Penny pinching is so much more than just what you do at the grocery store. You can take what you buy and use it to get even more.
Use free magazines for the coupons
For instance, almost all rewards programs offer magazines. I often use my points to get magazines, especially magazines which will be rich in coupons that I can turn around and use at the store to earn more products which will yield more rewards.
But, think BIGGER. What if you could do your Christmas shopping for FREE?
Use rewards programs to Christmas shop for free
Some of the programs I use include the following:
MyCokeRewards: If you purchase soda, you might as well get something back from it. How about magazines, gift cards, photo developing or other cool gifts? For FREE? Yeah, it’s a good thing.
I love My Coke Rewards so much that I have been know to pull codes out of the recycling bin and even had Bill stop on the side of the road once for me to grab a box worth 20 points. Crazy? Could be. But I never pay to have my photographs developed and have several magazines subscriptions free of charge. This year, I even picked up a few really cool Christmas gifts.
Huggies Enjoy the Ride and Pampers Gifts to Grow: Diapers cost a bundle, even when on sale. So, get in the habit of clipping the codes from the package, put them in a drawer and then sit down every once in a while to plug them into your account.
You don’t even have to purchase diapers to score some of these codes. They come available all the time, and you can use the to pick up toys for gift-giving or even coupons for FREE diapers.
Swagbucks: You might be sick of hearing me rave about Swagbucks but seriously… where else can you use a toolbar and get points which translate into prizes? Okay… other than Bing Rewards! Now, I must admit that I do not use Bing Rewards but the value of their prizes are over-priced compared to Swagbucks. So, I will still be a Swaggernaut and happily so! To the tune of FIVE $5 gift cards to Amazon.com a month, on average. Not to bad for searching the internet. Those gift cards can add up quickly and pay for a few of your Christmas gifts.
Bank Rewards: We might be credit card free but we do have a debit card. It has a handy VISA logo on it which means you can run it as a credit card through swipe machines and even pay with it online. Why am I acting all giddy about 16 tiny numbers? Because my bank rewards me with one point for every $1 I spend when I run my debit card as a credit card. We even pay our bills with our debit card to get more points. Those rewards points can be exchanged for travel, merchandise, or my personal favorite… GIFT CARDS!
Now, you have to keep in mind that this is NOT a credit card and you MUST have the money in the bank so the transaction doesn’t bounce you into overdraft charges quicker than a kid ducking for cover when caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Check with your bank to see if they offer a similar rewards program.
I use Stouffers Dinner Rewards. I’m addicted to their mac and cheese so I get quite a few points.