This week I made an extra $1,519 without ever leaving the comfort of my computer. This isn't a gimmick or a scam, and it didn't take me too long (maybe 2 hours tops). Earning money can be done in all sorts of ways! So here are the actual ways I earned $1,519 this week!
1. Requested a re-quote on my home insurance. My home insurance went up $100 this year, so I requested that my insurance agent re-quote with another carrier. She dropped my homeowners by $300 just by switching insurance companies. Just think, not only am I saving $300 this year, but potentially in future years if I would have just paid the increase every year.
2. Requested a re-quote on my auto insurance. We bundle our home/auto because you often get a discount. Even though my auto wasn't going up, that doesn't mean you shouldn't shop around again! We did this and just re-quoting the auto with a new carrier dropped our bill $163 every 6 months ($326 a year).
3. Checked the coverage information that was sent. It is important to actually read the insurance documents you're being quoted. I looked at our auto, and they had mine and Kevin's employment and education wrong. When I updated each (stating we both had college degrees, and my occupation was attorney) it dropped our auto another $69 every 6 months ($138 a year). Amazing! All because that apparently indicates we must be more responsible due to our credentials :)
4. Checked my savings account interest rate, and shopped around. I'm just learning to do this, but my dad is great at informing me of new improvements on savings accounts. We love Capital One for our savings accounts, but he let me know that their Money Market Savings Account gives you 1.1% interest on your money, while the 360 Account only gives you 0.75%. A quick 5 minute opening/transfer of our savings will earn us about $175 extra each year, based on the money we have in that account right now. We love both of those savings accounts through Capital One, and they are free to open/use.
5. Switched credit card rewards programs. Thanks to my favorite magazine (Kiplinger's) this month it had an article on the best reward credit cards for 2017. Since we make it a point never to carry a balance on a credit card, we like to pay attention to which credit cards have the most perks. Our previous credit card was giving us 1% cash back, but we learned about the Citi Double Cash Card, which gives you 1% on purchases and 1% when you pay the card (therefore 2% on everything you buy assuming you pay the card off each month). Looking at last year's spending, we will be earning an extra $400 on our credit card this next year since we are doubling the cash back we get!
6. Took the Electric Company Deal. Our electric company had a deal where if you allowed them to install a regulator on your A.C they would credit your account $50. The regulator will only run a few days a year, and really will only raise your temperature of your home a couple degrees on those days due to regulating how the A.C will run (on 15 minute intervals to help conserve electricity). Perhaps your electric company doesn't have something like this? You can save money easily by simply keeping your thermostat a degree or two hotter in the summer, and cooler in the winter!
7. Price Matched my Southwest Flights. We have 2 southwest flights coming up in 2017, and one trick that I love is to check to see if prices have dropped since when we first booked, and re-book the flight at a lower price! I did this, kept the exact same flights as we had before, but earned ourselves back 8,000 Southwest points just by re-booking at the lower price. 8,000 Southwest points equates to a flight worth about $130. That's an extra $130 I didn't have before! We book around 3-5 flights a year, so points = money in our book!
So did we actually get $1,519 in cash this week? Well, no...but managing your money is all about thinking about the future! In the future this will have the effect to put an extra $1,519 in our pocket in some form or another. It sounds like a hassle, but really don't you think that is worth it for 2 hours of your time? Earning money is 2-part and it is just as much about what comes in (income) as what goes out (spending). This saved us from spending an extra $1,519....so it is just as good as earning $1,519 in cold hard cash in my book!
What other creative ways can you think to save yourself money in the future? We have our "Money Tip Lists" which includes other ways to save and make money!
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