28 Actionable Money Hacks for Financial Freedom in 2022

In 2022, money hacks are all the rage when it comes to making money now.

What are money hacks?

Money hacks are powerful money strategies, tips, or methods that either make or save a lot of money in a relatively short amount of time.

The following 28 money hacks are going to change your life forever, and if applied correctly, will make you rich.

I have divided this post into three main categories:

• Best money hacks for financial freedom.
• Quick money hacks that will fatten your wallet.
• Frequently asked questions.

It doesn’t matter if you’re flat broke or don’t know a dang thing about money, this post will be your chance to create a new financial destiny for yourself.

With that being said, let’s dive straight into this list of money hacks.

This post contains affiliate links. Please read the terms of use for more info.

Best Money Hacks for Financial Freedom

If you’ve dreamed of being financially independent but don’t know where to begin, these are the money hacks for you.

These money hacks do require some effort initially but will give you financial freedom quickly.

Establish a stream(s) of passive income today

Creating passive income streams is one of the personal finance hacks that will change your life.

Listen.

Time is the most important commodity we have (even more than money). Without enough time in our days, we become stressed out and life passes us by. Trust me, I’ve been there, and it sucks. Often, this is due to us spending too much time working and even recouping from work.

It doesn’t have to be this way though!

Establishing passive income will give you the financial flexibility in life you desire. You can make money while you sleep, relax, or doing anything else!

And, you can establish streams of passive income right now.

To get you started, here are 10 easy ways to establish a passive income stream.

Start making more income right now

If you want to become wealthy or be able to quit your job, you must have at least one additional source of extra income.  Just working a regular job alone won’t cut it.  What if you get promoted and still aren’t making enough? What if you get laid off?  You don’t have the time to wait around and find out.

Fortunately, there are countless ways to make more money available to you right now. It doesn’t matter, if you had limited time, little to no skillset, or if you are the shyest person in the world, you can bring in more money. There’s no excuses to start making more money today.

Here are my favorite ways to make extra money fast:

Give your opinion to popular brands from home: My favorite place to do this is SurveyJunkie. You can make as much as $45 per opinion survey. Click here to sign up for SurveyJunkie and start earning today.

Redeem offers and get paid to search the web on Swagbucks. You can also make a little money watching videos, playing mobile games, and more. When you complete your sign up (take a minute or two) they will put $5 worth of digital currency in your account. You can use this digital currency to quickly redeem free gift cards or PayPal cash.  I make about $100-$200 a month from this easy side hustle for only a few hours of my time every few days. Click here to sign up for Swagbucks and claim your $5 sign up bonus..

Do fun oddjobs around your city on your own schedule with TaskRabbit. You can bring in an extra few hundred dollars a week. Once you get efficient at doing tasks, making $2000 or more a week is attainable. Click here to download the TaskRabbit app and start doing tasks today!

Deliver groceries to folks in your town or neighborhood with Instacart. You can make up to $27 bucks an hour. This is a great side hustle for introverts that don’t like having a lot of people in their cars like you would for ridesharing apps. Click here to get started on Instacart.

For more ways to make money, click here for our comprehensive list on ways to make extra money.

Take advantage of cash back cards, rewards, discounts, and use them together

Sometimes the best way to grow your bank account is to save and hustle. I’m going to give you one of my most nifty money hacks for doing just that. Simply put, this money hack involves combing several different saving methods. Here are the methods that I use and that synergize well:

Get a cash back credit card

Instead of using your regular credit cards, use cash back credit cards. These are credit cards that give you money back on the purchase you make. Just be sure to pay your credit cards on time. Nerdwallet has an up-to-date list of great cash back credit cards to apply for. View the list here.

If you’re not a fan of using credit cards or have trouble paying them on time, you can skip this step.

Buy gift cards at a discount

No matter what your income level is, there are stores and retailers you shop at. Instead of using regular cash to pay for your purchases, use gift cards. GiftCardGranny is a gift card marketplace that I regularly use to buy gift cards at discounted prices! Once you start using it, you won’t stop. Here’s the link to sign up for a free account.  For even more savings, use an appropriate cash back credit card to buy these discounted gift cards.

Shop with a cash back app

If you aren’t using cashback apps, you are literally throwing your money away.

Cashback apps as the name implies gives you cash back on purchases that you make at stores, websites, brands, and restaurants. I alternate between 5 different free cash back apps. They each partner with different retailers, so it’s a good idea to have them all in your money-saving arsenal. Try each and choose stick with the ones that best apply for your purchases.

Ibotta is a phone app that gives you cash back whenever you make in-store purchases and scan your receipts into their app. When you download the app and scan your first receipt, they give you an additional $10 in cash. You can instantly withdraw your money into Paypal which is great. Click here to download Ibotta.

Rakuten is an online portal that gives you cash back whenever you buy from your favorite stores online. Rakuten will give you $10 after you spend $25 or more through their online portal.

Drop is currently my favorite cash back app. It’s basically the easiest way to get free gift cards automatically, and all you have to do is shop like you normally would. You just have to download the app here and link the card(s) you primarily use for purchases. Drop will do the rest. The only time you’ll be opening the app again will be to redeem your free gift cards!

Dosh gives you cash back automatically from your everyday purchases. Currently, they have a lot of restaurants, but they also have some popular stores like Cost Plus, Sam’s Club, and many more. Like Drop, you simply link the card(s) you use for your regular purchases and Dosh will start making you money. Click here to download Dosh to your phone for free.

Pei is essentially the same thing as Dosh except they have more stores to choose from compared to restaurants. The setup process is essentially the same as both Drop and Dosh. One advantage to Pei, however, is that they will give you $5 if you download the app through this link and complete your account set up.

As of this writing, Drop, Dosh, and Pei stack on top of each other. What this means is that if you make a purchase at a store, each app will give you cash back for that same purchase. There are other cash back apps out there, but they either don’t give as much cash back or stack with others.

Related: 10 Best free money-saving apps: Save money automatically

Apply the rule of 10%

The Rule of 10% is a simple strategy to put away a safe and small amount of money that builds over time.

It’s one of the easiest money hacks to implement, yet it can make a huge difference for your finances.

Here’s how to apply the rule of 10% Deduct 10% of every dollar earned and put it into a savings or investing account. I apply the rule every time I receive a check or direct deposit. For example, if I receive a check for $490.38, I apply the 10% rule and put $49 away. By using online banking, you can withdraw your money from one bank account and have it sent to another savings account.

If you’d like a saving method that’s completely automatic, I recommend checking out an app like Digit. This cool app uses artificial intelligence to monitor your account and save you a safe amount of money every month. It’s pretty cool.

Click here to download the nifty Digit App

Start investing right now

If you don’t start investing in something(s) and growing your money, you are highly likely to be broke and living paycheck to paycheck forever.

I really mean that.

There are countless things to invest into such as real estate, your own business, cryptocurrency, stocks, bonds, precious metals, and even things like trading cards.

Unless you have a specific passion, I recommend starting off with stock investing. It’s one of the quickest ways to start growing your money

I know the stock market can be intimidating, but the sooner you learn about it and start investing, the better for your financial future.

If you don’t have the time to start learning about the stock market, I recommend using an app like Acorns. What the app does is automatically invest your spare change from purchases (rounded up to the nearest dollar) into a portfolio that’s been handpicked by economic pros.

It’s a genius way to save money and more importantly grow your money without having to lift a finger. Plus, Acorns gives you $5 when you set up a free account with them.

Click here to sign up for Acorns and claim your $5 cash sign up bonus

Start a profitable blog

If you want to do something that will not only give you financial freedom, but true fulfillment, start a blog right now.

How so?

Because the earning potential as a blogger is massive, and it has great profit-scaling potential. Right now, there are bloggers who are bringing in $10,000s or even $100,000s per month. How’s that for financial flexibility?

Having a blog also lets you have a platform to express your innermost convictions with others and help them out at the same time.

Blogging has completely changed my life. It’s allowed me to take control of my time and finances so I can spend my life doing what I love to do. If only I knew how fulfilling it was, I’d have made one years ago.

I’ve created a thorough yet simple guide to teach you how to create a profitable blog from scratch. And, I do this for free.

You will also learn exactly how I built the Luster Lexicon from the ground up as a blog that now nets me $5000+ dollars per month (and quickly growing).

Click here to learn how to start a profitable blog from scratch

Use the 30-day rule for large purchases

Let’s be honest. We’ve all been enamored by an expensive product we didn’t need (and ended up breaking the bank to buy it anyway). This is the kind of spending habit that can leave you broke in a hurry.

So, what’s an easy money hack for this bad spending habit?

The 30-day rule.

Whenever you are faced with buying a big-ticket item like a flat-screen or any kind of impulse purchase, write it down. Now, wait 30 days. If you still need it, then consider buying it. If you’ve forgotten about it, congratulations. You just saved money by not wasting it on something you didn’t need.

It’s really that simple.

Practice powerful money affirmations

If you always seem to have bad money habits or a negative mindset about money, this is the money hack that could change your life.

Our subconscious minds, among many things, are responsible for maintaining our habits of acting and thinking. That includes our habits about spending money, making money, and even what we believe it takes to acquire money or save it. Using Money affirmations (or money mantras as they are also called) are an effective way to reprogram your subconscious mind.

I wrote a post that goes more into detail about money affirmations which you can read here.

Pay your debts and investments before anything else

This money hack is pretty straightforward. When left alone or not paid in full, debt only gets worse through interest accumulation and late fees. If debt gets bad enough it becomes extremely difficult if not next to impossible to escape. This is why you must pay off debt as soon as you can.

Next, you want to take care of your investments. Investing is what will grow your net worth in the long run. The more money you put into your investments, the more money you can potentially make.

Hang around positive people who make you grow financially

Being around the wrong people can ruin your finances and more. By the wrong people, I mean anyone who has a mindset or lifestyle that brings you down.

With respect to finances, these are people who are always broke, negative, and refuse to break their bad money habits. When you hang around the wrong people, the way they think, their habits, and actions have a tendency to rub off. You don’t want that. So, you need to start cutting them out of your life or at the very least keep a good distance away.  

I also recommend bringing new people into your life that uplift you, are like-minded, and those you can learn from.

Don’t know anyone like this?

Start searching for financial mentors online in finance-related Facebook groups.

Can’t pay for 1 on 1 with a mentor?

Listen to the free podcasts and videos of people you admire or who resonate with you financially. An example could be Tony Robbins’ videos on YouTube or financial TED talks.

Cultivate a wealthy mindset through immersion

Similar to the money hack above, you not only want to eliminate the wrong people and influences from your life, but you want to immerse yourself in wealth.

Start reading books, quotes, and other writings by people who have succeeded financially. Watch videos and listen to speeches that have been given by wealthy people. Over time, you will start to see your own money habits and mindset change.

Monetize your leisure time

Instead of wasting time and money by watching TV, playing games, posting your opinions on social media, or browsing the internet, why not get paid for these things? Yes, you really can get paid for doing these things! My favorite lazy way to make extra money and kill time is InboxDollars.

On InboxDollars, you can get paid for playing and download mobile games, watching the latest videos, giving your opinion, and even browsing the internet! On top of that, you can snag some savings by redeeming offers at your favorite retailers and services under the discover section. Once you sign up for InboxDollars, you won’t stop using it. Plus, they are giving a $5 bonus for signing up for a free account and completing your profile.

Click here to sign up for InboxDollars and claim your $5 cash sign up bonus.

Become an affiliate or ambassador for your favorite products and brands

We all have brands and products that we love.

Let me tell you about an easy money hack that you were probably unaware of.

You can become an affiliate or ambassador and start making passive income fast. This is especially true if you already have a decent social circle or following.

So, how does this work?

Each brand is different, but usually, they have a link on their website titled, “become an affiliate” or “Ambassador” where you can sign up.

I go into more detail and provide direct links in this post here.

Eat right and get regular exercise

Getting regular exercise and eating right are extremely vital for your health and finances.

Not only will you look better and feel better, but you will avoid costly medical expenses and treatments in the long run. Let today be the day that you take control of your health.

You don’t need to wait for anything. If you are reading this text you can start getting healthier with some light exercise like walking or gentle stretching. You can also start cutting unhealthy fast food from your diet.

Create money goals

Goals and a strong belief in them is the backbone of any financial success story. When you stay focused on your goals, you will have the drive for when things get challenging or uncertain.

If you don’t have any goals, your life will be mediocre (or worse). I learned this the hard way. When I didn’t stay focused on my goals, I found myself floundering in life. And, I always felt broke!

So, you want to set a money goal that you not only believe to be possible but gets you excited. This could be something simple like becoming financially free in one year. Whatever your money goal is, make sure it’s not boring but really gets you going!

Establish an emergency fund today

Sometimes, life hits us with a financial curveball. Whether you unexpectedly lose your job or have a large medical bill, you want to be prepared.

Having an emergency fund can mean the difference between going broke or keeping yourself afloat. If you don’t have money saved up for a rainy day, don’t start tomorrow, take action today.

The easiest thing to do is open up a savings account if you don’t have one already. I recommend starting off with small weekly deposits (Ex: 3%-10% of your paycheck) so it doesn’t feel like you’re changing drastically changing your lifestyle. If you change your lifestyle too much too fast, you might quit saving. Keep doing this until you have at least 4-6 months of total living expenses saved.

You could also let a useful app like Qapital to analyze your bank account and automatically save a safe amount of money for you.

Quick money hacks that will fatten your wallet 

Do you want easy money hacks that will grow your wallet fast? Then, you will love this section of this post.

Here you will find ways to get legit free money, money-making hacks, and money-saving hacks that you can implement instantly. 

Take advantage of Refer-a-Friend programs now

Refer-a-friend programs. also known as referral bonuses. are one of the best money hacks. They are a great way to make extra money or even a living doing little to no work.

Let me explain.

When you refer-a-friend to a specific app, product, or get them to sign up for something, you earn a referral fee or commission. The amount you make is different for each account. Sometimes, this can be a flat payment like $5 for an account sign up or you get paid the equivalent of a percentage of how much your friend earns. Example, a company pays you at a $20 percent rate. Your friend makes $20 and the company pays you $4. 

Companies do this as a way to get new customers for their business. This a win for everyone involved and here’s why.

The company wins by getting brand new customers to their business. The person referring makes money and can establish passive income. Lastly, the friend who was referred is introduced to a great new product or service that they may not have otherwise tried.

Click here to see our mega list of referral bonuses and for a simple and free guide on getting started today.

Get legit free money with these sign up bonuses 

Did you know that there are apps and websites that will pay you just to create a free account with them?

Yeah, this blew my mind when I first found this out.

Sign up bonuses are used as promotional tools to increase a company’s userbase while making you extra money in the process! I’ve compiled a quick list of the best sign up bonuses in 2020 below:

SurveyJunkie. The best paid survey site online. Surveyjunkie pays $1 for creating a free account. Click here to create your free account. 

Swagbucks. This website pays you to complete simple online tasks and redeem offers. Swagbucks pays $5 when you create your free account. Click here to create your free account.

Ibotta. A cashback app that saves you money when you scan your in-store receipts from a brick and mortar retailer. Ibotta pays $5 when you sign up and scan your first receipt. Click here to download Ibotta for free.

 

Click here for a longer list of sign up bonuses!

Spend a few minutes (or less) each day entering free online sweepstakes

Legit and free online sweepstakes are one of these money hacks that not many people take advantage of. They’re a potential way to make a lot of money with little to no effort.

If you end up not winning anything it’s not a big deal. You’re only out a couple minutes of your time. On the flip side, you could win big and change your financial destiny fast.

• The Nielsen Panel App is owned by one of the best and oldest market research firms in the world. Nielsen enters you into $10,000 sweepstakes every month and pays you $50 every year you keep their app on your computer or mobile device. It’s really that straightforward and easy.
• VIP Voice. You will be entered for their $1000 sweepstakes upon completing sign up. There are also additional chances to win vacations and other cash prizes as you complete their opinion surveys.
• E-poll Surveys is a paid online survey site. Every month you can win $20 or more when you complete at least 1 survey per month. It only takes a few minutes to do so.
• Publishers Clearing House. Win up to millions of dollars. Chances are clearly low, but it’s still free to enter.
• Cash App Fridays. This is one of the only legit cash app hacks. You can win various amounts of money by following Cash App’s official Twitter and retweeting their special hashtag for a chance to win.

Get free or discounted gas with the GetUpside app

Never overpay for gas again with this next free app.

It’s called GetUpside and it will save you money on gas.

GetUpside works by giving you cashback for every gallon of gas you get at any gas station GetUpside is partnered with. All you have to do is scan the receipt you get after filling up your gas tank so they know how much to pay you.

You can get free gas by referring your friends to the app.

Click here to download GetUpside.

Open a new bank account

If you’re not taking advantage of bank bonuses, you’re literally missing out on legit free money.

Many banks will pay you money when you create a specific bank account with them. This money is called a bank bonus. 

To get bank bonuses, you have to open a new checking or savings account, make a minimum deposit ($1000 or more in most cases), and maintain that balance for 90 days usually.

Bank bonus amounts are promotional and do change how much they pay on a regular basis. So, be sure to check back often.

Top bank account bonuses in 2022

These are the best bank account bonuses because of the high amounts and the fact that their promotions are ongoing for the foreseeable future.

Citbank regularly offers up to $700 free bonus just for opening a new checking account with them.

Chase offers $200 cash bonuses for new Total Checking Accounts and making the minimum deposit.

Capitalone 360 Performance Savings Account

HSBC has cash bonuses that can go as high as $750 when you open a new savings account.

Apply for the Awesome Foundation Grant

Hey, creatives and influencers?

I have a money hack that can get you free money fast. 

My favorite grant is appropriately titled “Awesome Foundation Grant.”

Simply put, you submit an idea or project you’re working on. Then, if one of the Awesome Foundation’s chapters likes what they see, they’ll give you $1000 for free no questions asked.

If you’d like to apply for this grant, click here.

Looking for more grants where you can get free money and vacations? Click here for our comprehensive list of grants for writers and other creatives.

Use these easy job hacks to make more money in your career

Many people have jobs that make enough to get by but sometimes the wage isn’t enough. Fortunately, there are simple money moves that you can make to quickly make more money at your job.

Here are the best job hacks you can start doing right away:

Ask for more hours

If you’ve been a hard-working employee, this is often the simplest job hack you can implement. 

All you have to do is simply ask your boss or manager for more hours and come from a position on how this helps the company. If there an extra workload, identify it. Convince them that you can not only handle the extra work but excel at it. 

Negotiate a raise or ask for a promotion

Make a compelling case to your boss by showing the value you bring to the company, your achievements, and how you can be of better use to the company in a higher-paying job role. 

Ideally, you want to do this when a job opening is available, or even better before it officially becomes available (as is the case if someone is retiring or stepping down). 

Bosses can be overwhelmed at times, and it may take a while for them to notice your pattern of good work.

Consider negotiation in this way and you may be surprised that this yields positive results.

Get a part-time or full-time online job

Online jobs are not only more flexible than traditional jobs but they can easily save more money. You don’t have to worry about commutes, spending money on professional clothes, dry cleaning, eating takeout, or spending extra money on gas.

Because there are a lot of work from home job scams out there, I recommend using a very affordable service like Flexjobs that vets these jobs all for accuracy and legitimacy on your behalf.

Membership to Flexjobs costs about the same as a large pizza, and the peace of mind it’ll give you is worth far beyond that.

Click here to sign up for Flexjobs

Learn a new skill or two that’s directly relevant to your career

Sometimes the best job hack for the long term is simply to get more skills. 

When it comes to getting more skills, you can go several routes: mentorship, schooling, online courses, or learning on your own. In my experience, mentorship from an expert who has the expertise you seek is the way to go. It can be costly or difficult to find the right person, however. Keep that in mind if you’re looking to get skills fast.

If you want to take action now, look into free and paid online courses or videos by experts in your career. Youtube and Udemy are good places to start.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a money hack?

A money hack is simply an effective money strategy, tip, or method that either makes or saves a lot of money in a relatively short amount of time.

Why are they called money hacks?

The term “hacks” in this context is used as a fun synonym to “cheat codes” like those found in a video game. Cheat codes in video games are known to quickly give players a powerful playing edge.

Does this have anything to do with computer or app hackers?

No. The money hacks in this post are legit and have nothing to do with actual hackers. 

Are money hacks illegal or scams?

No. And, the money hacks in this post are completely legit.

There are some so-called hacks out there that are basically scams. You tend to find a lot of these on YouTube or from search results. Most of these so-called hacks will deal with mobile payment apps like Venmo, PayPal, and Cash App.

They make the promise of either “hacking” the app (in the traditional meaning of the word hacking) to give you free money or teaching you how to do it yourself. Both of these are a scam to take your money, personal information, and illegal.

What are the best money hacks in 2022?

If you are looking for quick money hacks that work fast, I’d recommend sign up bonuses for bank accounts and apps. Additionally, surveys are useful for making money fast. I recommend looking through this post to utilize the money hacks that would work best for your unique situation.