Apps That Help You Earn a Little Extra Money!

It will happen to most at some point in a lifetime. The struggle to earn enough money. I feel this topic has become even harder for recent generations (including my own) to grasp. It has become an age of entitlement with little or no effort. We look at the exceptions to the rules as the actual rules. Frequently, when an individual works hard and makes money, their struggles are overlooked. I must admit, I've recently fallen into the category of "Why am I not making more money? I went to school/done my time". Realistically, I've been in my field for five years. FIVE YEARS! That is not sufficient time to earn my dues. After a lovely slap back to reality and a realisation that in my current job role I am not being challenged, I have been forced with the situation of:

"OH SHIT! I significantly decreased my hours at work, do not have a second job, and need to figure out how the heck to pay my bills!"

I've had to get a bit creative in earning additional income. I've been applying for jobs in a completely different field just to supplement income. <HELLO WAITRESSING> But as I have yet to be successful in receiving a call back from these external fields, I started looking into ways I could contribute more to my household. Here are some of the apps I've found:

Share the wealth, Pin this now!

**Please note these apps do not supplement an actual salary. They do NOT make you rich. But do aid in a little extra support each month.**

1. Inbox Dollars

I used to use this service back when I was still in Uni (undergrad as I seem to be constantly studying). Basically, you get paid for answering surveys. Years ago, this site was horrible. It was very difficult to qualify for surveys, and you would put in heaps of time for minimal monetary value. I must say, I'm super impressed with this app now. You still have to reach the $30 minimum before a payout but reaching this minimum is heaps easier! The more surveys you take, the more money you get offered. If you used this app religiously, you probably could make a decent amount of money per month. I tend to take surveys while on the train or relaxing in the bathtub, so I'm not making heaps.

2. Field Agent

This app is freaking amazing if you live within Australia (I'm not sure if its available in other parts of the world). Basically, you can accept different task around the city and get paid to do them. For example, a recent task was a Red Bull fridge audit. You went to a specific market at a specific time, snapped a picture of the fridge, and answered some questions. Once completed you get money! Pretty simple right?!? Again I do not use this app that frequently but often look at the tasks close to my location and complete them from there. I do not believe there is a minimum payout for this app and there are constantly new tasks being uploaded!

3. Rabadaba

Whoever created this app, you're a freaking genius! Rabadaba is a social media app which pays you to be social. You can earn credits for posting content or upvoting/downvoting/sharing/commenting on others content. You select what you would like your minimum payout balance to be, and on the 15th of every month, you get paid (pending you reach your minimum balance). I've experienced some issues on the iOS system, but they're minor difficulties like not receiving notifications. However, the app creators are super helpful and normally respond to your inquiries within a few hours. Seriously, who wouldn't want to use this app? 

4. ONGO Surveys

This app pays you a bit more money per survey than Inbox Dollars. However, there aren't as many surveys posted. I'm not sure if it's just my location that limits my lack of surveys or if they genuinely do not offer a lot. There's is a minimum balance of $10 before you get your cash out. But they give the option of an Amazon gift card or money straight to your PayPal account.  If they posted more frequent surveys, I would probably use this app more so than Inbox Dollars.

5. Acorn Hunt

This is probably one of my least favourites but hey every little bit helps right? On this app, you get paid for taking surveys, downloading apps from the app store and running them, and watching ad videos. You need 4,000 acorns before you're able to redeem any rewards. I don't use it that frequently so I'm not 100% sure they actually pay out. Once I reach the minimum will I update as to whether you actually receive a payout!

6. Movie Money

With this app, you're definitely not going to see rewards quickly. You earn points by watching different ad videos that range anywhere from 15 seconds to 45 seconds. Major downside: you need 1200 points to redeem a payment but are LIMITED to 20 videos a day. Reaching the 20 video limit takes about 5 minutes to do so you're really not wasting the day away. But still...its a long time before you reap the benefits of this app. Looking at it from a positive perspective: why the heck am I complaining? I'm literally watching TV and making money screw if it's just a small amount.

7. TAP$

Like other apps, I haven't received a payout on this app to date so I will have to update this once I do. This is the most straightforward app anyone could hope for. If you have small children, hand them this app, and they will make you money. You literally push a button to earn points to receive a payout. You must tap this button an obscene amount of times but push it enough and BAM! MONEY! Can't sleep at night? Tap a button until your little mind drifts of into dreamland! Have a friend who likes aggressively pointing at everything? Smack your phone in front of their finger and let them make you money! It's pretty damn simple people....let's just hope I haven't been poking my phone for no good reason!

When I first started using all of these apps, I got a bit frustrated that the payouts weren't easier to obtain. After a nice self-check-in I realised, I'm LITERALLY putting in minimal effort, WHY SHOULD I EXPECT TO BE MAKING LOTS OF MONEY?!?! It was a flawed thought of mine. I know I'm not going to become rich from these apps. I have no intention of using these apps as my sole source of income. It's simply a measure to help keep my finances stable for the time being. Feel like making a little extra holiday cash? Want some more spending money for a holiday? Give these apps a go. Some of them are actually heaps of fun! 

Have you used any of these apps before? Let me know about your experiences in the comments below. Have another app that you love to use to earn a little extra dough? Share it in the comments! 

And until next time...

Stay curious!

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Adventures in Borneo

With the winter going on in Melbourne right now, the holiday getaway to Borneo was much needed! In case you didn't know, I'm pretty obsessed with any trip, holiday, or a regular day where there are warm weather and water. I had never been to Borneo and to be honest, I didn't know a lot about the island. I knew there was a big mountain which recently had an earthquake, and the locals blamed it on tourists stripping, and that there are heaps of orangutans.

The first portion of our trip was spent just outside Kuta Kinabalu. Staying at the Shangri-La, allowed me to relax from all the stressors of the prior weeks. I was in heaven! Our room had a beautiful view of the beach, the little kid in me silently (or not so silently) jumped up and down at the sight of the waterslide in the pool, and I basically lived off peanut sauce and chicken satay for four days.

I could live off peanut sauce for the rest of my life!

Jumping right into the relaxing nature of the trip, days were spent drinking pina coladas, walking along the beach, sailing, and reading.

The lovely view from the room.

If you're staying at the Shangri-La (or visiting the area) be sure to book the Orangutang viewing at least a day in advance because it does book out. I was super excited about being able to see the orangutangs. I wish I could say my excitement lived up to actually seeing them. Yes, all the proceeds go back to helping fund the orangutang rehabilitation program. 

When viewing the orangutangs, there is a huge group of people viewing at the same time. There are two platforms for viewing which gives you ample opportunity to see the orangutangs. But it was a bit of a letdown. It felt like I was viewing orangutangs at the zoo. If I ever go back to Borneo, I think I would volunteer at the rehabilitation centre on the other side of the island or book an eco-tour to walk through the Bornean forest and see the orangutans in the wild.  

Hello, cheeky orangutan! 

After a few days of being spoiled at the Shangri-La, we hopped on a flight to Tawau on the other side of the island. From there, it was just a short and exciting boat ride to Mataking Island. Seriously, it was a bit sketchy. I'm not sure if it was because we were so close to the Philippine border but halfway through the boat ride, we rocked up next to a large boat filled with armed men. My American nature slightly kicked in and instantly thought it was going to turn into a horror movie. Fortunately, I believe the only reason for the stop was to check visas and the number of passengers as the island has a maximum number of permits given per day. 

Welcome to Mataking Island!

I do not think I have words to accurately describe how AMAZING this island is. It was like a little slice of relaxation paradise. The room was right on the beach, there was snorkelling, scuba diving, and a baby turtle parade every night. I must say the staff was absolutely fantastic! Having food allergies can make banquet style dining challenge, they always came to ask if I had enough to eat or if I wanted them to make something different. They were lovely!

Best view to wake up to!

I'm slightly kicking myself for not bringing my underwater camera. While snorkelling each day, there was a sea turtle that swam around right outside the room and wasn't too startled when I would swim down for a closer look. Each night at the turtle parade, staff would take some of the baby turtles from the hatchery and bring them to the beach so they could make their way to the ocean. 

Baby turtles at the turtle parade. 

The only disheartening thing about the turtle parade was that some of the guests did not listen to the staff members. People would not pay attention to where they were walking, cross the line the staff had set up, and pick up the baby turtles after explicitly being told NOT TO! It was so infuriating! Besides guests not listening to staff, it was quite disheartening to see the amount of trash that had built up on the island. While on the boat, a guest, threw a plastic water bottle into the ocean like it was no big deal! I realise the holiday was set up for relaxation but if the resort had offered a beach clean up program, I would have definitely participated. 

So disheartening! 

The holiday was a much-needed distraction during a very stressful month. I will definitely need to go back to Borneo to thoroughly enjoy all the beauty the island holds! I'm curious to know how you cope with stressors whilst on holiday. Has stress ever taken over a holiday? Let me know in the comments below!

Until next time...

Stay Curious!

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