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July was our first full month as parents! It was full of newborn snuggles, little sleep, a lot of caffeine, and some side hustling. While I did not have much free time my established side hustles still made us some extra income in July. For anyone new here, every month I keep track of how much I earn from various side hustles and break down that revenue. I always make an annual goal for side hustle income ($7k for 2023) and currently that’s still achievable! Let’s take a look at July’s side hustle report.
The Earnings
- Mperks: $20
- Chase Ultimate Rewards: $52.95
- Ibotta: $42.39
- Survey Junkie: $12.29
- Branded Surveys: $8.99
- Lake Michigan Credit Union: $37.15
Total: $173.77
The Breakdown
Mperks
If you live in the midwest you are familiar with Meijer, a super center similar to Target or Walmart. A few months ago they revamped their rewards program. I found I was earning a lot more cash back for my grocery purchases and thought it should be included in the side hustle report. If you shop at Meijer and don’t use their rewards you are leaving money on the table!
Chase Ultimate Rewards
I utilize the Chase Freedom card (no annual fee) and the Chase Sapphire Reserve card ($500 annual fee). I love these cards because I get so much bang for my buck and you can combine your rewards points to utilize in the portal. Currently the Pay Yourself Back feature gives you 25% more points when you use it on eligible categories. You can also use the portal to book travel at a reduced cost which I have done in the past as well. If you’re interested in any of these cards click here for the Chase Freedom or here for the Sapphire Reserve. Sign up bonuses change frequently!
Ibotta
I’ve used Ibotta for almost 7 years now. This is one of my favorite cash back apps. I mostly use it for groceries but also for various online purchases. Recently I got $6.00 back on my dad’s birthday present I purchased online from Ace Hardware. I did an in-depth review on this app in my post on my top 3 cash-back apps that you can read here. If you sign up for Ibotta through this link you’ll earn an additional $5.00 back when you upload your first receipt!
Survey Junkie
Survey Junkie is one of the most common market research companies. They pay consumers for their opinion. My goal is to always meet the minimum cash out requirement – 500 points or $5.00. This is relatively easy to do especially because they have guaranteed 1 minute surveys daily! If you have specific questions about Survey Junkie or want more information click here to read my detailed thoughts on this side hustle. You can sign up today to start earning by clicking here!
Branded Rewards
This is another market research company that pays people for their opinions. I have been using it for a few months now and will continue to use it. Similar to Survey Junkie they have daily guaranteed surveys. They also have a badge system where you can earn bonus points on surveys depending on what badge you have. Your badge status is determined by how many surveys you complete in a given week. Minimum cash out is also 500 points or $5.00. If you’re interested in making a few extra bucks while waiting in line for coffee, sitting on the couch, etc. click here to sign up.
Lake Michigan Credit Union
LMCU is what my husband and I use for our joint checking account. We love their max checking option because it gives you 3% cash back up to $15k for doing a few simple things every month! That’s an extra $450/year with little effort. My goal is to always make my money work for me and this is an easy way to do that. They also have physical locations in our area, which I don’t often use, but is nice to have in case I need anything.
That’s a wrap on the month of July! This was easily the hardest month of our lives as first time parents and learning how to care for a newborn. Despite not having the extra income I’m used to, I’m proud of what I was able to accomplish amid a huge life transition. I would love to hear what your side hustles are in the comments below! Until next month’s side hustle report.
I also am a LMCU member. Can you explain how the 3% checking cash back can work for me?
Hi! As long as you have a max checking account you can qualify for 3% cash back. You will need to do a few things monthly to earn cash back including: setting up direct deposit, logging in 4x over the month, signing up for e-statements, etc. They have a full list of what you need to do to qualify here: https://www.lmcu.org/personal/banking/checking-accounts/max-checking/