How do you save money?
Do you cut coupons?
Drive around and hit all the sales?
How much money are you really saving?
Cutting Coupons
Every week I overhear someone in the lunchroom at work talk
about making an effort to use coupons.
Perhaps they saw one of those TV shows where people get hundreds of
dollars’ worth of groceries for just a few dollars by cutting coupons. Amazing?
Hmm, well, I would ask you to look at what kind of food they are buying.
I tried to use coupons too, but found that the only
companies that can afford to offer coupons are the big mega-companies that have
the brand names, that push the gmo-processed food. If you want to live off chips, pizza,
cookies, pop, and name brand cereal that is all very expensive ( and not good
for you) – then couponing might be a good way to go.
I was taught by my mom to shop the perimeter of the grocery
store – if I had to go to a grocery store at all. This is where the fresh food is; fruits and
vegetables, meat, dairy, eggs, etc. No
name brands; I have never seen a coupon for organic apples or broccoli.
If I had to shop the aisles, I was taught to look up high,
or down low, where the off brands are kept – not at eye level where the more
expensive national brands are. That was
how we saved money. We made cookies
instead of buying them or buying the kind you slice and bake. And for those who tell me they don’t have
time, I was a single mom with four kids working full time, and I still managed
to find time. I also taught my kids, who
all can cook and bake and are really excellent in the kitchen.
So back to saving money.
Do you read the weekly coupons and drive around and hit all
the sales? Well, sometimes that can work
– especially if you have a freezer. I
also watch the news, the commodity prices – I know that with the drought this
last year, corn and wheat will go up in price, which will put meat prices up
also. I already bought my pork on sale
this fall when farmers where butchering, and have all that I will need for the
next 6-8 months socked away in the freezer.
I have my canned and frozen veggies and fruit. About all I really need to buy are dairy
products, eggs, and fresh vegetables now that my garden is not supplying me
everything.
So, how do I save money?
#1 – I keep a budget.
I figure out what I am going to use my money for every month, put some
aside for long-term goals (even if it is only $5), and let the budget be the
boss of my spending.
#2 – my main credit card is one that I get cash back on. I use this credit card just for paying my
monthly bills, like phone, utilities, cable, etc. So I pay my bills, and then pay off the
credit card. So on bills that I would
have had to pay anyway, I get cash back.
I also put about 60% of my food money on this card. And I don’t pay it off completely – companies
get upset with you for doing that. But
even leaving on about $75 - $100 balance, I don’t pay that much in interest. And I get back about $25 - $50 a month
depending on what I paid that month.
#3 – I use ebates.
Now, I would never encourage someone to go and spend money just to buy
stuff. I think a lot of the stuff that
people do buy they don’t need. But, if
you do have needs, why not save money on it if you have to buy it anyway?
I have been using ebates now for about 6 months. I was skeptical at first – not thinking that
I would get much back in rebates, because I didn’t think I spent that much
outside of needed items every month. I
started using it when I was shopping for Christmas. And was surprised how quickly the balance
they owed me built up. I started looking
at the list of stores they are signed up with, and realized that a lot of the
stores that I buy from anyway are listed through ebates – I had just been
buying stuff from them without going through the ebates portal first.!
A good example of this is my garden. You see how much lumber I have used in my
garden to build raised beds, right? A
lot of that lumber, and the fasteners, chicken wire, tools, etc., came from
Home Depot. Did you know that you can go
online to Home Depot, place your order, pay for it, and then go pick it up at
your local store? I activated my ebates
tracking ticket for that purchase, and got 5% cash back. And, the order was already on a cart and
ready to go for me when I got to the store.
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Next I found that two suppliers online I use all the time
were also listed on ebates – one was Gardeners supply (where I get my garden
fabric to cover the raised beds) and Puritans Pride – where I order about $75
worth of vitamins and herbs every other month.
I still am buying from these companies, I just go through ebates first,
and then get cash back.
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One of my favorite new stores is Drugstore.com. I went there because I was looking for a less
expensive place to buy one of my daughter’s supplements that is pretty
expensive – about $25 for a thirty-day supply.
I found it at Drugstore.com - $27.99 for a sixty-day supply. And they not only offered a 12% cash back
through ebates, but you get Drugstore “dollars” to spend the next quarter.
You'll earn $5.66 in drugstore.com
dollars™ when this
order ships.
(This total may change, as it doesn't reflect any credit used to purchase your order.)
You can redeem the drugstore.com dollars™ you earn today between March 31 - April 30, 2013
(This total may change, as it doesn't reflect any credit used to purchase your order.)
You can redeem the drugstore.com dollars™ you earn today between March 31 - April 30, 2013
And I am careful to put all the ebate purchase on my credit
card that I get cash back on – so each purchase I am getting money back from
someone.
My first ebates cash back check was for a little over
$60. My next one will be around $70 I estimate – I
keep finding things that I could purchase locally, but can instead get online –
and with many sites, like Drugstore.com, you get free shipping if it is over
$25. A lot of the generic products are
what you would get at Walgreen’s, so I am all stocked up on stuff for the cold
and flu season, buy from them everything
from toothpaste to soap, and it all comes within a couple of days – their
shipping is incredibly fast.
Account Info
- Ebates Member:
- Member Since:
Cash Paid:- Cash Pending:
Total Cash Back:
Ebates is free – the companies that are signed up probably
write off the cost like advertising or coupons.
You don’t have to enter any credit card number – just your name and
address so they know where to send the check. And you can even use ebates for Groupon and LivingSocial!
I never wanted to run a bunch of ads on my blog – because
those are just annoying. However, I am
so convinced and so excited about the money you can save by using ebates, that
I don’t feel bad sharing a link to it.
I am currently putting all my ebate checks in my savings
account to go toward a big screen TV for us – something that I normally could
not afford, but may be able to next fall.
And, I will get cash back on that purchase as well.
Have fun browsing the shops – there are some there that you
can save a lot of money on items you would need anyway (Zulily, the lego store,
toys r us, Home Depot and Lowes, Puritans Pride, Gardener supply co.,
etc). So have fun doing your monthly
shopping and knowing that you are going to get some money back!
So here is the link to click on for signing up - and I will also put it in the sidebar:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=VYX0GwG3LJG7eChd9c8wdg%3D%3D
Robin
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