Day in and day out we, as consumers, are constantly throwing our hard-earned money down the drain. Spending is a part of the American lifestyle, so why not get the most out of our buck? Put down the credit card and start making some sound decisions when it comes to making your money work for you! 

How to get started: 

1. Start an online store. Yes, I know. Many of us look at online stores as gimmicky, cluttered with the same mass of stock apparel, and downright sketchy. However, drop-ship is a completely new ball game and takes the manual labor out of actually running a business by yourself. Invest a little to set up the website, get quick samples to photograph (many already come with stock photos), upload, then have a third-party ship them out every time someone orders. You literally never lift a finger. 

2. Try peer-to-peer lending. I’ve honestly tried this and it worked out, at first. The trick to peer-to-peer lending is to NEVER lend over $100. This is because lending comes with risks, of course. If you lend anything over that and it turns out that person can’t repay you, then you end up losing every cent. Although these apps may send them to collections to help get your money back, it’s always safe to say, only lend what you may feel comfortable with never getting back. However, if you do decide to go this route, you can make up to a $50 profit on every loan you dish out. 

3. Invest in quick-app stocks. These apps include Acorns, Stash, and etc. They take a portion of the dollar amount of what you spend – then invest it for you into stocks of your choice. It’s seamless and a thoughtless process, so much so you’ll look up and would have invested over $500 within a month! 

4. Use coupons or rebate apps – every time you shop. If you frequent stores like Target, Wal-Mart or even popular retail stores, there’s a legit way to pay less for everything. Apps like Ebates, Rakuten and more, can filter through your daily purchases and get you money back on the spot. You can even save bigger by using coupons on all your purchases as well. Ordering pizza? There’s a coupon. Getting face wash from Walgreens or CVS? There are tons of coupons for that too! Just Google and thank me later! 

5. Keep the bulk of your money in interest savings accounts. If you want to have your money make you more money, over time. Consider interest savings and/or checking account. There is a vast difference from your traditional Chase Bank account. Online banks like Ally, Wealthfront, or Betterment are slowly but surely creeping up to take the crown when it comes to high APY’s or annual rates of return.