In true penny pinching fashion, I am always trying to find any way I can to shave a few extra bucks off of just about ANYTHING I purchase. So, if I think I'll find a better deal next week - I will wait. Or, I'll take an extra 5 minutes to print out coupons before I shop. One more thing I've gotten into is checking rebate sites to see if I can actually get paid to shop.
Paid to shop? Really? Yes - really! I can personally vouch for these companies as I have received checks from them and they really DO pay off. But, you have to make sure you know how they work and what you need to do in order to really put them to work for you.
The most important rule is to trust your site. The two I have worked with personally are Shop at Home and Ebates. Both of these actually do pay, as they say they will. I have heard of others, but since I've not had any personal dealings with them, I can't promote nor share them with you.
So, how do these sites work? It is really simple. They agree to pay you back a % of your final purchase price (exclusive of shipping / handling charges) at select retailers. The money accumulates in your account until you hit the payment threshold - which is $20 for both of these sites. Once you hit that plateau, they mail you a check. No credits. Not gift cards. An actual check you can cash! It really is THAT simple.
There a a couple of ways you can quickly build up your account balance. The simplest way is to sign up. You will get a $5 bonus credited to your account once you've made your first purchase through their site.
Another way to build up your balance is to refer your family and friends. You can find a referral link in your account, which you can email out or even post on your Facebook wall. Then, when they sign up, you will get a bonus in your account of $5. The important thing to note is that their $5 shows as pending , until they make a purchase. At that point, the money is credited to your account and your balance increases -- putting you one step closer to getting your check.
Using these sites is simple. Before you make any on-line purchase from shoes to airline tickets, you will want to check your sites to see what (if any) cash back they are offering. I recommend that you check both sites since the rebate amounts they offer can differ. It is also good to check these sites for coupon codes for discounts, including free shipping offers. So, you can not only use the coupon code or discount - but you will ALSO get the cash back being offered.
For example, if Land's End has a code for 25% off of one item plus free shipping and also has an offer for 5% cash back, you will see the discount & free shipping in your cart when you checkout. Then, you will ALSO have 5% of your final purchase total credited to your account within 5 - 8 days following the completion of your transaction.
That's it! That really is all you have to do. Take a couple of minutes to check out both Shop at Home and Ebates, sign up and start saving. After all - a penny saved really IS a penny earned!