Sunday, November 29, 2009

Website to Check Out: Ebates.com

Okay, let me say it. It is stupid not to join a free rewards site which pays you money for shopping online. It's free money. Say you were going to do your Christmas shopping at Walmart and Best Buy this year. Your plan is to pend $200 total, $100 at each store. You can go to the store to find your stuff, wait in line, pay your $200 and leave with your stuff and be done. Or you can do what I do and order online and select to pick up at the store. Best Buy has half an hour pickup where you pick up your item the same day after a 30 minute processing period. Walmart offers free ship to store (i.e. no shipping charging) and takes a week or two. Sounds good right? Well, let's make it even sweeter. Instead of going directly to the retailers website, you first went to ebates.com and then clicked on their link to the retailer (after first looking at the coupon codes ebates offers to see if there are any you want to use to get a better deal).

Walmart is offering 2% cash back which means you would get back $2. Best Buy is currently offering 1% cash back. That means you will get a dollar back for your $100 that you spent if my math is right. Not the best deal in the world, but still 3 dollars more than you would have had. You may also want to check another site to see if you can get a better deal for either store. However, for sake of argument lets assume you did decide to go through eBates. They cut a check (or send paypal) once a quarter so long as you have at least $5 accumulated. If you aren't an e-bates member, you can join by clicking here. They are currently offering a $5 signup bonus which means you are gauranteed a check this quarter. Also check out other stores before you shop online. Some stores will give you a larger percentage of your cash back (i.e. 6-10%). I joined eBates in 2007 and have gotten back over $80 from doing the same shopping I would have done anyway. Again, free money. I personally feel $80, or even $3, is worth a couple extra clicks.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Website to Check Out: Mypoints.com

Since you can earn mypoints through Bzzagent, I thought mypoints would be the next logical site to visit. The way mypoints.com works is that you accumulate points and then trade them in for gift cards. You can get a $10 GC for about 1500 points and a $25 GC for about 3800 points.

There are lots of ways to earn points. If you shop through their vendors, you get points (based either on dollars spent or a flat rate. Most sites give between 2-5 pts per dollar spent, though others do give you a set amount for a purchase if the minimum is met (i.e. 750 points if you spend at least $50.00). Just make sure you go through the link on mypoints homepage so you get your points!

You can also get points for reading e-mails and taking surveys. Mypoints will send you e-mails (I get between 2-5 per day) and most will give you 5 points for reading the e-mail and clicking the link (you also get additional points if you actually purchase an item after following the link). I also get between 2-5 survey opportunities per week. You can earn 60-75 points if you qualify for a survey or 10 points if you don't. One thing to remember is that it usually takes 30 days for any points you earn from shopping or surveys to be credited to your account (they are provisionally added for 30 days) and you can't spend them until they are actually credited.

I get asked a lot if it REALLY works and my response is yes so long as you only buy items you would have bought otherwise. If you buy stuff just to get points, its not a good deal. I have been a member since 2000, and I do the e-mails and the surveys and sometimes buy items through mypoints (but only after I compare to make sure I can't get a better deal through one of my other rewards points). In that time I have earned just under 100,000 points which I have cashed in for about $800 in GCs to Walmart, Walgreens, Target, CVS, Chilis and Panera Bread.

Anyway, I encourage you to consider joining if you aren't a member. I would also appreciate it if you would send me an e-mail with your first name and e-mail so I can send you a referral e-mail.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Website to Check Out: Bzzagent.com

All savvy shoppers should join Bzzagent. It's a great site where they will match you up with products based on your interests. They will then send you some of the product to try along with (usually) coupons and samples for your friends. I've been a member for about 2 years and in that time I have gotten to try tons of great products like Chili's (smokehouse burgers and guiltless grill, the latter of which I still eat to this day), assorted glade air fresheners and aveeno nourish shampoo and conditioner. Usually I love the products they send me so they are easy to buzz about. I try and keep a couple coupons and samples in my purse so that way when I am out with my friends and the topic comes up I have them available to pass out. My friends love that I am a bzzagent because they know they will get the benefit of the coupons and samples. It's a simple premise. Try out the product and if you like it, talk about it to your friends, family and co-workers. Don't be obnoxious, you aren't a salesperson for the product, but if you genuinely like it tell your friends about the product so they can try it too!

Anyway, check it out. Bzzagent.com and tell them bzzagent iluvcoupons sent you. It's totally free and you get to try out products before you buy them!

The experiment has ended, but the savings continued...

Hello all my money saving friends! It's Thanksgiving day, the beginning of that holiday rush where we all spend way more money than we want to! However, as we all know, there are ways to economize and still put together a great holiday...you just need to have a budget, know what you can spend, and stick with it.

I decided to reload some of my favorite "extreme couponer" posts from my $45 in a month challenge I did earlier this year. I am not saying you have to do something that extreme, especially because it is not healthy since you have to eat too much processed foods. However, it does demonstrate how easy it is to save money with a few cost savings measures.

I'm off to dinner now, but for the next month I will be posting my favorite money savings tips, points sites I use and deals I find to help you be fiscally responsible this month so you don't regret your decisions next year!