/images/2020/03/02/tattoo-woman-bar.jpeg)
You’ve got your own place (finally!) and the last thing you want to do is move back in with your parents. But you’re short on cash and rent is due! Don’t worry, we’ve all been there and we’re here to help.
We've done our research and found some of the best options to help you pay your rent. Some of these apps will help you save so you're not in a jam next month. Others will help you earn some extra cash to pad your wallet right away.
The companies on this list are legit - they're all real companies that do what they say they'll do. And they're upfront about costs. Most are free, but if they're not, their pricing is honest.
Let's take a look...
Get $5 to start investing in Apple or Amazon
If you want to break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck, it's time to take a look at starting to invest for your future. Even if you don't have lot of money to invest, don't let that stop you — you can start investing with just $1.
Stash is a great place for beginning investors to get started. You can buy fractional shares (partial shares) in companies that are household names like Apple, Google, and Amazon. Normally a single share of these companies would cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, but you only need $1 to get started with Stash.
Stash also offers all kinds of tools and guides to help you along the way and you can use the Stash app to track your investments from anywhere.
For a limited time Stash will give you $5 to invest when you make your first investment.*
Crush your debt with a historically low interest loan
If you’re looking for a chunk of change and earn more than $20,000/year, a personal loan could be a good option.
Our partner AmOne will match you with loan providers to fit your specific needs. In only 2 minutes, you could get matched for a loan up to $50,000 and rates as low as 3.49%.
Why not see if you qualify? It will NOT affect your credit score.
Get spotted up to $100 if your account balance runs low
If you're one of the 78% of Americans who live paycheck-to-paycheck, wouldn't it be nice to have a little extra financial cushion especially at the end of the month when rent is due?
With a Chime account, you can not only avoid overdraft fees if your balance runs low, they'll actually spot you up to $100 on debit card purchases.4
With Chime, there are also no hidden fees like monthly fees or minimum balance fees and they'll even help you get your paycheck up to two days early if you use direct deposit.5
Apply online in just two minutes — there's no credit check required.
Save up to $500 on car insurance
Car insurance can be expensive, so you want to make sure you're not overpaying on your current premium.
FinanceBuzz has made it easy to search and compare quotes. Think of it as Kayak, but for car insurance.
We can help match you to insurance carriers and regional agencies to help you save on your car insurance. FinanceBuzz can save drivers up to $500 per year compared to their current insurance premiums.
It takes less than 5 minutes to fill out the form and you'll receive a list of matches that show you online, email, and potentially phone quotes.
Turn your skills into cash
If you're handy, you take those skills and turn them into cash.
With new projects coming through HomeAdvisor every two seconds, there's something for everyone. Whether it's painting, mowing lawns, cleaning houses or larger projects like roof and fence installations, HomeAdvisor can connect you to these jobs. HomeAdvisor will set you up with an online business profile and help you collect customer reviews to land your next job.
With over 100 million lifetime service requests and thousands of users searching every day, what are you waiting for?
See if you can raise your credit score in real time
Your credit score affects whether you can get approved for a loan, a credit card, or even a new job. Usually it can take weeks or months to improve your credit score, but there's an innovative new service that could help you raise your FICO® Score instantly.
Experian Boost™ can help you get credit for making on-time payments for your phone and utility bills. The process takes just minutes and if qualifying payments are identified, you can include this positive information in your credit file. (Don't worry: If you have any negative marks, those won't count against you.)
Since launching, Experian Boost has collectively increased FICO® Scores across America by over 10 million points. It's 100% free and new credit scores take effect immediately.
Sign up for Experian Boost now
Get paid to make deliveries on your schedule
DoorDash lets you be your own boss and set your own schedule by making deliveries. Customers place an order from the list of restaurants including Starbucks, Chipotle and hundreds of others in your area. The app then pushes orders to any nearby Dashers who are logged in. Just pick up the food, drop it off and get paid!
You get to keep 100% of the delivery fee plus any tips or boosts. Dashers earn an average of $15-25 an hour. Due to COVID-19, all orders are no-contact by default.
Work as much or as little as you want. You set your hours, so the earning potential is up to you. To be a Dasher, you'll just need a vehicle, a smartphone, and be over the age of 18.
Trim up to $720 from your bills with the budgeting app that does it all
Meeting next month’s rent is hard.
But canceling that random “it was just a free trial” subscription you signed up for 2 years ago? That’s hell, in internet form. And every month that goes by with needless subscriptions means more money draining from your pockets.
Here’s a secret: sneaky companies like it this way… they purposefully make it hard for you to get rid of those monthly fees. Ugh.
The good news? There’s Truebill.
Truebill is like your personal financial guardian — in an app. Just connect your bank account, and Truebill finds all your recurring subscriptions, cancelling the ones you don’t need anymore. They’ll even negotiate lower rates on your monthly bills, like phone and internet!
Truebill gives you a full view of your financial life in a single screen — from income to spending to saving — so you can start enjoying the hard-earned money you make, and stop wasting it on needless fees.
This digital piggy bank helps users save an average of $2,500 a year
Sick of seeing a lower-than-you-thought-it-was number in your bank account each week? Wondering where you can find some extra cash to help pay rent?
We’ve been there, friend. That’s why we love Digit.
Digit is like a digital piggy bank, but for adults. It's easy to use: just connect your bank account, set savings goals — like next month’s looming rent, that pesky credit card bill, or that relaxing weekend away — and Digit does the rest.
The app auto-analyzes your spending habits on the daily, quietly (but effectively) stashing away little bits of money towards pre-set goals. When your bills finally come due, you’ll already have the money set aside… all without you even noticing.
And if you’re wondering: after the 30-day free trial, there is a $5 monthly fee — but that’s pennies compared to how you’ll feel when you easily hit your savings goals month after month, without a care in the world.
Going grocery shopping? Use this app to get a free Amazon gift card
Even on a tight budget, your grocery bill is one expense you just *can’t* break free from. But what if you could turn your weekly grocery runs into free gift cards from stores like Amazon and Target?
Lucky for you, it’s possible — with Fetch.
Fetch is a sweet lil’ app that gives you money for sending in pics of your shopping receipts. Seriously, it’s that simple. Fetch uses the receipts for market research (yawn), and you get money towards gift cards.
It’s easy to get started. Just get the Fetch app here and sign up for an account (it takes about 30 seconds), and on your next grocery run, snap + upload a pic of your receipt!
After a few receipts, you’ll rack up enough points to redeem gift cards at popular stores like Amazon, Target, and Home Depot. Use them to buy things you need around the house, freeing up extra cash each month to put towards rent.
Oh, and here’s a bonus: You'll get 2,000 extra points when you enter the referral code BUZZ before scanning your first receipt.
Get paid $100 to ditch your debit card
If you’re using your old debit card for everything, you are probably missing out on serious cash, rewards, and benefits. With an Aspiration Spend & Save account, you’ll get $100 for opening a new debit card - just open an account, use your Aspiration debit card to make at least $1,000 in purchases within 60 days and you’ll get $100!
You’ll also be eligible for up to 10% cash back on purchases and 1% APY on your balance – that’s 14x the national average interest rate.^
Not to mention unlimited fee-free withdrawals at over 55,000 ATMs. Best of all there’s no minimum credit score!
Get cash for your unused diabetic strips
Millions of Americans suffer from diabetes, which can be painful and expensive. But now there is a new way to make a little extra money if you or someone you know suffers from the disease.
Cash For Diabetics is a new company that will pay you up to $30 for your unused diabetic test strips. It's as simple as placing your unopened packages in their free mailing kit, and they mail you a check in 2-8 business days.
Getting signed up is free and only takes a minute. Stop throwing your unused test strips out and start making some money!
Sign up for Cash For Diabetics here
Get a Cash Advance up to $250 - no interest or late fees
You're doing everything you can to get ahead, but some months it's just not enough. With Empower's Cash Advance feature, they'll float you up to $250³ when you need a little help making it to your next payday.
How it works: Just request a Cash Advance in the app when you're in a jam. Empower will send cash directly to your checking account. You can settle up when you receive your next direct deposit.
There's no interest, no late fees, no credit check, and no application process. You'll just need to meet their eligibility requirements.
Bonus: Get smarter about money in just 5 minutes a day
"Wealthy" is all about numbers. "Worthy" is a mindset. If you’re the type of person who’s passionate about growing your net worth and becoming financially independent, then you belong in Worthy — our brand-new personal finance community.
Join Worthy, and you’ll get expert advice on earning more, investing smarter, and saving for the life you want - right in your inbox, for free! Stay up-to-date on the latest news and trends that could impact your wallet, and get access to exclusive insider content and special offers.
Sign up now and join thousands of people who are getting smarter about money every day with Worthy.
/images/2020/04/09/stash_logo__purple.png){kind=logo}
Stash Benefits
- Get $5 to make your first investment
- Invest in stocks, bonds, and ETFs
- Fractional shares available
- Start investing with just $1