I know we can all agree that sometimes we are forced to spend money, whether it's for groceries, or gas, or clothes, etc. I've started trying to put as much money as possible back into my pocket using various cash back programs so I've compiled the guide below with what I've found out. (Disclaimer: some of these are referral links, but not all. If you enjoy the advice on this post, please feel free to use my links)
Groceries
There are several apps I use that offer cash rebates if you buy certain products. These can be stacked with coupons from Coupons.com and most if not all transfer directly to PayPal/Venmo when you reach a certain dollar amount. They each differ from each other on small ways but all operate under the same premise. Buy product X and get $Y back. I'll check the apps before I go shopping and match them up with coupons and sales to maximize cash back.i can usually get $5-$10 back/week on my grocery shopping using these apps alone. Ibotta seems to be the most popular (and gives you $10 off the bat too) but Checkout 51, MobiSave, and SavingStar aren't far behind. BevRAGE is also a good one for alchohol since you can use it at stores AND at restaurants/bars.
Online shopping
I tend to buy most things online, and browse certain sites to find which one offers the most cash back from a certain store. The main 3 I compare are Ebates, Fatwallet, and Swagbucks. Ebates and Swagbucks are great for this because they offer a % back on your purchase if you enter the retailers website through your account. So what I'll often do is buy something online through whichever is offering a larger % and use the "pickup in store" (or ship to store if I'm not in a hurry) option. This way I get the cash back and usually my order is nicely packaged and sitting for me at customer service as opposed to nothing if I had just gone directly to the store and grabbed it off the shelf. Less hassle, less time, more $$.
Credit cards
This is only if you can practice self discipline! I know credit isn't for everyone, but if you exercise will power and only use it for necessities, then it's a great tool. I have 3 credits cards in use right now and pay off the balance at the end of the month. I have one for gas that gets me $0.10/gallon off at a gas station that already has cheap gas. The second I use for groceries because it's one that offers 3% back on all grocery purchases. When this is combined with the apps above it's helps a lot. Another I'll use for general shopping/expenditures that offers 1% back, only because it has certain "bonus categories" (get an extra 10% back at this retailer, or $5 back when you spend $20). I never go out of my way to get these though. I usually check if there is something being offered only after I decide where to go or if it's a toss up between a couple different stores and this is the tiebreaker. All these cards have no annual fee and are paid in full at the end of the month so there's no interest. They end up costing me nothing.
All in all, this throws a decent bit of cash back my way at the end of the month. It's not a game changer but every little bit helps. If anyone can add any additional cash back tips, please let me know!
April 17, 2017 at 11:32PM
