How to Make Money When You Shop!

We all shop, sometimes out of necessity and sometimes just because – (especially us women 🙂 ).  Do you want to know how to get PAID to shop?  – How to make extra money doing something you are already doing and not spend more than a few extra seconds doing it?  I will show you what I do.  I actually get checks in the mail when I shop.  Extra money back in to my wallet.  I wanted to share this with you now, because Christmas is right around the corner (can you believe it ?) and you may as well make money when you are spending money, right?  This is another tip for you on how I make my budget stretch and how you can too!

 

 

The key word here is Rebate!  There are 3 rebate places I use, but I will only be mentioning 2 for now, because the third one is a membership benefit I get for a “going green” store I shop with online.  Side note- if you want info on shopping green and saving money with this store, just contact me by clicking here and I will share it with you.

 

Now let’s compare the 2 places I use (and I highly recommend signing up for both as I have done):

1.  Mr Rebates:

Perks : 

♦ Widest selections of stores in my opinion.  Mr. Rebates will pay you a percentage of what you spend back, and that percentage varies depending on the store.  You have to wait awhile , because after you shop, the rebate will be pending to verify purchases with the store, BUT when the money clears then you can either request to be paid via a check mailed to you snail mail, or you can have the money direct deposited in to your PayPal account online.

 

You need to sign up at Mr. Rebates first (don’t worry, it’s free and easy to do.. you just give them an email address, name, make a password, etc. ).  You can click on this banner or at the bold type (Mr. Rebates) above to do so.  Here is the banner that will take you directly to the site to sign up:

These are my personal referral links, and I do appreciate it if you sign up through one of these links above , as it will give me credit for telling you about it.

 

Which brings me to another point- (Ongoing referral money for you at this store)

After you sign up through my link, you will want to log in to your Mr. Rebates account and click on “Refer friends” to share this with people you know.  Why?  Because for every person you know that also wants to make money back & signs up through your link, you will get 20% of what they spent from Mr. Rebates as a thank you.  I think the 20% is for the first time they shop, but I have noticed in my account that they continue to pay you a small percentage ongoing for the people you referred that use Mr. Rebates.  I have a friend who signed up like 2 years ago, and on a regular basis I notice referral bonuses in my account every time she shops (which may make you a couple extra dollars here and there per person).

♦ Most ways to share of the 2 places. You can share with your friends via email, facebook, twitter, snail mail, there are many ways!

 

 

 

2.  Ebates!!  This is the second rebate place I use, and it is also free to sign up.  It is advantageous to use both rebate places as they each have their own perks and this way you ensure you are making the most money back.

 

Perks: Ebates offers the most money for referrals.  They have an awesome referral program that can help you get extra spending cash for the holidays.  They do not have ongoing referrals every time your person shops though (at least to my knowledge..I have a friend I referred who shops there and I haven’t seen any money after the initial sign up ).  However- you can make more money and I will explain how in a minute.  First you need to sign up and then you can get started on saving and making money.  Please click on the banner below or on the bold Ebates words above.  Here is the banner that will take you write to the place to sign up (it’s free and easy..you just give basic info like you do with Mr.Rebates) :

 

Do you want to make extra spending money easily ?  After you sign up with Ebates, you will probably want to share with your friends via email, facebook, etc.  so that they can save money too.  You will also get paid for sharing. Ebates pays you $5 per referral, but you can make more than that.  If you tell 3 of your friends about Ebates, you get an extra $30 , making it $45 total.  For 10 friends, you get an extra $100 ($150 total), 25 friends=$250 extra, and 50 referrals is a $500 bonus or an iPad.

Payment is same as Mr.Rebates, either check or direct deposit to your PayPal account.

 

 

Final (and important)  tips on how I Save/Make Money when I shop: 

• After you sign up for Mr. Rebates and Ebates- Form a habit of always going to those websites (bookmark or favorite the page on your computer if you need to) before you complete the ordering process, to search if the place you are shopping with has a rebate program.  (Ebates and Mr. Rebates will also alert you of known coupons for that store)
• You do have to be an online shopper to get these rebates, and if you are concerned about shopping online, you can always use a prepaid type of credit card from Walgreens for example.
• Check both rebate places to see which one has the higher percentage and use whichever link is the highest %
• Sometimes one of the rebate places will have a double cash back bonus at special times of the year.  They usually alert you by email and let you know which stores have them.  The best time to shop of course, is when they offer double cash back or extra percentages (which tends to be holidays and quarterly with each new season).
• Don’t forget to share with people!  I think in order for you to get paid extra money, your referral does have to shop their first time.  With the holidays coming up that will probably be happening naturally 🙂

 

Isn’t it cool that every time you shop online for clothes you or your children need, cosmetics, shoes, Christmas gifts, Birthday Gifts, anything at all really, that you can get money back?  For me it is a no brainer , because it is something I would have to do regardless and the one perk at shopping online over the store is that you do get money back.  I have ongoing extra money coming back to me throughout the year, and sometimes I will let it sit there and accumulate and then use it for Christmas shopping or some other use I need it for.  It really comes in handy!

 

I hope you have found these tips useful, and if you are confused at all and need help, just contact me via one of the various ways I can be contacted at my website. Feel free to share this article.

 

Linked @ Rediscovering Domesticity, Thrifty Thursdays