6 Easy Ways to Save Money From Home — Without Putting on Real Pants

The year 2020 feels like it’s been going on for a decade. We’re tired, and we’re not really in the mood to do anything that requires putting on real pants, washing our hair or burning more than about two calories at a time. That’s why we put together this list of lackadaisical ways to save money.

You barely have to do anything at all to get your finances in order, so sit back, relax and take a look:

1. Leave Your Family up to $1M

Have you thought about how your family would manage without your income after you’re gone? How they’ll pay the bills? Send the kids through school?

We hear you. Unless you win the lottery, leaving your family $1 million dollars for these things sounds like it’s going to be hard work, but thanks to life insurance, it’s really not.

You’re probably thinking: I don’t have the time or money for that. But this takes minutes — and you could leave your family up to $1 million with a company called Bestow.

We hear people are paying as little as $8 a month. (But every year you wait, this gets more expensive.)  

It takes just minutes to get a free quote and see how much life insurance you can leave your loved ones — even if you don’t have seven figures in your bank account.

2. Cancel Your Car Insurance

When was the last time you shopped around for car insurance? Was it more than six months ago?

If so, you’re probably overpaying — by hundreds of dollars. Yep. Experts say you should compare rates twice a year to get the best deal.

Twice a year? Yeah, that sounds like too much work.

But a service called Gabi does all the shopping for you to find cheaper insurance — with the same coverage and deductibles you already have. And it saves customers an average of $825 a year.

You don’t have to fill out any forms. Just link your existing insurance account and enter your driver’s license, and it will start looking for cheaper coverage.

Plus, after you sign up, Gabi will keep looking for savings. No more shopping.

3. See if You Can Get Money From This Company

Extra cash sounds now right about now, but what are you gonna have to do for it? The truth is, not much… 

Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash.

Yep. A debit card called Aspiration gives you up to a 5% back every time you swipe.

Need to buy groceries? Extra cash.

Need to fill up the tank? Bam. Even more extra cash.

You were going to buy these things anyway — why not get this extra money in the process?

Enter your email address here, and link your bank account to see how much extra cash you can get with your free Aspiration account. And don’t worry. Your money is FDIC insured and under a military-grade encryption. That’s nerd talk for “this is totally safe.”

4. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company

If you have credit card debt, you know. The anxiety, the interest rates, the fear you’re never going to escape…

Your credit card is getting rich by ripping you off with insane rates, and they’re banking on you being too tired to do anything about it. But a website called Fiona could help you pay off that bill as soon as tomorrow.

Here’s how it works: Fiona can match you with a low-interest loan you can use to pay off every credit card balance you have. The benefit? You’re left with just one bill to pay every month, and because the interest rate is so much lower, you can get out of debt so much faster. Plus, no credit card payment this month.

If your credit score is at least 620, Fiona can help you borrow up to $100,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 4.99% and terms from 24 to 84 months.

Fiona won’t make you stand in line or call a bank. And if you’re worried you won’t qualify, it’s free to check online. It takes just two minutes, and it could save you thousands of dollars. Totally worth it.

All that credit card debt — and the anxiety that comes with it — could be gone by tomorrow.

5. Buy Another Company For $1

Yes, the stock market has certainly had its share of ups and downs over this, 2020, the year that never seems to end. But you shouldn’t panic. Markets are unpredictable and volatile, which means sometimes they’ll go up and sometimes they’ll go down — but over time, they tend to go up. 

If you haven’t started investing yet, here’s how to invest like a pro with minimal effort: Put your investments on autopilot. You can get started with as little as $1.*

We like Stash, because it’s easy to have money automatically deducted from your bank account and funneled into investments. It’s the “set it and forget it” investment model. It’s easy to choose from hundreds of stocks and funds to build your own investment portfolio because Stash makes it simple by breaking investments down into categories based on your personal goals. 

If you sign up now (it takes two minutes), Stash will give you $5 after you add $5 to your invest account. Subscription plans start at $1 a month.**

6. Add up to 300 Points to Your Credit Score

Wait, wait, wait! Before you count this out because it sounds like way too much work, hear us out. Getting your credit score back on track doesn’t task as much effort as you might think — and it could really help you down the road, when you go to buy a new car or a new home.

With a free website called Credit Sesame, it takes two minutes to get access to your credit score, any debt-carrying accounts and a handful of personalized tips to improve your score. You’ll even be able to spot any errors holding you back (one in five reports have one).

It’ll walk you through the ropes and show you what you can do to improve your score — no need to even leave your bed.

James Cooper, of Atlanta, used Credit Sesame to raise his credit score nearly 300 points in six months.*** “They showed me the ins and outs — how to dot the I’s and cross the T’s,” he said.

Want to check for yourself? It’s free and only takes about 90 seconds to sign up.

*For Securities priced over $1,000, purchase of fractional shares starts at $0.05.

**You’ll also bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the ETFs in your account, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash and the custodian.

The Penny Hoarder is a Paid Affiliate/partner of Stash. Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. This material has been distributed for informational and educational purposes only, and is not intended as investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice. Investing involves risk. 

***Like Cooper, 60% of Credit Sesame members see an increase in their credit score; 50% see at least a 10-point increase, and 20% see at least a 50-point increase after 180 days.

Credit Sesame does not guarantee any of these results, and some may even see a decrease in their credit score. Any score improvement is the result of many factors, including paying bills on time, keeping credit balances low, avoiding unnecessary inquiries, appropriate financial planning and developing better credit habits.

Woman’s World has partnered with The Penny Hoarder to bring you expert money saving tips like these.