Three apps to help you save and make money

You can quickly and easily earn a few extra dollars in your spare time from these money-saving and money-making smart phone apps.

Jingit: Jingit allows you to earn cash by watching videos from brands and answering a couple short questions. You can also “check in” at Walmart and scan certain bar codes to add to your earnings. There aren't as many opportunities as some other apps, but when you catch them at the right time it is easy to earn a couple dollars. To redeem your earnings, you have to first sign up for a prepaid card. It costs $3 to order the card, but after that you are free to load your earnings onto it to use as you please. If the debit card isn't right for you, there is also a choice to use your earnings to buy music. There is a limit to your weekly earnings, but if you invite friends and they join, that limit will increase.

Ibotta: With Ibotta you can earn money by completing short activities on select products. Activities include things like a survey question, learning a fact about the product, and watching a short video. You can redeem your earnings by taking a picture of your receipt from your purchase of the product. The purchase must be from stores listed, but the list is quite long. Many local stores are listed, including: Walmart, Walgreens, CVS Pharmacy, Target, and Meijer. Once you have earned some cash from participating in the engagements and purchasing a product, you are able to redeem your money easily through Paypal. Ibotta is a great way to earn some money on your purchases of your favorite brands.

Shopkick: Shopkick is a bit similar to the popular website “Swagbucks.” With Shopkick you apply the “kicks” you earn towards a gift card. In order to earn “kicks” you can browse through stores' mobile catalog of sorts and check in at your local locations. The app uses your phone's GPS to pull all of the stores that are within a certain distance. Some local locations include: Target, Macy's, CVS Pharmacy, Old Navy, and many more.

With these apps you can earn some quick cash or save some money by simply visiting stores that you already frequent.

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, Springfield Frugal Living Examiner

As a newlywed and new home owner, Laura Shaw is always looking for new, creative ways to save some cash! She loves to write about her adventures in frugal living and runs a blog on thrifty homemaking. You can expect to find great ideas on couponing, frugal recipes, budgeting, current deals, and...

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