Money will always be an important factor in our lives. There is no way around it. Well unless you go live in a mud hut in the middle of nowhere. But hey…these days even that’ll probably cost ya!

So no matter what your finances look like, you can always improve it like anything else in life. Many people feel things are always going to be the same no matter what. Not true. You CAN change your life, but only if you choose to put in the work. These 10 money moves listed below will help you make extra money, save money, get out of debt, and improve your overall financial well being.

Make extra money

1. Perform Small Tasks

There are so many ways to make money online these days that don’t require a whole lot of time. You could easily make some extra cash from your phone on your lunch break. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Swagbucks – This is a really awesome company that pays you for doing more than just taking surveys such as doing tasks online (watching videos, surfing the web, etc.). They also offer a $5 sign up bonus to new members.

Survey Junkie – What I really like about this company is that it has such a low payout threshold. You only have to earn $10 to be able to get cash instantly delivered to your Paypal account (which is free to get).

It’s best to sign up with as many survey companies as you can because then you get more survey opportunities. Which means more money for you. Here’s a list of the 15 Best Online Survey Companies To Join For Extra Money.

2. Peer to Peer Lending

Peer to peer lending is getting more popular all the time. How it works is when people like you and I (investors) lend money to borrowers that don’t qualify for normal financing. Investors get to choose what they want to invest in.

When investing in a company like Lending Club, you can expect to get returns often in the 6-9% range. You could end up getting an even higher return depending on the risk of the loan. 99.9% of investors have seen positive returns so this could be a great investment for you.

3. Invest in Your Future

Most people spend every dollar they get or stash it away in their savings account. Building your savings is an amazing thing, don’t get me wrong, but so is investing your money. Having an investment strategy is so important if you are interested in moving up and your job will never allow you to make enough money to do that.

There are so many investment companies out there, but a great one is Ally Invest because trades are as low as $3.95. Most companies charge about $10 trade fees. Big difference, especially when you are just starting out.

Get out of debt

4. Refinance Your High-Interest Debt

Do you have any credit card debt? Then chances are you are paying way to much interest since the average interest rate is 15%!

If you are looking to get a lower interest rate, I highly recommend Credible. They have rates as low as 4.99%! And they provide you with lenders to help you refinance your credit cards. This way you can start paying off your credit card debt faster.

Have student loan debt? The average Credible user saves $18,668 when they refinance their federal and private student loans.

Improve your overall finances

5. Check Your Credit

Making sure your credit accounts are in good standing is so important when you are trying to get your financial life in order!

With identity theft on the rise, it’s never a bad idea to make sure everything is the way it’s supposed to be. The sooner you discover an issue, the better the chances are of things getting fixed without causing you to waste HOURS getting things sorted out.

I use a site called Credit Sesame to check my score and it gives me my report for free right away. Checking your credit at least a couple times a year can help protect you from fradulant activity.

6. Get a Robot Assistant

There is a really awesome free saving assistant tool called Trim that helps you cancel unwanted subscriptions, renegotiates your bills, alerts you about any fees on your account, and finds you cash back.

Signing up is easy and you can use the tool through either Facebook Messenger or regular text messages.

7. Make the Most of Your Investments

Do you feel confident you’re invested in the right balance of stocks and bonds?

Did you minimize the hidden investment fees in your 401k?

Do you know what your 401k is invested in?

These are just a few questions that this awesome website called Blooom can help you answer. They help you by analyzing your current 401k and figure out exactly how to get you the biggest bang for your buck. You can find out more about Blooom here.

Save money

8. Save Money on Car Insurance

Did you know 39% of policyholders have never searched around for a better rate? That’s ALOT of people that are probably paying too much for auto insurance.

Many insurance companies raise premiums just a bit every renewal, knowing the chances of that making you search around are slim.

You might be surprised at how much money you can save by searching around or using a site such as Esurance to see if you can get a lower premium right away.

9. Get Cash Back on Your Regular Shopping

We all buy stuff, so why not get money back on the shopping you already do?  I use a site called Ebates. You can sign up for a free account by clicking here and they will also give you $10 just for joining. 

Like Amazon and Walmart? (These are like the only two places I shop lol)…well you can get cash back from stores like these and many more.

10. Start a High Yield Savings Account

Are you sick of making practically nothing off of your current savings account? I hear ya! That’s why I started looking around to see which banks pay the most interest. CIT Bank pays up to 1.55% interest and they are FDIC insured. That might not sound like a lot, but most banks only pay around .01%. Huge difference!

There are no monthly maintenance fees and they have a minimum requirement of $100 to open an account. Definitely worth looking in to.

What are some smart money moves you’ve made over the years?

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