I love to save money, especially when it is easy money! If you have never heard of cash back or rebate apps, you have been missing out on saving money with your purchases. Every time I go shopping, I cannot wait to see how much money I can save by scanning my receipts into these 8 mobile apps.

Apps that help save money have become very popular. Brands and stores are jumping on board and connecting with companies to help their consumers get better deals. It is a win-win for both parties.

Every 7 days I sit down and go through all my receipts. If the receipt is eligible, I will scan it into each app. There are some apps that will have the same cash back offer and I stack the rebates to where I have paid pennies for the item (sometimes even $0)!

You can even go a step further and stack these cash back offers with in-store free printable coupons (link coupon page) and have them pay you for purchasing the item!

Have you thought of couponing before but just do not know where to start? Check out my post Coupon Tips to Save Money Every Time You Shop (link post) to learn more about how you can save a ton of money!

Without further ado, here are the 8 mobile apps I use every week!

1. Ibotta

Ibotta is one out of my top two favorite apps to earn cash back from purchases. It is easy to use and I have earned a lot of money with it.

The easiest way to save the most money with Ibotta is to know what products they are offering rebates on before you grocery shop. This way you will know if you should choose a different brand than your usual. Of course if there is another brand that is cheaper (including the Ibotta rebate), you should forgo the brand Ibotta recommends. 

Another awesome feature I love about Ibotta is the “Any Brand” or “Any Item” rebates. For Example, if you purchase milk (any brand) you will earn cash back for it. 

You can withdraw your cash via PayPal, Venmo, or with one of their featured gift cards.

Ibotta is offering a FREE 10 bonus when you sign up with my referral code awayvld.

2. Walmart Savings Catcher

This is my other favorite money saving app. Walmart came out with this a few years back to help stop price matching in stores. I would assume it became a bottleneck in line, especially during holiday seasons.

The reason I love this app so much is for the same reasons I love Ibotta. It is very user friendly and I have earned a ton of money with it. It actually is easier to use than Ibotta. Any time I shop at Walmart (no matter what I buy) I scan the receipt on the way out the door. I do this so I do not forget to scan it.

The Savings Catcher searches for the best deals around and if they find a better price for an item on your receipt, they will refund the difference between the price you paid at Walmart and the lower price they found. It takes a few days for your receipt to process, but you do not have to lift a finger. They find the lower prices for you and credit your account with the difference.

You can withdraw your cash with Walmart Pay, eGift Card, or Bluebird. Walmart Pay allows you to use the funds in store and online.

 

3. Saving Star

Saving Star is similar to Ibotta but I have found they do not have the amount of rebates as Ibotta does. However, the rebates are fairly hefty so it is definitely worth looking into.

You can cash out once you have earned $5. Cash out via bank or Paypal account, Starbucks, AMC Theatres, or iTunes gift cards.

4. Checkout51

Checkout 51 is another money back rebate app. I like this app because they have cash back offers on produce throughout the summer. They also offer rebates on some of the same items Ibotta does so you can stack the rebates and earn even more :-).

5. MobiSave

MobiSave is yet another cash back app. It is similar to Ibotta except it is product specific instead of product and store specific. They do not have a large number of cash back offers but they are continuously improving, which is why I continue to use them. Plus, stacking the rebates just means more money for you!

Use my referral code TVCTUOAH to sign up and you can get a $1 welcome bonus!

6. BerryCart

This app is a cash back app for gluten free, organic, and non-GMO foods. It works just like Ibotta as far as purchasing, activating, and submitting receipts. I like it because it gives me cash back for products I can’t find on other apps listed here.

Use my referral code 7YUIZ9qOv6qy to sign up and you can get a $2 bonus!

7. Receipt Hog

Receipt Hog works a little different from the above apps. It credits ‘coins’ for each eligible receipt you scan. It also gives away ‘free spins’ with Hog Slots where you can earn extra coins. Once you receive 1000 coins (equal to $5) you can withdraw money.

The #1 reason I recommend Receipt Hog is because it is a no brainer. You already have your receipts in front of you when scanning for the other apps. All you have to do is open the Receipt Hog app, scan the receipt, and earn money. It’s that simple and that awesome!

8. Receipt Pal

Receipt Pal works the same way Receipt Hog does. It will accept all receipts because it does not have category limitations (i.e. grocery store, drug store, etc.). Why not snap another picture of the receipt and upload it to Receipt Pal for even more cash back?!

If you are serious about saving money on your shopping trips, these 8 mobile apps is ideal for a quick return on effort. Make sure you organize your shopping trips and don’t forget to scan your receipts as soon as possible so you can maximize on your savings every week!

What mobile coupon app do you like best?

10 Genius Things To Do Every Day to Save $550+ Every Month

There are so many things I find myself doing that I know I could do less of or change up a little and save some money. We go through our day and not even think of the little things that can add up and cause us to spend more money than we really need to. Below is a list of 10 genius ways to save money everyday! It saved us over $500 a month! I guarantee after reading this, the next time you are doing what’s in the list, you will remind yourself, “Oh wait! I can save money here!”

#1: Turn Off Lights

Do you sometimes leave a light on when you leave a room? I sure do! There are times I may be working in a room and need to leave to do something else in another room. My intentions are to come back to the first room to finish but it may be a half hour or longer before I return. That’s 30+ minutes of electricity I just paid for that I really did not need. This happens all the time! Put yourself in a habit of turning off lights when you leave a room. Or better yet, don’t turn on lights unless you really need them.

#2: Turn Off Electronics

This is the same concept as #1. If you are not using the device, why pay for the electricity to run it? I once had a radio that I turned on for my infant to listen to while she napped. When she woke up and we left the room, I turned the volume down instead of turning the power to off. This was a big mistake. Over several months, I noticed my power bill was higher than usual so I decided to take the radio away to see if that was the hike in the bill. Sure enough, it cost me $25 a month in electricity. Lesson learned. Now I am conscientious of everything that takes power and work hard to turn them off or unplug them if they are not being used.

#3: Thermostat

My husband and I are completely opposites when it comes to temperatures in our home. We have learned to compromise and adjust the thermostat according to the seasons. When it is cold outside, we set the thermostat on 68 (that’s as low as I can take it). When it is in the warmer months we move it to 73 (he get’s ill when he is hot). Another trick we use in the hotter months is turn it up 3 degrees during the day. This way you are not cooling your house during the day when you’re not home (although I’m home most of the day, I do not mind 76 degrees). When my husband comes home, we turn it back down. This has helped keep our power bill down $25-$50 a month.

#4: Use Less When It Comes to Household Items

Have you ever almost ran out of soap or shampoo and you are trying to use as little as possible until you can get to the store to get more? Well, this is when I found out I used entirely to much soap and shampoo when I bathed. Even though I liked to use a quarter size or larger of soap, you really only need a dime size or smaller. Soap lathers very nicely and will go a long way. I broke the habit of using a lot of soap and shampoo and now it lasts me two to three times as long. Don’t stop there. Look at how much you use with any household item. Dishwasher soap, laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, paper plates/bowls, cleaning supplies, etc. I am sure you can save with these as well. If you do this, you can cut your expense in half when it comes to your household items.

#5: Wash Hair Every Other Day

You may be one that washes your hair once a week. If so, that’s awesome and I envy you! However, if you are like me, your hair’s a mess when you get up and is a grease ball! Since I can remember, I have washed and dried my hair everyday up until about 3 months ago. I decided there had to be another way and decided to wash my hair every other day. It took several weeks, but suddenly on the day I didn’t wash my hair it was not as greasy as it had been before. Now, I can go 2 or 3 days without washing my hair. Yes, I still have to work on it each morning but it does not take near as long. Also, it cut out the need for shampoo, conditioner, electricity for drying, and products I normally use when my hair is wet on the days I do not wash my hair. Not to mention the time it saves when not drying my hair :-).

#6: Take Advantage of Leftovers

Do you make enough food to have leftovers? If so, do you make sure to eat all of it instead of letting the last few meals go to waste? I really do not like leftovers much, especially leftover meat. My husband does not mind it that much but he does not like to eat the same meal 3 or 4 times in a row. We found ourselves wasting a lot of food because of these reasons. Several months ago we decided to start the envelope system again and we allowed ourselves only $400 a month for groceries. This includes all household items such as toiletries, laundry detergent, wipes, diapers, etc. as well.

I had to find a way to make $400 last us the whole month other than just using coupons, eBates, or the Ibotta App. Now that I have tested this method out for several months, I can say it definitely works, but you have to be willing to sacrifice and compromise. We decided we needed to quit wasting food and eat what we have on hand. Now, I only cook three nights a week and we eat what we have. Instead of cooking a meal every single night, we eat leftovers for lunch and supper until they are gone. This cuts down on how much food I buy at the grocery store because I am not cooking as much and my family is not wasting as much. Yes, it may not be what we want or what we are craving but we have all learned to just deal with it. In the long run it saves us anywhere from $100-$300 a month now. That’s a huge savings!

#7: Take Your Lunch to Work

Now that you have all these left overs, you can take your lunch to work. My husband and I found it easier to make our meals when putting away supper. This way you have your lunch ready to take with you in the morning instead of forgetting to make it or not having enough time to make it. It sets you up for success. If you eat out most of the work week for lunch, you can save a ton of money with this one. Let’s look at an example. Let’s say you spend $8 on lunch when you eat out and you eat out 4 times a week. Over a month’s time, you have saved $128 if you take your lunch to work. That still allows for you to eat out 4 times a month. I would say that’s a pretty fair compromise.

#8 Say Bye-Bye to Cable

If you still have cable, you need to tell it bye-bye! If you did a survey on how many people were satisfied with the amount they are paying for cable compared to the satisfaction they get from it, I would say about 0% of people would say they were happy with it.  I am sure you have heard at least 1 person, if not 100, complain about how much they pay for cable. In my opinion, there are so many other options, there really is no need for cable! My husband and I decided to cut our cable when our daughter was born. We felt the money we paid wasn’t worth the time we were able to watch it. Instead we signed up for CBS All Access because most of the shows we watch are on CBS. The cost is only $5.99 per month and we have limited commercials. Sign up for your plan today and get your first month free with my exclusive link. This was a total of $74 a month!

I have several friends who have dropped cable as well. They have went with other alternatives like Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Hulu. I also know several people who have opted for an antenna. This may sound old school but it definitely worked for them. They paid the upfront cost of the Antenna and have not paid for TV since. You can buy an Antenna from Amazon ranging from $20 to $100+. This Antenna is on sale today for $24.95.

#9 Have Weekly Challenges

This is a really neat one and does not last very long. The idea is to determine a challenge once a week and set your mind to accomplishing the challenge. The challenge can be anything you can think of that will help save money. You can also set challenges that will help you bring in extra money. A few ideas for a weekly challenge are:

• No eating out
• Lights off other than 1 hour a day
• Free entertainment only
• Make an extra $50 – check out how to Make Extra Money with Paid Surveys

This can be a fun way to save money or make extra money. It seems to be much more fun and easier if you have another person taking the challenge with you. That way you will have someone to compete with and try to stick with your weekly challenge. If you do not have someone in your home, try asking a relative or friend if they would like to do it with you. You can also join our private Facebook Group and start a challenge with us. We would love to participate with you! Actually, I just motivated myself to start one next week, so come on over and join us :-)!

#10 Be Prepared by Planning Ahead

I don’t know how many times I have spent more on items than if I had been better prepared. For example, several weeks ago my husband and I had a baby shower to attend for one of our friends. We had known about the shower for at least 2 weeks but neither of us took the time to go shopping for the shower. Here it was the morning of the shower and we find ourselves at babies-r-us looking through their registry. We decided we wanted to buy them the baby monitor they had listed. We bought it and spent around $200 (this included the monitor, tissue paper, bag, and card). Had we been better prepared, we could have bought the same exact monitor from Amazon for $167.09 a few weeks before. Or I could have brought the 15% off coupon I had laying at the house and saved $30. I also could have brought the bag, tissue paper, and card with us since I save these from my showers and parties and reuse them.

I find this happening more times than I like to admit. Sometimes I run to the grocery store without clipping coupons or browsing through the stores weekly deals. The only way to save money here is to be ahead of the game. You can save yourself so much money simply by planning ahead and being prepared.

What do you do to save money every month?

How We Paid Over $100K of Debt With This Simple System

If you are anything like me you love to pay off debt. Anytime I can make an extra principal only payment toward our debt, I am like a little girl at her birthday party. We paid over $100K of debt with this simple system and you can too! It’s called the envelope system and my husband and I love it. It’s the only way we can really keep our cost down and drive down our debt. Now that I am staying at home with our children, money is tighter than it’s ever been. Thankfully, this blog (see Everything You Need to Build and Grow Your Blog if you are interested in paying off debt with blogging) and the envelope system has been a HUGE help to put some money each month toward our goal of paying off debt. Don’t worry, if you have no clue what I am talking about, I will walk you through step by step on how to pay off debt with the envelope system and hopefully your debt payoff goal will become reality as well! So….let’s get to it!

Step 1: Itemize Last Three Months Expenses

First things first. You have to get a handle on how much you are spending each month and what you are spending your money on. I can guarantee if you have never taken the time to go through this, you are already spending more than you really have to, even if you think you are being frugal. Most people spend more than they realize they are spending just because they don’t keep track of it. For example, if you love going out to eat, I bet you go out more often than you think. When I first sat down and went through our expenses I could not believe the number of times my husband and I had spent on eating outside of the house the few months prior. Still don’t believe me? Write down the number of times you think you’ve went out to eat, bought a snack, or bought a drink from the gas station when pumping gas over the last month and just hang on to that number for now. If you want to go a little further than that, write down how much you think you spent as well.

Okay, so now you need to add up what you’ve spent each month for the past three months. You need to itemize this as much as possible. So instead of lumping your electricity, water, etc. into a group called utilities, you need to actually list them out separately. This is so you will be able to see where you are spending your money and be able to look for any cost efficient alternatives. Once you get your monthly sums of each category, you need to average it over the last three months. Take the sum of Month 1: Category 1, Month 2: Category 1, and Month 3: Category 1 (let’s say gas) and divide it by three. This will let you know how much, on average, you are spending in each category.

If you are anything like me, you want this to be as easy and painless as possible. So to make easier, I created a Budget and Allocation Calculator so all the legwork is done for you. All you have to do is type in your numbers 🙂 . How cool is that!!

Oh and once you have finished this step, take a look at how many times and how much you have spent on eating out over the last three months. Whoa! I know it adds up quickly!!

Step 2: Itemize Last Three Months Income

This one is pretty easy. Some of you may have one income and some may have several different avenues of income. You need to list these out separately but in the end add them up. Your income should be pretty consistent each of these three months. If it is not, you should take out any extra income that you will not regularly make. You do not need to inflate your income because it will not give us a real number to work with. There is no reason to average this. We are just looking to make sure your income is consistent across all three months.

Step 3: Compare Income and Expenses

Now that you have your expense and income list, you need to compare them to make sure what you are spending is less than what you are bringing in each month. If your expenses are higher than your income, you have a BIG problem! If this is the case, then your eyes should be wide open and you should be seeking ways to dig yourself out. Fortunately, you’re on the right track. Doing what you are doing right now is the first step, so well done! You have a tall mountain to climb here and it will get difficult, but believe me when I say – It is possible and so worth it! Don’t let this stop you. If anything, turn that hopeless or defeated feeling into determination and grit!

If your expenses are not more than your income, great job! It will be easier for you to pay off debt, save money or spend less when you are starting with your feet on the ground.

Step 4: Go Over Expenses with a Fine Tooth Comb

This step will help you understand where your money is being spent and where you can save. You need to take some time to go through this. Maybe even process it for a day or two. I have found that when you initially do this step, there is always some sort of denial that comes with it. Some think their spending habits are okay. Others think they are doing everything they can do and there is no way to squeeze a little extra cash. But…..there usually is.

Another really good idea is to let someone else look at it. Maybe a spouse, child (at an appropriate age and maturity level), or close friend. It is easier for people to see a flaw in other’s buying habits than it is their own. So if you’re having a hard time with it, try this. If you do not have someone you trust or are comfortable with sharing this information, I’ll be happy to take a look. Just shoot it to me in an email :-).

I want to give you an example of looking at each of your categories with a fine tooth comb. Let’s take a look at your gas expense. It’s easy to say you have to spend the money to drive to and from work or take the kids to practice. I want you to really look at it and answer these questions:

1. Where do we drive every day?
2. Is it necessary to drive to these places?
3. Would it be possible to combine trips?
4. Can we carpool with each other or with others?

There are several other questions you may want to ask yourself here, the above is just an example. The thought process you should develop when answering is (this is one day, each week for a month):

1. Husband: drives to work, drives to get lunch and back to work, drives home, drives son to practice.  Wife: drives to school to drop kids off and back home, drive to get groceries and back home, drives to get haircut and back home, drives to visit with a friend and back home, drives to pick up kids from school and back home, drives daughter to dance class.
2. Wife can cut down on trip cost by asking the friend to her house or possibly making the visit once a month instead of once a week. Instead of going grocery shopping once a week, combine two trips in one and shop every other week. Husband should take his lunch instead of having to drive somewhere to buy it.
3. Possibly. A few ideas: husband drops kids off at school on his way to work, wife plans hair cut in enough time to go straight from beauty shop to the school, plan to pick up groceries after school pickup and drop daughter off at dance class on the way home. Dad picks up daughter from dance class on his way home from son’s practice. Of course, there are a few things that will come into play that will not allow for this such as location and timing. That’s ok, just do the best you can here.
4. Possibly. Husband could ride with a co-worker to work a few days. Wife could team up with another mom from school and carpool the kids.

Some of the answers may not be ideal and some of you might not be willing to do this. But remember, the only way to finally reach financial freedom is to be determined and humble yourself enough to think and walk outside of your comfort box!

Step 5: Go Over Income with a Fine Tooth Comb

This one is simple as well. Take a look at your income to see how much you can spend each month. If you have more expenses than you do income or are just barely able to pay what expenses you have, then I suggest you make more money! If you are happy with your income to expenses ratio, then great! Move forward to Step 6!

Now I am sure you think you are making the most money you possibly can. But are you really? Have you received a raise within the last year? Is your salary the same or above what the average is for your position? Can you make more with the experience or degree you have? Have you looked at a part-time job? Have you looked at how to make money on the side? If you are saying “no” to most of these questions, then the answer is more than likely you are not making as much as you really can.

I realize there is this thing called work-life balance and I am a strong believer in it. That’s one reason (not the only reason) I started this blog. There has to be more in life than working, right? But I have always said if you do have to work, you might as well make as much as you can and enjoy it.

In order to pay off your debt and save money you need to look at your income and find ways (I suggest more than one) to increase it. Ask for a raise, look for a better paying job, get a second part-time job, start a blog, start side hustling, sell everything you can in your house that is sitting around, do anything that will bring in extra income.  See my list of ways to make extra money at the end of this post.

Step 6: Allocate Money for Each Category

Now that you have a pretty good idea of what your expenses look like here comes the hard part. Take what you have learned from Step 4 and set a goal for each category on what you feel is necessary and feasible. I like to break it down per pay period in this step so it is easier to know exactly how much can be spent every time we are paid. You can do it per month or per pay period but I suggest you do not go any longer than one month. So for example: I feel we will need to allow ourselves (between 3 vehicles) $400 per month for gas. We get paid bi-monthly so we would allow ourselves $200 each pay period for gas.

THIS IS THE BIGGY! Make sure at the end of this step, you have not allowed yourselves more than what your income is. The greatest part about using the envelope system is you are using cash to pay for everything. If you do not have enough cash to pay for everything, then something has to go!

Step 7:  Create Your Envelopes

For this step, you need to come up with the easiest way to have cash on hand in each category. Even though it’s called the envelope system it doesn’t really matter what you use. You can use envelopes, page protectors, a small expandable binder with file pockets, or anything else you can think of that will hold money. List the name of each category on each of the envelopes, page protector, or file pocket. So for me I wrote Gas $200 on one envelope, Groceries $150 on another envelope, Hair $14 on another, and so on.

Each pay period you should cash your paycheck or withdraw the amount you need to cover all the necessary cash for these envelopes. If there is any money left over, put it in savings or pay off some debt. I do recommend having a nice cushion in your savings account for emergencies. By emergencies, I mean your husband or wife losing their job, you get a nail in your tire and have to buy a new one, or something of that nature. I do not mean an oil change or new tires due to wear and tear. This expense should be covered in your monthly expenses.

Okay back to extra money. If you do happen to have money left over each pay period that is not needed to cover bills, you have money in your savings account to pay emergencies, and you have debt; I suggest you pay the extra money toward the debt. The reason being is because if you do not spend it now to pay off debt, you will justify why it should be spent in the future. Usually this justification is something of unimportance like a new video game, manicure, gun, or whatever it is that you enjoy.

Don’t forget! If you haven’t already, make sure to download the Budget & Allocation Calculator!

Ahhhh…..finally! You have now created your very own Cash Envelope System! I bet you thought we would never get here. If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! You have succeeded in the first big hurdle. There are still many to go but this is such an accomplishment. Give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it!

Now that you are on your way to paying off debt, saving money, or spending less with the envelope system, don’t stop here. Continue to go through these steps each month in the beginning. You can cut back to every three or six months once you get the hang of it and feel you are spending only what you need to. You want to make sure you did not over allow or under allow yourselves in each category. Also, once you start you may think of other ways to decrease your need in certain categories or find ways to bring in more income. It is a never ending cycle!

I’m sure you have heard of Dave Ramsey by now. He is what made us decide to start the envelope system. He has a great system of not only paying off debt, but completely revamping your finances. If you haven’t already read The Total Money Makeover A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness, I highly recommend it!

Need ideas to make extra money? Check out my other post:

How to Start a Blog and Quit Your 9 to 5

Everything You Need to Build and Grow Your Blog

Make Extra Money with Paid Surveys

How to Become a Transcriptionist with No Experience

Psst!!….Have you paid off debt with a system? If so, we would love to hear your story! Just send us an email or comment below. If you enjoyed this post, please share it with others on your favorite social media sites. Oh and one last thing…join our mailing list to receive other great information in your inbox!