How To Find $5000 In Free Money

How To Find $5000 In Free Money Or $3700 With Inflation

Okay, maybe the amount of free money should be reduced given the current economic situation. In the interest of full disclosure and being completely honest, Adpost needs to admit that since the onset of the current inflationary period of 2022, the actual numbers have decreased according to some studies, and the potential savings may be reduced to only about 3700 dollars per year these days. Apparently, even the donuts and beer are not so appealing as they once were when people are paying more than a hundred dollars to fill up their gas tanks.

What if Adpost could show you where to find five thousand dollars in free money every year? What if anyone could show you how to find five grand, five big ones, each and every year? Would an extra five thousand bucks be a nice Christmas bonus?

Would five grand help to ease the pain of inflation? Well guess what. In this article, we are going to show you how to find an average (based on US expenditures) of five grand a year in free money.

That is not to say that someone will just hand you five big ones, but that the average person – not the average household mind you, but the average person, spends more than five thousand US dollars on impulse purchases. Impulse purchases in short, are those extra goodies you grab off the counter in the checkout line, or that three-in-the-morning reaction to the infomercials when you cannot sleep.

The fact of the matter is that you have already earned the money. At the same time, you are being duped when you spend that money, and being encouraged to part ways with your wallet in order to appease base, subconscious tendencies that you probably do not even recognize.

Who Is Edward Bernays And Why Does He Matter

There are those that would claim that Sigmund Freud is the father of psychology. It is interesting to note that some of his more advanced “theories” have been debunked, but at the same time, many of the founding principles as set forth by Freud have withstood the test of time.

This is relevant as his name is widely recognized even among the average person. This is unlike his nephew whose name most people do not easily recognize, but whose works have had a profound impact on society, the individual, and the realm of social engineering.

The nephew of Sigmund Freud is a man by the name of Edward L. Bernays, and he was the father of what is now commonly referred to as social engineering. But what is that? All that “social engineering stuff” is just crazy conspiracy theories! Right?

The short answer is “Wrong”. Social engineering is a very real construct. In order to see how effective the practice is, let us look at the way the theory was proven. In the modern age, smoking cigarettes is largely taboo, seen as unhealthy and to be blunt, a truly nasty habit.

To what then, can the popularity of smoking be attributed? Especially among women who are generally and naturally disposed to avoiding nasty habits, and things that are unhealthy in nature and unappealing to most others? The popularity of smoking, most especially smoking “freedom torches” by women, was initially the direct result of social engineering undertaken by none other than the dear nephew, Edward L. Bernays. He was also attributed with a major role in the overthrow of the Guatemalan government in 1954 leading to the introduction of the modern phrase “Banana Republic” which, for better or worse, seems oddly appropriate in the modern USA.

Social Engineering is very real.

What Are Impulse Marketing And Impulse Purchases

Marketing and sales have come a long way since the days of Edward Bernays, and his work invades virtually every aspect of the field. Granted, there may be entire conversations and debates about the role of social engineering for the purposes of population control. The only intention here is to look at the impact on household spending and how you can potentially save more than $5000 US dollars each and every year.

Marketing firms have spent literally billions of dollars determining new and improved ways to encourage you to part ways with your hard-earned cash. That money has not been spent in vain. The secret then, becomes how do you recognize when you are making an impulse purchase, and how do you prevent yourself from spending all that extra “free money”?

Did you ever think about why –

Did you ever think about why the highest price products in a store are all within easy grasping reach, while the more inexpensive items are generally tucked away somewhere you have to crawl or stretch to reach?

Did you ever wonder why the same thing is true in supermarkets, with all the premium products being between waist and eye level, yet when you get to the checkout counter all that candy is right where your kid can easily grab it?

Did you ever wonder why all those stacks of donuts and pastries are right next to the coffee machine at your local convenience store?

Did you ever think about why all those bags of chips and iced sodas are right next to the store during the heat of summer?

All of these instances are just the most common means by which stores encourage you to make purchases of items you never had any intention to buy. Hey, I am not spending ten bucks on the fancy coffee, just a buck at the convenience store, and yeah, the box of donuts was only a couple of bucks extra.

Now multiply those purchases over the course of a year. Figuring an average of 260 days worked per year with five-day workweeks, three bucks a day for coffee and snacks, and there is already seven hundred and eighty dollars of free money in your bank account.

Had you just made your coffee at home, the cost would be less than 24 cents per pot, with enough left over to fill the thermos. The average annual cost is sixty-two dollars and forty cents, still leaving you with an extra seven hundred and thirteen dollars in free money.

Now do the math for those fancy five and ten dollar a day cups of coffee yourself.

How Do I Track My Impulse Purchases

This little trick here is easy in theory, but it is where the vast majority of people will fail in terms of curbing impulse purchases, effectively budgeting money, and in finding all the “free money” they are wasting over the course of a lifetime.

You really do need to write down literally every one of your purchases and everything that you spend money for no matter how trivial you think it to be. Unless you are married, the only one you are lying to is yourself.

If you are married, lying to your spouse may be even worse, but that is up for you to determine.

Keeping the receipts is also a more ideal solution, as it can help you to determine just how much you have lied to yourself if you have taken that route. Even if you are not the kind of person who feels determined to lie, the receipts can still provide some valuable insight that can be used to further increase savings.

Writing everything down in combination with the receipts will allow for you to do a more thorough review of your actions, and their costs. This is especially true at the grocery store. For people with families, grocery shopping is where the most impulse purchases will occur.

Yes, there are generic items that suck, but some may surprise you. Did you know that those original Oreo cookies are actually the generic replacement? Hydrox was the original chocolate creme-filled cookie with Orea seeking to imitate their success. Some generic items may suck, but others might pleasantly surprise you.

Purchase small quantities of generic items if you have a family. See which ones your family balks at if they do not know they are generic like that surprisingly good and healthy breakfast cereal from the bulk bins.

Where Did The Extra Free Money Go

Did you really have to drive the two blocks to the convenience store 104 times last year? In truth, the average person will make more than two trips a week to the convenience store. Most convenience stores are easily within walking distance.

Yet most people will still drive the extra couple of blocks because of convenience. How many miles per gallon does that old car or truck get? How many additional miles did you put on your vehicle? How much was the extra gas?

Those simple trips to the convenience store add up to about ten miles a week. If you figure ten miles per gallon, an average of five bucks a gallon, and 52 weeks, that is an extra 260 dollars per year. Who would have thought that brewing your own coffee and walking that extra two blocks could put a thousand dollars of free money in your pocket every year?

Keeping the receipts allows you to determine just how many midnight trips for milk you made to the convenience store. It also allows you to see how many times you ordered Uber Eats, went out of the way to grab some extra fast food for lunch or dinner, and remember specific details you may otherwise forget.

The wear and tear on a vehicle from five hundred miles may be minimal, but over the course of the five years it takes to pay off the vehicle, the numbers do add up. Those extra boxes of donuts? That home brewed coffee? And then there is the big one – the one everybody needs. How much can you save at the grocery store?

Is It Really Free Money

Some places do not offer receipts, like car washes, or other cash outlets. This is why both writing everything down and the receipts are important. Where one option may be incomplete, the other option fills in the gaps, and at the same time, reveals hidden expenditures you may not otherwise ever notice.

But is it really free money if you have already earned it?

Bad news. Nothing in life is free. That is not much of a reality check for most people. That is just a fact of life. But there is a different way of looking at things, and sometimes, a different perspective can shine a whole new light on the matter, and make it look much brighter and better.

The more in-depth answer is what are you going to do with all of the money that you have saved? So you saved fifty bucks this week? Now you can go order that thirty dollar pizza and still have twenty bucks left for beer. Right?

Sure, so long as you do not expect to see any of that free money sitting in your bank account at the end of the year. Sure. Making just one additional mortgage payment a year, paid solely on the principal of the loan can take literal years off your mortgage, and allow you to own your home for less.

It is only free money in the sense that you will still have the funds to put to better use, and to spend on matters that provide a long-term return rather than a moment of instant gratification. And hey, sorry, but those boxed donuts and that two hour old coffee just are not that good.

How Do I Curb My Impulse Buying?

Writing everything down and keeping the receipts is important. Still, there is an accurate old adage about knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is being aware that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom means knowing not to put tomatoes in your fruit salad.

Writing everything down and keeping the receipts will mean nothing if you do not use the information you gain. This is an important part of learning how to budget your income and minimize your expenditures, saving money in the process.

Examine all of the data gathered carefully. Look for areas you are spending extra money outright. Are you having your suit or dress dry-cleaned before and immediately after you use it, as there is such a long time-frame between opportunities to wear the item? Are you frequently driving out of your way for things you could do on foot, or go without completely? Now that you found out how much the kids love that bulk-bin granola, where else can you save money when shopping?

Did you try some better coffee now that you discovered a quarter a day leaves more free money at the end of the week, and more free money in the bank? You should reward yourself as you meet your own goals for saving money. But first, you will need to determine just how many areas there are where you can save.

This system of rewards gives you an added incentive to set new and bigger goals, not only to increase savings, but to ensure an improvement in certain aspects of your life as a measure of success, and as a reward for a job well done. It is equally important however, that such rewards do not become egregious, and care should be taken to ensure even there, consideration is given to the ability to save.

How To Invest Or Reinvest Free Money

Once you have the knowledge about the truth behind your current financial situation, you will need to examine that data, and convert your knowledge into wisdom through practical application. How much money did you spend going out to fancy restaurants? How many fancy candlelight or family dinners can you cook at home for the same amount?

Did you know that there are entire websites dedicated to revealing the secret recipes from the world’s most famous fast food and other restaurant chains? Sure, it may take some practice, but turn it into a contest for your family. This assumes of course, the presence of a family or at least significant others in the household.

How often will they demand an opportunity to go out when they can get the same food or better at home, and enjoy additional benefits garnered through the selective use of a portion of the free money now saved? That is just one of the many benefits of learning how to curb impulse buys and to increase the pools of free money, better spent on bills and otherwise to benefit family and home?

As was previously noted, credit card bills and other bills may accrue interest. Five grand, or even 3700 dollars would go a long ways towards paying down credit card debt and other bills. If you were smart when you purchased your home, you may be able to make additional payments on the principal value of the loan without incurring penalties.

Any additional payments should be made specifically for the principal, as that will immediately decrease the amount being paid on interest even for the regular mortgage payment. That however, may be left for different articles.

Let Adpost Know What You Would Like To See Please

If you would like to see more money-saving content here, just let us know please.

You can contact us directly and discover even more exciting information about Adpost, you can join the Adpost Discord Server here, and while it may not increase your free money supply, you may be surprised just how valuable it may become!