This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.
CEOs know money. That’s why they make so much of it.
Every company’s CEO keeps an eagle eye on one number — the bottom line. Add up your revenue, subtract your expenses, and you’ve got your bottom line. Ultimately, it’s the only number that matters.
So many of us get a little sloppy about the bottom line. We earn what we earn, and we spend a little too much, and before you know it, we’re in debt. Deep in debt.
But that CEO in the corner office who pulls in $15 million a year? That person is laser-focused on the bottom line. Obsessed with it. Always looking for ways to improve it.
Here are six ways you can improve your bottom line — just like a CEO:
1. Stop Paying Your Credit Card Company
Credit card debt will put a hurting on your bottom line like nothing else. And the truth is, your credit card company doesn’t really care. It’s just getting rich by ripping you off with high interest rates.
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 $250,000 (no collateral needed) with fixed rates starting at 2.49% and terms from 6 to 144 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.
2. Let This App Pay You up to $83 When You Win Solitaire Games
Revenue is the lifeblood of any companies. CEOs know this. That’s why they’re always looking for ways to diversify revenue. You can do the same thing.
There’s a free iPhone app called Solitaire Cash that lets you play for real money. You could get paid up to $83 per win.
You might be thinking: There’s got to be a catch. This is definitely one of those spammy apps, right?
Wrong. There really isn’t a catch. Sure, you can pay to play in some higher-stakes tournaments, but there’s no pressure. And, in fact, there aren’t even any annoying ads.
With each game, you’ll battle it out against at least five other players. Everyone gets the same deck, so winning is totally a matter of skill. The top three players who solve the deck fastest can win real money — anywhere from $1 to $83.
Over on the App Store, it has over a million downloads and more than 15,000 ratings, averaging 4.7 stars (out of 5).
To get started, just download the free app and start playing your first game immediately.
3. Make Sure You’re Not Overpaying
Here’s another way to bump up your bottom line: Stop overpaying for things.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you got an alert when you’re shopping online at Target and are about to overpay? That’s what this free service does.
Just add it to your browser for free, and before you check out, it’ll check other websites, including Walmart, eBay and others to see if your item is available for cheaper. Plus, you can get coupon codes, set up price-drop alerts and even see the item’s price history.
Let’s say you’re shopping for a new TV, and you assume you’ve found the best price. Here’s when you’ll get a pop up letting you know if that exact TV is available elsewhere for cheaper. If there are any available coupon codes, they’ll also automatically be applied to your order.
In the last year, this has saved people $160 million.
You can get started in just a few clicks to see if you’re overpaying online.
4. Knock $540/Year From Your Car Insurance in Minutes
Your bottom line is kind of like a moving target. CEOs are never satisfied; they’re always looking for new ways to cut expenses and make sure they’re not overpaying. And you can be the same way. For example, when’s the last time you checked car insurance prices?
You should shop your options every six months or so — it could save you some serious money. Let’s be real, though. It’s probably not the first thing you think about when you wake up. But it doesn’t have to be.
Use a website called EverQuote to see all your options at once.
EverQuote is the largest online marketplace for insurance in the US, so you’ll get the top options from more than 175 different carriers handed right to you.
Take a couple of minutes to answer some questions about yourself and your driving record. With this information, EverQuote will be able to give you the top recommendations for car insurance. In just a few minutes, you could save up to $610 a year.
5. Add $225 to Your Wallet Just for Watching the News
The best way to boost your bottom line? Diversify your revenue streams. CEOs know this. But you don’t need to be in the c-suite to find new ways to make extra money. You could do this by just watching the news.
Yep. This is a historic time for news, and we’re all constantly refreshing for the latest updates. Research companies want to pay you to keep watching. You could add up to $225 a month to your pocket by signing up for a free account with InboxDollars. They’ll present you with short news clips to choose from every day, then ask you a few questions about them.
You just have to answer honestly, and InboxDollars will continue to pay you every month. This might sound too good to be true, but it’s already paid its users more than $56 million.
It takes about one minute to sign up, and start getting paid to watch the news.
6. See if You Can Get More Money From This Company
If there’s a way to get extra cash back into your budget, you better believe CEOs have considered it. You can adopt that same mindset. Here’s the deal: If you’re not using Aspiration’s debit card, you’re missing out on extra cash. And who doesn’t want extra cash right now?
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.
CEOs will tell you to keep an eye on the bottom line. If you follow these six tips, you can make a real difference in yours.
Watch and see.
Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder. He’s not a CEO, but he knows about the bottom line.
This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.