Cash back on your purchases - Ebates and MrRebates

I know, I know, it's been like two months.  Girl's been busy, but I'm back just in time for the Holiday season.

I've done quite a few online shopping purchases these past few weeks, and let me tell you, the deals found online are usually always better than what you can find in stores.

I bought $55 worth of shoes at DSW.com on Black Friday, and thanks to a double cash-back special of 8%, I was able to get over $4 back on my purchase... mind you, that was after free shipping, after a $5 off coupon from DSW.com, after clearance and sales, and after my additional 1% cash back from my credit card.  A pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

This is why I urge all of you faithful followers (yes, all 12 of you!  Please, tell your friends!  I'm about to resume my regular posting) that it is in your best interest to join Cash Back websites.  Always check BOTH of these sites before you make your purchase, and use the one that is offering a larger cash-back percentage payout.

MrRebates.com

Payment to you can be made via both Checks and Paypal and can be requested once you have a minimum of $10 in your account that is not pending.  This may seem like a large amount, but you get a $5 bonus just for making your first purchase.  So I guess technically that means you only need to earn $5 by shopping online until you can cash out $10.  Who doesn't want to get a free $10 back just by doing their regular online shopping?

Ebates.com
Similar to MrRebates.com, you also earn a $5 bonus just for making your first purchase.  Ebates sends you your funds quarterly, so every few months you'll see the deposit made into your paypal account or get a check sent to your home (depending on your preference).  Something great about Ebates.com is that it also lists current coupon codes next to the store at which you plan to shop.

I definitely recommend joining both of these sites now, lest you forget about them later.

If you're confused as to how they work, remember, you are not actually making your purchase from them, as they don't sell anything.  Instead, they act as a middle man.

For example, if you want to buy from Kohls.com, this is what I usually do.

1. Go to Kohls.com, log into my Kohls account, find everything I want and add it to my Shopping Cart.
2. Once I'm ready to check out, I open up a new window and go to MrRebates.com or Ebates.com (whichever one I plan to use for my purchase). 
3. I search for Kohls on the cash back website, and click the link to Kohls.com they have available.  Once you do that, you'll see that the cash back site will redirect you to Kohls.
4. Once on Kohls.com, you should see everything already in your shopping cart.  From there, proceed to checkout as usual.  Just make sure you checkout on that same browser/tab.  If you open other ones, you may run the risk of the cash back site not registering that you bought anything.

5. You're done!  Within a few days, you should receive an email from the cash back site citing how much cash back you'll be receiving, and see it posted as Pending to your account a few days after that. 


Personally, I have about $18 pending right now from purchases made since October (mind you, I don't shop that much and that's not including the $5 bonuses...)  I can't wait until I receive that check in the mail! 

DOTD: 4 Movie tickets for $4.70 each (includes 3D/Imax)

Long time no post, I know, I know.  It's been a busy week.
Today's awesome deal of the day comes from Groupon.com where you can buy a 4-pack of tickets redeemable at fandango.com and movietickets.com for $20... $18.80 after ebates cash back (that comes out to $4.70 a ticket!).

Let's get started.

Here's the Slickdeals thread on the deal -- feel free to read to get insight on how to use the code, if its good, where it can be used, etc.

Next, head on over to Groupon.com and make an account.

Once that's done, mosey on over to Ebates.com and make an account.  Ebates is offering 6% cash back for all purchases made on Groupon.  Once you've made an account at Ebates, search for "Groupon" in the search box and click Shop Now.  It should say "Plus 6% cash back!" next to it. 

Ebates should redirect you to Groupon.  The 4pack of movie tickets is today's deal for the North Jersey area (you don't need to be from this area to buy or use this deal).  If the link doesn't direct you to the North Jersey page, then just search for North Jersey by using the "Visit more cities" link.

Once you see the deal, click Buy, fill out your information, and bam.  You should shortly get a code in your account/email (usually takes 1 full day).

From Slickdeals -- Go to Weekly Cinema's website and use your code, once registered and you get your password in mail, you can start redeeming individual tickets from your 4 pack.
https://secure.weeklycinema.com/deal.php

Before you buy, head on over to fandango.com AND movietickets.com and make sure that the theater you plan to use them on has Online ticketing available.  Some of the theaters I frequent weren't available on fandango but were in fact available on movietickets.com.

You do not need to redeem all 4 tickets at once.  And they should work for both 3D and IMAX movies (not sure about 3D and IMAX combined though).

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 -- here I come!!

Oh also, for those of you not familiar with Groupon, it's a site that offers a deal a day.  Today's North Jersey deal is the movie tickets.

Happy movie'ing!

$10 off $10 online purchase at JC Penney.com

HOT DEAL ALERT


If you buy any $10 purchase at JCPenney.com, you can get $10 off by using code GO4TEN.
All shoes have free shipping at the moment too, so I know where I'm going to be spending most of my time.  The code is good until September 28, 2010 and works on both sale and clearance items.

JC Penney has these $10 coupon code deals pretty frequently, so this is always a great way to pick up a shirt here and there, especially if you know your size.

Don't forget to shop through ebates.com for 3% off (and sign up if you're not already a member).


As always, happy shopping!

DOTD: Express and Forever 21

It's almost the weekend.. that means I'm doing my coupon hunt in case I go to the mall this weekend.  (Mama needs some new shoes!)

Express coupon - Expires Sunday, September 19, 2010
Save $15 off of $30
Save $30 off of $75
Thanks to SlickDeals

Forever 21 - Expires Sunday, September 19, 2010
Free online shipping with code MISSYOU10
Lots of items on sale/clearance
Thanks to SlickDeals



Happy shopping!

Tip #4 - Keeping track of your loan payments (361 to go)

Long ago, I tried to create some sort of Excel spreadsheet that I could use to keep track of my student loan payments... to show what would happen to my outstanding balance if I paid a little extra each month.  Well, I couldn't get the formulas right and it required too much thinking on my part.

So bam!  I found this today.  It's a Loan Amortization schedule template provided by Microsoft Office online.

I suggest that any one with any sort of loan download it pronto.. this includes mortgages, student loan payments, car payments, etc.  You plug in key information such as Loan amount, annual interest rate, loan period in years, number of payments per year, start date of loan, and optional extra payments.  Based on what you input, the schedule automatically updates.

This is super useful because you can play around with it and put in different "Extra payment" amounts to see how much an extra $100 here and there can effect your overall outstanding balance, or how much extra you need to pay in order to fully pay down your loan by a certain date.

Quick screen shot of what it looks like once populated.

I vote it a must have for all.  ;-)

Happy exceling!

Tip #3 - Cash back/rebate websites (362 to go)

Finally writing that post on some cash back sites!!... and it comes at the perfect time because I just got a nifty little email in my inbox today from Ebates regarding their bonus this week (yes, I am putting my referral link.  If ya'll are going to join, then I want my referral bonuses!! =P )

Using cash back sites are great since they work pretty simply and can help you gain anywhere from 1% to 30% back on your purchases (depending on the store and site).

For example (how it works) --
Instead of going directly to gap.com to make your purchase, you would first go to ebates.com, log in, and click their special gap.com link.  When you complete your purchase, within a day you'll receive an email from Ebates saying that your purchase has been verified with the amount of cash back you'll be receiving.  Just think of it as a savings on top of your savings.  One special note is that sometimes, if you use an online coupon code, your purchase may be disqualified from getting cash back.  They put this as a disclaimer sometimes, but honestly, I've never run into this issue.  I'm always gotten my cash back, and there's no harm in trying, so I still stand firmly by always using cash back sites!

Here are some of the sites I recommend you all join and register for now. 
1. Ebates.com - Gives you a $5 CB bonus for signing up and making first purchase
2. MrRebates.com - Gives you a $5 CB bonus for signing up and making first purchase
3. FatWallet.com


There used to be Bing.com which I used a few times but just last month, they stopped their Cash back program.  Poop on a stick. 

Just to give you all some insight, here's my personal experience with Ebates.com
1. Ebates.com - Ebates pays out about 4x a year (so don't expect to get your cash back right away), but they offer Paypal as an option (super convenient!).  Ebates offers $5 to each member just for signing up and making your first purchase.  They also offer competitive cash back %'s on all the stores.  The first time I used Ebates was last January when I purchased boots from Victoria's Secrets and more boots from DSW (clearly, I like boots).  My total CB from VS, DSW, and $5 signing up bonus came out to $13.32.  That's a pretty nice chunk of change back! $_$  Not to mention that when I returned my VS boots, my cash back wasn't voided (VS.. who does NOT offer free return shipping), so the cash back I earned from it actually helped cover part of my shipping costs.  Whew!

So I got an email from Ebates today and low and behold, Ebates is currently offering a Fall Fashion - Double Cash Back special for the next week or so(!!!)  If you plan on shopping at any of these stores, this is the time to do it.

These are some of the quick %s Ebates is running during this promotion.
Banana Republic - was 2%, now 15%
HSN - was 3%, now 5%
GAP - was 2%, now 15%
Lands' End - was 3%, now 6%
Macy's - was 2.5%, now 5%
Nordstrom - was 3%, now 6%
Piperlime - was 2%, now 15%
Victoria's Secret - as 2%, now 4%


Tip: Sign up for all three of them now, and before you make your next online purchase, check each site to see who's offering the best rate.  By signing up now, you'll have easier access in seeing what bonuses they're currently offering.

Happy shopping!

DOTD - BOGO @ Jamba Juice

Clearly, a tip a day isn't working out.  But I'll try to do my best.

Deal of the Day:
BOGO @ Jamba Juice - coupon expires Sept. 22, 2010 (thanks to SlickDeals)

Happy Jamba'ing!