money saving

July 2026 Monthly Side Quest Totals

Abby H.

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.

July was so busy overall, but I made time for my side quests. I think it might have been my best month to date!

  • MyPoints:  $30 Amazon Gift Cards
  • PaidViewPoint:  $26.75 Venmo
  • G2:  $20 Amazon Gift Cards
  • Fetch:  $30 in Barnes and Noble Gift Cards
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ):  $30.50 in Aisle Rebates
  • BrandClub:  $10.50 Venmo
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. I spent a lot of time over the summer making/uploading educational materials to my TPT account. $18.25
  • Verasight: $10 via Venmo
  • Receipt Hog: $10.00 Paypal
  • Class action lawsuits (I use SettleMate to help me find ones that I might qualify for): $22.26
  • Evidation: $10 via Venmo
  • Gist: $20 Amazon Gift Card
  • In-Person Research Study: $200
  • Recycling Bottles and Cans: $30

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:

2026 California Climate Credit- Savings on Your August Utility Bill!

Abby H.

It’s that time again! On your August California Utility Bill (Which includes PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, Bear Valley, Liberty, and Pacific Power), you will receive a California Climate Credit. For SDG&E customers, the amount is $49.36. This comes off the Electric portion of your bill. 

The California Climate Credit is directly related to the State’s Cap-and-Trade Program, which requires polluters to pay for their climate pollution. Credits are distributed in April and October each year. Credits appear automatically on your bill and are designed to help utility customers during the transition to a more sustainable future.

And if you want more ways to save energy and money, check out Ohm Connect! We’ve been using Ohm Connect for over seven years, saving thousands of dollars on our power bill and earning thousands of dollars in gift cards and cash via PayPal.

June 2026 Monthly Side Quest Totals!

Abby H.

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.

June was a busy month for me to work on Side Quests. I sat down and really buckled down, as my regular day job was ending for the next two-ish months, and I wanted to ensure I had the funds for adventures with the kids.

  • MyPoints:  $30 Amazon Gift Cards
  • PaidViewPoint:  $34.20 Venmo
  • G2:  $10 Amazon Gift Cards
  • Fetch:  $10 Target Gift Cards
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ):  $23.50 in Aisle Rebates
  • BrandClub:  $10.50 Venmo
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. I spent a lot of time over the summer making/uploading educational materials to my TPT account. $23.70
  • Verasight: $20 via Venmo

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:

Dine Out & Earn Up To $40/Month With Upromise!

Abby H.

I’ve posted about Upromise before, and it is a great way to save for college for yourself or your kids, and earn cash back. I received an email this morning that you can earn an extra $5 on top of your dining cash back rewards when you reserve and dine at a Upromise® Dining participating restaurant—for up to 8 times or $40 bonus per calendar month!

There are a lot of local resturants in my area that participate in Upromise Dining too.  Find restaurants near you here.

If you are interested in learning more about all of the great ways you can save money for college with Upromise, check out their website.

Here are all of the fine print details:

*This Reservation Completion Bonus (this “Bonus”) offer is open to all members of Upromise® Dining who: login to their Upromise Dining account, book a reservation on the Upromise Dining website via the reservations widget, check-in for their reservation directly at the participating location at the day and time of the reservation as confirmed by the third-party reservation provider, and pay the check for the dine associated with the reservation with a credit and/or debit card linked to their Upromise Dining account (a “complete reservation” or “completed reservation”). For clarity, Members must complete a qualified dine at the time of their reservation to earn this Bonus. Members must remain opted-into emails from Upromise Dining with a valid, deliverable email address to earn this Bonus. Members will receive $5 cash back rewards for each completed reservation. This Bonus is limited to 1 completed reservation per day and may be earned a maximum of 8 times per calendar month for completed reservations made within the same calendar month. This Bonus offer is combinable with other Upromise Dining bonuses. Please allow up to eight weeks from the date of a completed reservation for any bonus to post to your Upromise Dining account. Please note that some participating locations offer rewards only on certain days of the week, and you may not earn your standard cash back rewards on the day and time of your completed reservation. For complete program Terms of Use, guidelines and restrictions, and the latest rewards calendar, visit our website. Other limitations may apply. These terms and conditions are subject to change (including termination of this Bonus opportunity) in our sole discretion and without notice to you. This Bonus opportunity is for a limited time only. Void where prohibited.

May 2026 Monthly Side Quest Totals!

Abby H.

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.

Here are the ways I earned money besides my “9-5”. This month was a little bit better than last month

  • MyPoints:  $15 Amazon Gift Cards
  • PaidViewPoint:  $10.19 Venmo
  • G2:  $20 Amazon Gift Cards
  • Fetch:  $10 Amazon Gift Cards
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ):  $17.26 between  Social Nature and Aisle.
  • Receipt Hog: $5.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Class action lawsuits (I use SettleMate to help me find ones that I might qualify for): $23.10 (
  • Evidation: $10 via Venmo
  • BrandClub:  $12.00
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. I spent a lot of time over the summer making/uploading educational materials to my TPT account. $23.70
  • Veralight: $20 via Venmo
  • OhmConnect: $3.18

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:

April 2026 Monthly Side Quest Totals!

Abby H.

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.

Here are the ways I earned money, and how much I earned on each side quest in April. It was pretty busy for me, but I tried to make as much time as I could for my surveys and such.

  • MyPoints:  $20 in Amazon gift cards, mostly from my daily surveys, but I did do some shopping through their app and website to get points as well.
  • PaidViewPoint: $10.49 via PayPal
  • G2: $35 Amazon gift card
  • Receipt Hog: $5.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Fetch: $6.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Galloway Research: $25 Amazon Gift Card for a Survey I did about school lunches for kids
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ): $22.46 between  Social Nature and Aisle.
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. I spent a lot of time over the summer making/uploading educational materials to my TPT account. $23.75

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:

March Monthly Side Quest Totals

Abby H.

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.

Here are the ways I earned money, and how much I earned on each side quest in March. March was a slow month for side quests. I’ve been working on blog stuff, and then Spring Break!

  • MyPoints: I have earned $20 in Amazon gift cards, mostly from my daily surveys.
  • PaidViewPoint: $10.72 via PayPal
  • Fetch: $10.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ): $6.50 between  Social Nature and Aisle.
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. I spent a lot of time over the summer making/uploading educational materials to my TPT account. $23.52

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:

January Monthly Side Quest Totals

Abby H.

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.

Here are the ways I earned money, and how much I earned on each side quest this month. I have done some side quests, but I have not yet received the reward.

  • MyPoints: I have earned $20 in Amazon gift cards and approximately $25 in pending points. They should be available by the end of February.
  • PaidViewPoint: $11.45 via Paypal
  • G2: $10 Amazon gift card
  • Fetch: $5.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Rebates (WeStock, Peekage, Social Nature, and Aisle ): $12.50 between  Social Nature and Aisle.
  • Receipt Hog: $5.00 Amazon Gift Card
  • Class action lawsuits (I use SettleMate to help me find ones that I might qualify for): $14.70
  • SBKC: $ 20.00 visa gift card (this was from envelopes that I had mailed back to them in December 2025)
  • Evidation: $10 via Venmo
  • BrandClub:  $10.29
  • TPT (I make worksheets/flashcards in my spare time for special ed classrooms). This side quest is definitely a slow trickle of money. I spent a lot of time over the summer making/uploading educational materials to my TPT account. $42.44.

I can use my Amazon Gift Cards to pay for my monthly subscriptions for two months. I use Amazon subscriptions to buy household items that are cheaper on Amazon than local store prices.

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:

Receipt Hog: Hoggy Holiday Bonus Bash is Here

Abby H.

Receipt Hog is a great app for those starting out on a savings journey. It’s simple to use, and points rack up quickly.

You can download it here and get started.

In the app, snap pictures of all of your receipts from dining out to grocery trips and earn points that you can redeem for gift cards or money via Paypal. Reward options start as low as 1000 Points.

You can also connect your grocery and mass merchandiser accounts to earn extra points.  In addition to points, there is a game called Hog Slots, where you spin the wheel to win extra points.

Right now, through December 31, 2025, you can earn points and spins to earn extra points!

  • Upload 5 e-Receipts: 50 Spins
  • Upload 30 paper receipts: 25 Spins
  • Upload 15 Link Receipts- 25 Spins
  • Complete all the bonuses and earn 100 bonus coins!

 

2025 California Climate Credit- Savings on Your October Utility Bill!

Abby H.

It’s that time again! On your October California Utility Bill (Which includes PG&E, SCE, SDG&E, Bear Valley, Liberty, and Pacific Power), you will receive a California Climate Credit. For SDG&E customers, the amount is $81.38. This comes off the Electric portion of your bill. 

The California Climate Credit directly results from the State’s Cap-and-Trade Program which requires polluters to pay for climate pollution. Credits are distributed in April and October each year. Credits appear automatically on your bill and are designed to help utility customers during the transition to a more sustainable future.

And if you want more ways to save energy and money, check out Ohm Connect! We’ve been using Ohm Connect for 6+ years, saved thousands of dollars on our power bill, and earned thousands of dollars in gift cards and cash via PayPal!