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When you think of saving money, you probably think of the plain vanilla strategy to put a portion of your paycheck into your savings account.
Of course, that reliable method should never be counted out, but there are so many other savings techniques at your fingertips!
Imagine if you could take advantage of your existing habits or make slight adjustments to generate savings you didn’t even know were possible. It’s like free money! It could actually be a little bit… *gasp* fun?
Try these savings tricks now. If you have any doubts, you’ll see that they do actually work when your savings account shows $5 with two or three zeros at the end instead of just one!
1. Get Free Money Back on All Your Shopping Hauls
Check your pockets; check your purse. And keep receipts for your iPhone.
Just grab all your recent receipts from your coffee runs, grocery trips, restaurants, and gas station fill-ups, scan them into Fetch Rewards on iOS, and earn points for free money! Connect your email account, as well, to count DIGITAL receipts from Amazon, Instacart, and more.
Basically, snap a pic of your receipt from anywhere, and that’s it; you’ve got points for money. There’s no minimum spend, no need to select items manually, scan in any receipt from any store or gas station, and it’ll automatically reward you.
It’s free and easy to use and is a must-have iOS app for anyone who buys stuff!
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3. Pay Less on Student Loans. Get More Out of Life.
If you feel bogged down by student loans, you’re not alone. 44.7 million Americans have student loan debt, making the total student loan debt in the United States above $1.47 trillion dollars(*). However, there are options to ease that financial burden.
One way is to refinance your student loans (whether they’re federal, private, or ParentPLUS), consolidating that debt at a lower interest rate.
Credible’s made that part easy. Their loan marketplace helps you find prequalified rates from multiple lenders in just 2 minutes.
They can help you find options to lower your interest rate, reduce your monthly payment, or both! To see your options, just fill out a quick information sheet and compare your prequalified rates – without impacting your credit score. You can even get your finalized offer in as little as one business day.
There are no prepayment penalties, loan application fees, or origination fees through Credible’s lending partners, and the marketplace is free to use!
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5. Earn Money Back for Your Food Delivery, Concert Tickets, and More (Here’s $10 to Start)
If you’re not looking for every opportunity to earn cash back, don’t worry, we got you. Even on stuff that you might not think you can get cash back on!
Take, for instance, food delivery. It’s convenient, you don’t have to leave the house, everyone can order from different places, and you don’t have to deal with waitstaff and the crowds.
With Rakuten (previously called Ebates), you can get cash back at Grubhub, Postmates, and Domino’s, which adds up when you’re ordering delivery at least once a week.
And entertainment? You can get cash back on popular sites like Ticketmaster, Stubhub, Fandango, and SeatGeek for all your concerts, movies, and sporting events. Plus, get cash back on your Lyft rides to and from the events so you’re basically getting free cash in your pocket!
Rakuten is also giving our readers a $10 welcome bonus to anyone that signs up to be a member.
Membership is free and you also can earn up to 40% cash back at over 2,500+ stores including Amazon, Walmart, Kohl’s, and Sephora. Plus, you’ll find coupons, free shipping codes, awesome sales, and cash back at over 10,000 restaurants. So… why aren’t you a free member yet?
BONUS: Save Up To 50% On Your Weekly Groceries With One Single App
People coupon to cut costs, but it can be time-consuming and frustrating with all the different places to look for them.
An app is here to change that though. It’s easy grocery planning and couponing with Flipp, an app that has all your weekly local store ads and coupons in one place.
Use the app to create a shopping list by tapping on the digital ads and clip coupons that match with the items you need. Long gone are the days of having a list in one hand and a stack of coupons in the other; all you need now is your phone.
You can search by category, retailer, or item and then ‘clip’ the coupon or load to your store loyalty card – it’s that easy! Flipp also allows you to see trending nearby deals, so you never miss out on a chance to save a little extra dough. Additionally, you can set reminders for expiring clips to ensure you use them in time.
With 1,000+ weekly ads from local retailers and 100+ coupons from brands you love, Flipp has no shortage of saving options!
