savings

August 2026 Monthly Side Quest Totals

Abby H.Leave a comment

Quests require compasses and treasure chests, right?Why am I referring to them as “quests” and not “hustle“?

Hustling indicates moving quickly to earn money. This year, I’m doing a little bit every day, approximately 20 minutes on small surveys and small tasks. I may earn less daily, but overall, I can use small tasks to earn more through compounding.

For about half of August, I could dedicate a consistent block of time each day to earning extra money. My day job started again, so I probably won’t be able to dedicate as much time each day to my side quests.

  • MyPoints:  $15 Amazon Gift Cards
  • PaidViewPoint:  $10.26 Venmo
  • Fetch:  $15 in Barnes and Noble Gift Cards
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ):  $38.94 in Aisle Rebates, $10.97 in WeStock Rebates, and $13.78 Social Nature Rebates
  • BrandClub:  $9.61 Venmo
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. $2.65 (My lowest of the year)
  • Verasight: $10 via Venmo
  • Receipt Hog: $5.00 Venmo
  • Ibotta: $25.00 Paypal
  • Evidation: $10 via Venmo
  • Gist: $20 Amazon Gift Card
  • Online Research Study: $25 Amazon GC
  • The Insiders: $30 Visa Gift Card

I spend about 20-30 minutes a day completing surveys, scanning receipts, and other tasks. It doesn’t take long, and it helps take a small load off our summer budget.

As always, the links above may be affiliate links, and I might earn money or points if you join any of the above apps or activities. This helps support my blog and family.

If you are interested in my full list of money-saving/money earning activites, I encourage you to check out:

Office Depot/Office Max: Savings and Deals!

Abby H.

Office Depot/Office Max has really beefed up their rewards program!

Are you a Teacher/Educator? EXCLUSIVE TEACHER OFFER
25% back in Bonus Rewards on a qualifying purchase.
Limit $100 back in rewards per member per week (details here).

Are you in the military? EXCLUSIVE MILITARY OFFER
25% back in Bonus Rewards on a qualifying purchase.
Limit $100 back in rewards per member per week (details here).

RECYCLING REWARDS Get $2 back in recycling Rewards the next day when you recycle your Ink & Toner Cartridge and make a $10 purchase in the same month.

Earn 2% back in Rewards on supplies, technology, furniture, and more.

And this is a new perk to me: Earn $2 Back in Rewards for reviews
Up to 3 reviews per month. Online only. Learn More

 

Earn Cashback Shopping at Walmart with OnePay!

Abby H.

Have you heard of OnePay?

I learned about OnePay recently at Walmart, of all places!

If you’ve shopped in a Walmart store recently, you know that they don’t accept Apple Pay or Google Wallet.  However, they do take OnePay. OnePay wallet is a digital wallet that offers 3% cash back rewards at Walmart (up to $150 spent with your debit card per month, with eligible deposits. Cashback earned as points).  That cashback can be transferred to your linked cards.

OnePay is great if you don’t have really great credit. They offer a credit builder that allows you to build your credit, and there are no fees. Through the OnePay app,  set aside a dollar a month for a year. Check your progress in the app, build your credit history, and you get your money back at the end of the year!

OnePay is a financial technology company; it’s not a bank. Bank services are provided by Coastal Community Bank or Lead Bank, both members FDIC. And right now, if you’ve never opened a OnePay account, you can click the link here and open an account, and you’ll earn $50 within the first 45 days. All you have to do is click the link here, open an account, and unlock cash plus in the first 45 days. This offer is good until 7/31/2025. And the fine print can be found here.

When I signed up for OnePay I got $50 cash back too. And it is currently transferring its way into my bank account. And I also get text messages from them when there are extra bonus point deals at Walmart. And I’m not shopping at Walmart often, but if I can earn points or cashback if I need to shop there, it’s definitely a bonus.

This post contains affiliate links,  For more information about the use of affiliate links and partnerships, visit my disclosure page. 

 

My secret tip to saving money…

Abby H.

The number one secret tip to saving money that I love to share is: take care of your stuff.

It seems simple, but taking care of your possessions can save you time and money in the coming years. With prices continuing to rise and wages stagnating, taking care of what you have has become more important. Here are a few ways that I take care of what I’ve got to save money.

Keep clothes in good repair/mending them as needed. This also means laundering them appropriately and folding or hanging them up once they are clean. 

Shoes: clean/polish/scuff free, and stuffing them with newspaper when they’re unworn and living in your closet. Or, if available, utilizing shoe trees.

This also means taking your car in for routine maintenance like oil changes, mileage-based tuneups, having your tires rotated, and making sure that your tires are properly inflated and in good repair.

Laundering your blankets and linens per the directions on the tag.

Vacuuming/cleaning carpet/rugs/flooring frequently as directed with appropriate cleaners.

Purchasing quality products that will last. This might mean saving up to make purchases, but this is better than buying cheap stuff and constantly replacing it.

To facilitate this at my house, I use Google shopping, or coupon and deal sites, where I’ll help you find the best deals and coupon codes. I use Mypoints and Topcashback. I’ve also used Honey in the past.

The secondhand stores are a great way to save money. Recently, there has been an uptick in new with tags and like-new items in thrift stores because people like the time or energy to return items or when you purchase items online, sometimes retailers is no longer want the items returned. They’ll issue the refund and ask the consumer to donate or dispose of the item.