It's that time of the year when our spending starts to ramp up. Now that it's August already it's time to do back to school shopping and before you know it it's time to start thinking about Christmas and holiday shopping and sometimes planning vacations. Not to mention, if you're like me and don't like going out in the winter, you like to stock up on some essential items to minimize the amount of trips you have to take out in the snow.
Everything you purchase starts to add up in price and for some it can be overwhelming. My husband and I have done so many things over the years to help us save money while we shop and we have definitely saved thousands of dollars by using these programs, apps, and resources. We even got all of the beverages for our (150 person) wedding for only $50 total. Now that we have two kids, it's even more of a reason to save money where we can so we can spend money on experiences and activities for the family to do together. I'll even show you my stock pile of shampoo and conditioner, I have enough to last us years.
There are so many resources out there you can use that will help you save money, and we have definitely used all of them. From vacations to stocking up on shampoo, it's very satisfying when you save on items you don't WANT to purchase but HAVE to. Here's a list of what we have used and how it can help you save money.
Groupon
Groupon is a website and an app for your phone that offers discounts on so many things. They have a "goods" section that has clothes, jewelry, technology and so much more offered at a discounted rate.
Another section of the site is "Nearby" where you can buy vouchers for restaurants, spas, activities, events, and fitness places that are local to you. I've purchased many pedicures, facials, and food vouchers off of here. I always look in "nearby" to see if there's a new place I can go that will offer a discount. By doing this you also help small businesses by visiting their establishment for the first time, and hopefully converting you to a regular customer!
If you're looking to travel, look at Groupon first. You can do local travel within in your state or surrounding states or even take a discounted trip to other countries. Make sure you read the fine details when you're booking travel though, because there can be blackout dates, cancellation policies, and other considerations that might not be a good fit for you. I've booked hotels on there before and had no issues.
Honey
Honey is a FANTASTIC browser extension to use if you do a lot of online shopping. I stumbled across it a few years ago and always use it when I am making my online purchases now. All you do is download the extension to your browser and when you're about to checkout from an online store, Honey will automatically search through all of it's known promo codes for that site. I always search for promo codes before shopping online, but Honey has so many promo codes that it has saved me hundreds of dollars just by using it. It's 100% free to use and will find the discount (if applicable) that will save you the most amount of money.
Raise
I think this is a lesser known way of saving money. Raise.com is a website that allows you to purchase gift cards online for a discounted price. While the discounts aren't always huge (maybe $5), if you're make a large purchase online it might be worth it to buy some of the discounted gift cards to save you some money. Pair this with using promo codes from Honey that I mentioned above and you could see a significant reduction in cost on your purchase. Plus, when you first sign up they give you an additional discounted savings on your first gift card purchase.
You don't only have to use the gift cards online, you can use them at restaurants and stores too. If you know you're going out to a certain restaurant, check Raise first to see if they're on there and you can save some money when you go out to eat.
If you're looking to sell a gift card you received as a gift that you won't use, you can also sell yours on Raise and receive cash for it.
Keep reading and I will show you how to get a quadruple discount on your purchases.
Tip: For extra extra savings try stacking three of these together. For example, purchase a Groupon gift card on Raise. Then, find what you're looking to buy on Groupon's website or app. Finally, use the Honey extension to see if Groupon has any promo codes you can use. If all three of these line up you will have a triple discount!
Livingsocial
Livingsocial is very similar to Groupon. They offer discounted rates for dining, spas, goods, travel, and other services. It's worth signing up for Livingsocial in addition to Groupon because you'll get a different list of places offering discounts. You can also compare the two sites and see which one has a bigger discount on what you're looking for. This is very helpful during the holiday season and once deals are set to expire they usually discount them even more, so make sure you check daily!
Rakuten
Rakuten, formerly known as Ebates, is a rebate app and website. This is what you'll use if you want to get that quadruple discount with your shopping. All you do is sign up for your free account and look for the stores on their website (or app) you want to shop through. It will show you what their current rebate percentage is and you click on the store link to bring you to their site.
You can also add the Rakuten browser extension which makes it even easier to use. When you go to the website you're purchasing from, a small popup will come up in the corner and all you have to do is click "activate" and continue shopping. Your rebate will automatically be added to your Rakuten account.
After you make an eligible purchase your account will be credited based on the rebate percentage and your purchase total. Quarterly you will be paid either by check, Paypal, OR my favorite is to get the money in a gift card. If you choose the gift card as your payment method, you'll be able to choose which store you want it for AND they will often give you a percentage added which gives you more money back. For example if you are owed $20, but you choose to get a Petco gift card, they might offer you 6% more if you choose this option so you'll get a $21.20 gift card.
TopCashback
TopCashback is very similar to Rakuten, you'll earn a rebate on purchases you make when you sign up for a free account. With over 4,000 retailers on their site, you can earn money back for travel, hotel bookings, car rentals, fashion purchases, electronics and more. Similar to the other programs listed on this post, you can download a browser extension to make it easier to activate your shopping.
TopCashback offers coupon codes to use on some shopping websites that will help you save even more money. Holidays, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday offer some of the biggest rebate percentages back, so when you're shopping for the holidays it's a great tool to use to save money.
Krazy Coupon Lady
Finally, we love to use the Krazy Coupon Lady as a resource. Follow her on Facebook and you can sign up for her emails to receive notifications of deals. Krazy Coupon Lady gives you an easy to follow way of stacking coupons and discounts in stores (and sometimes online) for specific products daily. This is how we got our stock pile of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, toothpaste, and toilet paper for a significantly reduced amount of money. I paid 25 cents per full sized bottle of Garnier Fructis shampoo and conditioner!
Conclusion
I hope you found at least one of these as a helpful resource you didn't previously know about. I use all of these very frequently which has saved me thousands of dollars over the years. It's worth the effort (which requires very little effort), especially if you have a family and want to save for something you can do together.