This is sort of true. There is no way to hide it. I love to shop. I love to shop in the stores, at the mall, online, browse catalogs… I love to buy clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry & accessories, things for the house, gear for my boys… The list could go on and on and on. However, I rarely, rarely pay full price for anything. I wait for sales, shop the clearance racks, clip coupons, sign up for email & text alerts and always, check the sites & apps listed below for instant savings at the register or in my online shopping cart. I am, by no means, an “Extreme Couponer” like the ones you see on TV, but I do like to save a few bucks here and there. It makes me feel like I am beating the system or something crazy?! Shopping can be a hobby, but it is oftentimes a necessity, as in spending money on groceries or preparing for a new baby (diapers, bottles, nursery furniture, clothing, etc.) These websites / application finds have been life-changing and I strongly encourage you to check them out! I have save boatloads and continue to do so almost every day. If you do not know about these 5 savvy spots already, you are TOTALLY missing out!
My Top 5 $$$ Saving sites / Apps:
- RetailMeNot – 500,000+ coupons from 50,000+ stores.
- Ebates – Pays you to shop online. They give you cash back when you shop at any of the 1,700 stores they have partnered with.
- Cartwheel {by Target} – Save on the things you already buy at Target.
- Checkout51 – Buy groceries, get cash back.
- RedLaser {by eBay} – Shop smarter. RedLaser is a free shopping app for iPhone, Windows Phones, and Android that has been downloaded over 27 million times.
Ebates. Is. The. Best. As I mentioned, I do a decent amount of online shopping and this website has earned me almost $100 in the last 4 months. Ebates will pay you a percentage of what you spend at certain online retailers by mailing you a check every so often. I did a ton of online shopping over the holidays last year and referred a few friends and family members. Before I knew it, I had cashed in 3 checks totaling $100. Even if they only offer 2% cash back at a particular store, you are still saving money on an item(s) you are already planning to buy. The key here is you must visit Ebates.com first and then click on the store you want to shop at. Ebates will create a tracking ticket for that store as it redirects you to the store’s website and then calculate your cash back after you complete your purchase. I kick myself every time I forget to go to Ebates first because more times than not, the store I just shopped at was offering 1, 5 ,8 or even 10% cash back on my total purchase! I have tried to make it a habit now.
RetailMeNot has been a lifesaver. For example, if I am at the mall and find something I want to buy at, let’s say Macy’s and realize I forgot my 20% off coupon, I can do a quick store search in the Retailmenot app and pull up a barcode for the 20% off coupon for them to scan. Another example – Maybe you are shopping and have no idea if there are redeemable coupons floating around for that store, you can do a quick search and pull up instant savings for the clerk to scan at the register as well. It will ask you if you are shopping online or in-store, so I use RetailMeNot to find coupon codes for any online retailers I am shopping at and enter them in the checkout section. 9 times out of 10 I find some sort of savings or coupon code to use. I HATE paying full price. Again, so easy.
Cartwheel is AWESOME, especially if you love Target as much as I do! I am somewhat new to this app, but have saved $ at every Target stop since downloading it. This is simple. You download the app, create an account, choose the offers you wish to add to “my Cartwheel” and then start putting things in your cart when you arrive at the store. Once you get there and realize you want to buy something that isn’t already in your “my Cartwheel” you can browse for that particular item. Sometimes it might be your lucky day. You can combine cartwheel offers with other coupons and on top of Target REDcard credit or debit savings, which is 5%.
Checkout 51 basically gives you cash back when you purchase grocery items on their weekly coupon list. You can use their virtual coupons at any grocery retailer AND combine them with other offers & coupons. You simply create an account, upload / take a picture of your grocery receipt, checkmark the items in which you purchased off of their list, submit the receipt and after verification, they will add the funds to your online account. When you reach $20, they will mail you a check. I uploaded my first receipt yesterday for the first time and already have $3.75 in my account. A few more grocery trips and I will have earned my first check!
RedLaser is a new one I found after remembering I read an article about an app you can use for online and in-store price comparisons for thousands of products. I clicked the app and started my search with something simple and actually something I need to buy for the baby – baby hangers. Normally, I would just hop on Amazon.com or pick up a few packs at Target, but I was curious about price variances and where else I should be looking to find the best bargain. I LOVE Amazon and am a loyal, Prime Membership customer, but in this case, they were not the best place to find the bargain. A 10-pack of baby hangers was priced at $6.99 (& free shipping with my membership). After checking RedLaser, I saw I could get a 30-pack online for as low as $12.16 or in-store for as low as $12.97 (and not have to worry about shipping costs). Instant savings. I think I am going to pick up a couple 30-packs at Walmart for $12.97 and call it a day 🙂
Happy Shopping {& Saving}!
