To save money and stay under budget, smart consumers must maximize their savings and rewards. When you can save extra cash, you can use that extra money for long term savings, investments or to pay off debt.
If you have to buy something already (like groceries), these money saving tips will keep more cash in your wallet or purse.
Get a free $10 Amazon Gift Card
Wouldn’t it be nice to get rewarded for the purchases you make online? You should never purchase an item from a popular online retailer without first checking out Ebates.
With Ebates, you can earn cash back rewards for the purchases that you are already making through online retailers. Sign up now and you can get a FREE $10 Amazon gift card to use towards any purchase of $25 or more. When you start using Ebates, you’ll get cash back rewards for purchases originating from an Ebates offer.
Not only does Ebates provide cash back rebates, but the website also provides special promo codes for even more discounts through popular online retailers. When you shop through Ebates, you can earn cash back rewards on clothes, consumer items and services from stores you already buy from:
- Amazon
- Target
- Walmart
- Kohls
- And 1,800 other stores
Save money on groceries with this app
The Favado app is a fabulous way to compare local grocery store deals. If there is an item that you purchase frequently, the Favado app lets you find the grocery store with the lowest price.
Use Favado along with your local grocery chain’s shopping rewards program to get even deeper discounts.
Take Kroger for example. If you have a Kroger Plus card, you can preload digital coupon codes onto your rewards card before you go shopping. Those coupons will be applied instantly as soon as the clerk scans your Kroger Plus card.
Depending on what you are buying, traditional coupons from your Sunday paper might prove to be a worthwhile investment. Another example of a shoppers rewards program is Walgreens. When you combine coupons along with offers on your Walgreen’s Rewards card, you can buy everyday items at deep discounts and get points that can be applied to future purchases.
Get a cashback checking account with a debit card
Just a few years ago, it wasn’t too difficult to find a debit card or a checking account that paid you rewards each time you made a purchase. Unfortunately, those days are over, and options have become limited.
Discover has emerged as one of the best cash back checking accounts on the market today. Discover’s new Cashback Rewards checking account will pay you 10 cents for each of the following transactions:
- Using your debit card (10 cents)
- Pay a bill online (10 cents)
- Write a check (that clears) (10 cents)
What’s the catch? You can only earn up to $10 per month when you use the Discover Cashback Rewards checking account.
There is no minimum balance requirement, and Discover does not charge you a monthly fee. Discover also provides you with free access to over 60,000 ATMs across the United States.
Do you have a PayPal account? Another popular option is the PayPal Business Debit Mastercard. For every transaction that does not require a PIN, you’ll earn 1% cash back on every purchase. You could move money from your checking account into your PayPal account and use the PayPal Debit Card to earn unlimited cash back rewards on all of your purchases.
Earn gift cards and get paid to use coupons
Web sites such as Inbox Dollars provide users with the ability to get rewarded for printing and using coupons.
Another website that will pay you to use coupons is Swagbucks. Check out these reward websites to see if they have any special offers on products that you intend to buy.
For example, if you plan on dropping your cable subscription, Netflix might be a good alternative. Swagbucks has a sweet deal on Netflix subscriptions that will give you points that can be converted to cash.
InboxDollars and Swagbucks also have other ways for you to earn money for things that you are already doing online. These websites will pay to search the internet or watch video clips. Sign up for Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars to start earning rewards today.
Scan your receipts for cash
Each time you make an in-person purchase, the cashier usually gives you a receipt. What if you could turn that receipt into money by taking a picture and uploading it using your mobile device?
Receipt Hog is an app that pays you to take pictures of your receipts. You earn points for each receipt that you upload, and you can redeem your points for gift cards or PayPal cash.
Use Ibotta and earn gift cards
Ibotta is like ReceiptHog in that it provides you with special deals and promotions on the items you buy the most. When you take a picture of your receipts, you can collect points and redeem them for gifts cards, cash and more!
Stretch your dollars at the grocery store
One of the best ways to reduce your grocery budget is to create a meal plan. There are several low-budget meal plan templates available for you online.
As long you don’t mind doing the dishes, there is no reason that you can’t sufficiently feed everyone in your household for under $20 per person per week. Here are a few resources to get you started:
Not everyone is into eating frugally, and that’s understandable.
There are certainly other ways to eat well on a budget. The general premise is that if you plan can ahead, you can make going to the grocery store an affordable and rewarding experience.
Use discount gift cards to save on everyday purchases
When you buy online gift cards from websites like Raise and Cardpool, you can get deep discounts from your favorite retailers.
You should always purchase gift cards for grocery stores such as Kroger, Walmart, and Publix because you are probably shopping at these stores anyway. Try implementing the gift card strategy along with all of your consumer purchases. You can almost always find a gift card for sale from a store that you frequent.
Most online gift cards will allow you to instantly use the printable gift cards either online or in the store. Others may require that you get a physical gift card in the mail.
Either way, this is an easy way to save money that you’d otherwise spend on everyday expenses. You can get gift cards at most gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, and almost any big box store.
Always check to see if you can purchase an online gift card voucher from a popular gift card exchange such as Raise or Cardpool. If you purchase these gift cards using a cashback debit card or cash back checking account, you can compound your rewards!
And if you have gift cards in your junk drawer, sell your gift cards for cash so you can buy what you want.
Do you have any tips to save on everyday purchases? Leave a comment below.
Disclaimer: Our office cats like to save money too. This article has affiliate links so we can buy them tuna treats once in a while.
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