Deals and Money-Savers you Should Know About

I'm pretty much an obsessed fan when it comes to good deals. I always tell friends about deals I come across, and after expressing concern for my mental state, many friends tell me I should be writing a blog about my money-saving tips. My husband jokingly tells me I should be arrested for some of the deals I get. Well, I've compiled my favorites, so here you go:


Ebates 
www.ebates.com
Sign up for a free account, and start getting cash back when you shop online. Anytime you buy a Groupon deal, or make a purchase from Nordstrom or Sears, or even Expedia, go to Ebates first and then search for the store/website. Each store has a different percentage of cash back that they give you, and many times, Ebates gives you a coupon code to use on that store's website as well. Once you make a purchase at that store, the cash back information is saved in Ebates as "Pending." After some time, your cash back is mailed to you in the form of a Big Fat Check. I didn't give it that title, but I wish I did. The last Big Fat Check I got was for $20, and I got it just for shopping online at a few stores I was already going to purchase from. You may think, "3% back is not worth it." Whatever, MoneyBags Magoo. Those small percentages add up over time. Duh.


Julep
www.julep.com
This beauty company offers a subscription box service, and when you sign up, the first box is free! You can cancel at any time. I paid $2.99 just to cover the shipping cost, and a few days later, I got my box with 3 nail polishes, a two-sided eyeliner (brown and black), a pencil sharpener, and a lip gloss. The products are great quality, and are made without harmful, toxic chemicals. Use this link to get your box for free: http://www.julep.com/rewardsref/index/refer/id/1191775/


Swagbucks
www.swagbucks.com
Earn points for internet searches, daily polls, etc., and turn those points into gift cards. I've cashed in at least $50 for amazon, just from using Swagbucks as a search engine.


Mogl
www.mogl.com
Certain restaurants in big cities are starting to participate in Mogl. Create an account on Mogl, and link your credit and debit card to it. When you go to a participating restaurant, use one of the cards linked to your account, and you'll get cash back. A really awesome bonus is that they donate a meal to a local food bank each time you use your account.


Double Take Offers
www.doubletakeoffers.com
This is a good website to use to get coupons or deals in your area. There's a BBQ place by us that we love going to, and they have a $10 for $20 deal right now. It's awesome.

My Top 3 Money-Saving Tools

Here's a little known fact about me: I love coupons. I'm not to the level (yet) of one of those Extreme Coupon people, but I fear that I may be teetering dangerously close to the very edge of the cliff. The truth is though, Frank and I just bought a house, and we suddenly have more expenses than ever. Our cars are also each ten years old. My car is basically made out of molded plastic scraps, so I'm surprised it's still even working. One of these days, we'll have to get a new car, and that expense will add to our steadily increasing pile of IOUs. So, in my coupon-obsessed defense, I need to save money where I can.

I feel an enthusiastic need to tell you about a few things I've recently discovered. If you already use any of these money-saving tricks, then congratulations! If not, you are welcome.

Target Cartwheel

Cartwheel.target.com

Find and download this free app, and get discounts on things you probably already purchase at Target. I recently used it to buy some leggings, and it gave me 15% off (also, if you have a Target Debit Card, which is completely free and doesn't require a credit check, you always get an additional 5% off your total purchase). Combine this with the Target store coupons (available to print out from the Target website), and you've saved some serious cash.

NetSpend

Netspend.com

Get $20 free just by ordering a Prepaid credit card and putting $40 on it. Frank and I like to limit our spending for going out to eat and for groceries. We put a specific amount on the card, and that's our limit for the month. It helps to keep track of your funds. Plus, a free $20 is freaking awesome. As soon as I added money to my card, it added the additional $20, as if I just played a slot machine and won an oil rig bonus (we won't discuss my Texas Tea slot machine obsession. Not here).

Personal Capital

PersonalCapital.com

If you've ever used mint.com then you'd know how to use Personal Capital. If not, I'll explain. It's a website that's free to use, and it helps you keep track of your bank account, credit card, and your spending trends. It categorizes what you spend so that you can keep a close eye on it. Oh, and just for signing up and linking your account, you get $10. It takes about a week, and then they send you an email that says "here's your $10." Maybe you don't think that's cool, but I think it's awesome. I just received mine yesterday, and I cashed it in for $10 to Target. So now I get to find a discounted offer using my Target Cartwheel app + my $10 Target card, and then I win what Frank likes to refer to as my own version of a video game.

That's all for now. I'll keep hunting, and if you find something fun, let me know!