31 Days to a Better Budget
Cash Back Shopping
Each day of the series offers new tips, ideas and a challenge to start the year with a solid financial plan.
We all need to purchase clothing for our family. If you’ve got kids, you know they grow out of everything in the blink of an eye. If you’re lucky, you get hand me downs from older siblings, or cousins, or friends. However, you cannot always rely on these generous offerings from others. Sometimes you’ve just got to fit it into your budget. But how? Cash back shopping!
Have a favorite store? I’ll pick one of mine: Target. A beautiful thing happened at Target recently. They started their own REDcards. You earn cash back on EVERY purchase you make at Target. That means sale items, clearance items and if you have to do it, regular priced items.
In order to stick to your budget, bring the cash you have set aside for clothing purchases, but get a Target Credit Card, Target Visa Credit Card or a Target Debit Card (this one can’t be used online). Every time you use the card at Target, you earn 5% CASH BACK. Now here comes the cash part: You can pay your bill right there, on the spot with cash. Keeps you on budget while earning your 5% cash back. Essentially, cutting your budget down!
If you’re like me and like to do most of your shopping online, I’ve got tricks to keep you on budget there, too! You’ve got your budget set. You’re ready to hit the clearance and sale items at your favorite online store. STOP RIGHT THERE. Do NOT go directly to your favorite online store! Instead, head to a cash rebate site, such as Mr. Rebates, Ebates or ShopAtHome.com.
When you shop online, through cash rebate sites, you earn cash back on your purchases. It’s a beautiful thing! They even have coupons available, free shipping information and so much more. You just stretched your budget further, or cut it back even more than planned. Put some of what you saved away for that trip you want to take!
Just to give you a heads up: ShopAtHome.com has a 110% Guarantee that they will always have the best cash back rates around. I recommend checking as many other cash rebate sites as possible to make sure, because if you find a higher one at the store you want to shop at – they’ll match it, plus throw in another 10%. FREE MONEY.
Discipline is the key to cash back shopping, along with research! Happy cash back shopping.
*Affiliate links included for Mr. Rebates, Ebates and ShopAtHome. Yes, I love them all….
I’m not a financial planner or a budget expert. I’ll just be walking you through the steps I take each time my budget needs an adjustment. In fact, I’ll be participating myself!
