Cash Rewards

Plenty of stores are offering a 'cash' reward system now... Gymboree, The Children's Place, Gap, Old Navy, Kohl's and more...

Essentially, if you spend a certain amount during the 'earning' period, you get a voucher to redeem during the 'redemption' period. This is great for the store because they entice you to come back and spend more, but many people forget when to redeem the reward or lose it. I recommend picking 1-3 favorite stores and getting very familiar with their program so you make the most of it.

I set a reminder on my phone and tried out the Gap, TCP and Old Navy systems recently and felt I did well, but I'm still learning with them. First rule is not to buy anything you don't need or is within your budget to buy to because you like it. This is to either earn or redeem the rewards. If you earn the rewards and can't use them, then give them to someone or sell them. What goes around comes around.

I also plan ahead and consider what kind of discount the reward is offering and restrictions. If it's $10 off a $40 purchase, that's only 25%. If it's $25 off a $50 purchase, that's 50%. Can you use a coupon with it? Can you purchase via a cash-back site like Ebates or Upromise? Can you get a discount gift card? If you think the final discount will be worthwhile, then look for a discount gift card once you've earned the reward so you'll be ready once the redemption time comes. Favorite sites are CardCash.com and MonsterGiftCard.com.

So here is an actual example for Gymboree's Gymbuck redemption. I needed to spend $50 to earn it and will need to buy $50 to redeem it. Be sure to keep both purchases as close to that $50 requirement as you can. If you spend $70 and redeem $25 then that's not 50% off anymore.

Gymboree currently doesn't partner with a cash back site so I can shop in store or online. Remember any shipping charges if you shop online. I already had a discount gift card from Cardpool.com that I paid 16% less than it's value. Here's the breakdown of my savings.

Actual retail value of the items I chose was $301.65, but it was already on sale for $156.88. Before even using my Gymbucks, I was averaging a 48% discount. You can't combine a coupon with a Gymbuck so next I used my 3 Gymbucks that totaled $75 to bring my purchase down to $76.88. Now, I'm at 75% off the full retail price. I also qualify for free shipping by having a minimum $75 purchase. Remember that if you pay sales tax, this has also reduced your taxable purchase by 75%. Now I pay with my discount gift card (note: if you want to try this, be sure you understand the difference between a merchandise credit and true gift card). I still pay Gymboree $76.88, but I only paid out of pocket $64.60 which is a total of 79% discount.

Consider other benefits too. I paid the tax with my gift card so I saved 16% on the tax. I bought the gift card with a visa where I earn miles so I earned that reward. Gymboree also has points for every dollar spent to go towards a different reward and I earned those too. It takes some planning and self-control, but 79% off is worth it! It's a savvy way to save money by stacking different methods to save.

Make the Most of Rewards - Plan Ahead

A popular feature of many rewards programs is to offer some sort of cash or bucks. I shop online a lot so the emails I get with promos are really overwhelming, but I do watch for the special rewards. Even when you've weeded out the sales ads, it can still be overwhelming.

Here is how it typically goes... you spent a certain amount of money so you've earned a certain amount that you can redeem only during a particular time period if you spend a certain amount in that transaction. Once you have a few of these, your eyes start to cross.

I have Gymbucks at Gymboree mastered. I know how it works to earn and redeem and the rules associated with them. Easy for me and I recommend getting very comfortable with one or two rewards programs from your favorite stores.

Right now on my phone I have $30 in Super Cash from Old Navy and $10 in a birthday promo from The Children's Place. I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of these programs, but I'm going to take 5 minutes to plan and give it a shot.

First, I check the redemption dates. The Children's Place code I can use now, but it expires on 1/31. Old Navy can only be used 1/21-1/29. Ok, with Siri's help, I have a reminder on my phone for 1/21.

Now, is there anything else I can do for a deeper discount? Yes! My favorite discount gift cards where I pay less than face value for a gift card. Favorite sites are CardCash.com and MonsterGiftCard.com. With Old Navy, I'm required to spend $75 for my $30 discount. I bought a $75 gift card for 8% off which was $69, but I was foiled on The Children's Place. They are sold at 15% off face value, but the only one in stock was for $140 and I only need to spend $40 to redeem my $10. If I shopped at TCP regularly, I would go for it, but this time I'll pass.

For Old Navy, I just need to wait for my gift card and reminder from Siri (and think about what I might need). Never buy anything, just because you have a coupon. For The Children's Place, I might as well go for it and see if there is anything I want now.

Of course, the next step is to access the website via a cash back site. My favorites are Upromise and Ebates. Simply by accessing Old Navy or The Children's Place via a cash back site, I can earn another discount.

Here's the initial breakdown:

Old Navy:
$30 off a & $75 purchase is 40% off
Cash back at 5% of $45 is $2.25 a total of 43% off
Purchase of a discount gift card is another 8% off the original purchase for a total savings of 51% off!

Now consider that I will also see if I can combine another promo code with this, but regardless, I will be only buying items that are on sale to start with. What started as 40% is now at least 51%. I'll let you know how it actually plays out.

I will browse The Children's Place site and keep you posted on how I work this. Right now the $10 off a $40 purchase is 25% off and I can get an additional cash back of 5%. Typically I consider a great deal to be at least 70% off. We'll see what I can manage :)

What if you can't use your rewards? Take a few minutes to earn some coupon karma. I'll tell you about it in my next blog.

Deals on Apple iPads, iPods and More

Deals on Apple products are few and far between. You have to be very savvy and spend time daily monitoring sites that seek out deals.

I have a trick to save a little extra on those high end electronics that rarely get discounted. First, I find a retailer that sells online. In this case, I've chosen Best Buy.

Then I find the best cash back website. My favorites are Upromise and Ebates. Upromise is connected with Sallie Mae and the cash back earned can be directed towards student loans or college savings. Upromise often has the higher percentage cash back, but I always check both. Today the cash back is 5%.

Next, I order discount gift cards. My favorite sites are CardCash.com and MonsterGiftCard.com. Discounts and supply vary so I always check both. Best Buy discounts average 4-6% off face value.

Let's break it down:

• 1 iPad Air is $499 full retail
• By accessing the Best Buy website via Upromise, I will get 5% cash back on $499. A savings of $24.95.
• I still need to pay the full $499 so I buy enough discount gift cards to cover the purchase.
• If I buy $500 in gift cards at 5% off the face value, I pay $475 for the cards. A savings of $25.
• That's a total savings of $49.95 or 10%. Not bad for a little extra effort.

A couple of other considerations:

• You don't need to pay or wait for shipping. I can order online and select store pickup. I get the 5% from the cash back site and can stop by my local Best Buy to pick up my item that day.
• If you pay sales tax and buy enough gift cards to cover the tax, you will get a discount on the tax as well.
• If you earn miles or other rewards with a favorite credit card, you can use it to buy your gift cards.
• I would still earn rewards at Best Buy for a $499 purchase.

Win, win, win, win, win!!!

Make Your Own Sale

Here is a classic example of how I stack savings everyday. This example is with Dress Barn, but the store is irrelevant. It's the steps that are important.

I often buy business attire essentials at Dress Barn. Knowing this, I bought a discounted gift card for Dress Barn for 22% off the face value so I could have it handy when I needed to shop. For a $100 gift card, I paid $78. There are many reputable websites where you can do this. Cardcash is a personal favorite.

Yesterday, I was ready to shop!

1. I looked for a coupon code. I use a coupon blog called www.ThriftyNWMom.com. www.Retailmenot.com and www.CouponCabin.com are also favorite places to look. I found a 30% off + free shipping code!!

2. I went to a cashback site. A couple of sites I use are Upromise and Ebates.

3. I used my discount gift card.

Assuming I selected $100 worth of merchandise, here is how my savings stacked:

• $100 less 30% = $70 - this is what my receipt would look like
• Amount saved with the discount gift card 22% - $15.40
• Amount saved with 7% cash back - $4.90

Total savings - $50.30 - over 50%!!!

Now, if what I bought was on sale to start with, my total savings would have been higher. Regardless, I created my very own 50% off sale!!

The keys to this were some preplanning because I had a gift card ready (this is feasible with merchants you use regularly) and I looked for a discount code. Another key to savings is control. If I had been unable to find a coupon code, it would be better to wait and watch for one. Replace that instant gratification with the excitement of scoring huge deals! YOU are in control.

Vacation Savings - Hotels

There are savings to be had on every part of your family vacation. I began with booking a hotel room the other night. Here's how I worked my deal of 40% off:

• I compared prices. I typically expect to get a better deal through Hotels.com, but I did a quick search just in case. The two other sites were priced at $110 per night. Hotels.com was $84 per night.
• Knowing I wanted to use Hotels.com, I checked Ebates to see if I could get cash back. Indeed! Another 2.5% cash back. I clicked on Hotels.com through Ebates and began booking.
• Promo code? I went to Google and typed Hotels.com and discount codes showed as an option. Within a minute I found a 10% off code.
• Hotels.com also has a rewards program with your tenth booking.

Show me the money!

• Retail $110
• Hotels.com $84 - 24% savings
• Ebates cash back of 2.5% is $2.10 - 26% savings/cost $81.90
• Promo code of 10% (taken off of $84) is $8.40 - 33% savings/cost $73.50
• Rewards program - I estimate a average of 10% value since your 10th room booking is free is $7.35 - savings 40%/cost $66.15

What I paid out of pocket was $75.60 + tax with the immediate benefit of the promo code. The cash back accrues and is paid quarterly and the rewards accumulate too, but you can see the breakdown of how these tips and tricks add up in different ways.

Yes, Savings Excite Me...Here's Why Part 1

Here is a little bit about me and how I came to know what I know and why I'm interested in sharing it with you.

I am married, in my early 40s, have a DSS teenager, and DD preschooler. I work full-time, teach a college class, am a Top Rated Seller on eBay, and am diligent about never paying retail!!! I get all excited about my various ways to save and my friends and family love to know, but their eyes glaze over after the second or third step. They all want me to share how to do it, however, so it's now here in one place for anyone who is interested.

Here's how it all started. Remember the economy quickly getting flushed down the toilet?? I do! I had always loved a good sale and coupon, but this event took us all to another level with creations like Groupon, Ebates, more rewards programs, extreme couponing, and thrift shopping (now hella cool thanks to Macklemore!).

Well, I like to shop on Amazon. Their prices are typically better than other places (particularly for books) and I have a prime membership which gets me quick shipping for an annual fee (if you're a regular, the annual fee is worthwhile). My husband was encouraging me to go browse through our nearby Goodwill for books for our new DD and one day I did. I found the cutest little board book that has all these glittery, sensory pieces built into the illustrations. On the back I could see that there were three other similar books and I thought it would be cool to have the set so I went back to my trusty Amazon . What did I find??? Well, my $1 thrift store find listed for $42!!! Check it out now - Ladybug's Gift (Glitter Bugs).

Cash in on Holiday Weekend Sales

As holiday weekends approach, we get innundated with sales ads, commercials, and flyers. If you are intentional about what you're looking for and truly evaluate the deals, you can score some great finds. My big ones this week have been:

• Gymboree - $12.99 sale. Nothing in the store or online is more than $12.99. You can also stack this with a coupon, Gymbo Visa discount, and earn Gymbucks for a future visit.
• Hanna Andersson - $19 for girls dresses. Go through Ebates or Upromise for cash back too.
• PBS Store - $10 off a purchase of $49 or more or $20 off a purchase of $99 or more.
• ThredUP - 35% off + free shipping for new customers with code SAVE35 & earn Swagbucks

What are you looking to purchase right now? Check out the deals on this weekend. Don't buy the hype. Evaluate whether it is truly a great sale and jump on it if it is. Don't forget to stack the savings with coupons & cash back!

Cash Back Sites - Get Paid to Shop through Ebates

Another favorite trick for stacking savings is a cash back site. I have a few I use regularly. Different sites offer a different percentage of cash back and different methods for payment. Today is Ebates' birthday and they are offering 14% cash back at many major retailers. Now is the perfect time to give them a try.



One of my favorite things about Ebates is that they mail you a check periodically. A transfer to my Paypal account is still cash, but a physical check in hand just feels good.

Here is how cash back works. You go to the Ebates website and register. Find the retailer where you plan to shop and click on the link. Now, you will automatically get cash back for the purchase you make. It is truly that simple. It may be 2% or 5% or, today, a whopping 14%, but it's always a little extra off your purchase to add to your stacked savings.

You can also use a coupon or promo code at the site, purchase sale items, etc. I always check to see if a retailer is on a cash back site before making a purchase.