24 Proven Ways to Make $2,000 in Free Money

When you’re wanting to get free money in a legit way (and who doesn’t), you probably also have some sort of goal amount in mind. And while you may be tempted to keep this relatively low, why not reach for the stars with a lofty – but completely feasible! – goal of making $2,000 in free money?

After all, the higher your goal, the more likely it is you’ll push yourself to get there! And safe to say, the effort is more than worth it in this case given the difference that an extra $2,000 can likely make to your budget.

Let’s be clear upfront: not all of these options for making free money will individually get you a free $2,000. Instead, most of them involve combining a few different options to reach that amount.

But what they all have in common is that they’re completely legit, doable ways to make money with very little effort on your part.

Keep reading to see how you’re going to make your next $2,000 in free cash – if not more!

How to make $2,000 free money

Making “free money” may sound contradictory, but there are many opportunities to generate money that may seem too good to be true at first – but, in reality, are completely doable!

From selling old belongings to completing surveys and becoming more financially savvy, the options available to make $2,000 free money are virtually endless with a bit of creativity and plenty of determination.

1. Sign-up bonuses

Whenever you sign up for a new website, online community, or downloadable app, you may be eligible for sign-up bonuses, depending on the company or brand you are registering with yourself. Before installing a new app or registering as a new user or member on a website, research potential promo codes, discounts, and special offers exclusively available for new users.

In particular, there are plenty of apps that aim to help you make or save money that are completely free to download and that offer super generous sign-up bonuses – meaning in just a few clicks, you’ll have some free cash! 

2. Referral bonuses

Now you’ve got some free money from signing up for certain apps and websites, did you know that you can also get money for having your friends sign up for these same sites?

How it works is that, in your profile, you’ll likely have a unique link with your personalized code in it. If you send that URL to people you know and ask them to sign up for the app or website by clicking on that link, you’ll also earn money from this.

Referral bonuses may come in the form of free money, discounts, or even added credits to your account, depending on the website, community, or app you are using. In some cases, you’ll even earn on an ongoing basis, by receiving a percentage of what your friend earns through the app forever!

3. Surveys

If you have spare time that you want to put to good use while working towards $2000 free money, consider dabbling in a wide range of paid surveys. The world of paid surveys may sound too good to be true, and it can be if you are not careful with the survey provider or platform you use. 

That’s why we always recommend that you research survey providers and platforms to find a survey community that is right for you and one that pays adequately for your time. There are certainly many that don’t really pay but there are also survey sites that offer a great way to earn some extra cash just for playing on your phone in your spare time.

Take a look at these sites to do paid surveys for money to see some that I’ve confirmed are definitely legit.

4. Get cashback on your shopping

Another way to make $2,000 free money is to take advantage of cashback applications and opportunities online and with the use of your very own smartphone. And one of the most popular cashback apps available worldwide today is Ibotta. With Ibotta, you can get cashback at literally thousands of online and in-person retailers for purchasing items that you’d likely be buying anyway.

Using Ibotta is easy and free to do. Simply sign up for Ibotta for free and you’ll get a free $20 sign on bonus. From there, you can immediately start to earn cashback rewards and account bonuses on your shopping.

Related: 39 Legit Ways to Make $20 Instantly

And given that it’s got offers on basically anything – whether it’s groceries, medicine, clothing and even alcohol – there’s almost guaranteed to be some money for you to get back here.

5. Add an app to your phone

Are you open to the idea of sharing your web browsing history and your electronic data with a well-known company such as Nielsen, as of Nielsen ratings? If so, consider the opportunity to use the Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel app on your own smartphone or computer.

And in addition to that free $50 sign on bonus, you can also enter a $10,000 monthly sweepstakes giveaway along with reward giveaways from Amazon and Paypal. Additionally, there is also an Instant Win Game provided for members of the Nielsen Computer and Mobile Panel community for a chance to win virtual scratch-off games, tokens, and instant rewards just for being a member. Not bad for taking 30 seconds to simply install an app!

6. Automatically save money on online shopping

If you enjoy shopping online and find it more convenient than ever, install the free Honey browser extension to maximize savings, regardless of your preferred online retailers. Honey is one of the most popular money-saving browser extension apps, available for most major browsers today.

With Honey, it is possible to find discounts, coupons, and promotional codes without searching and scouring the internet for hours yourself. Instead, Honey simply automatically searches for relevant and valid coupon codes and applies them to whichever items are in your online cart that work before checking out using any website or eCommerce store you prefer.

Currently, Honey supports more than 30,000 websites in total and has more than 17 million active registered users. The average user of Honey is able to save approximately $126 on average each year, making Honey one of the best free investments to help save as much money as possible, even when you are shopping online from the comfort of your own home.

7. Cut expenses

If you’re looking to make $2,000 in free money, one way to get this is, of course, to earn it. But another way is to reduce your spending by that amount, so that you suddenly free up $2,000 (if not more!) within your existing budget.

And if you are serious about saving money and cutting back on what you spend, consider using tools and apps such as Trim to monitor your spending and to cut expenses whenever necessary.

8. Consolidate or refinance your loans

Another way to reduce your spending so that you find yourself with $2,000 free money is by consolidating or refinancing your loans. By applying a reduced interest rate to your debts, you can very easily save thousands of dollars a year with very little work.

If that’s something you’ve been thinking about doing, my pick for the best site offering this is definitely Credible. Whether you are interested in finding personalized rates for mortgage refinancing, personal loans, student loan refinancing, or even credit card assistance, Credible offers all of this in one place.

In just two minutes, Credible can help you to find potential prequalified loan rates without impacting your credit score. Additionally, Credible helps users to wade through spammy and faulty loan companies, only delivering prequalified opportunities from vendors and loan companies that have been verified and authenticated. It’s a super simple option to make some serious money.

FYI: If debt is your biggest monthly expense, debt consolidation is a great way to reduce it in a short amount of time. Take two minutes to check out which debt consolidation options Credible has for you based on your personal circumstances.

9. Round up your spending

If you are looking for another solution to help save and earn more disposable income, consider rounding up your spending. With the use of an application such as Acorns, rounding up what you spend regularly has never been easier.

The Acorns app, available for both iOS and Android smartphone users, provides an opportunity to round up your spending each time you make a purchase.

That is, Acorns lets you save more money (without you even realizing it) by rounding up the change on each of your purchases. For example, if you buy a coffee for $2.20, the extra $0.80 will also be automatically transferred from your account into an Acorns saving account. Once that hits $5, it will then be invested for you.

Using Acorns is ideal for those who have an active interest in becoming more financially savvy – without having to think about it.

10. Search the internet

If you spend any time surfing the internet every day – and who doesn’t – Swagbucks has plenty of opportunities for you to earn $2,000 free money. While you can earn money with this app through things like answering surveys, shopping online, watching videos and playing games, Swagbucks will also let you earn money simply for searching the internet.

This is a great example of how you can make money from something you’d be doing anyway, with zero extra effort required. And it helps that signing up for Swagbucks gives you a free $5 welcome bonus!

Registering as a member of Swagbucks is free and only requires a few minutes to get started and to verify your account. Once you have an account with Swagbucks, you can then immediately begin racking up points and generating earned rewards.

Generate rewards and earn $2,000 free money with enough commitment and dedication to the tasks at hand. With Swagbucks, you can redeem all of the points you earn and generate a gift card at one of more than 100 retailers that currently work together with Swagbucks. In fact, Swagbucks states that on average, they reward up to 7,000 free gift cards to thousands of retailers each day.

11. Paid focus groups

If you have an interest in sharing your opinion and want to make the most of the free time you have available, consider signing up for a paid focus group. Paid focus groups are available both locally as well as virtually, depending on the type of focus group you are interested in joining as well as your own personal experience, skills, and expertise.

As a paid focus group participant, you will receive a payment just for offering your opinions, with the aim of helping marketers and researchers better understand a product or service. Paid focus groups are ideal for those who have a reputation with focus groups and research companies, as they may have more opportunities to generate an even larger stipend and overall income from the process.

Take Survey Junkie, for example. Not only do they offer surveys, as you may expect from their name, but they also occasionally have online focus groups where you can earn up to $150 per hour just for answering questions about some sort of product. It’s basically the easiest way to make money in an hour.

12. Build an online presence

Building an online presence, launching a video channel, and even streaming videos have all become extremely lucrative opportunities for those who are the most dedicated. Having a following, accepting donations, and even providing exclusive content, products, or services can help you to generate a passive income with the potential of a full-time income.

One great way to do this is by starting a blog, although it’s important to keep in mind that, for any amateur blogger, you won’t start making monthly earnings of $2,000 in free money until you’ve given your site the time to grow enough to earn a real income. With some patience though, it’s more than possible to start generating thousands of dollars a month eventually.

13. Lose weight

Are you looking for motivation to lose weight and to get healthier this year? If so, consider losing weight to make $2000 free money on your own. You might be wondering how this is possible, especially if you have never earned anything to lose weight and get healthier.

However, the app, HealthyWage, has provided plenty of motivation and incentives for users to lose weight and to stay healthy by offering financial rewards and prizes – many of which are worth several thousands of dollars.

Healthywage involves you betting how much weight you can lose in a certain period of time. How it works is that you decide how much you want to lose, how long you think this will take and how much you want to bet each month. 

Based on this, the system will tell you how much you’ll win if you manage to lose as much weight as you’ve bet.

Check out Healthywage’s calculator here to see how much you can win based on your weight loss goals.

14. Donate plasma

Human plasma is used in a wide range of lifesaving surgeries and medical procedures today, which is why donating plasma is so important. In some cases, donating plasma is also relatively lucrative, depending on your standing income as well as the amount of plasma you intend to donate to those in need on a monthly basis.

If you are healthy and able to donate blood and plasma (and want to contribute towards your goal of earning $2,000 in free money), research local plasma donation centers and locations in your area. Most often, plasma donations pay upwards of $100 for each donation you are able to provide, varying each time you return to visit some more.

In some cases, it is reported that individuals have the ability to earn upwards of $800-900 monthly, depending on the demand for plasma near them as well as the going rate for each individual plasma donation they are able to provide.

Check out this list of some of the highest paying plasma donation centers near you to see where you can get started with this.

15. Get paid to walk

If you enjoy going for walks or if you are committed to leading a healthier lifestyle, consider getting paid to walk with SweatCoin. SweatCoin is an innovative application with more than 300+ partners committed to helping the world become a healthier and more fit place.

The SweatCoin application helps individuals to earn a SweatCoin cryptocurrency just for walking and remaining active. With the use of SweatCoin’s unique algorithm, accuracy is scanned for and monitored to ensure you never miss an opportunity to earn more coins just for being active.

And in addition to the money you can earn here (which can very easily contribute towards your goal of earning $2,000 in free money, especially as you’ll be walking anyway), academic research demonstrates that SweatCoin has contributed to the uptick in physical activity, increasing an individual’s physical activity by 20 minutes on average each day.

For more information on this, take a look at our SweatCoin review.

16. Sell your selfies

If you want to make a bit of extra cash on the side and you are working towards making $2,000 free money, another opportunity to generate some income with a side hustle is to sell your own selfies.

Selling your own selfies is not always possible overnight or with a simple and straightforward process, as it typically takes time to build a following and a wanting audience.

One opportunity available for those interested in adult selfies and videos is to use a platform such as OnlyFans. While it is not exclusively available for adult content, it is a lucrative platform for those interested in selling selfies, videos, and other personal media.

(And remember, you don’t have to only sell selfies of your face. If it’s your thing, you can also make pretty good money if you sell feet pics too.)

You may also be interested in: 20 Best Tips to Sell Feet Pics Without Getting Scammed (2023)

17. Check for unclaimed money

Did you know that there are millions of dollars in unclaimed money floating around? And did you know that you might also have unclaimed money from previous positions or even government rebates?

To get started with checking for unclaimed money, visit an official Unclaimed Money from the Government site on USAGov. From this website, you can share information to help identify if you have any unclaimed money that is owed to you.

Once you have shared your personal information and verified your identity, you will be presented with a list of unclaimed money claims that are available for you. And you never know: it’s more than possible for this to equate to $2,000 free money – if not more!

If you do have unclaimed money available, you can immediately begin the filing process to receive your money. Filing out a form directly on the USAGov website and requesting additional paperwork for each individual unclaimed money account you have designated for your name will help you on your path to recovering what is owed to you.

18. Declutter your home

One of the best ways to start off a new year in the right way is to declutter and minimize the junk you have in your home and lying around the house. If you want an opportunity to not only declutter your home but to simultaneously earn a bit of extra cash (which, depending on what you have, could easily equate to $2,000 in free money), consider selling belongings, furnishings, and personal items you no longer want, need, or use.

First, declutter junk and belongings in individual rooms throughout your home. Separate belongings into piles for trash, donations, selling and keeping. The more organized you are when you begin decluttering, the less likely you are to miss an opportunity to sell belongings for additional cash.

Choose which auction site or location you will sell your items on when opting to list your belongings online. Some of the most popular methods of selling belongings to help declutter include eBay and even social media marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace. You can also take a look at our article on the best websites to sell stuff locally for some inspiration.

If you are unsure of which platform to use, search through individual auction sites and social media marketplaces for similar items in your region or local area. You can use the search function to determine whether or not there is currently a demand for the type of furnishings, belongings, and personal items you intend to list and sell.

19. Launch your own online storefront

If you have a knack for selling or if you simply prefer to work online, consider launching your own online store. Launching your own online store has never been easier with automated platforms such as Shopify. From using WooCommerce with WordPress to using drag-and-drop storefront builders such as Shopify or even making money on Etsy, the options are virtually endless with a bit of motivation and self-determination.

Building your own eCommerce store is not solely reserved for those who have warehouses and thousands of products in their inventories. It is possible to launch an eCommerce store whether you intend to sell individual items, handcrafted products, or even virtual products such as digital downloads.

For example, if you have a knack for creating things, take a look at some of the best things you can sell on Etsy to make money for some inspiration for what you can offer too.

20. Design and sell your own product line

You may be surprised to hear that creating and selling your own products can be a great way to generate a passive income, even if you are new to making money online. In fact, this can very easily turn into a way to generate $2,000 in free money a month, if not much more.

Sites like Printify make this incredibly easy. All you have to do is upload your design and Printify takes care of the rest.

That is, once you’ve made your design, you can select if you want it available on any of the products that Printify offers, including shirts, bags, shoes, phone cases and more.

From there, when someone buys one of your products, Printify produces and ships the item to the customer. You can then simply wait for the money to land in your account – that’s it!

Click here to find out more about Printify.

21. Sell courses online

Are you great at a certain skill or do you have an ability you want to share with the world? If so, you just may be in luck.

One of the most innovative (and potentially lucrative) opportunities for teachers and those who love to teach alike includes eCourses. And given that it’s expected that the online course industry will grow to $325 billion by 2025 – yes, with a “b” – it’s safe to say, there is an incredible amount of money to be made here. You can probably see why this is already considered one of the highest paying online jobs out there. 

Depending on the type of information you plan to share and the content you will be focusing on, you have a wide range of earning potential. And In terms of which platform to use when building your course and making it available to people, Learnworlds is one of the best. It’s incredibly easy to build a professional-looking course there, even if you don’t have any prior experience in doing this. And it’s free to try it out!

Sign up for your free 30-day Learnworlds trial here.

22. Work as a freelancer

While it is not easy to immediately generate $2,000 free money, it is possible to get there eventually with the right attitude, resources, and skills. Working as a freelancer through various platforms such as Upwork, Contena, and Freelancer.com is possible whether you are a graphic designer, an illustrator, writer, photographer, or even a programmer.

As a freelancer, set your hours and choose what type of clients are most suitable for you. Build your portfolio and online presence at your own pace. Set your hourly or gig rate based on the type of lifestyle you intend to lead. Cultivate your skills and hone in on those that are most in-demand, based on your preferred networks and skill markets.

To get started, check out these easy freelance jobs which even beginners to the world of freelancing can start making money from. Our SolidGigs review can also be a good starting point to give you an introduction to a site which can help you find your own freelancing work.

23. Apply for a SNAP card

If you are an eligible low-income individual or household, you may qualify for the SNAP, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as the EBT card. A SNAP card provides additional grocery funding for those who are on a lower income. Your SNAP card can help to cover the essentials as you work to earn more money in your free time.

24. Welfare or TANF

There is also welfare or TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) options for households that qualify. Receiving TANF can help with covering bills and necessities while you work towards a better financially stable position yourself.

Final thoughts on making $2,000 free money

As you can see from this list, it’s more than possible to make $2,000 free money with a bit of effort. Whether you choose to do this by making more money or cutting your expenses to free up this amount in your existing budget – or a combination of the two – it’s definitely a reasonable goal to have.

What you should ideally aim to do is to set things up in a way so that you can make an extra $2,000 a month every single month going forward. I mentioned consolidating or refinancing your loans as one way to do this, but setting up a side hustle is another way to continually generate this kind of cash. You may also want to consider how you can consistently cut your spending each month, as this can make a huge difference over the long term.

The other thing I’d recommend is considering what you do with that extra $2,000 in free money, whether it’s a one-off or an every-month kind of thing. That is, if you plan to just spend it on some extra fun things, take a moment to think about it. Putting it towards your debts or investing it can allow that $2,000 to be worth much, much more over time, so before rushing to the nearest store, think about helping out future you to really put that $2,000 to good use.