Sick of The Rat Race? Here Are 5 Sneaky Ways to Break Free Starting Right Now

If you’re serious about escaping the rat race, here’s an underrated truth: you don’t need to earn more—you need to need less.

Most people are stuck not because they don’t make enough, but because their expenses keep them on a treadmill they can’t step off.

Here I'll focus on simple changes that could make a huge difference. These changes can add up to massive savings, and most of these take just a few minutes to set up.

Let's dive right in:

1. Cut your auto insurance payment by $1,000+/year.

Believe it or not, the average American family still overspends by $1,000 on car insurance.

(Sometimes it’s significantly more: I saved $1,300/year when I switched)

Here’s how to quickly see how much you’re being overcharged (takes maybe a couple of minutes):

• Pull up Insurify – it’s a free site that will compare prices for you

• Answer the questions on the page

• It’ll spit out a bunch of insurance quotes for you

That’s literally it. You’ll likely save yourself a bunch of money.

Here’s a link to Insurify.

2. See if this company will pay off your credit card debt for you.

If you’ve got $10k+ in unsecured debt (think credit cards, medical bills, etc), you could use a debt relief program and potentially reduce it by around 23% (on average).

Here’s how to quickly see if you qualify for debt relief:

• Head to National Debt Relief’s site here

• Answer the questions on the page

• Find out if you qualify

Simple as that. You’ll likely end up paying less than you owed and could be debt free in 24-48 months.

Here’s a link to National Debt Relief.

3. If you own your home, you're sitting on a gold mine.

If you own your home but are low on cash, you might want to look into a HELOC (home equity line of credit). It’s more/less a credit card, but you borrow against your home’s equity.

They usually have lower interest rates and more flexible terms that a typical loan would.

Here’s a calculator you can use to see how much money you could access: link.

4. Let a company pay your home repair bills for you.

Picture this: your trusty furnace suddenly throws a tantrum in the dead of winter, leaving you shivering and facing a repair bill that could cost you way more than you anticipated.

If you had a home warranty, you could be covered the next time something breaks down. It’s like having a safety net for your home (think plumbing, electrical, appliances, etc).

If you don’t have one yet, Choice Home Warranty is one of the bigger companies out there.

Bonus: home warranty companies usually have qualified, pre-vetted maintenance and repair workers ready to get the job done (which is one less thing to worry about).

If you’re interested just enter your zip code here to find a home warranty plan. It could save you a bunch of money the next time something breaks down.

5. Stop paying credit card interest payments until nearly 2027.

High-interest credit card payments can be a nightmare. Have you ever wished you could just take a break from them?

You actually might be able to. Many people may not know, but there's a great way to avoid interest payments for over a year or more.

It's called a balance transfer. In simple terms, you move your balance to a new credit card that offers a 0% intro APR for a set period of time, which could help you save on interest.

If you're interested, here are a few great balance transfer cards to look into: link here.

6. Build a game-testing empire.

Apps like Freecash will pay you to test new iOS/Android games on your phone.

Some games pay as much as $350 to testers. Here are a few examples right now (from Freecash's homepage):

You don't need any kind of degree or any prior experience: all you really need is a smartphone (Android or IOS).

If you're scrolling on your phone anyway, why not get paid for it?

I've used Freecash in the past - it’s solid. They also gave me a $5 bonus instantly when I installed my first game, which was nice.

7. Have someone manage your finances.

99% of people don’t have a financial advisor, and it’s typically a huge mistake.

Sure, you can manage things on your own if you want to, but most people don’t have the time to actually do things right. There are huge benefits to having somebody pay attention to your money all the time.

• People with financial advisors tend to beat the market by ~3%/year (according to a 2019 Vanguard Study). That can make a huge difference over time.

• But more important: a good advisor will handle ALL of the annoying retirement stuff & bizarro tax implications you would have never thought of

If you don’t know a financial advisor personally, use a comparison site (like FinancialAdvisor.net) and find somebody near you that has good reviews.

Or if you want something easier, here’s a quiz you can fill out that will find an advisor/planner based on your reqs.

8. Block almost all ads on your desktop, computer or phone.

If you aren’t using an ad blocker yet, I am begging you to try one. I am not exaggerating when I say it will change your life.

A good ad blocker will eliminate virtually all of the ads you’d see on the internet.

No more YouTube ads, no more banner ads, no more pop-up ads, etc. It’s incredible.

Most people I know use Total Adblock (link here) – it’s $2.42/month, but there are plenty of solid options.

Ads also typically take a while to load, so using an ad blocker reduces loading times (typically by 50% or more). They also block ad tracking pixels to protect your privacy, which is nice.

Here’s a link to Total Adblock, if you’re interested.

9. Stop paying your credit card company.

If you’re stuck with credit card debt, you feel it. The high interest, the endless payments, the sinking feeling that you’re never getting ahead.

And let’s be honest—your credit card company isn’t on your side.  It’s making a fortune off you with interest rates that can hit 36%.

So how do you escape the vicious cycle? Look into getting a personal loan.

How it works: you take out a "personal loan" and use that loan to pay off your high-interest credit cards all in one fell swoop.

Then you're just left with one single payment, and that payment usually has a lower rate than your high-interest CC debt did.

If you're interested, here's a free 3rd party site you can use to see if a personal loan could work for you: Bankrate.com

They let you compare personal loan options from multiple lenders to find the best rates.

The upside? You’ll have just one monthly payment. And because personal loans typically come with lower rates (Bankrate lenders offer options as low as 6.70% APR), you’ll get out of debt sooner. Plus, no credit card bill this month.

You don’t need perfect credit to check your options, and looking won’t hurt your score.

It takes less than 2 minutes to compare your options. No Social Security number required, just a real phone number (but don’t worry—they won’t spam you). Here's a link to their site.

10. Get a new roof now, before prices rise.

With tariffs ramping up, building costs may be about to increase dramatically.

So, if you’ve been putting off fixing your leaky roof, now is a great time to get it done.

If you have a minute right now, go to a site like HomeBuddy and they'll give you a quick roof price estimate. It takes maybe 2 minutes at most, and doing it now could save you a ton of money in the long haul if prices skyrocket.

Here's a link to see how much a new roof would cost you.

11. Get a better cash back credit card (you could earn up to 5%, depending on what you buy).

If you’re dealing with credit card debt, a 0% intro APR credit card could give you some much-needed relief. It’s actually a smart way to tackle your balances without the added weight of interest slowing you down.

On top of that, these credit cards offer an impressive up to 5% cash back on qualifying purchases.

Whether you’re in the midst of paying off debt, or just looking for a smarter way to shop, these cards are pretty great options. You might be surprised at just how much you can actually save, check it out here.

12. Stop paying for subscriptions you don't use (Can save as much as $740/year).

We've all signed up for free trials and forgotten to cancel them. Stop paying for services you aren't using!

Take a minute and get yourself a good cancellation app: I like Rocket Money (link here).

It's an app that will put together a list of your subscriptions so you can pick/choose which ones to cancel.

They also have a premium service that will cancel them for you, if you'd like.

Here's a link (it's free).

13. Quit missing out on huge discounts.

You’ve probably heard of AARP, but here’s something I didn’t know until recently: you don’t have to be over 50 to join. While a few perks are reserved for the 50+ crowd, there are still plenty of benefits worth checking out.

They offer discounts on a ton of stuff – dining, travel, gas, groceries, entertainment, etc. So if you like saving money (who doesn’t?), it’s worth checking out.

Membership is ~$16/year, but if you make the most of their offers, it pretty much pays for itself. 

Plus, they have some solid resources and tools that can come in handy for things like managing finances or planning for the future.

Not saying it’s for everyone, but if you like getting a good deal, it might be worth a look. Head to their site here.

That’s all (for now).

Thanks for reading!