Saving Series: Tip 4

TIP #4: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FREE STUFF!

Some of you may have read my previous post about websites that give you rewards for doing surveys and shopping, but I'm going to plug them here again. Some of my favorite FREE sites are:

MyPoints.com

e-rewards.com

Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk.com)

MyCokeRewards.com

Using these websites is a really easy way to add a little extra here and there. I love using the Coke Rewards website for magazines; currently I have subscriptions to Better Homes & Gardens, Self, and Martha Stewart, all from the codes on Coca-Cola bottle caps and boxes. If you figure $20/year for each subscription, I just saved myself $60!

The e-rewards and MyPoints sites are great for earning points to use toward gift cards to places like Olive Garden, Target, CVS, American Eagle, Kohl's--- and the list goes on. I hardly ever shop for brand new clothes (I'm a Goodwill girl) but with gift cards from these sites I've been able to treat myself to some fancier new duds from Kohl's, and I'm currently planning to hunt down a new swimsuit from American Eagle as well. It feels great to go out and shop full price when I'm not actually paying for anything!

There are plenty of other programs out there that give you rewards for doing things you already do. Sign up for hotel reward programs. Even if you're only in a hotel a few nights a year, most programs let you keep your points and over time, you can trade them in for airline miles, or hotel stays, or extra perks like room service when you're there. Sign up for a store card at your local grocery store. At most places this is free to do, and you can upload coupons from the store website to your store card-- no more printing! Plus, the store card can save you a LOT of money. Eric and I have a card at the grocery store up here in Chicago and I'm amazed at how much more money we save even though we're bringing home the same amount of food.

Think about your regular purchases, and your larger purchases. Where have you been shopping? Do the stores you visit regularly have some kind of membership program that you can take advantage of? Have you been on an airplane in the last year? Sign up for miles. Do you visit any restaurants or fast food places that have a reward card, like buy 7 sandwiches, get the 8^th free? Grab one! Even places you may not have thought of before, like auto shops, might have something they can offer you. I had a card for Midas that got me my 4^th oil change for free-- it was a life-saver when I was living in Norman and my funds were limited.

There is plenty of free stuff out there. You just have to find it! Don't be too shy to ask friends, family, and store managers. Remember, the worst a store manager can say is, “I'm sorry, we don't offer that.” Now get out there and start signing up!