Photograph Credit: Flickr (ideas4Christmas2010)
Are you getting ready for Christmas? I know it is about 2 months away, but planning ahead and watching for sales will save you money, energy, and time.
Believe it or not, I really do not like shopping. I would rather be playing with my children or organizing my home. But because shopping is a necessity that must be done, I choose to shop on-line as often as I can.
With free shipping, coupon, and promotional codes, I can snag some really great deals that are delivered to my front door without using my time and gas going to the store.
For example, my husband received cash for his birthday to spend on a waffle iron that he requested. Knowing he wanted the waffle iron, I had been watching sales until I saw this awesome deal posted on swaggrabber.com. J.C. Penney had the Cooks waffle iron on sale for $29.99 (regular price $59.99). To snag this deal at a rock bottom price, I stacked my savings.
In this series of on-line shopping, I will share 5 ways to stack your savings. The first way is by using a cash-back site.
#1: Use Cash-Back Sites
The best two I have discovered are Ebates and Shopathome.com. Both of these sites offer free registration for you to setup an account. Then when you want to make a purchase on-line,
1. Login to your account,
2. Search for your desired store, i.e. J.C.Penney,
3. You will be directed to the store’s web site, and
4. Within 30 days of your purchase, you may log back into your account to view your cash back award.
For the waffle iron, I used Shopathome.com since the offer was 9% cash back from J.C. Penney. The Ebate cash back was only 3%.
While shopping on-line, I am glad to earn a little extra along the way by using these cash-back sites. Since you can only use one site per purchase, I check both sites to see which one offers the best cash back deal. For example, Ebates may be offering a 5% back at your store while Shopathome.com has an offer for 9% cash back. Remember, the offers change, so in using time wisely, check both sites to compare your savings before making a purchase.
For more details about Ebates and Shopathome.com, you can read this great explanation from thekrazycouponlady.com. I love the table showing the payment schedule.
When shopping on-line, use a cash-back site like Ebates or Shopathome.com to increase your overall savings. The links included in this post are my affiliate links for these businesses. If you choose to register and make purchases through these sites, Using Time Wisely is compensated. If you choose not to use these links, you can go to each company’s web site to setup your account. However you decide to sign up, enjoy the extra savings as you make on-line purchases. Keep stretching your dollars!
Question: Do you already use a cash-back site when making on-line purchases? If so, how large is your typical payment?