The Basics

First things first, I’m the realest …deal-est?? Hey, I tried! As my first true post, I wanted to get the basics out of the way! These are my go-to money-saving tricks I use whenever I shop online. Sharing these with you now means that you can refer back to these tips whenever you are interested in buying anything I might post to the blog in the future! So let’s get right to it…below are four of my favorite tricks and websites. Once I am ready to checkout after shopping, I will first go thru these websites. They each also have their own Apps if you happen to shop via phone/tablet!

*Also, here is the link to a video I filmed a bit ago that explains these if you’re more of an audio than visual person 😉

• Ebates – This website is amazing! I have been using Ebates for almost two years now and have so far received $466 cash back from online shopping! Yes, you read that right! I do shop online often but never in huge amounts. First off, you get a $10 gift card of your choice just for joining Ebates! Any time I want to buy something online, I will first go to Ebates, type the website I am shopping at into their search bar, and usually it will come up. They feature hundreds of stores (Ulta, Sephora, Target, Expedia, Nordstrom, Macy’s, many cosmetics websites, Forever21, Asos, etc.) that all give you varying amounts of cash back from 1% all the way up to over 50% for some special deals. If you click the “shop now” link from Ebates, it will redirect you to the website you are shopping at and track what you spent so that it can tally up the cash back you’ve earned. Ebates pays this out to you quarterly either by PayPal or gift cards (which are even further discounted – last quarter I earned about $90 in cash back and chose to receive a $100 Ulta gift card!). Another note: Ebates also lists any promo codes/specials the store you are shopping at is currently running so that is an added bonus to pay attention to as well!

          *Here is my personal link to join Ebates: Click here!

• Raise – This is a website where you can buy gift cards at a discounted price. For example, I was buying a pair of shoes from Free People that were a little over $200 (I know, don’t yell at me! I promise they were worth it…maybe I will share in a future post about splurges.) I went on the Raise site, searched for Free People, and was able to purchase a $200 gift card (to use for my purchase) for only $160. That means I saved $40 on the shoes at least! Be sure to always check Raise for gift cards before paying with your credit card or PayPal!

          *Here is my personal link to join Raise: Click here!

• RetailMeNot – This is another website that aggregates promo codes you can use online and/or in-store. Click here!

• Email Sign-Ups – One trick I always use if I cannot find any other promo codes is to find the place on a website where it allows you to sign up for the store’s email list or newsletter. Usually upon signing up for this, they will send you a welcome emailing containing a promo code to be used on your first order. Some (but certainly not all) major sites I know who do this are: H&M, Macy’s, basically every makeup brand website, Forever21, Asos, Revolve, etc.

These are my four top tricks for saving money on all your online shopping! Feel free to comment below if you have any other tips to share or have any questions/comments for me. Thanks babes!

Xoxo, Nicole