With back to school shopping and holiday shopping just
around the corner, it’s no wonder our budget feels tight. The boy’s birthday is also coming soon. And, we are saving for our upcoming Disney
holiday vacation. This means finding creative
ways to spend and save.
Let’s begin with Swagbucks.
Right now, I’m “swagging” my way to a new camera. Yes, it is neither a back to school basic or
holiday gift. It is for me, well, for
the family. I want an upgraded point and
shoot that will go underwater.
Swagbucks awards it’s users for searching, just like you
would if you were searching on Google. I
downloaded the Swagbucks toolbar (I get 1 Swagbuck every day just for having
the toolbar) and use the toolbar to do my internet searchers. I typically get awarded Swagbucks for
searching twice a day. . . in the morning after 2-7 searches and again later
in the day. There are other ways to earn
Swagbucks such as taking surveys, watching videos, playing games, etc. There are also Swag Codes that can be found
at various times and contests.
The Swagbucks I earn can then be redeemed for various gifts
and prices at the Swag Store. My favorite
is to redeem 450 Swagbucks—which you can earn in less than 2 weeks, for a $5
Amazon.com gift card. The cards are then
added to my Amazon.com account and NEVER expire. Right now, I have earned enough Swagbucks to
purchase eight gift cards and have $40 in my Amazon.com account waiting to be
used for the purchase of that new camera!
It’s easy to get started with Swagbucks. Just click here and get 30 Swagbucks for signing up. Then, happy searching and
earning!
There’s another internet application that will let me know when
the price of the camera changes without me checking regularly and that is
ShoppingNotes.com. I just create an
account using my e-mail, paste in the URL’s of the items I am dreaming of
purchasing, and ShoppingNotes.com will continually check the prices and send me
an e-mail when the price changes. . . and hopefully goes down! I have the cameras I’m dreaming of already on
ShoppingNotes.com along with a blouse I’ve had my eye on. The boy wants a Nintendo 3DS XL which is
released on Aug. 19, 2012, for his birthday.
Trust me, that URL will go into ShoppingNotes.com to help me find the best
on-line price. ShoppingNotes.com checks
prices like Kayak.com checks airfare rates.
When the price is right and I am ready to purchase, I check
to see if the on-line store is on Ebates.com.
Each time I shop on-line at a store on Ebates.com, I get money
back. For example, our computer security
software was about to expire and the store that sold the software was on
Ebates.com. I went to Ebates.com, found
the store and clicked “Shop Now.” A
ticket window opened—just wait—then the on-line store appeared. I made the purchase using a 50% code offered
on Ebates.com, downloaded the new software right from the site, and got 25% of
the price back in cash in my Ebates.com account. I get a check from Ebates.com four times a
year. So far, Ebates has sent me $92.
Back to school shopping at Target.com? Go to Ebates first and get money back! Booking a hotel for a Labor Day get-a-way? Go to Ebates first and get money back! Printing photos at Walgreens.com? Go to Ebates first and get money back! Needing pet supplies? Got to Ebates first and get money back!
So, when the boy’s Nintendo 3DS XL comes on the market, I’ll
have ShoppingNotes.com search for prices, then make my purchase through a store
on Ebates.com, which will most likely have a discount code and get money back! Sounds/reads complicated, but it is
easy. Easy, fun, and less expensive! And, I’m not using my time to search various
stores or sites for the best prices or using gas driving from one location to
another. The internet is doing the work
for me, for free.
These are just some of the creative ways to save and spend
money. And, yes, I was skeptically at
first, too. But I tried them and they
really work without gimmicks or hidden fees.
What’s stopping you? Get started!
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