Finding extra money is a game for me. Over the years, I have found money through rebates, refunds, online sales, and even the ground. Yep, I found a $20 bill while running on the beach!
I have used the extra money to pay off debt, fund family trips, or build up our Christmas savings.
Through May of 2021, I have found over $6800 for the year! Scroll down to the bottom to see the previous months’ totals and links.
My total found money in May: $321.81
Ok, so May wasn’t my greatest month for finding extra money. In fact, it was my lowest month for the year, but regardless, $321 is still THREE HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE DOLLARS!
Plasma Donation Earnings: $220
I donated plasma 4 times in May which is short of my goal of 8 times. I usually donate on Friday and Sunday mornings, but I was super busy in May and wasn’t able to get to the donation center.
This money equates to about $36.67 an hour. I calculate the per-hour rate from my plasma donations to make sure it’s a good use of my time. My per hour rate went up in May compared to previous months, because the center is having a promotion to increase donations. I have earned over $1500 so far in 2021.
If you’d like information on donating plasma, read my review of donating plasma HERE.
Yard Sale: $87
There was a time where we made hundreds of dollars at our yard sales. In fact, I found an old blog post of mine recently where I shared how I made over $300 at our annual neighborhood yard sale!
Apparently, that time has passed. Last year I made very little money and swore I was done having yard sales. It wasn’t worth my time. This past winter I cleaned out closets and drawers in my quest to minimize and downsize our stuff and donated everything to the thrift store, rather than hold on to it for the spring sale.
In May, I had just taken a carload of stuff to Goodwill when the signs regarding our neighborhood yard sale went up. Oh well, I thought–I can sleep in that weekend. My husband had other ideas. He wanted to set up a sale. So I did another sweep of our closets and drawers and found some stuff to put out for the sale.
In the end, I made $27 and he made $60. He was pretty proud of himself considering that $60 was from a few big items. I on the other hand hereby swear that I WILL NOT have another yard sale.
I’m not sure what hubby did with his $60, but my measly $27 went towards flowers and potting soil.
My beautiful petunias in 2020.
Rakuten: $11.31
This money reflected my earnings from the first quarter of 2021. I made quite a bit more from the 4th quarter of 2020 where I do most of my Christmas shopping. This money was put into my Christmas Savings account.
Related Reading: Rakuten Review: How I Earn Cash Back on Online Purchases
Progresso Refund: $3.50
In the ’90s through the early 2000s, I was an active refunder. Back then, you made the qualified purchase and mailed in the UPC code to get your cashback. These types of refunds are few and far between today, especially with the grocery apps such as Ibotta, which make refunds much easier.
This Progress refund was an old school refund for a new Progresso soup. There was a tearpad display so I bought the soup for my kids. They hated it and they weren’t wrong. It was disgusting and I ended up throwing the soup out, so I was pretty happy to get this refund. LOL
Where did you find extra money in May? Share your findings in the comments