A Good Money Saving Habit

Hello readers!

I have an addiction--couponing! I've always been very budget conscious, but now that I'm a young adult working for my own money, and live in a very expensive real estate area, every money saving tip and trick I can do, I take advantage of!

We all know about the good ol' fashion coupons that you can cut out directly from the weekly paper, but did you know that there also other ways to save money-- digitally and rebate apps?

Digital coupons are now available through different website links. The main one that I use is directly from www.coupons.com. Here you can find manufacturer coupons that work just the same as the ones that are printed in the weekly paper, the only difference is that you can clip the coupons that directly relate to your purchasing habits (coupons are based upon availability). Once you clip all of the coupons that you need, print and go shopping. Its that easy!

Most people have a smartphone. Most retailers have their digital app you can download directly to your phone and you can use coupons that are only available through the app itself. Technology does pay off at times!

Ibotta--this is a great app that you can download to your smart phone and get cash back on everyday purchases from grocery to apparel as well as your favorite dining establishments. All you need to do is select the rebate for the specific product based upon the category of retailer you are shopping from, and then provide proof of purchase and you are set! You are not going to get a ton of money back in a quick amount of time, but it does add up. I've been using Ibotta for just about a year and have earned $100 back! That's $100 just from taking a few minutes from each shopping experience and seeing if I purchased any qualifying rebates. Not bad, right?

Checkout 51 is another app very similar to Ibotta. You provide proof of purchase and then select the items you would like to have your cash back from.

One trick that many people may not know about is that you can use all of these ways to buy an everyday item for a much reduced cost. How? For example, I buy Woolite when I wash dark or delicate clothing items, to keep their dark fabric and shape. There have been times where I have a manufacture coupon, a store promotion, as well as the digital coupons available through the retailer app as well as rebate apps. I'm not saying this will work every single time, but sometimes the stars are aligned properly, and you can combine many of these money saving ways to reap the most in savings.

I think most can agree that this is a good habit to have.