It is hard to flip through a magazine or sit through television commercials without being exposed to a cashback program.  These come in many forms.  Some provide points or tokens of some sort, while others credit your account or even send you cash.  No matter how these work, they are all ways to get paid for spending money.  While not fully passive, these are good programs to take advantage of.

Cashback Is Passive

We all have to spend money.  These expenditures may be in small or large amounts, but it is a fact of life.  We spend money to live, whether through food, clothing, or shelter.  All of these are essential to our existence and require us to do some level spending.  Thus, getting paid for these transactions requires no real extra effort on our part.  That is almost the precise definition of passive income.

Buy Some Fun

Usually, when we talk about passive income, we work in dollars and cents.  That is not always the case.  We can earn credits, coupons, points, or other items of value.  These should all be considered a form of income.  Better yet, we often are limited in what these non-cash items will buy.  That makes these perfect earnings for us to spend on things we enjoy.  Why not use this form of passive income to make your life a little more enjoyable?

Take advantage of frequent flyer programs or discount coupons for your favorite store.  Any of these options can bring you more joy in your life.  That should make these ways to earn income even more fulfilling than cold cash.  Even a buy X get one free program can put you in a little better situation.  Think about it, is having fun better when you get it for free or when you pay for it?

Rob Broadhead

Rob is a founder of, and frequent contributor to, Develpreneur. This includes the Building Better Developers podcast. He is also a lifetime learner as a developer, designer, and manager of software solutions. Rob is the founder of RB Consulting and has managed to author a book about his family experiences and a few about becoming a better developer. In his free time, he stays busy raising five children (although they have grown into adults). When he has a chance to breathe, he is on the ice playing hockey to relax or working on his ballroom dance skills.

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