In honor of Mother’s Day this past weekend, let me tell you something my mom often tells me: I’m cheap. She means it in the best, nicest way possible, and I know that she really means I’m frugal. I don’t like to spend excessive amounts of money and I never have. I’ve never had a credit card, I had a near meltdown when I got the loan for my car, and I make Robert use his card whenever we have to make a big purchase. I just don’t like spending a lot of money. And so, it goes without saying that I absolutely hate wasting money.
As a wife, I feel like it is under my realm of responsibility to manage money. Now, Robert manages our money, too, and I am ever thankful for that. But I’m the one who goes shopping. I’m the one who can either spend the money frivolously, or the one that can save it. Since my husband is the one who provides for our family and works so hard, it makes me feel like I’m doing my part when I can put that money to good use, which is why I want to share a few things with you today.
The first is a website called Ebates, and I need you to join it immediately. Basically, if you shop online at ALL, you will get money back for those purchases. I started using it a couple of Christmases ago, and to date I’ve gotten over $100 cash back. Just yesterday I got a check in the mail for $21, which was convenient since I also got a bill for $14. It’s nice when a website can save you enough money to cover a bill! So, definitely check it out. It’s legit, and if you join through that link, I get more money. Then feel free to invite your friends, because it’ll help you! But honestly, there’s no gimmick. Just free money! It’s especially awesome on hotels. We save about $10 every time.
The next money saver is mycokerewards.com. It seems annoying at first, keeping track of all of those bottle tops, but it honestly pays off. They have now added $20 gift cards for Petco, TJ Maxx/HomeGoods, and Old Navy/Gap/Banana Republic. How nice to be able to buy things to spoil your fur baby or a new outfit to impress your husband without breaking the bank/budget. If you’re already buying Coke products, this is a must! And, if you’re like me, letting people know you actually keep up with this kind of thing means they’ll give you theirs!
If you’re really into clothes but need to control yourself, check out Twice. Here, you can find cheap name brands, but you can also SELL YOURS. They sent me a bag not long ago and even paid the shipping, and then sent me a $30 check for the shirts I didn’t wear anymore! There are some really cute things there, too, and the great thing is, you get credit when you sign up, and more credit for just downloading an app! I got a free shirt just by doing those two things because it was enough to get something. So I would definitely recommend checking out that website, especially for purging, of which you know I am a huge proponent.
The last one is an airfare deals website, for all of my other travel fanatics out there. It’s called Airfare Watchdog and it’s amazing! They’ll email you great deals for whatever airport you choose. If you have a trip coming up, or want to plan a romantic getaway for your husband on the cheap, sign up for their alerts! It’s wonderful, free, and if it can save money, I am all about it!
I hope at least one of these tips can help you! I listed them in the order of importance in my mind, especially because Ebates is the best thing in the world! Around Christmas? It makes shopping online even MORE fun! So definitely embrace these ways to help your family do more with your hard-earned money instead of wasting it on frivolous things!
