Ways to make extra money in college

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As a college student, I was always broke but hungry. I used to check the club activity board weekly to keep me informed of events with free food. There are others ways to save and make extra cash while on campus.

There are other ways to supplement your income while in school.

Sell books

Sell your used books on sites such as Halfprice or Amazon.

Get a job on campus    

• You can work in the bookstore, be a Resident advisor, workstudy or become a tutor. You can also complete scientific research in a lab and get paid. You can check out your career center for job opportunities.  You can get some resume tips here.

Save money shopping online

Save money when you shop online using Ebates.  I use Ebates every time I shop online as got hundreds of dollars in cash back each year.

Earn money cashback for college on purchases using Upromise. From shopping and booking travel online to going to restaurants and using eCoupons, you’ll find lots of opportunities to earn cash back on what you’re buying anyway.

Focus Groups  

I’ve completed focus groups since I was in college. You chat with a diverse group of people in a guided discussion about a particular product such as banking or tv commercial. They are fun and pay great, $75-400. You can search focus groups in your area such as FocusFwd or Schlesinger Associates. My son even does focus groups through PanelPolls.

Mystery Shops     

I’ve mystery shopped at supermarkets,  fast food restaurants, and even amusement parks.  They are fun and easy but the summary report may take awhile to complete.

• Best Mark
• Sinclair Customer Metrics
• Market Force
• Intelli-shop
• Athpower

Couponing apps

You can use these apps to earn gift cards when you scan your receipts You can turn ANY grocery receipt into savings! You’ll save on thousands of products EVERY time they’re on your receipt. My favorite apps are Receipt Hog, Receipt Pal. Checkout  51, Fetch rewards (promo code: E5CPE).  Ibotta, Use my referral code, yqgm5q and you can get a $10 welcome bonus.

 Surveys    

You can earn points for giftcards and cash. I usually complete surveys while I’m watching TV. Make sure you use a separate email for your surveys. You do receive 10-20 a day and they can add up quickly.

• Harris Poll
• Swagbucks
• Panel Opinion
• i-Say (IPSOS)
• Mypoints
• Opinion Outpost 
• Survey Junkie

Invest in stocks

It is never too early to save for the future. Even if you are making minimum wage, you can save as low as $5 into a retirement account. I like Robinhood to buy my stocks and invest my portfolio.

Driving apps

There are several driving services where you can make extra cash in your spare time. You can buy groceries and deliver them to people. These are some of the popular ones such as Uber, Uber Eats, Amazon Eats, Doordash,  Instacart.

This is a comprehensive list that can give you legitimate ways to earn cash while in school. Remember your studies come first before any side jobs. If you need any money for school, check out my list of scholarships.