate investment trust, holding two investment properties. This represents a limited diversification.
• stREITwise is a new platform, having been launched only in 2017, making the track record just two years.
• As is typical with real estate investments, you’ll have limited liquidity. However, with stREITwise you can redeem most of your investment value after as little as one year.

Should You Sign Up with stREITwise?

With the stock market trading at all-time highs, now is an excellent time to consider diversifying your equity portfolio into other asset classes. Commercial real estate is an excellent choice because it offers returns comparable to the long-term rates on the S&P 500. What’s more, commercial real estate often performs well even when the stock market is in a bear market cycle.

Commercial real estate also offers you an opportunity to add an all-important hard asset to your portfolio. When you invest in the stREITwise REIT, you’re investing directly in commercial real estate. That gives you an opportunity to earn steady dividends from the rental income, as well as participate in capital appreciation upon the sale of the underlying properties.

REIT investments also have solid tax incentives, like the 20% pass-through deduction, and depreciation expense, which is a paper expense that lowers your taxable income. Finally, you can get the benefit of lower long-term capital gains tax rates when REIT properties are sold.

The stREITwise REIT enables you to invest in a sophisticated investment like commercial real estate for as little as $1,000. stREITwise investments offer lower risk and potentially higher returns than most commercial real estate investments. They do this by investing in lower-priced markets that offer higher dividend yields. But they also maintain lower leverage levels, invest in properties with creditworthy tenants, and are well located, being close to transportation, amenities, and employment.

stREITwise offers another significant advantage that most online real estate platforms don’t, and that’s a high level of liquidity. With most platforms, you’re required to tie your money up for several years. That can be a real problem if your personal financial situation changes suddenly and radically. But one of the major features that separates stREITwise from the competition is that you can redeem 90% or more of your investment after holding your position for at least one year. That’s far greater liquidity than typically comes with any commercial real estate investment.

If you’d like more information, or you’d like to sign up for the service, check out the stREITwise website.

Learn More About stREITwise

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on July 22, 2019.

Although there are plenty of bloggers out there who have been able to get paid to do something they enjoy, most people simply have no idea where to start.

If you’ve ever thought that it would be awesome to make money as a blogger but you didn’t think it was possible, or you just didn’t know what to do first, this article will serve as a guide.

I started blogging in 2007 as a side hustle and quickly got hooked by the possibilities and potential that I saw. It took me a few months, but I was able to start making some extra money outside of my full-time job, thanks to my blog. And with some consistent effort and sacrifice, blogging became my full-time income in 2008. In the past 10+ years I’ve had many people ask me about how to make money with a blog, and this article will sum up the process for you.

Start your own blog with Bluehost.

The Truth About Blogging to Make Money

Although you may read stories about people who are making money with a blog and living their dream life, there are some aspects of blogging that don’t get as much attention. I think it’s important to have an accurate understanding of the situation before you start a blog, so that you can have realistic expectations.

I don’t write these things to discourage you from starting a blog. In fact, I encourage you to do it if it seems like a side hustle that would be a good fit for you. But if you get started with unrealistic expectations and you think it will be easy to produce money quickly, you’ll be disappointed. Going in with realistic expectations will give you a much better chance to have the patience needed to reach success.

Why Blogging Can Be a Great Side Hustle

Despite the downsides, there are many reasons why blogging can be a great side hustle. Here are a few of the most significant:

1. Flexible Schedule

Regardless of what schedule you have with your full-time job, you can find time to run your blog. You can work on it in the mornings, evenings, on the weekends, or whenever it fits into your schedule.

Not only is the schedule flexible, but you can work from anywhere. Blogging can be a great way to make money if you travel a lot.

2. You Can Blog on Topics That You Enjoy

There are blogs on just about any topic that you can imagine. You can start a blog on something that you enjoy and your work as a blogger will be a lot more fun, and it will feel less like work. You can also choose to start a blog on a topic that you want to learn more about. As you research and write articles, you’ll immerse yourself in the topic and you’ll find that you learn very quickly.

This is easily one of my favorite benefits of blogging, and it’s had a big impact on my career. Photography has been a hobby of mine, and I started a photography blog, partly because I wanted to be able to spend more time on photography and improve my skills. I was able to make money from my photography hobby and enjoy my work, thanks to blogging.

Although it’s true that you can start a blog on any topic of your choice, keep in mind that the income potential will not be the same for all niches. If you choose to start a blog on a very obscure topic, your income potential might be limited. Popular topics like health, family, travel, and finance tend to offer excellent income potential.

3. Unlimited Income Potential

There really is no limit to the amount of money that you can make as a blogger. Some bloggers are earning over a million dollars per year. Of course, those bloggers are the exception, but it is possible.

4. Potential to Go Full-Time

Blogging can be a great side hustle to make extra money, but it can also turn into a full-time income. If you have an interest in replacing your full-time job, you should choose a side hustle that gives you the potential to reach that level of income.

While there are plenty of great side hustles, some of them will offer limited income potential that will never be able to replace your full-time job. Blogging, however, could certainly produce a full-time income if you have the patience to stick with it. I worked on my blog for about 30 hours per week (on top of a full-time job) for about 1.5 years until it produced a full-time income. I could have worked fewer hours on the blog, but it probably would have taken me longer to reach the point of making a full-time income.

5. Can Lead to Other Opportunities

One of the intriguing things about blogging is that you never know what opportunities may arise. Many bloggers have been offered book deals as the result of a successful blog. Your blog could also lead to job offers, new business opportunities, or all kinds other things that you might not expect.

Requirements to Make Money with a Blog

If you want to make money with your blog, here are the basic requirements:

As I mentioned earlier, building a money-making blog takes time, and you’ll need the patience to be able to stick with it. Most bloggers feel like they are not making progress during the first few months, even though they usually are making progress. It takes patience to keep putting in the work and trusting that the rewards will come later.

Focused Content

Most successful bloggers have achieved that success because their content is highly-focused and exactly what their readers are looking for. If you want to make money with a blog, you’ll need to have a plan to provide your audience with content that they love.

In order to make money with your blog, you’ll need traffic. There is not a specific amount of traffic that you need, and it can vary depending on your approach to making money. But regardless of how you go about making money with your blog, you will need visitors to be coming to your blog.

Monetization Plan

There are several different ways to make money with a blog (we’ll look at the best options later). You’ll need to decide which monetization method is the best fit for your blog and your audience.

How to Make Money with a Blogging Side Hustle

Now that we’ve covered some of the background, let’s look at the details related to how you can make money blogging.

Step 1: Set Realistic Expectations

First, you need to set realistic expectations so that you can put yourself in a position to reach success. If you expect to launch a blog and start making money right away, you’ll be disappointed when reality sets in, and you’ll probably give up.

The process of building a blog is heavily weighted with the hardest work at the front end. Once your blog has some established traffic and you don’t have to work so hard for each visitor, you may be able to increase your income while also decreasing your hours.

If you want to be able to make money from a blog, you should be willing to invest at least 5–10 hours per week for at least 6 months, with no expectation of making money during that time. I know that’s a lot of time with no payoff, but you have to look at the bigger picture.

Step 2: Know What Makes You Unique

This is especially important if you’re starting a blog in a very popular niche where there are hundreds or thousands of other blogs that are covering the same topics. In order for your blog to stand out and be memorable, you’ll need to focus on what it is that makes you and your blog unique.

There are a few different approaches you could take here. If you’ve got credentials or expertise that make you more qualified than most other bloggers, of course you’ll want to emphasize your credentials or expertise so readers know why they should care. A great example is Michael at Financially Alert. While there are a lot of blogs focused on financial independence, Michael has already achieved it. He retired at 36 years old and has a net worth of more than $2 million, so he certainly has some expertise.

But if you don’t have impressive credentials or experience, don’t worry. There are other ways to stand out.

Personal stories and journeys can also be a great option. Readers can relate to bloggers who are facing (or have overcome) similar challenges as themselves. In some ways, this blogger-reader connection is a more powerful way of standing out than having expertise. Deanna from Ms. Fiology is another financial independence blogger, but her blog is unique because she talks about her experience overcoming addiction, and she uses her blog to chronicle her journey to financial independence.

Another option for standing out is to specialize. Bible Money Matters is a great example of this. While there are thousands of personal finance blogs, Peter has built Bible Money Matters from a Christian perspective, which makes it unique.

There are a lot of different ways to stand out, and that really only covers 3 options (expertise, personal story, specialized), but hopefully it helps to give you some ideas that you can use with your own blog.

Step 3: Schedule Your Time

If you want to make money with your blog, you need to treat it like a business. Don’t treat it like a hobby and only work on the blog whenever it happens to be convenient. To reach success with your blog, you’ll need to invest time and effort consistently.

I suggest that you look at your schedule and find some hours that you can block off each week to work on your blog. It may mean getting up early a few days per week to work on the blog before going to your job. Or, you could set aside a few evenings each week. If you’re a parent, you may need to work when kids are napping, at school, or after they’re in bed.

Whatever your situation is, find some time that you can set aside each week. Treat it like a job that you need to do and make it a priority. At least 5–10 hours per week is ideal, and if you’re able to invest more time, that would be great.

Step 4: Plan Your Content

One mistake that a lot of new bloggers make is that they just write about whatever comes to mind whenever they need a new post. In order to have success, you’ll need a more structured approach to your content. Without a specific plan, your content will be scattered, it won’t give you the best chance to attract visitors, and the content won’t convert into income.

Here are some things that should be a part of your content planning process.

Categories

Define the main categories that you will cover with your blog. Keep them as closely related as possible so that readers who come across one post are likely to be interested in a high percentage of the other content on your blog. Although some blogs successfully cover a wide range of topics, it’s easier to stand out and build and audience if you narrow your focus.

Create a list of the main categories and sub-categories that you will cover with your blog.

Post Ideas

Once you have your categories defined, you can brainstorm article ideas for each category. Here are a few ways that you can come up with topics to cover:

Step 5: Gain Exposure

It doesn’t matter how great your content is… if no one sees it, you won’t make any money.

Getting traffic and exposure is probably the hardest part for new bloggers. I think every blogger has felt like no one is paying any attention to what they’re writing.

But how can you change that?

Here are a few things you can do to increase exposure and to get some traffic flowing to your blog.

Create Roundup Posts

I’m sure you’ve seen roundup or lists posts before. They come in a few different varieties, and this can be a great way to start to get some exposure for your blog.

One option is to create an expert roundup by reaching out and asking people to contribute to your post. Ask the same question to several different people and then create a post that includes all of the responses (an example is Money Goals — 30+ Experts Share Their 2019 Resolutions). If you reach out to other bloggers, you’ll probably get a lot of responses because other bloggers are usually very interested in any links they can get to their blog.

To do this, you could find other blogs in your niche and reach out through a contact form or email address listed on their site. Another option is to find a Facebook group for bloggers in your niche. You can post in the group about the roundup that you’re creating and ask people to reply with their answer, or create a Google Form that allows people to enter their response.

Once your post is published, email everyone who contributed and give them the link to the post. You can ask them to share it through their social profiles, and you can even provide them with grapics to use for sites like Pinterest and Facebook. If your post is being shared by 10–20 other bloggers, it’s a great way to quickly gain some exposure for your new blog.

Another option is to create a list of bloggers in your niche. After I created a list of top personal finance blogs, I emailed everyone on the list to let them know that they were featured. Many of those bloggers shared the link through their social profiles, and it was also an easy way to start to build a connection to other bloggers.

Regardless of which approach you take, roundup posts can be great for getting your content shared on social media. You shouldn’t expect thousands of visitors from this approach, but at the very beginning you will need to work for every visitor that you get. The roundup post can help you to pick up some social media followers and it will get your blog in front of some targeted visitors.

Get Others to Share Your Posts

At the start of your blog, you’ll have no existing audience and no social media following. But you may be able to get others to share the links to your posts with their own followers.

In the previous point, we looked at roundup posts and why they are great for getting some shares to your new blog. But you can actually use a similar approach, on a smaller scale, with each article that you publish.

Whenever you are writing a new article, make an effort to link to a few other bloggers within the content of your article. This is usually pretty easy, because you can simply find posts from other bloggers that build on the points of your article or offer something of value that will be interesting to people who are reading your article. There is no exact number, but if you can aim to link to 3–5 other bloggers from each post, that’s a great start.

After you publish each post, take a few minutes and reach out to the bloggers that are mentioned or featured in your post. Send a message through their contact form, or reach out on social media if there is no contact form or email address listed. Simply tell them that you’re a fan of their blog and let them know that you’ve mentioned them in your recent post. Include the link to your post in case they want to check it out. Many of these bloggers will share the link through their social profiles, which makes your content visible to their audience.

If you do this with every post, it can make a difference. You’ll also start to connect with other bloggers, and networking can be extremely beneficial for growing your blog. Try to link to different bloggers each time rather than linking to the same bloggers and emailing the same people all the time.

Master a Social Network

There are a lot of different social networks that you can use to promote your blog, and some people will tell you that you should try to be everywhere. While it’s not a bad idea to have a profile and share your posts at several different social media sites, the reality is that you won’t have the time to be active and effective at several different sites. You’ll be more likely to have success with social media if you focus your efforts on one particular site or platform.

Pinterest is an excellent source of traffic for many bloggers. Getting traffic from Pinterest isn’t as easy as it used to be, but most bloggers will have more success at driving traffic from Pinterest than they will from other social networks. Facebook can be a good source of traffic too, but usually Pinterest will offer more traffic potential.

Pick the social network that you want to master and don’t worry about the others for now. Getting traffic from social media usually involves spending some time on the site, getting familiar with the types of content that do well, and building a following. I don’t recommend spending countless hours on social media, but you will need to invest some time if you want to get traffic. You could set aside 10 minutes a day, or at least a few times per week, to be active and work to start building your profile.

Build Links

Search engine traffic is key to the long-term success of your blog.

Social media can be a good source of traffic when you’re first getting started, but you’ll probably have to keep working in order for that traffic to continue to flow. Once you have some of your posts ranking on Google and sending visitors, you should be getting a steady flow of traffic without the need for constant work.

Search traffic also offers higher potential than social media and other sources.

One of the biggest factors that will influence where your blog posts ranking in Google searches will be the links that are pointing to your site. Sites with more links, and links from higher authority websites, tend to outrank sites with very few links.

Link building is a huge topic and I won’t be able to get into it in detail in this article, but here is a quick look at a few ways that you can start to get some links to your blog:

Consistently Publish New Content

Every post that you publish gives you one more chance to get exposure for your blog. You don’t want to sacrifice quality for the sake of quantity, but you also don’t want to have big gaps of time between posts. An active blog is more likely to grow.

There is no set frequency of posting that you need to hit in order to have success with your blog. The number of posts that you should publish per week or per month will be influenced by factors like your schedule, the length of your posts, and the niche that you’re in. For most new bloggers, publishing one or two posts per week would be great.

Step 6: Grow Your Following

Using social media, getting others to share your links, and building links to your blog will start to get the traffic flowing to your site. But then what?

Most visitors will leave your website and never come back. It’s an unfortunate reality of blogging.

However, you should attempt to convert as many visitors as possible into repeat visitors. The best way to do this is to start building an email list. You’ll be able to send out links to your new posts to people on your email list, drastically increasing the chance that they come back to your site at some point in the future.

Mailerlite is a great option for new bloggers because you can have up to 1,000 subscribers for free.

Add optin forms to your blog and also consider a free bonus that you’ll offer as an incentive to get more subscribers.

For most bloggers, building an email list is slow and it takes time before you’ll have a significant number of subscribers. But if you start right away, you’ll be closer to building a list that actually makes a difference for your blog.

Step 7: Monetize

Once you have some traffic to your blog, you’ll (hopefully) be able to start making money. Most bloggers need six months or more before they really start making any money, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away.

Here are a few different ways that you may be able to make money with your blog:

Display Ads

Using ads is the easiest way to monetize a blog, even if it is not the most lucrative. Many beginner bloggers use Google AdSense, but you can drastically increase your revenue if you are able to get into a network. The problem is, the best networks require you to reach a certain number of pageviews per month before you can join.

The first milestone that you should have as a goal is 10,000 page views per month. At that level, you’ll be able to apply to Monumetric, an ad network that is great for smaller blogs. The amount that you’ll earn will depend on a lot of factors, like how many people are clicking on your ads. But with 10,000 pageviews and average results, you may be able to earn about $150 per month from the ads.

Mediavine and AdThrive are also excellent ad networks, but they require at least 25,000 and 100,000 page views per month respectively.

Affiliate Programs

Affiliate programs are another popular option for bloggers, and there are products and services with affiliate programs in any niche you can think of. The amount that you can make will vary significantly based on what you are promoting, how you promote it, and what level of traffic you have. Some of the bigger networks like CJ, Impact and ShareASale have a very ride range of options for bloggers.

The most effective way to make money as an affiliate is to promote products that you use and can honestly recommend. Sharing your own personal experiences and stories about how a product has helped you will always produce better results than simply stuffing affiliate links into your content wherever they’ll fit.

Sponsored Posts

Once you have an established audience, companies may be willing to pay you to write about their product or service. Partnering with brands to produce sponsored content can be a great way to make money, and you might be surprised at how much brands are willing to pay for the exposure that a blogger can provide.

While this won’t be an option for a new blogger, you don’t need to have a massive audience in order to get sponsorship deals. Some bloggers are able to land sponsors with as little as 10,000 page views per month. Of course, having a larger audience will only help your cause, and you’ll be able to charge more.

For more details, please read this Guide to Sponsored Posts.

Start your own blog with Bluehost, or see Peter’s Blueprint for How to Make Money with a Blog.

Sell Your Own Digital Products

The last monetization option that we’ll look at is selling your own digital products. Things like ebooks, online courses, membership programs, printables, and even apps are popular options. Creating and selling a product can take a lot of time, but ultimately it gives you the highest income potential of any monetization method.

Most bloggers choose to wait until they have an established audience before they create their own product, but you could start with a product right away if you want to. You may not make as many sales directly through your blog since you don’t have an audience yet, but you can also partner with other bloggers and websites to promote your product as an affiliate.

Making money with a blogging side hustle takes a lot of work and dedication, but there is a significant upside for those who are able to do it. Very few other side hustles offer the same flexibility and unlimited income potential.

If you’re interested in a side hustle that gives you the chance to build a legit online business, consider starting a blog. The details covered in this article will get you on the right path to success.

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on July 19, 2019.

Most people invest in “paper assets” like stocks and bonds. These should be the core of any portfolio, because they have a long, documented history of providing a mix of growth and safety. But there’s another class of assets, loosely referred to as alternative assets, so named because their performance often moves in different directions from stocks and bonds, creating greater diversification.

The most common alternative investments include real estate, precious metals, and more recently, cryptocurrencies. But still another category is art. Most investors don’t think of art as an alternative investment, but this is largely because it’s considered to be an investment by the super wealthy. After all, the most valuable art pieces to own are typically worth millions of dollars. That’s beyond the reach of the average investor.

But not anymore.

A company called Masterworks is bringing art investing to the masses, by using the crowdfunding approach.

Sure, you may not be able to afford a masterpiece artwork for $1 million. But you will be able to afford to participate in owning a priceless work of art along with hundreds of other investors.

Masterworks is a very unconventional investment platform, but maybe only because investing in art is something the average investor never thinks of. But the Internet is opening up investment opportunities in all kinds of places small investors were once prohibited from going.

Think about the way real estate crowdfunding platforms and real estate investment trusts enable small investors to invest in large commercial real estate projects. This is exactly what Masterworks does for priceless works of art.

Thanks to Masterworks, an average sized investment portfolio no longer excludes you from investing in art.

About Masterworks

Based in New York City and founded in 2017, Masterworks is a company dedicated to “opening the doors to top-tier, blue-chip art investments to everyone”. They’re looking to disrupt the art world that has limited access to top art investments to the wealthy alone.

The company allows investors to buy shares of great masterpieces by artists like Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Andy Warhol. The team behind Masterworks has more than 75 years combined experience in art collecting and have founded companies valued in excess of $1 billion.

Why Invest In Art?

One of the most enduring arguments put forth to support investing in real estate is “Buy land — they ain’t making any more of it” (originally credited to either Will Rogers, Mark Twain, or both).

The same can be said of masterpiece works of art. Even more so than land, each piece is totally unique. That’s why artwork has been so treasured for centuries, and why it’s generally risen in value over time.

A classic example is Leonardo DaVinci’s famous painting Mona Lisa. Valued at $100 million in 1962, it was estimated to be worth as much as $1 billion by 2017.

The Mona Lisa is hardly unique. Paintings valued at greater than $10 million have risen in value by 148% over 10 years. This price growth is largely driven by the explosion in the number of millionaires worldwide. There are now more than 36 million millionaires in the world, and 38% are active in the arts and collectibles markets, especially more valuable pieces. Demand for high-value art is expected to expand as both the number of millionaires and the extent of their wealth grows.

The screenshot above shows that “blue-chip artwork” easily outperformed the S&P 500 during 2018.

But more significantly, the recently created Artprice100 Index indicates that between 2000 and 2018 the S&P 500 index has increased by less than 200%, while the ArtPrice100 index has increased by more than 450%.

The Future Potential of Masterpiece Artwork

Since it largely takes place out of sight from the general public, the average investor isn’t aware of the size of the art market. In fact, global art sales reached $67.4 billion in 2018.

In an article issued by Deloitte, Art as an investment: Why should art be considered as an asset class? the following was noted:

“With the long-termed, worldwide trend of increasing wealth, alongside a growth in knowledge about collectible markets, a much larger community has started to be interested in collecting and/or investing in art or rare collectible assets…Art as an asset is attractive over the long run as it is a store of value that generates moderate positive real return. Art also has a low correlation with stocks and bonds which offer diversification possibilities.”

The article also projected increasing interest in art from the financial community. Though art hasn’t been considered an investment among the general investing public, it’s been quietly building in value in recent years, and gaining in reputation as an alternative investment.

Simply put, as overall wealth and the number of millionaires grows worldwide, so will both demand and prices for rare works of art.

How You Can Invest In Art Masterpieces Through Masterworks

One of the inherent limitations in buying art, particularly for investment purposes, is the ability to distinguish between ordinary art and “investment grade art”. The casual investor may pay $10,000 for a painting that will look beautiful in the family room. But that doesn’t mean the painting will rise in value, particularly if the artist who created it is still alive.

When it comes to artwork, the only pieces that can remotely be considered investment grade are original works from well-known artists, most of whom are long gone. Those pieces are usually worth millions of dollars, because the artist who created them is no longer alive to create more.

One of the most basic services Masterworks provides is in identifying those investment grade works of art, and enabling you to buy a “share” of ownership in the piece. After all, unless you’re a multimillionaire, you won’t be able to participate in the market at all. In a real way, Masterworks is democratizing the fine arts market, opening it to small investors. It may be the first investment platform of its kind, specializing in fine art.

The Masterworks Investment Process

The fine art investment process works like this:

• Masterworks determines suitable purchases after reviewing sales data for similar pieces with historical appreciation rates of between 9% and 15%.
• They attempt to buy them at below fair market value using a combination of auction guarantee strategies and established relationships with auction houses.
• Following the purchase, an offering circular is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as to respond to SEC comments to qualify the offering.
• Once the offering passes review with both the SEC and FINRA, Masterworks makes shares available to investors.
• Investors can purchase shares in a particular work of art at $20 per share. For example, you can purchase 50 shares in a fine art piece for $1,000.

Though it isn’t an option at the moment, the company expects to be able to offer trading or sales of shares through brokerage relationships. That process is expected to be available within the next year, however Masterworks makes no guarantee that arrangement will become a reality.

The sale of the art work. If a collector makes an offer to buy a painting, you as a shareholder can vote to sell or not. The expectation is that each painting will be held for five to 10 years. But a collector can offer to buy the piece at any time, which would trigger a vote to sell by all shareholders. The sale will be approved if the majority of shareholders vote in favor of the sale. At that time, your share of the net proceeds on the sale will be distributed to you, net of costs related to the sale.

Features and Benefits of Investing with Masterworks

The share purchase process is compliant with regulatory authorities. As described above, Masterworks files paperwork with both the SEC and FINRA for each fine art piece offered for sale, before shares are made available to investors.

Exclusive art market insights to monitor your investment. Like so many other investment firms, Masterworks uses analytics and big data to bring transparency to the art market. Content will be published regularly. This is especially important because the art market is one of the largest unregulated markets in the world.

Masterworks fee structure. Masterworks charges two fees. The first is an annual fee of 1% of your investment to cover storage, insurance and transfer of the artwork. This is very similar to costs associated with purchasing numismatic coins and other valuables. The second is a 20% commission on the profits interest made on the sale of any piece of artwork.

Investor contact. Contact is available by either phone or email, presumably during regular business hours. If you want to get more information, you can select a date and time for a call.

How to Sign Up with Masterworks

To be eligible to invest through Masterworks you must be at least 18 years of age. The sign-up process involves applying for “membership”, in which you provide basic information and create a password. Once you do, you’ll need to click “Request Invitation” to initiate the membership application process.

You will need to link a bank account to your Masterworks account to both send and receive funds. This will be accomplished through the Plaid service. Once the account is linked, you will be set up with a Dwolla account to both hold and manage your funds on deposit with Masterworks.

Masterworks Pros & Cons

Pros:

• Masterworks enables small investors to participate in an alternative investment market that has, up to this point, been available only to the very rich.
• According to the Artprice100 Index, fine art has easily outperformed the S&P 500 index.
• Fine art is a true alternative investment, because its performance — and particularly the performance of any single piece — is not correlated to the financial markets.
• You can invest in a piece of fine art for as little as $20, which also enables you to spread a small investment across multiple pieces.
• Unlike many other alternative investments, you are not required to be an accredited investor (high income or high net worth) to invest through Masterworks.
• Fine art is a potential hedge against inflation. Since each piece is unique, and interest is primarily by the very wealthy, art values tend to rise over time.

Cons:

• The typical holding period on a piece of fine art is between five years and 10 years, so you will need to plan to hold your stock for several years.
• Though the company is looking to establish a trading market for art shares within the next 12 months, there’s no guarantee that will actually happen.
• Like virtually every other asset type that depends on price-performance for investment success, price appreciation on any single piece of artwork is never certain.
• Unlike bonds, bank investments, and many stocks, fine art does not provide a steady income in the form of either interest or dividends.
• There is an annual fee of 1% of your investment.

Should You Invest in Art with Masterworks?

Because Masterworks is both a relatively new concept and platform, our advice is to invest, but with caution. Though blue-chip artwork has certainly proven to be a valuable investment through the centuries, it’s been mainly as a speculation for the very wealthy. But it typically occupies only a very small corner of their total net worth.

If you’re interested in investing in fine art, you should apply the same principles. For most investors, fine art as an investment is a complete unknown. Perhaps more importantly, it’s a highly illiquid market. Since each piece is unique — and expensive — the sale of a painting at a higher price will depend entirely on the willingness of a specific individual to make the purchase. Neither the sale nor a higher price can be guaranteed.

Masterworks does minimize much of the risk, by carefully studying the fine art market, and by attempting to buy pieces at below market value. They also minimize individual risk by enabling you to buy shares in each piece of artwork for just $20. That minimize the potential risk of loss on any single piece, while also enabling you to spread your investment across many different paintings.

We see this as a speculation, best done with only a small percentage of your portfolio. And it must be with money you’re prepared to lose. The vast majority of your portfolio should be held in more traditional investments, like stocks and bonds.

But if fine art — and the potential for long-term appreciation — interests you, Masterworks will give you an opportunity to participate in that market, even though you don’t have millions of dollars.

If you’d like more information, or if you’d like to sign up to invest in great works of art, visit the Masterworks website.

Learn More At Masterworks.io

Originally published at https://www.biblemoneymatters.com on July 16, 2019.