Smartphone applications have come a long way in the past few years; you can keep track of the weather, play games and even customize a workout right from your handheld device. Believe it or not, there are also apps that can help you make money simply by using your smartphone and performing a few tasks. The following apps cost nothing to download but could provide you with a little extra spending money.

Yardsale

Do you need to get rid of a few things in your house? If holding a real yard sale isn’t your cup of tea, download the app instead. Yardsale allows you to communicate with other people in your area who want to buy and sell household goods. Everything from clothing to appliances can be found, and the likelihood of running into a scammer is fairly small.

Receipt Hog

Receipt Hog awards you “coins,” when you go grocery shopping. After you make your purchase, simply take a picture of your receipt with your smartphone. You may also be asked to take a survey about your trip to the store. Your coins can either be donated to a charity or redeemed for cash. And don’t worry – all of your personal information remains private and will never be sold.

iPinion

Do you enjoy taking surveys? iPinion awards points for each survey that you take through the app. The topics are fairly broad, and for every 100 points you rack up, you earn one dollar in real money. Surveys are often worth hundreds of points, so it won’t take long to accumulate a respectable amount of money.

ShopKick

Do you enjoy shopping at stores like Toys‘R’Us, Target and Best Buy? Each time you go into a store that is part of the ShopKick program, you can earn points called “kicks.” The GPS on your device recognizes where you are at and rewards you appropriately. You can also get additional points by scanning barcodes or buying a product. Once you have enough points, you can redeem them for a gift card.

GigWalk

Like ShopKick, the GigWalk app takes advantage of your smartphone’s GPS. The premise is fairly simply; you get paid to go around your town and complete certain jobs to earn money. For instance, you might be asked to snap a picture of a local business or take on the role of a mystery shopper. The more involved the “gig” is, the more you will get paid. As you build a reputation, you’ll unlock better jobs that pay more money. However, GigWalk isn’t available everywhere; you have to live in a major city like Miami, Los Angeles or New York.

You will have to invest a little time into working with these apps if you want to earn extra money. Still, the commitment is worth it, as all those “coins” and “kicks” can really add up.

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Morgan loves her iPhone and would feel lost without it. She actually designed an iPhone app award website so she could share her favorite apps with the online community!