7 Things To Do If You’re Barely Scraping By Financially (2024)

MAKE MONEY - MONEY GOALS

Last updated March 20, 2024 | By FinanceBuzz Editors

You’ve got just enough money in your bank account to last until Friday … but then Monday rolls around, and you’re in the same situation. Again.

Food. Bills. Rent. Gas. They dry up every bit of your take-home pay.

But it doesn’t have to be this hard. With a few smart moves, you could supplement your income — without doing much extra “work,” or even getting a side job!

Here’s what to do:

Stop overpaying when you shop online

Shopping online has its perks. It's super convenient, but it can be time consuming to find the best deals. Instead of hunting for coupon codes (that don't always work!) and opening tons of browser tabs comparing prices, you can try Capital One Shopping.

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Capital One Shopping is free to use and won't show you ads. Add it today and stop overpaying!1

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Pay no interest on balance transfers until September 2025

Imagine getting 18 months with 0% intro APR on a balance transfer. Sounds great — right? You could dramatically change your financial picture with this industry-leading card - the Citi Double Cash® Card(Rates and fees).

If you want to kick high-interest credit card debt to the curb, this is one of the leading get-out-of-debt cards available. Transfer your high interest debt to this card with a 0% intro APR on balance transfers for 18 months. After the intro period for balance transfers, the APR is 19.24% - 29.24% (Variable). Your payments can go directly to paying down your balance without incurring a pile of additional charges. That could save you hundreds of dollars in interest!

It doesn't stop with balance transfers though. Cardholders can also earn double cash back — 2% on every purchase with unlimited 1% cash back when you buy, plus an additional 1% as you pay for those purchases; plus, for a limited time, earn 5% total cash back on hotel, car rentals and attractions booked on the Citi Travel℠ portal through 12/31/24. The best part - you can redeem your cash back as direct deposit, a statement credit, or even a mailed check! You can turn your everyday purchases into cash back and make a dent in your debt, regular bills, or save for the future.

The best part? There's no annual fee.

Click here to apply here for the Citi Double Cash® Card(Rates and fees)

Earn cash back on everyday purchases with this rare account

Want to earn cash back on your everyday purchases without using a credit card? With the Discover®️ Cashback Debit Checking account (member FDIC), you can earn 1% cash back on up to $3,000 in debit card purchases each month!2

With no credit check to apply and no monthly fees to worry about, you can earn nearly passive income on purchases you’re making anyway — up to an extra $360 a year!

This rare checking account has other great perks too, like access to your paycheck up to 2 days early with Early Pay, no minimum deposit or monthly balance requirements, over 60K fee-free ATMs, and the ability to add cash to your account at Walmart stores nationwide.

Don’t leave money on the table — it only takes minutes to apply and it won’t impact your credit score.

Apply for a Discover Cashback Checking account today

Get rid of $25,000 in credit card debt

The amount of outstanding debt you have is an important factor in your credit score. If you have a lot of credit card debt or you've been missing payments, it could be negatively impacting your credit score.

Freedom Debt Relief can work with your creditors to reduce credit card debt and get your finances back on track without needing a loan.

You could resolve your credit card debt in as little as 24-48 months with one low monthly payment, even if you don’t have great credit. The sooner you get your debt under control, the sooner you could start to work on improving your credit.

Freedom Debt Relief is America's largest debt company and has settled over $17 billion in debt and served over 1,000,000 clients. Take action now and start working toward a debt free future.

Check eligibility from Freedom Debt Relief

Don't let home repairs drain your bank account

Did you know if your air conditioner stops working, your homeowner’s insurance won’t cover it? Same with plumbing, electrical issues, appliances, and more. Not being able to make repairs could leave you in a bad situation — but a home warranty could protect you against surprise expenses.3

Whether you’re a brand-new homeowner or you’ve owned your home for years, a plan from Choice Home Warranty could pick up the slack where homeowner’s insurance falls short.

If a covered system in your home breaks down, you can call their hotline 24/7 for assistance to get it repaired. They have a network of over 15,000 technicians that can assist you, making sure any issue can be taken care of swiftly — without breaking the bank.

Not sure if it’s for you? Rest easy: they were named one of the "Best Home Warranty Companies" by US News 360 Reviews and were awarded Best Company's 2020 Consumer's Choice Award. For a limited time, you can get your first month free when you sign up for a Single Payment home warranty plan.

Get a free quote

Unlock up to $1,070 estimated value over the next year with this incredible card

There's a credit card that's making waves with its amazing bonus and benefits. The Discover it® Cash Back(Rates and fees)card has no annual fee, andDiscover will match all the cash back you’ve earned at the end of your first year. This generous welcome offer and the top-notch cash back rewards provides an estimated $1,070 value in the first year!

The excellent $1,070 first-year value is estimated through the FinanceBuzz Credit Card Rewards Valuation Model based on spending, the welcome bonus, and the annual fee. The actual value will be determined by how much and in which categories you spend, but this card makes racking up valuable rewards easy! Earn 5% cash back at different places each quarter up to the quarterly maximum when you activate, including gas stations, grocery stores, and restaurants. Plus, you'll earn 1% cash back on all other purchases automatically. The welcome offer combined with the up to 5% cash back reward rate could be worth up to 10% cash back!

This card also offers an intro APR of 0% for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then APR 17.24% - 28.24% Variable. To top it all off, the Discover it® Cash Back is accepted by 99% of merchants, and there's no annual fee.

Click here to apply now for the Discover it® Cash Back.

Earn as much as $1K doing simple online tasks

Is there such a thing as easy money? If you know your way around the web, there certainly is.

That’s because data is currency these days, and many companies are willing to pay cash for it — up to $1,000.

Finding these companies can be time-consuming on your own. But a company called Freecash has compiled all sorts of quick cash tasks from about a dozen advertisers and market research companies thirsty for more data. Freecash has paid out over $13 million to users since 2019, and has over 50,000 five-star reviews on Trustpilot.

You can pick and choose your tasks and complete them at your convenience. The coins you earn from each completed task can be converted into things like Visa gift cards, Amazon gift cards, cryptocurrency or cold-hard PayPal cash.

Signing up for a Freecash account is easy and there’s no minimum amount you need to earn before you can cash out. And if you’ve got enough free time on your hands, you can join the ranks of Freecash users making more than $1,000 in extra cash.

Sign up here to see how much you could earn.

Stop Overpaying When You Shop Online

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7 Things To Do If You’re Barely Scraping By Financially (2024)
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