Save Money Live Better – 5 Frugal Tips And Tricks
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Save Money Live Better
The current economic situation has brought the need to save money live better to the front of everyone’s mind. Most of us are always looking for frugal tips and tricks to put money back in our pockets. This article brings you 5 simple money saving apps and extensions that you can use while you’re shopping.
But truthfully, even when things are doing better we still always pay attention when there’s a chance to save some money. All of these apps fit easily into your lifestyle and will help you find the best deals and offers evey time you shop.
Tips On How To Budget
Saving money is what all of us want to do, no matter the economic situation. Even if things are going well and money isn’t as tight as it used to be, we still love the feeling of saving some money.
One of the best ways to get us on track with a budget and saving money is to make it simple. If it’s easy and effortless, that makes it even better.
I have included money saving tools in this article that will help you save when buying the stuff you were going to buy anyway. And they all include extra information and tips on how to budget your money. So you’ll save even more.
Saving money for what you were going to be doing anyway? Could it get any better? Let’s jump in and find out how.
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Save Money With Upside
This is one of the most popular, and growing, cash back apps. Upside lets you shop, buy gas, and make your purchases just like you always have. You don’t have change anything. But by just using the Upside app you can earn cash back rewards for just about everything that you buy. So Upside makes it easy to save some money even when you are just running your everyday errands.
How Upside Works
Find the app in App Store or Google Play Store, and install on your phone. Once you get signed in configured Upside will begin showing you Offers. These are locations near you that you can purchase what you need and redeem rewards in the Upside app.
You can also use my referral code to sign up for the app. You will get an extra bonus on your first purchase, and I will get a bonus as well.
Rewards For Shopping
You can rack up some pretty good rewards and cash back by using Upside. But it is important to note that you will not pay less at the time of your purchase. You will still pay the regular price. But when you check in with Upside, or scan in your receipt, your rewards will be added to your account. when you have enough rewards, you can cash them out.
About Upside App
Upside was created in 2015 and has gone through several investment funding stages since then. It has had a very steady rate of growth over the years and is now one of the most popular money saving apps around.
They stay very focused on the positive impact that they can provide. Their goal is to help individual users, businesses, and the planet. Over millions of users receive cash back from using Upside. Over 50,000 businesses are increasing their profits by offering Upside. And 1% of all Upside’s revenue goes towards sustainability initiatives.
It’s pretty easy to see that this cash back opportunity isn’t going away anytime soon, And their positive corporate culture is very important to many people as well.
Honey Finds You The Best Deals
Another extremely popular saving money tip online is the Paypal Honey app. It’s actually a browser extension that you instal in your browser. You can find details on how to install Honey in this article.
You can go to the Honey website to create an account fro free and then install the extension. Or use my referral code to sign up. It doesn’t cost you anything to use it, and I get a small bonus if you sign up and make a qualifying purchase.
Pay Less With Honey While Shopping Online
You do not use Honey when you’re at the gas station or in the store. It saves you money while you are shopping online. As you are browsing items to purchase at participating businesses a small tab will pop up in your browser. Honey scours the internet for coupon codes and then let’s you know what is available. You can choose to apply any available coupon codes and Honey will get you the lowest price. There is also a mobile app so you can see and apply the lowest price while you are shopping on your phone.
Honey Rewards And Gift Cards
Honey also lets you earn rewards points that you can cash out or use as shopping credits. So there are different ways that you can save money with this extension/app. If the price you want is not currently available, you can add the item to your Drop List. Honey will notify if there is a drop in the price.
About Paypal Honey
Honey was created in 2012 in Los Angeles, CA, USA. It got off to a somewhat slow start in finding investors early on. One of the creators started Honey because he used coupons to save money, and he wanted to find a cheaper way to buy pizza for his kids.
They released their mobile app in early 2019. Honey was acquired by Paypal in late 2019. By joining forces with such a large entity as Paypal, it ensures that Honey can be quicker to market with their innovations, and helps users know that the company is secure.
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Capital One Shopping – Saving Money Online
We all know Capital One, the credit card people, right? They now have a shopping app that is becoming quite popular. It is an extension that you install in your browser and activate while you are shopping online. Capital One Shopping helps you save money by instantly finding coupon codes and applying them at checkout. It saves you money while you are shopping.
Coupon Codes, Rewards, And Cash Back
As well as finding coupons and actually getting you lower prices when you shop, Capital One Shopping also has rewards and cash back options. Rewards are accumulated when you shop at some of their eligible merchants. Your rewards credits do not expire and you can use them in any amount that you like. Cashing them all in at once, or applying a portion of them at checkout.
They actually mention cash back in some of their descriptions. But I have not found a way that you can actually redeem rewards for actuall money in your hand. If you have rewards in your account you can apply them at check out. So although it isn’t cold, hard cash in your hand, it does still save you money.
Making It Simple To Save
Capital One mostly works in the background while you are browsing in your favorite online stores. You can choose your favorite stores in your Capital One Shopping account, activate it, and go straight to the online store from there. Or you can just point your browser to the store you want to shop at, and the savings are automatically calculated while you look at each item.
For example, one of the featured merchants is Amazon. If you go to Amazon in your browser and the shopping extension is enabled you will see it searching for the best coupon. When it is finished it will display the savings for you.
If a coupon is not found it will let you know that what is displayed on the page is the Best Price. You will also see another box that will let you add the item to your Watchlist. You will get a notification if the price drops over the next 60 days.
About Capital One Shopping
Capital One Shopping originally started out as WikiBuy in 2014. As I said earlier, I think we all know who Capital One is, and it is going to be around for awhile. They’ve really made a strong push in their TV and radio advertising in the last few years. They are a very prominent and stable company.
Although it is online shopping only, you can use it when you are shopping at a store, this shopping app/extension has the potential to help you save a lot of money. It will search for and apply coupons that save you money immediately when you checkout in your favorite online stores. You can rack up rewards that can be applied to future purchases, or redeemed as gift cards.
And since it is Capital One, you can connect your Shopping account to your credit card account and receive additional benefits that way as well. So, use my referral link and Sign-Up For Capital One Shopping now!!
Get Your Subscriptions Under Control
Rocket Money is a different approach than the other apps in this article. Rather than saving you money while you shop, it helps you monitor and take control of your finances. Enabling you to discover ways to save money and and cut costs.
This app started out as True Bill. It monitors your expenditures, finding and tracking your subscriptions. Unused and unwanted subscriptions can then be cancelled. This can save a lot of money that you may not even realize you’re spending. They even have a concierge service that will cancel them for you.
Save More Spend Less
Along with getting control of you subscriptions, Rocket Money has a lot of other features too. Among the free to use features are: financial marketing, credit score checks, account alerts, bill negotiations, and two separate budgeting categories. The free account is good for somone who wants a simple app to for budgeting or if you want to learn more more about setting up a budget.
Rocket Money’s premium features include subscription cancellation, smart savings, account sync in real time, credit reports, overdraft protection, chat with experts, and more. The Premium Plan will run you from $3 – $12 per month and you can choose how much you want to pay.
The Premium Plan has the potential to save a lot of money and time. Some of the features can be automated, and Rocket Money Experts can handle subscription cancellation, negotiate the price of some bills or fees. They are even able to get late fees refunded.
About Rocket Money
Rocket Money used to be known as Truebill. Rocket Companies, which includes Rocket Mortgage, Rocket Loans, and Rocket Homes among several other, acquired Truebill in late 2021. The app started out as just a subscription tracking and cancellation service. Rocket Money has already greatly expanded the features to include a comprehensive financial and budgeting solution.
Although it isn’t as sexy or fun as shaving money or stacking up rewards while you’re shopping, Rocket Money gives you the power to monitor and manage your finances and budget. Taking a little longer view of things, it can really help save you a lot of money.
Is Ibotta Only For Groceries?
Ibotta originated as a way for shoppers “to earn cash back on groceries and every day purchases.” So it has a reputation for being a grocery shopping app. But over the last few years they have added a lot of retailers and locations, and these include a variety of retail stores and dining opportunities. So, Ibotta is very versatile. But it does do the grocery shopping part very well. One reason it has gotten the rep of being a grocery shopping app is because it is about the closest thing available to an online version of couponing.
Save Money Shopping In-Store
There are different ways to use, and save with Ibotta. One of the most popular is in-store purchases. Before you go shopping, open the Ibotta app on your phone. Pick the location of the store you are going to. You will see the available offers and you can activate the ones that you want.
When you are done shopping, take a picture of your receipt on your phone in the app and Ibotta will find the correct offer and add the cash amount to your account. If the app doesn’t find the app when you scan your receipt in, you can browse through the offers, find the correct one, and apply it manually.
Save Money Shopping Online Too
If you are shopping online, Ibotta’s got you covered there too. Using your phone you can just choose the retailer or store you want from inside the app. It will show you the offers, calculate the savings for you, and add it to your account if you puschase.
You can save with Ibotta on your computer too. Install the browser extension and log into your account. When you are on a supported retailer’s site, the extension will pop up with the offer information. Activate the offer and Ibotta will deposit the savings into your account when you purchase.
Use my referral link to sign up for Ibotta. You’ll get an extra bonus on you first purchase, and I’ll get a little bonus too.
Other Ibotta Features
You can also link any Loyalty Programs you may be a part of at your favorite retailers. This will help you save even more money. Use Ibotta when purchasing Gift Cards from your favorite retailers. Get money off the purchase price for the gift card and us it later, or give it as a gift. Setup Nearby Store Alerts and get a notification when there are deals you may be interested in at participating retailers that you may be near.
Also while using the phone app, Ibotta will give you different categories to browse, display bonuses for even more savings, and have a constant list of Special Deals for you to choose from.
About Ibotta
Here’s a description from Ibotta’s own About page:
Ibotta is a free cash back rewards web and mobile app that gives you real cash for everyday purchases when you shop. Ibotta provides thousands of ways for consumers to earn cash on their purchases by partnering with more than 2,700 brands and retailers.
Ibotta was started in 2012 and it is one the few money saving apps I have researched that hasn’t been bought out by a larger company. As of this writing it is still run by the guy that created it. They have posted a complete how-to-use guide on their blog. And they even have an online Ibotta Community Forum where users trade tips and information on deals. So Ibotta has a real personal, community type feel to it.
This app feels very secure, has been around awhile, and has millions of users. It takes a little extra work, but if you like saving money, whether it’s in-store or online, and if you’ve ever been a coupon clipper, Ibotta may just be the app for you
The Best Of The Best
(Or – The Coolest Of The Cool)
ONLINE SHOPPING
Capital One Shopping gets the pick for online shopping app. Once you have it setup in your browser, it automatically shows the best deal and applies it at checkout.
BUYING GAS
Get Upside is the best choice for fueling up. Gas prices have us all a little stressed out. The list of locations and savings near you makes this your easiest way to save money at the pump.
GROCERY SHOPPING
The Ibotta app is your best choice at the grocery store. Tons of deals and lots of retailers. Making it easy to rack up the savings when you’re shopping for groceries.
A Great Start To Save Money And Live Better
Thanks to today’s technologies we have really great ways to save lots of money when we shop. Whether it online on our computers, or actually in the store tracking a nd claiming deals as we go, there are more opportunities to put more money back in our pockets than ever before. And they all off valuable frugal tips and tricks on saving even more money. Some of them even help us learn how to budget, and stick to it. So find the ones that fit your style the best and start saving money.
Saving Money Quotes
Wanting or needing to save money is nothing new. It has always made good sense. From many hundreds of years ago, Confucius said:
“He who will not economize will have to agonize.”
Just a little over 200 years ago, some of the United States Founding fathers spoke some money saving wisdon:
“A penny saved is a penny earned.” – Benjamin Franklin
“Never spend your money before you have it.” – Thomas Jefferson
Even up to some more contemporary thinkers:
“Money Is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver.” – Ayn Rand
“Do not save what is left over after spending. Spend what is left over after saving.” – Warren Buffet
And then one that probably reflects what we are doing in this article:
“Being a smart shopper is the first step to getting rich.” – Mark Cuban
Use one or more of the apps reviewed here, stick to a plan, and start living you money saving life.
Quotes are from GraciousQuotes.com
I hope you have found this article helpful and informative. If you have any questions or comments please contact me and let me know. I will assist you in any way I can. And I love to get helpful input from readers.