Inflation is starting to creep back up, so everyone can always use some extra cash.

Turns out you may not need to look very far to find a little extra income: NBC 7 Responds has three ways you can make money now.

Do you have any extra receipts lying around the house? Well, there’s a way to turn those pieces of paper into money. With just one snap and a quick upload, that grocery receipt can turn into a gift card, thanks to what are known as receipt scanning apps.

“You’re not going to be able to retire on this money, but it gives you a little bit of extra cash for that spending that you’re already doing,” said James Royal, a principal writer at Bankrate.

Apps like Fetch Rewards, CoinOut and Frisbee allow users to earn cash back and other rewards for purchases, just by uploading a picture of a receipt. It could be for groceries, gas, online shopping or even restaurants.

“It can be particularly attractive for consumers who want to track their spending and see where their money is going, help budget and earn that extra money for free as part of that,” Royal said.

Users will need to upload a handful of receipts before rewards can be claimed. To increase earnings, it’s recommended to use more than one receipt-scanning app. Users will have the opportunity to redeem different deals and get cash back and rewards points from each platform.

“These receipts may be valuable to specific merchants, to specific marketers, and so you may get different rewards based on the type of spending that you’re doing,” Royal explained.

The apps make their money by promoting specific products, brands and retailers. Others profit from advertisements and selling users’ shopping data to market research companies.

“You want to understand who might be using that data, who might be accessing that data, and then any of the potential drawbacks that come from that access to that data,” Royal said. “You really want to be comfortable with those potential downsides for the benefits of using the app.”

Check to see if you have free money waiting for you

Another way to make money now is by checking to see if the city, county or state is holding any unclaimed funds for you. 

This money may be from old bank accounts, checks you never cashed or unclaimed insurance benefits.

It’s easy to look up. San Diego County and the city of San Diego post lists of names on their websites. And you can search for your name on the state’s website as well.

Turn your old clothes into cash

The third way to make some fast cash is by selling clothes you no longer wear. You can do it in person at your local consignment shop or on apps like Poshmark, ThredUp and Depop.

“I’ve sold five, six things already, and it’s been a week, week and a half,” Hayden Hurwitz recently told NBC 7.

His profit? Sixty dollars for clothes that otherwise would just be hanging in his closet.

Bonus tip: Save money by not shopping

This last tip won’t help you make money, but it could save you a lot. It’s called the Buy Nothing Project, which is a community project where people offer up things they no longer use for free to their neighbors. You can usually find your local Buy Nothing group on Facebook.

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