Over the years, I’ve honed my ability to rake in extra cash in very creative ways. From getting paid to do running tours of Boston to scoring freebies while on vacation, I love finding ways to make extra money and earn great bonuses on the things I’m already buying.

Recently, I was on the hunt to earn a bit of extra holiday cash, and I started thinking of some fun, safe ways to make extra money while also being entertained at the same time. The following list is what I came up with in terms of possibilities. While not all of these are things I’d personally do, I had fun putting together the list!

Credit Card Rewards

If you use a credit card at all, I hope you’re using one that rewards you for your purchasing behavior. I have two different cards that I use, and I receive cash back on one and airline points on the other. I tend to swap back and forth between the cards (one is a Mastercard; the other an Amex) so I’m earning on both cards, and I always take advantage of the various bonus offers each company offers.

If you’re already signed up with a rewards card, don’t forget to log into your rewards account periodically to check for bonus opportunities. By doing this a few weeks ago, I was able to bump up my cash back bonus from 2% to 5% on groceries for the next 5 months!

Shopping Bonuses

More than the Buy One, Get One specials you see in various stores, a lot of retailers have customer loyalty programs/cards that reward frequent shoppers. I think these work best at stores you regularly shop in (they can be a great source of temptation if you have too many), and I have signed up for the free cards at the stores I tend to spend the most time in.

Rewards, offers, and bonuses tend to be the best during peak retail times such as the holidays and back to school, but you can also earn big during random summer sales or during other holidays throughout the year. One of my best scores using a retailer’s customer rewards card was a few years ago when I bought my mattress set over President’s Day weekend. It was on sale, I had a 20% off coupon, and I earned an additional 15% just for using my rewards card–don’t by shy about asking the clerk at checkout what kinds of offers are available!

Gambling

This is a very unorthodox suggestion here at The Happy Homeowner but I’m not advocating gambling in the sense of going to the casino or using an online poker/blackjack program. I’m thinking more along the lines of what I’ve seen my grandma doing: Playing bingo and/or Keno.

I’ve always thought these were pretty funny games, but I have taken her from time to time so she can have a fun night out (amazing how that definition changes as we grow older, eh?!). What I’ve found is a pretty low-risk, fun way to test your luck in a way that requires little to no strategy or intensity. And with the boom of online games, there are even ways to play your bingo (with friends and family) via companies such as (a link to their Twitter account!).

What are some of your fun ways to earn extra cash and bonuses?