Toilet paper. Milk. Eggs. Bread. Water.
Life’s basics.
When I run out of them in my apartment, I just want to get in and out of the store without stressing too much. The longer you spend at Target, the more your cart fills up with stuff you didn’t know you needed right? (I’m totally guilty of that.)
But that’s why I keep 4 apps on my phone that literally pay me while I shop for basics and for anything else I want need.
With the combination of these apps, I’ve gotten over $600 in a year depending on my spending habits. Not bad for free apps! Plus I didn’t have to think much.
Here’s what they are in case you want to cash in on your shopping too:
Get Cashable Points Shopping at Your Fav Stores
Drop is the ultimate & modern loyalty card without the card. No more fussing with carrying an ugly keychain card or having to recite your cell phone number at checkout.
With Drop, you’ll earn points at your favorite stores.
Need to grab some hummus and Cookie Butter from Trader Joe’s? Get points for your purchases there.
Lipstick broke and you need a replacement from Sephora? Yup, get points there too.
Need a pre-shopping caffeine fix at Starbucks before heading to Target? Get cashable points at BOTH of those places! Yaaas!
How it Works:
All you have to do is download the app and link any debit or credit cards that you regularly use for purchases. Yes, debit too!
You’ll then select 5 of your favorite retailers like Starbucks, Target, Sephora, Uber, Lyft, Walgreens, McDonald’s, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Safeway, and many more choices.
Whenever you make a purchase at your 5 retailers with the linked cards, you’ll automatically get points to redeem for gift cards. SUPER simple!
Based on your shopping habits, Drop will open up even more retailers like Walmart, Amazon, CVS and more.
I redeemed my $20 Starbucks card after only 3 weeks! All those times I shopped before I had installed Drop…I can’t even. Learn from my slowpoke mistake and download Drop so you can earn gift cards ASAP.
Item Went on Sale After Purchase? No Regrets Here.
I bought a pair of amazing sandals on Amazon and 3 weeks later it went on sale. Seriously?
I also learned that Amazon alone changes their item prices up to 8 times a day and no one has time to keep track of that unless… you’re Earny.
Earny is an app that automatically gets your money back when purchases go on sale after you’ve bought them.
Now I don’t need to worry about thinking I bought an item too soon or too late.
So about those sandals? Earny is currently claiming $7.56 back on my behalf!
And I didn’t have to do anything more except set up the account.
Earny links to an email inbox and credit card so that it can be effective in getting money back for you. It’ll keep track of purchase receipts and when there’s a price change refund available, it’ll automatically credit the money back to the credit card you used to purchase.
If you’re a pay-only-in-cash person, then Earny won’t work for you. But if you regularly purchase online with a card, this app is AMAZING to get those price change refunds back so you don’t have to worry about buyer’s regret.
Don’t Toss Those Receipts. Scan Them for $$$
So I’m trying to eat healthier and have started to meal plan with my roommate. It only seemed right when we realized how much crap we’re eating and spending on. This is why I keep Ibotta on my phone.
Ibotta is a super easy-to-use cash back app with 100+ retailers, both in-store and online. When I go shopping anywhere, I typically find a cash back opportunity.
So before you head to the store, check Ibotta for items already on your shopping list. Toilet paper? Hit that + sign in the app. LaCroix Sparkling Water? Tap that + sign again.
Go shop!
Then take a photo of your receipt. I usually just scan on the way to my car.
Now you got yourself some cash back! Just for getting stuff that you needed anyway.
Here are some cash-back opportunities I’ve seen:
- 50 cents back for any item
- $1 back on milk
- 80 cents back on all Post cereal brands
- 50 cents back Frito-Lay Chips
- $1 back Newman’s Frozen Pizza
- $2 back on Purex Liquid Laundry
- $2 back on Colgate Total Mouthwash
- 50 cents back on Cottonelle Toilet Paper
Ibotta is 100% free to download and you’ll get a $10 sign-up bonus after scanning your first receipt. On average, I save $20 a month on groceries even at Walmart and Target! So go on, get your life’s basics and get cash back.
Get An Easy $36 / Year with this Free App
If you shop on Amazon (who doesn’t?), you can easily get $36 a year just by sharing your Amazon purchase history with a free app called Shop Tracker.
Shop Tracker is operated by The Harris Poll, a market research firm that measures U.S. public opinion.
In this case, they just want to know what users purchase on Amazon like order information, including the order date, product title, category, ISBN, release date, condition, seller, list price per unit, quantity etc. All your personal information is kept private to you only.
This is a super easy and passive way to get $36 a year without doing much.
How to Get Started:
- Complete the short registration form here
- After registering, it’ll direct you to the proper Shop Tracker app
- Install the app and sync your Amazon account
- Get a $3 Visa e-gift card within 48 hours
If you keep the Amazon account synced, you’ll earn $3 every month which results in $36 a year! Obviously, this is only great for those that use Amazon but it’s a no-brainer to use this free app to get some extra cash while shopping.
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