10 Apps For Doing Business Smarter By Kim Artlip

I constantly get asked about some apps that I use to make doing business on the go easier and instead of talking about the normal Gmail, Evernote, GoodReader or Facebook apps; I thought I would share ten possible apps that make doing business and other stuff easier on the go that I use and why.

DocsToGo (currently $9.99)

What I like about this particular suite is that it is just that a suite. It has some great tools for opening office documents on the go and synchronizing it with your Dropbox or other cloud based platform. What this means is that I can be in the office and when I run out of time I just save a copy to my cloud and then can open it at Starbucks to edit or review with my favorite cup of coffee while meeting a client.

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Printer Pro (currently $6.99)

Ever get annoyed at trying to print from your iPad? Well this one solved it for me because you will install not just an app but a small program on your computer which will talk to your iPad overyour home network. This is great because other printer apps have a hard time trying to figure out how to connect to your printer or model and with this it is just not necessary. Now you can sit down stairs and finish watching CSI while you print your report to your printer up stairs.

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SoundCloud (currently $FREE)

What is this all about? Well it’s like Social Media for your audio files but you can use it in very creative ways. Let’s say you conducted a short 2 minute interview with some prominent figure in the industry and you want to post it to your website as an audio file…well this is your answer. Much in the same way as Youtube and other avenues you can share, comment, like and network based on audio files.

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PDF Printer (currently $5.99)

This is my go to printer to basically convert anything and everything over to a PDF. Why PDF? Because it is keeps the formatting like you want it to and it is very widely used. In my case, I will browse my site and generate a PDF contract through the app’s browser and then I can open it in a PDF editor like Notability; which will allow me to sign and email to my clients.

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Dragon Dictation (currently $FREE)

Ever just want to talk and talk and have someone do all the typing for you? Well this app is basically that. You got a lot to say in an email but just suck at typing on the iPad wi-fi keyboard much less the touch screen? Use this app to talk and then you can copy and paste your long opinion to your editor via email on what you think makes the world go around.

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Notability (currently $1.99)

There are many…many…many note taking apps out there like Penultimate and there are some that are very competitive to this one like NotesPlus that I have used extensively. What draws me to this one besides the low price is the sheer ease of use. It is so basic yet you can make complex sketches and fluid handwriting with this app.

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Adobe Ideas (currently $FREE add-ons cost extra)

A drawing app? What the heck does that have to do with anything and why this one? Well this one draws in vector which means it is very scalable and can be exported to a number of desktop programs.  I like that because I will sketch out some plans with my clients and can zoom in and out with loss of image resolution. Then I can email the client a PDF copy right from the program.

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Logmein Ignition (currently $129.99)

Yes the price is high and you may want to look at other programs that offer similar functionality; but for me this has been flawless and it works securely over any connection. The ability to access my computer away from home and grab a file off my desktop and send it to myself or client has helped me get out of many tight situations. You can even access your home computer and edit files on your home computer with this app… you do have to leave your computer on though; however you can lock your computer so others can’t access while you are away.

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CamScanner Pro (currently $4.99)

This little bugger is best for your phone but can be used on a tablet too. This app will let you take a photo of your document and it will resize from most angles and adjust resolution automatically for you. From there you can email or upload to your favorite cloud service. Imagine you need to make a photo copy of a contract and are no where near a copy machine …problem solved.

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Box / Dropbox / Skydrive (currently $FREE for basic)

I listed the three main players for cloud service and will touch on each briefly. I currently use all three and here is why. Box.net will sometimes offer free promos to sign up to get additional space for life and I happened to get luckily and scored with 50GB free. I use it to send folks various large files. Dropbox offers a much smaller free size but you can get your friends to sign up and they will add free space for you. Dropbox is by far the most integrated with a majority of apps out there. Skydrive offers about 25GB free which is quite more than Dropbox but it still isn’t integrated with all apps but it will make a comeback I’m sure with the intro of the MicrosoftSurface Pro/RT. If you are a Hotmail user you will likely already have this.

I didn’t mention Google Drive or other Google apps but feel free to explore those they offer some great tools also.

Again this is just my take so good luck on your app journey!

Congress Extends Many Expired Tax Breaks, Helping Americans Keep More Money in Their Pockets TAX NEWS Philip Taylor

Good news! Congress today voted to extend a number of expired tax breaks, also called Tax Extenders, either permanently or temporarily under the Protecting Americans From Tax Hikes Act of 2015. Typically, tax extenders are voted on every year or two, usually leading to a nail biting finish at the end of the year close to the holidays. But this year, taxpayers received a year-end holiday gift, as almost half of the tax provisions were extended permanently and the remaining provisions were extended for at least a year – saving hard working Americans and their families millions of dollars.

The tax provisions range from tax breaks for teachers and families to energy saving tax benefits. According to Pew’s Analysis of IRS 2012 statistics, about 11 million tax filers claimed one or more tax extender benefits when filing in the past. As an example, the once expired State and Local Sales Tax Deduction alone saved taxpayers in some states close to $600 each.

Had some of these tax breaks for individuals and families not been permanently extended, millions of Americans were in jeopardy of losing these valuable credits by 2017, particularly since earning requirements to qualify for the Child Tax Credit were set to increase and income thresholds to qualify for Earned Income Tax Credit were set to decrease so higher income earners would be phased out of Earned Income Tax Credit.

In addition, the maximum Earned Income Tax Credit for more than two children was set to fall $700 – 36 percent of all children live in families with two or more children and 50 percent of the families have lower income and may qualify for Earned Income Tax Credit.  Now millions of families can continue to receive the benefit since the provisions were made permanent.

Here are some of the tax extenders and how they may benefit you:

Tax Breaks Extended Permanently:

Enhanced Child Tax Credit – If you have a dependent child under the age of 17, you may still be eligible for a tax credit of up to $1,000. The enhanced law helps families with children still qualify for the Child Tax Credit. Without permanent passage, earnings necessary to qualify for the law were set to increase in order to get partial or full credit. For example, a family earning $20,000 with two kids would have seen their Child Tax Credit cut from $2,000 to about $810.

Enhanced Earned Income Tax Credit – If you are a low to moderate income earner, you may still be eligible for the Earned Income Tax Credit, allowing a family with three or more children to receive a credit of up to $6,242. The provision has been enhanced to continue to allow married couples with higher income to benefit and larger families with more than two children to continue to receive a larger credit. Had this tax credit not been permanently passed, families with more than two children would see their credit decrease $700 to the level for a family with two children.

State and Local Sales Tax Deduction – You still may have the option to choose between deducting state and local income tax or state and local sales tax, which is especially beneficial to you if you live in a state that doesn’t collect state income tax or if you made large purchases and paid substantial local sales tax. For example, taxpayers in the state of Washington with the highest claim rate saved an average of nearly $600 on their 2012 taxes. The State and Local Sales Tax Deduction is most often claimed in states that have no or limited income tax, but it can also be claimed even if you do have state income tax.

 Educator Expense Deduction – If you are a teacher, you work hard for your money and your students. This tax benefit is going to allow you to keep more money in your pocket. You may be able to deduct up to $250 for money you spent for supplies and materials you purchased to keep your students on top of their “A” game. Do you and your spouse both teach? That’s double the benefit you can claim on your taxes at $500.

Tax-Free Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) from Retirement Accounts – If you are 70-1/2 or older you may be able to exclude from income distributions up to $100,000 paid directly to a qualified charity from your IRA account. This is a huge tax savings for retired taxpayers required to receive distributions from their retirement who have paid off their homes and no longer have big tax deductions like mortgage interest.

Employer Provided Mass Transit and Parking Excluded from Income – All of your commuting and parking pains will still be recognized by your employer and the IRS since qualified transportation fringe benefits provided by your employer will be excluded from your income for combined transit pass and vanpool benefits up to $250 per month and qualified parking benefits up to $250 per month

Tax Breaks Extended Temporarily Through 2016

Mortgage Debt Exclusion – Unfortunately financial crisis can happen in your life that can’t be avoided. If you experienced a foreclosure, short sale, or loan modification, you will still be able to exclude the amount of debt forgiven on your principal residence from your taxable income up to $2 million.

Mortgage Insurance Premiums – You may not have been happy about the mortgage insurance your lender required when you purchased your home, but you may be able to deduct the amount you paid for the insurance.

Tuition and Fees Deduction – College students or parents may still be able to deduct college expenses including tuition, books, and other supplies, up to $4,000 even if you only took one class.

Credit for Nonbusiness Energy Property – Homeowners who made energy efficient improvements to their homes will still be able to claim the Residential Energy Property Credit worth up to $500.

Credit for New Qualified Fuel Cell Motor Vehicles – If you purchased a vehicle that runs on oxygen and hydrogen, which creates electricity known as a fuel cell vehicle, you may receive a credit up to $4,000 if your vehicle weighs 8,500 pounds or less. If you have a heavier vehicle your credit may be more depending on the vehicle’s weight.

This package also includes needed protections for taxpayers, giving funds for the IRS Security Summit and other needed programs designed to protect taxpayer identities.

These are some of the tax benefits that once again will help you keep more of your hard-earned money in your pocket at tax-time.

As with all tax laws, TurboTax is always up to date and gives you the tax deductions and credits you are eligible for. We know your money is important to you and that’s why we’ve planned ahead for these changes.

 

Just before the end of the year, before the parties and celebrations consume our attention, let’s take one more look at how to lower your taxable income.

After all, proper year-end tax planning can help you at tax-time.

Today Is Not Too Late

Yes, it’s mid-December. But there’s still plenty of time to lower your taxable income and increase your potential tax benefits.

Don’t throw up your hands just because it’s so late in the year. Let this article move you to act. It’s right there within your reach.

Contribute to the Max

Whether you have an IRA, a 401(k), or even a Health Savings Account (HSA), deposit as much money as you can into these accounts before the end of the year. Not only will you catch a break by lowering your taxable income, but your future self will will be thankful that you are planning ahead.

Whether it’s through your employer or on your own (max IRA contributions are up to $5,500, and $6,500 if you’re over age 50), contributing to your retirement accounts is almost always a smart decision.

Contributions to your HSA for designated medical costs are also tax deductible. If you plan it right, you can save quite a lot while staying healthy. And you can help yourself pay down those high deductibles.

Bonus or Raise?

Because we all have to pay taxes on the income we receive, one of the ways to shift your taxable income to next year is to not receive it. Stay with me here.

If you defer part of your income until the new year, it won’t be counted as part of this year’s taxable income. Say, for instance, if you know that you’ll be in a lower tax bracket next year, it would be wise to defer some of your income late in the year until January’s payroll.

You could also negotiate with your employer about a raise for next year instead of a year-end bonus. The bonus would increase your taxable income for this year, and therefore increase your taxes. But a raise for next year would shield that income from this year’s taxes.

Tough Decisions

Depending on your financial situation, you do have the opportunity to reduce this year’s taxable income by claiming a loss on your capital investments.

Of course, what makes this decision tough is that you would have to cut ties with your under-performing investments and incur the loss. And that’s never easy. But if your capital losses outweigh your gains, Uncle Sam will let you use up to $3,000 to offset your regular taxable income.

With the winter weather comes colder temperatures and higher heating bills. While thinking about your utility bill won’t bring a smile to your face, you can take advantage of some generous tax credits offered by the IRS to soften the blow.

In an attempt to reduce energy consumption, and to expand the use of clean energy, tax credits are in place that will enable you to lower your tax bill when you file your taxes. Let’s see what they are.

Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit

The Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit is a tax credit worth up to 30% of the cost of alternative energy equipment installed on or in your home. That includes solar hot water heaters, solar electric equipment, wind turbines and fuel cell property.

To qualify for the credit, your home must be in the US. The home doesn’t need to be your primary residence, unless you are installing a qualified fuel cell property, so this credit is available to second and vacation homes.

The Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit has no dollar limit for most types of property, however if the amount of the credit is more than the amount of tax that you owe, you can carry the unused portion of the credit forward and apply it to next year’s tax return.

As it now stands, the Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit is available for both the 2015 and 2016 tax years. 

Non-business Energy Property Credit

This credit expired at the end of 2014, but with Congress recent vote the tax credit has been extended through 2016.

This credit is calculated in two parts:

1. Part of it is worth 10% of the cost of certain qualified energy-saving items you add to your primary residence during the year, which includes insulation, windows, doors and roofs.
2. Part of the credit is for the actual cost of certain property, which can include water heaters and heating and air conditioning systems.

The credit amount for each type of property has a different dollar limit, but the total allowable credit has a maximum lifetime limit of $500, of which $200 can be used for windows.

The home must be located in the US, and you must have a written certification from the manufacturer that their product qualifies for this tax credit. The certification may be available in the product packaging, or it may be on the company website. If it isn’t, you’ll have to specifically request that they furnish you with a copy of the certification. The certification is not required to be included with your tax return, but you must keep a copy of it with your tax records.

You can’t do anything about the cold weather, other than find ways to keep warm. But while you’re doing that, you can also focus on purchasing energy efficient equipment, either for your home or in the form of a qualified motor vehicle, that will provide a reward in the form of a generous tax credit when you file your taxes.

It’s also important to note that, if you were to buy back the stock within 30 days of taking a loss, the IRS won’t let you claim the loss on your taxes.

Pile Up Your Business Expenses

Do you own a business? If you’re in a spot where you need to reduce this year’s taxable income, think about making your business-related purchases before the end of the year.

Make as many as you can. Be smart, but use your resources to make necessary expenditures so that you can claim them as deductions on this year’s taxes.

And if you feel that all of this information is wonderful and useful, but just a bit too late for your current situation, start planning for next year. You’ll never regret spending time on planning for your taxes.

It’s time to open your heart to a Festivus Miracle.

Brothers and sisters, family and friends, Festivus is an everyone-is-welcome December gathering that resists the commercial holiday disorder.

So don’t be a “two-face” when December 23 rolls around. It’s blasphemy to celebrate Festivus with an elaborately decorated aluminum pole or a fancy wrestling mat for the feats of strength.

Instead, it’s time to get back to the heart of non-commercialism with a DIY Festivus for the Rest of Us…on a budget of course.

The Festivus Pole

It would be easy to denounce the purchase of an expensive Festivus Pole. After all, this is a budget post, and the Festivus Pole is just aluminum. Why not go cheap, right? But think about the longevity.

Sure, it would save money to buy yourself a bargain pole. But it may only last for a few years. Rather, why not save up for a quality pole that will last for generations – a Festivus Pole that your great-grandchildren can gather around. Your local hardware store could cut you a piece of aluminum pipe for a few dollars.

Or you could embrace the passion of DIY and find a pole substitute! Items around your house that would make a good Festivus Pole substitute:

• table leg
• baseball bat
• shower curtain rod
• broom handle
• lamp stand
• paper towel roll

It’s Only a Floor

Friends, don’t get caught up in the commercialism of the holiday season. You don’t need to buy a special mat or new flooring for your Feats of Strength.

In fact, carpet burns, bruises, and splinters are as much a part of the Festivus tradition as the “Airing of Grievances.” So don’t throw your money away on a cushioned mesh surface or new wrestling mats. Whatever surface you have in your home is perfectly suited for pinning your family members to the floor.

Remember, it’s not the type of floor that matters; what counts is that you wrestle with loved ones this Festivus Season.

Festivus Dinner Re-Imagined

There’s no need for one family to spend hundreds of dollars on Festivus Dinner. Such an atrocity would send the founding father of Festivus into a riotous frenzy!

In the spirit of Festivus, and in the spirit of saving money, have everyone ‘Do It Themselves’ when it comes to dining. Invite all of your family and friends to bring their favorite food to your Festivus celebration. It’s a Festivus Pot Luck Miracle!

And don’t bother with expensive table dressings and decorations. Let the kids adorn the dinner table with miniature paper mache models of the Festivus Pole and the Feats of Strength.

Wherever you find yourself this season, stay true to the heart of Festivus. Get back to your roots. Enjoy quality time with your loved ones as you gather around the table and tell them all how they have disappointed you over the past year.

Happy Festivus!

32 Legitimate Ways to Make Money at Home

Listen – we all know the internet is full of “make money at home” scams, so we’ve scoured through thousands of different ideas to find you 32 legitimate ones.

These are all ideas that we’ve done before, so we know that they’re real and that you’ll get paid. Plus, I guarantee there are some in here that you’ve never heard of…

1. Get Paid to Share Your Opinion on Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton

What do you think of Donald Trump? Do you Hillary Clinton will win the popular vote?

I’m kind of a political nerd, so one way I’ve made extra money is by registering for the major polling & survey companies (Swagbucks & Ipsos Panel are the two largest). I participate every election cycle and I’m usually able to pocket around $100/month.

Most of you know that I’ve advised against survey companies in the past because of their low payouts. But, I make an exception to my “no survey” rule when I’m watching TV. My calculus on this is that I’m not really doing anything anyway, so I might as well make a few extra bucks. 

2. Grab A Free $10 Gift Card from Wal-Mart

MyPoints is now offering a special deal for The Penny Hoarder readers – a free $10 gift card to Wal-Mart! 

If you haven’t heard of MyPoints before, they are a cash-back site that lets you earn rewards by shopping online and printing coupons. We use them all the time at our house, because it’s instant way to save on everything you buy. But, enough about that, here’s how to get the free gift card:

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1. Sign up for MyPoints here using your email or Facebook account.
2. Buy your next $20 in groceries on Walmart.com (using the Mypoints portal). Choose in-store pickup for free shipping.
3. Mypoints will reward you with 1,750 bonus bonus which you can redeem for a $10 Walmart gift card. Plus, even better, they give you eight points per dollar you spend at Walmart, which is equal to 5.4% cash back. Sweet!

3. Watch YouTube-Like Videos

The folks over at InboxDollars will actually pay you to watch videos! Now, most of them aren’t as entertaining as the Grumpy Cat series, but you’re getting paid – so who cares?

This works because the videos are sponsored by brands who need to get it in front of as many eyeballs as possible. Every time you watch one of their ads, they’ll credit your account with cash.

Here’s a link to signup. They give you $5 just for signing up.

Melinda Seckington under Creative Commons

4. Search The Internet

I love this one, because you just set it and forget.

Did you know that Bing will pay you every time you make a search on your computer or phone?

I usually earn about $100/year in passive income doing this, plus they give you $5 just for signing up.

Take 30 seconds to sign up and then reset your default search engine to Bing.

5. Rate Your Local Pizza Place

Awww…yeah! Who wouldn’t want $5 and a free large pizza? 

As many of you know I was a professional mystery shopper for many years (I got my start conducting liquor audits all over the Southeast).

One of the most popular types of mystery shops is for pizza companies (both Papa Johns & Pizza Hut regularly conduct mystery shops at all of their locations). As part of the assignment you’re required to time their delivery service, quality of pizza, etc.

It’s pretty easy to do and you can do it several times a year. If you’re interested in giving it a try, here’s a list of my favorite mystery shopping companies.

6. Sell Your Junk Mail

I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of junk mail. My email inbox and my mailbox are both full of crap from different cable providers, credit card offers, car insurance, etc.

If you’ve ever wondered what you could do with all of that junk mail besides recycling it or sending it to your email’s trash folder, SBK Center has the answer. This market research company will happily accept your junk mail and email and, in return, give you Visa prepaid cards, which work just like debit cards.

(The SBK website states that they pay you in gift cards, but I contacted SBK directly and they confirmed that they have switched to Visa prepaid cards. It’s a great move because it means you can spend your hard-earned cash anywhere that accepts debit cards.)

Here’s more information on them.

7. Download These Apps

There are a number of companies, including Google, that will pay you to install their app on your cell phone. And they’ll pay you for every month you keep them installed.

The apps collect data from your cell phone and help companies better understand web and mobile usage better — such as what times of day people browse, how long they stay on websites and use apps, and what types of sites and apps are popular (or not).

Here are my favorites (install all of them and earn $400/year or more):

– Placed Panel – This one is for iPhones only. The Panel App collects your location data, and in exchange, lets you earn points which can be redeemed for Paypal or Amazon gift cards. You can earn around $50/year with this one.

– Media Insiders Panel – this one pays you $5 a month and you can install it on up to 3 devices, making your total possible earnings up to $200 a year.

– Nielsen Mobile for iPhone Users – if you have an iPhone, this Nielsen panel will pay you $50/year to keep this app on your cell phone.

– Nielsen Mobile Panel for Ages 45+ – if you have a smartphone and your 45 years of age or older, this Nielsen panel will pay you $50/year to keep this app on your cell phone.

8. Rent/Sell Your Clothes Online

For some reason my closet is still holding on to the suit I wore to prom nearly 10 years ago. It’s never going to fit again, but some combination of laziness and sentiment has thus far kept it from landing on a Goodwill rack.

If you’re like me and have a closet full of stuff you don’t wear, what would you think about renting or selling your clothes out to strangers?

There are a few sites that make this possible includingTradesy, SnapGoods.com, Loanables.com, and RentNotBuy.com.

Rubbermaid Products under Creative Commons

9. Open a 2nd Bank Account

We’ve put together a huge list of banks that will pay you just to open a bank account!

There’s no harm in having multiple bank accounts. In fact, I often find it’s helpful to have multiple places to save (I’m less likely to touch the money), so I have savings accounts for my Christmas fund & my vacation fund.

The top bank bonus is $500 right now — head over to this list to see all of the banks in your area that are offering free cash.

10. Fix Google’s Search Results

I’ll make about $700 this month for cleaning up Google’s search engine. And Yahoo’s search engine. And Bing’s.

And the best part? Most of it is done while sitting at home in my pajamas. What am I doing? Let me explain…

Search engines use complicated algorithms to determine the results you see. For example, if you type “Steve Gillman” into a Google search box a half-million possibly-relevant web pages will be narrowed down using various criteria until a second later you see my smiling face. You’ll also see links to my personal website, my blog on the Huffington Post, and LinkedIn profiles for a bunch of guys who share my name.

But the search engines don’t always get it right…

They are full of errors, so they need real humans to look at the results and judge them for quality, relevancy, and usefulness. If you’re interested in this type of work, head over to this article to get more info on how to apply.

11. Become a Test Knitter

The knitting scene has changed since the late 90s. It’s no longer a hobby dominated by grandmothers churning out Christmas sweaters for the whole family; knitting is cool again and many young people are picking up the needles.

Lee Meredith of Leethalknits says that she finds most of her test knitters in her group on Ravelry, a site for connecting with fellow knitters and crocheters. Knitters can sign up for her master list of testers and be contacted when she has a new project. She gives her knitters the exact project requirements: the pattern, the size of knitting needles, yarn weight and amount, and any embellishments. As the testers knit, they leave her feedback in a shared Google document.

Knitters who complete the project by the deadline and provide feedback and corrections on the pattern instructions get a finished copy of the pattern plus around $20 credit to her virtual store. Large or complex projects, or those with unusually tight deadlines, earn the knitter additional credit.

Mackenzie under Creative Commons

12. Turn Your Grocery Receipts in For Rebates

You don’t have to cut back at the grocery store if you know the right tricks. Have you heard of rebate apps?

My favorite is the Ibotta app which works by giving you a cash rebate on your grocery store purchases if you take a picture of your receipt with your smartphone.

Many of the rebates are for things like steak, ground beef, bread and eggs. Plus, you can shop at your normal grocery store. There’s no need to run clear across town to save money.

Some other good ones are SavingStar & Checkout51. Download them all and sometimes you can get three rebates on the same item. 

13. Get Paid to Lose Weight

Let’s face – every year we all make the same New Year’s resolution to get in better shape. Well, this year you’ll have a little extra motivation if you’re getting paid for it. We’re fans of both HealthyWage and DietBet, two sites that will allow you to place a wager and earn cash when you successfully lose weight.

And if you’re already in great shape, another great idea is to start a boot camp at your local park a couple of nights week. Start with just a few friends – these camps tend to grow pretty organically once people see a group of people working out. Most boot camps trainers can earn $100/hour or more.

14. Sell Your Old Books

We’ve all got way too much extra junk just sitting around. Get rid of some of it and use the extra money for your Christmas shopping.

You could of course have a garage sale or sell some stuff on Craigslist, but one of my favorite ways to get rid of stuff is to use the Bookscouter app.

You scan your book’s barcode with your smartphone and Bookscouter will let you compare the payout of 20+ different buyback companies. Cool, right?

Once you’ve found the buyback company offering the most cash, you just fill out a little information about where you want your payment sent and prepare the books to be shipped. Most of the buyback companies offer prepaid shipping labels too, so there aren’t any costs associated with this.

15. Earn Up to $25/Hour as a Transcriptionist

Looking for a flexible job that allows you to work from home, requires little to no prior experience, and doesn’t involve making sales calls?

Yes, this kind of work exists: You could become a transcriptionist. This job gives you the freedom to set your own hours and, in many cases, work as much or as little as you want each week.

Here are a few companies that will hire you.

But, fair warning: the work is quite repetitive. You will have to listen to the same audio over and over again in order to be sure you have transcribed it perfectly. If repetition drives you insane, transcription might not be the line of work for you.

16. Test Websites

Like most of us, you’ve probably commented on how some websites are confusing and others excellent. Rather than complaining to your spouse or friend, how would you like to make those comments to the owners of the sites and get paid for playing critic?

I do just that, and you can, too. In fact, you can make $30 per hour as a website tester.

The company is called User Testing. Here’s what the process looks like: you’ll download some software and then when tasks are available, look over a website while your mouse movements, clicks, keystrokes, and spoken comments are all recorded as a video. Afterward there might be a few questions to answer, but the whole process often takes 15 minutes or less. Cool, right?

17. Watch More Television

Alright, just hear me out on this one. It’s definitely possible to get paid to watch TV… There’s a new company called “RewardTV” that pays you to answer trivia questions about last night’s TV shows.

Do you know who they killed off on Game of Thrones last week? Tell them about it and they’ll pay you.

Did you know which contestant got kicked off “The Voice” this week? They’ll pay you.

You’re not going to get rich doing this, but it’s a fun way to make an extra $15-$20/month. Pretty cool, right?

18. Make an Extra $50/Week Working for Amazon

Have you heard of Amazon Mechanical Turk? Unlike other online sites that look for contract help, the Amazon Mechanical Turk service offers easy to accomplish tasks that can be completed by almost anyone with a computer.

From the articles and advice I’ve read from others completing tasks, the key seems to be just to jump in and quickly accept the next task you are qualified for. Don’t spend time hunting for the perfect task, just do them next, next, next, etc. While basic tasks may only pay $0.10 they are easy and quick to complete. It does not take long to complete a task in less than a minute so in an hour, with little experience, you can make $6 to $10 depending on how fast you are.

Amazon Mechanical Turk is not a get rich quick scam or one of those make massive income in your spare time ripoffs. But, realistically you can make an extra $50 or so each month.

19. Tell This Company What’s in Your Fridge

Believe it or not, this company wants to know what’s in your fridge…

Once you sign up to be on the Nielsen Consumer Panel, the company will send you a free scanner or you can use your smartphone. Every time you go shopping, you simply scan the barcodes on the back of each product and send your data off to NCP.

As an active participant, you earn gift points which you can redeem for different types of merchandise. You can choose electronics, jewelry, household items, and even toys for the kids. The longer you stay on the panel, the more opportunity you have to earn points towards prizes. You also receive entries for the panel’s many sweepstakes. Prizes include vacations and brand new vehicles.

20. Get Paid $50+ to Write an Article for These Sites

If you like to write, we found a few blogs that will pay you to share your thoughts. And there’s no limit to the number of articles you can submit, so this really is a nice side gig…

TheKrazyCouponLady.com – $50
This site accepts articles on a broad range of topics including style/fashion, couponing, family/parenting, and personal finance. The ladies guarantee that you’ll hear back from them within 7 days and will receive $50 via Paypal if they choose to publish your article. You can read all the details here

Listverse.com – $100
Listverse publishes nothing but lists. Their posts are all long lists (usually beyond 1,500 words long) containing at least 10 items, with an explanation of why each item deserves its place on the list. Read more details here.

ThePennyHoarder.com – $75Got a crazy way to make/save extra money? We also pay our readers to submit articles and would love to have you contribute. Read all of ourguidelines here.

Photo by LaMenta3

21. Sell Your SmartPhone Photos

If you have a smartphone and a photographic eye, making money may have just gotten a lot easier. Oh yeah – you’ll also need access to marketable scenery.

There’s a new app called Foap that allows you to turn your smartphone photos into cash.

Here’s how it works. You download the free app. You sign up for an account. You take a quality photo. You upload photo to Foap’s marketplace. Someone buys the license to your photo for $10. You make $5.

If your photo sells twenty times, you make $5 each time and end up with $100 in your pocket, all for about 5 minutes of work. Pretty cool, right?

22. Fix Apple iPhones from Your Couch

Dreaming of working from home during your terrible commute each day? Here’s a cool opportunity to work from home for a company you probably already love: Apple.

That’s right: You could be the next Apple At Home Advisor — an official Apple employee who offers virtual support for the company’s popular products, including iPhones, iPads and MacBooks, through the customer service program AppleCare. If you’re looking for more flexibility and the ability to work from home, this could be your chance to make that dream a reality!

You don’t need to live in a specific city to be considered for the job, though Apple is advertising through listings on job boards throughout the U.S. Instead, the company is looking for people with technical expertise who can work from home to get the job done to their standards.

Interested in applying? Check out the job listing here.

Photo by William Hook

23. Sign Up for Free Gift Card Promotions

Believe it or not, there are sites that will give you free gift cards just for signing up with them.

One of my favorites is Ebates, the cash-back shopping site. They’re giving away $10 gift cards if you sign-up as a new member and earn your first cashback rebate. You can choose either a $10 Target, Walmart, Macy’s, or Kohl’s gift card.

You do have to wait 30 days. But, it’s free money so can you really complain?

24. Become a Teacher on Udemy & Google Hangouts

When you think about getting paid to teach what you know, what comes to mind? Putting up a poster in a local coffee shop and hoping for the best? Posting an ad on Craigslist?

Lucky for us, we’re no longer limited to our local area when it comes to getting paid to teach our skills. Thanks to online learning platforms like Google Helpouts and Udemy, anyone, anywhere, can teach anything.

If you think you don’t have any skills to teach, think again. Most of us are experts at something, whether it’s putting on makeup, baking brownies, or even making balloon animals!

Drawing a blank on what you could teach or help others with? Here are some ideas:

• Music lessons
• Photography lessons
• Web programming lessons or services
• Computer repair lessons or services
• Social media consulting
• Cooking or baking lessons
• Fitness instruction
• Nutrition consultations
• Academic tutoring
• Life coaching
• Style consultations
• Beauty consultations
• Gardening help

You get to set the rate for your lessons (most go for between $25-$50). And some people have been really successful at this – we just found a guy that’s made $500,000 selling his courses on Udemy.

Update 3/24/15: Unfortunately, Google just announced that “Helpouts” will be closing down on April 20, 2015. 

25. Sell Your Crafts on Etsy

Just because you don’t have a dedicated crafts room like Martha Stewart or Rosie O’Donnell doesn’t mean you can’t become a successful entrepreneur by selling your crafts online.

In the past crafters have had to slug it out at craft fairs and farmer’s markets, often meaning long hours and little profit. All of that has changed in the last few years as a number of online marketplaces, like Etsy, have opened that allow amateur crafters a forum to sell their goods.

In fact, we recently found a mom that’s earning $70,000/month on Etsy!Click here to read her story.

26. Sell Your Trash

Americans throw away approximately 266 million tons of trash every year and it turns out we might as well be throwing away cash!  There’s a reasondumpster diving has become so popular in recent years and that’s because things that you think are worth nothing often have value.

Anything from your empty wine bottles to old magazines can be sold online. Here’s a full list of the things in your trash that might be worth cash.

27. Sell Your Skills for $5 on Fiverr

Earning five bucks at a time may not sound like much, but those little sales can add up to thousands of dollars.

That’s the idea behind Fiverr.com, an online platform where users sell their products and services for $5 each. Fiverr says users create 4,000 new listings, or “gigs,” every day.

Gigs range from the standard data entry and research tasks to the truly out-there. For example, as I write this, sellers in the “Fun and Bizarre” section are offering:

• A piece of rare metal that will melt in your hand
• A prank phone call to anyone you choose
• Three balloons released into the sky with your message in them
• Your name written on two grains of rice
• A photo of you on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine
• A video of a woman pretending to be “crazy in love with you” — which has 253 buyers and a 98% positive ratingso far

You can seriously sell almost anything on Fiverr. Here are some more ideas.

28. Earn $100 By Helping a Company Name Themselves

Professional branders aren’t going anywhere, but for small businesses that can’t afford the million dollar price tag, there is a new trend called crowdsourcing that allows businesses to outsource the creative process to people like you and I through “naming contests.”

There are hundreds of naming contests on websites like NamingForce.com and SquadHelp.com. The way it works is that nameless businesses list a little information about their company and a prize amount for the person who can come up with the best name. The rewards are anywhere from $50-$500, with the average amount around $100.

For example, one company on SquadHelp lists that they are a company that buys used video games and that they will pay $80 to the person who can come up with the best name. A few of the submissions so far are “Cash 2 Gamers” and “Game Epix.” Think you can do better? Give it a try here.

29. Let Someone Borrow Your House/Apartment for the Night

I’ve used Airbnb to both rent out my apartment and stay in many others while traveling, and it’s a fantastic way to put your home to work for you. However, taking a few simple steps can make the difference between a great experience and a less-than-satisfactory one.

Whether you’re renting out a single room or your entire home, make the most of your Airbnb rental by following these tips. If you do it well, you could add hundreds or even thousands of dollars to your savings account.

Nicholas Wang/Flickr

30. Become an Online Tutor

Education is one of the world’s leading industries and by the year 2017 the private tutoring market alone is expected to top $100 billion.

Have you ever considered becoming an online tutor to make extra money?  Well, if you haven’t, you most certainly should.  You can make some serious coin by answering student’s questions, explaining your notes, and uploading tutorials.  That’s right, by sharing your knowledge, you can be rewarded handsomely.

Try marketing your services on a site like AceYourCollegeClasses.com where some of the top tutors have earned more than $10,000.

31. Become a Dog Masseuse 

We’ve talked before about ways to get paid to spend time with cats and dogs, but this is a new one: pet massage.

That’s right: some people earn money for massaging animals. It might sound a little strange, but apparently many cats and dogs enjoy a good massage as much as humans do.

If you like petting your furry friends, why not explore this option? With a bit of training you can make $50 per hour as a pet massage therapist. Here’s how to get started.

Jelly Dude under Creative Commons

32. Write Slogans for Major Companies 

Can you sum up a product in a sentence? Think of something funny — and not another joke about too many candles — to put on a birthday card? Make a point in few concise words?

If so, you might be able to make money writing slogans.

Companies sometimes need new corporate taglines, advertising slogans and jingles. Bumper sticker and greeting card makers want cute, endearing or funny thoughts to put on their products. When these businesses need help, they sometimes collect submissions from freelance writers or run contests that anyone can enter — including you!

Try one or more of these platforms to get started:

• Slogan Slingers helps companies create slogan contests in which their registered writers compete. It’s free to sign up as a writer, and the company claims you can “make up to $999 per contest (minus our small admin fee).”

• Get a Slogan is a “crowd-sourcing platform that brings in custom, creative and catchy slogans from a variety of sloganeers.” Companies come to them for help, and writers submit their ideas. It’s free to sign up, but you initially have only “qualifying” status. Once you obtain “qualified” status, you’ll receive $50 for each of your winning slogans.

• Freelancer.com has a section devoted to slogan-writing projects, which are sometimes run as contests. For example, at the moment a personal injury law firm is offering $150 for the best “unique and memorable tagline/slogan.”

Your Turn: Would you try any of these methods to make extra money at home?

Disclosure: We appreciate you letting us include a couple of affiliate links in this post. It helps keep the beer fridge stocked in the Penny Hoarder break room.