Recommendations

I created this resource page to easily list recommended services, products, and companies that I use and/or those I know are valuable. This way you can quickly find great products and services all in one place. You can save thousands of dollars all from one page!

Disclosure: There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post, but these are all products I highly recommend. I won't put anything on this page that I haven't verified and/or personally used.

Swagbucks: Swagbucks is a company where you can earn free gift cards and cash for the things you normally do online, such as shopping, searching the web, and taking surveys. They give out 7,000 free gift cards every day. I've been using Swagbucks for years and it's great! You can sign up for Swagbucks here.

Republic Wireless: Republic Wireless is a service I've been using for over one year now, and I'm still happy with the service. They have monthly cell phone plans as low as $15 per month. Yes, FIFTEEN DOLLARS! Read Saving Over $2,000 A Year With Republic Wireless Review.

Airbnb: My preferred way to travel is to stay in short-term rental vacation homes such as Airbnb (this will give you a $40 Airbnb coupon code for your next stay). Airbnb vacation home rates are usually comparable or cheaper than a hotel, plus you usually have more room and there is usually a kitchen as well. Also, if you have a lot of people going on vacation with you, you can split a house for a much cheaper price than it would be for everyone to get a hotel room. Read my Airbnb review The Many Positives Of Using Airbnb Plus a Coupon Code For Your Next Vacation!

Ebates: Sign up for a website like Ebates where you can earn free CASH BACK for just spending like how you normally would online. All you do is click on a store that you want to shop through (they have TONS of stores such as Kohls, REI, Toys R Us, etc.), and shop just like how you normally would. Ebates makes a commission for referring you to the store you just shopped at, and they give you some of that money back as a thank you. Plus, when you sign up through my link, you receive a free $10 cash back! My Ebates review: Money Saving Tip – Use Ebates For Free Cash Back.

$5 Meal Plan: I recently joined $5 Meal Plan in order to help me eat at home more and cut my food spending. It's only $5 a month and you get meal plans sent straight to you along with the exact shopping list you need in order to create the meals. The meals are easy to make and are affordable.

Pinecone Research: Pinecone Research is a company that I use to complete surveys. I have personally used them several times, so I can honestly say that they are a legitimate company to use. They pay you for each survey you complete and they also occasionally send free products to review! Click here to sign up for Pinecone Research.

American Consumer Opinion: American Consumer Opinion is another survey company that I highly recommend. They also pay you for each survey you complete. Click here to sign up for American Consumer opinion.

REI: REI is probably my favorite website and store in the world. I have bought camping gear, clothing, shoes, bikes, climbing gear, and more from them. Everything is high quality, and their customer service is amazing. The people who work at REI are pretty much experts in at least one field, and they can help you find the best product for you. Shop REI here.

Uber: If you are looking for a cheap taxi ride, I have a coupon for $5 off your first ride through Uber. I took a ride with them at a recent conference for FREE! The Uber coupon code is “kimmies8“and you will get $5 off your first ride.

PolicyGenius: If you are looking for life insurance, I highly recommend looking into PolicyGenius. PolicyGenius makes getting life insurance easy. A quote takes just 5 minutes and you can see comparable policies so that you can determine what is best for you. The service is great and I highly recommend it.

Credible: If you have student loans, then you may want to refinance them through Credible. Refinancing them may allow you to save thousands of dollars, and cut down how long you are paying down your loans as well! Plus, Credible is giving Making Sense of Cents readers a $100 bonus when they refinance with Credible.

Credit Sesame: With Credit Sesame you can get your credit score for free, with no catch. It doesn't hurt to check your credit score, so you have no reason not to know your credit score. Your credit score can affect whether or not you are approved for a loan, whether you are hired at certain jobs, your interest rate, and more. It's relatively easy to raise your credit score, so you should start doing so today! Read How Your Credit Score Affects Your Life + Credit Sesame Review.

Personal Capital: Personal Capital is a great resource that I highly recommend. They provide financial software somewhat similar to Mint, and it is free as well. Personal Capital is much more detailed though, so between the two I would definitely choose Personal Capital. You can track your net worth, your cash flow, your portfolio, your investments, and more. Personal Capital pretty much picks up in the main area that Mint is not the greatest in, which is investment planning. Read Personal Capital Review – An Easier Way To Manage Your Finances.

Motif Investing: Motif Investing allows individuals to invest affordably. This approachable investing platform makes it easy to buy a portfolio of up to 30 stocks, bonds or ETFs for just $9.95 total commission.

Digit: I recommend looking into Digit if you want to trick yourself into saving more money. Digit is a service that looks at your spending and transfers money to a savings account for you. Digit makes everything easy so that you can start saving money with very little effort. Read Digit Review – A New Way To Save Money.

Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing: I recommend checking out my online course for bloggers, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. I earn over $50,000 a month through affiliate marketing and I share my exact strategy and tips in this very informative online course. If you’re a blogger (even if you’re a new blogger!), then you NEED this course.

Bluehost: If you’re looking to start a WordPress blog for cheap, then choosing Bluehost for your hosting needs may be your answer. Bluehost is one of the top web hosting companies in 2018 and you can start your own blog with them for just $2.95 a month! Also, if you sign up using my link, you will get your domain for free if you purchase a 12 month or longer blog hosting plan. Read How To Start A WordPress Blog On Bluehost.

Genesis/StudioPress: If you are looking into the actual design of your blog, Genesis seems to always be the most popular. Genesis is used on my blog, and I highly recommend it. It's affordable too!

Tailwind: Tailwind is a relatively newer company that I just started using, but I am already going to say that I 100% love it. Tailwind allows you to schedule your Pinterest pins and look at the analytics related to that so that you can see what is working and what is not. It saves me a ton of time and allows me to grow my blog with minimal work.

Aweber: Aweber is a MUST if you have a blog. It is a way for readers to subscribe to your blog posts and your newsletters. If you are currently using a free service such as Feedburner, you should switch immediately because that is the number one mistake bloggers make (and I made that mistake myself as well). You can start using Aweber for just $1 for your first month to test it out.

PicMonkey: If you read any of my blog posts, you will notice that most of them are edited. I use PicMonkey for all of my pictures so that they are not boring stock photos. Using PicMonkey is also great because it can help new readers find you through websites such as Facebook and Pinterest if you have interesting and eye-catching photos. PicMonkey is also very affordable. You can buy their membership for just $2.75 per month and it comes with a lot of amazing features. I highly recommend PicMonkey and it's something I use multiple times a week.

FinCon: If you are a financial blogger, I highly recommend FinCon. It is a great blogging conference where you can meet other bloggers, attend amazing sessions, learn new ideas, connect with potential clients and other businesses, and more. Read My FinCon14 New Orleans Recap – Networking At Its Finest.

99 Designs: If you are looking for a website design, graphic design, a header image, or something else related to your website, 99 Designs is a great place to find what you are looking for.

Freshbooks: Freshbooks is a software service I use for my small business. It helps me keep track of my income, send invoices, and more. With FreshBooks, you also have the option to pay just $0.50 per transaction when you receive a payment through PayPal instead of the crazy 2% to 6% that PayPal charges if you don't use FreshBooks. That is a HUGE amount in savings.

How To Start A Blog FREE Course: With this free email course, I show you exactly how to create a blog, from the technical side (it’s easy – trust me!) all the way to earning your first income and attracting followers. Each day for seven days, you will receive an email in your inbox that will help you create a successful and profitable blog, all from the very beginning. You can sign up here.

How To Work From Home Selling On Amazon FBA: The first year that Jessica’s family ran their Amazon FBA business together, working less than 20 hours a week total, they made over 6 figures profit! Check out this interview for more information on how to work from home selling on Amazon FBA. Jessica also has a FREE 3 part video series that will help people understand all of the basics of this business. I recommend signing up for it now!

Make Money Proofreading By Becoming A Freelance Proofreader: In 2014, Caitlin made slightly over $43,000 by being a freelance proofreader, while also going on several fun vacations. Caitlin also has a great FREE 7 day course just for people who want to stop wasting time and start making more money with their proofreading skills. I definitely recommend that you check it out.

Make Money Online As A Freelance Writer Or Virtual Assistant: Gina is a professional writer and virtual assistant. In just six months, Gina was able to earn over $4,000 per month as a writer. She also has a great free writing course as well as a free virtual assistant course if you want to try them out for free.

Make Money At Home By Becoming A Transcriptionist: In 2007, Janet started working from home as a medical transcriptionist for others. Shortly after that, she started a successful general and legal transcription business. While running her business, the idea of a course popped up. Janet now teaches others in her online course how to transcribe online and work from home as a transcriptionist. Learn more about how you can become a transcriptionist here.