Saving money the easy way!

I just sat down with my cup of coffee after straightening up the kitchen to write a post about how I save money. I opened up the blog and found the last draft I didn’t finish was one for a post pretty much about just that! It was dated mid-November and it started…

I often joke that as a stay/work-from-home mom that my main job is to save money. I got reminded of this today.

I met up some women this morning at a local Starbucks. After awhile of chatting, we got onto the subject of shopping and apps. I asked if they heard of such & such and I told them of what I do. The 3 ladies started downloading what I told them and they wondered how they never heard of them.

That stuck in my head the rest of the day. How many other people are missing out on such easy ways to save money? So here’s my app list of things you should have on your phone to help save money. Some take a little more time but some literally take like 5 seconds! I link my PayPal to these accounts and have a PayPal debit card so I tend to “cash out” at once and use it for our road trips or holidays.

I remember that moment exactly but that wasn’t my intention this time around. My husband is the main money-maker in this house. He devoted 9-years to his employer. I do a few freelance jobs here and there and did have a gig I did monthly for a magazine as a content coordinator. The beginning of April, Hubby got laid off. No warning. Just came home with his cubicle packed up. Talk about a time of adjustment! Then last weekend, my magazine decided to fold and stop production. Now I got laid off! So within 2 weeks of each other, we both lost our income! THAT, folks, is why I came to write this post. We always shopped frugally, and utilized “free” money as much as possible and I really want to share that with others because well, you never know what someone is going through and how those few extra dollars could mean the difference between a good dinner and a bowl of .20 ramen (which by the way is still a yummy thing to eat, just not all the time). In no particular order….

In no particular order…. (the ones with ** are the ones I cannot live without)

**Find&Save – This app offers more than I use it for. Why I love it? I shop at store I normally do and potentially get money back. They always are adding an Aldi rebate. Today’s was spend $25 between the 18th-20th and get 2% back on the total. they usually have at least 15 stores. Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Walgreens, Best Buy, Hobby Lobby, Dollar Tree, Costco, Children’s Place…. just examples of current offers (plus more). This is for the Raleigh-area but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work anywhere that has the same stores.  Referral Link/Share Code: CH6J

Ibotta – this is a pretty major one most people know of. It only works in certain stores but there are a lot of participating stores nationwide. Ibotta’s deal is the money you earn stays in the Ibotta account until you cash out. Your cash out options ($10.00 minimum) are PayPal transfer or venmo, and a wide variety  of gift cards. This is one of the most time-consuming ones if not the most time consuming. You select your store, then on the rebate you’d like to redeem. It’s always something like watch a quick video or answer a question (always multiple choice). Then the rebate is unlocked and you scan the item you are purchasing (making sure it’s the right item) and after you purchase it, you send them a receipt.. well, maybe! There are many retailers that you just need to link up your loyalty card – no submitting receipts! Then, places like Walmart where you simply scan the QR code. And the rest, like Target, you take a picture of the entire receipt. Then you get the rebate in your account rather quickly. They have mostly name brand items but they have their fair share of “any brand” items and those have lower rebates but it all adds up. Also, if you connect to Facebook and link your friends with Ibotta, you get team bonuses. You can easily make extra money on things you already buy like milk, eggs, bread, juice boxes, and cereal. I mean, Walmart always has over 200 rebates (they have the most). I hope that all makes sense.You can start with bonus $1.00 by entering Referral Code: 7rpgsq when you sign-up. Oh, and I should add they have clothing stores, restaurants, pet stores and more on there!

**Receipt Hog – This is as simple as it gets. ANY receipt, scan it! You get more points for groceries, but any receipt earns you coins dependent on the value. Coins can be traded in for either PayPal cash or an Amazon Gift Card. It’s so easy! I scan receipts 2x a week to make life easier. You can earn pulls on their slot machine for a chance to win a large amount of coins too. Again, using a referral code gets you bonuses when signing up. I think this one is slot spins. Referral Code: yoh23363 

Snap by Groupon – This one has changed over time. It used to offer coupons and money off certain items but now is  a place to go and get discount codes for stores. Digital offers & coupons redeemable In-Store & Online. Snap save extra money at thousands of places where you shop at every day. No surveys or questions. Referral code (bonus again) is a link. Most can be used anywhere BTW.

Checkout 51 – A decent selection to be used anywhere. Each week a “pick your own offer” which consists of fresh fruits & veggies. You do have to reach $20.00 before cashing out. Offers go live on Thursdays and quantities of the rebates are limited. You can even order stuff online and claim a rebate! You do not have to do something first and then shop which is a nice way to free up time. You do have to hit $20.00 in app before cashing out.

BerryCart – This one is a “healthier” app. Here you can save on Vegetarian and organic stuff like Hope Hummus, Nasoya, Saffron Road and a lot more. Basically, it is stuff you find in Whole Foods or Earth Fare. It links to PayPal and you get paid upon verification (no minimum to payout – you get it right away!). All natural, organic, gluten-free, and non-GMO kinds of foods  and you won’t see high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors here! You just “read” small insights about each product with a fun fact, quiz, testimonial, and more. Each action you complete on BerryCart unlocks a one-time rebate that you can redeem after you buy the product.  Just take a picture of the receipt, and within 24 hours BerryCart will send you real money that can be cashed out through PayPal or various gift cards. Referral code: NqdN5DudyX

CartSmart – in addition to coupons (extra money off after you buy and scan the receipts- similar to ibotta), they have surveys you can take in app which are fairly quick and simple and earn you money. Great thing to do while sitting in carpool – just sayin’. 🙂 You do have to hit $20.00 in app before cashing out.

Shopmium – Shopmium’s offers are only available to its users: you won’t find them anywhere else and they’re the most advantageous on the market. They are private offers, available in every store the product is sold. Offers are available for a limited time and quantity so make sure to take advantage quick! The app is owned by Coupons.com. You just buy the product in your regular store, take a picture of your receipt and get your rebate by bank transfer or PayPal! Simple & Quick! If you use the referral code (through the app only) you will get a free Lindt Chocolate bar (current free offer & subject to change to things like free money or other valuable items) when you redeem your first offer!!!! Referral Code: KAMYMHEZ

Shrink – This is another app which is for healthier foods! Lots of organic and gmo-free stuff here! Each brand runs its own loyalty program and has various offers and rewards. Get access to the loyalty programs by simply tapping on brands you find interesting. Then when you buy an item, simply scan the barcode of each item you’ve purchased. Shrink is smart enough to add all your eligible offers automatically. Then, snap a quick photo of your shopping receipt. Once you’re in rewards programs, you can earn points for each of your purchase, or by completing fun activities such as watching a short clip, taking a poll or inviting friends. Use points to redeem rewards such as additional rebates, freebies, goodies or straight cash! When you scan barcodes, Shrink will alert you with eligible rewards. Once you hit $10 in balance, you can request cash out via PayPal or Venmo. Referral code: KPCEPG

MobiSave – This one works in any store. Rebates on many different type of items. Just select the offer before you buy, snap a picture of the receipt and get paid within hours of submitting the receipt! 

**Target RedPerks – This one needs to “allow” you to use the app but you just show it before you check out (or scan your barcode with 2 days) and you get points. The points add up to a discount (5% extra off shopping day), certain merchandise for free, or even free giftcards! Silly NOT to use this app! Plus, it offers freebies. This past week I got a free Starbucks beverage and a free bag of Granola! 

**Cartwheel for Target – This is a way to save even more at Target! Simple pre-select some offers at home or what I do is just buy what you want and just scan the items in your basket to see if there is a kickback. Just about every target branded item will have a % off (at least in grocery). If you were to scan let’s save Quaker granola bars it might say ” no offers found” but show you that nature Valley is 10% off and you can add that to your virtual cart. Your cart only holds so many offers but you can gain more and more space to hold things as you use the app. Also, they offer some great discounts on clothes and toys! At Christmas, they did offers that were good only for that day and were 50% off items. I got so many items at a great price because of the app! You just have to scan the barcode on your phone for your items and they will come off at the end of the trip (so you need to scan the app with the cashier before you pay). 

**Walmart Savings Catcher – If you ever go to Walmart & you do NOT use this app, what’s wrong with you? It doesn’t get ANY simpler! Scan the receipt QR code with your Walmart app. Let them compare prices! They check the top competitors in your area for advertised deals on eligible items you just purchased. If they find a lower price, you’ll get the difference! It gets added to your account and you can “cash-out” at any time for a Walmart gift card in that amount! It’s so simple. Any purchase, just scan the QR and hope you get money back! No need to run to numerous stores because yogurt is on sale at one store but you’re already in Walmart, the catcher with find the sale and give you the money back.

SavingStar & Cellfire – Both similar in that they are digital coupons. Just select offers to add to your loyalty card and shop as normal. If you buy the item, the coupons will come off at checkout and you don’t have to remember coupons! Sweet!

SnipSnap & RetailMeNot – When I go to a mall or something, I ALWAYS check these apps! They have digital coupons for places like Belk, Kohls, Michaels, etc that you can use in-store (or online) and it saves $$.

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HappyKidlets