A CANNY saver has shared how she raked in over £5,000 by completing surveys and using cash back apps.
Nalan Kaya started her money-saving mission after finding herself unemployed and receiving Universal Credit.
The struggling 26-year-old said she was left “in a new city” without “even a blanket on her bed” before she managed to turn her finances around.
She now shares her tips and tricks with her 2,000 Instagram followers from her account @littlemissfreebiequeen.
Nalan, from Coventry, admitted she “has always been frugal” but decided to put her savviness to the test when times were hard.
The NHS biomedical assistant relied on earning an income and freebies through survey sites and cash back apps, as well as exchanging receipts for points.
After managing to bag a blanket and heater for her room when she shared some positive reviews, Nalan was inspired to delve deeper into the world of saving.
She told the Daily Mail: “I’ve always been quite frugal since I was young and have always loved the idea of being able to get something for free.
“All of these apps really helped me at a time when I was unemployed and on Universal Credit.
“I had just moved to a new city, and I had nothing, I didn’t even have a blanket on my bed,” she recalled.
“All of my apps aided me in buying food and clothes and anything I desperately needed.”
The thrifty 26-year-old then began utilising survey sites and apps regularly to keep a steady cash flow in her bank account.
Nalan continued: “I’ve found some survey sites to be quite useful, and have made £600 so far from one particular site where the studies are conducted by universities for academic research and can take anywhere from a minute upwards.
“Referrals are a great way to make money on sites too.
“On one site, I actually made about £250 in cryptocurrency which I let sit for a while and ended up with £1,500!”
She has also secured herself a variety of swag from free samples and rewards, including meals at restaurants, toilet paper, perfume and sanitary products.
Other goodies include freebies such as cleaning products, dog food, chocolates, crisps, pizzas and fresh fruits.
I’m now looking forward to saving up for my first home.
Nalan Kaya
It means she can now sometimes spend less than £30 a month on her shopping – thanks to her online bonuses and purchasing yellow sticker food items.
She beamed: “I’m now looking forward to saving up for my first home.
“I can get up to 100 per cent cash back on some foods I buy, and sometimes I even make a profit on food I’ve bought as other apps will be working in the background and make a note of what I’ve spent.
“I literally spent two weeks receiving free takeaways and grocery deliveries from UberEATS and Deliveroo, because I’d built up lots of credit from referrals.
“I also have some receipt scanning apps which allow me to exchange built up points for Amazon vouchers.”
And she has even more funds to play with after ditching her budget on beauty products.
“Buying sanitary and beauty products is something I don’t bother doing anymore, because I’ve received lots of free samples from various sites and gift boxes from an app called ‘OOOOO’ where I get a free box of full-sized beauty products for every 5 friends I refer to the app,” Nalan explained.
“I haven’t had to buy skincare or sanitary products for well over a year.
“An app called Yoppie also gives you credits for referrals, and I have about £200 on there now which I have used to buy organic sanitary towels and tampons.”
The NHS biomedical assistant has earned more than £5,000 back over three years and says it has given her financial freedom.
Nalan added: “Using the apps has aided me in buying items for my family who have also struggled financially but live abroad in Turkey.”
