Would You Like To Know...

...some great websites to help you save and even earn a little money?  But of course you do!  I have no shame in admitting we're a poor couple consisting of a seminary student and a social worker (yeah, we're bringing in the big bucks), so we try to take advantage of every opportunity for freebies or discounts.  I don't spend all day scourging the Internet looking for deals, but I have come across some very easy websites which help me a bit with the finances.  These websites aren't a replacement for good old fashioned hard work and determined saving, but every little bit helps.  I'm determined not to involve myself (or you) with any gimmicks, so these websites are tried and true!  Here are my favourites:

1) Swagbucks.  You know I have to mention this one.  It's simply fantastic!  Swagbucks is a site which started out as a search engine but has developed into much more.  The whole concept is centered around earning these nifty little digital dollars called Swagbucks, which you can then exchange for items in the Swag Store.  The store is stocked with all sorts of goodies, but my favourite are definitely the gift cards available: Amazon, Target, Starbucks- even Southwest Airlines!  You earn Swagbucks through using their site as search engine, randomly winning various amount of the digital dollars.  You can also earn Swagbucks by participating in daily polls, surveys, and other activities, as well as referring other people to the website.  It's completely free and 100% legitimate.  I have earned over $100 to use at Amazon.com and have purchased a good deal of these year's Christmas presents using Swagbucks.

2) Ebates.  This is a relatively new site to me, but I have heard it mentioned before by several people.  Ebates offers you cash rewards by shopping online; you simply log into the Ebates website first and then click through to the store at which you are shopping.  You can earn as much as 25% cash back on your purchases, but most of them are around 2-5%.  They have all the usual stores: Target, Kohl's JCPenney, Half.com, Ebay, etc.  Once a quarter, Ebates sends you a check.  Again, this probably isn't going to add up to much (unless you are doing a lot of online shopping), but why wouldn't you take the opportunity to get a little bit of money back if you are purchasing something anyway?  You can also refer people; I was referred by a friend and was even given five dollars to start (and don't laugh at that- five dollars is a lot of cash, friends)!  If you're using Swabucks and Ebates, imagine what a difference it could actually make in your budget.

3) RewardPort.  The website looks a little shady, but I promise it's legit; it's even a member of the Better Business Bureau.  RewardPort simply sends you emails with links to different websites; by visiting the website, you earn a certain amount of points.  I usually click on the link, let the web browser open the site, and then move onto the next email.  It's always a good idea to clean out your cookies!  If you click through the emails once a day or every few days, it literally takes about one minute to earn a fair amount of points.  You then exchange your points for gift cards in a way similar to Swagbucks.  I've got my eye on a $10 Amazon giftcard or $25 Restaurant.com card.  I think it's a good idea to have an alternative email to use for sites like RewardPort; otherwise your main email could get rather clogged. 

4) MyPoints.  MyPoints is similar to RewardPort; they send you BonusMail through your email.  You simply visit the partner site to earn points; there are also opportunities to participate in surveys so that you can earn even more points.  You can also do something similar to Ebates in that you click through to your online shopping by going through the MyPoints website first.  You can then exchange your points for a ton of different giftcards.  MyPoints seems to take a bit longer for me to store up points, but again, it's literally about thirty seconds of my day.  The prizes are comparable to other sites like RewardPort, etc.

5) Book Review Blogging Sites.  Okay, so you're probably not going to actually make money doing this, but you can definitely save a good deal- especially if you are a bookworm who finds a shopping trip to the book store way too tempting.  I started doing book reviews on my blog for several different companies just last year, but I've already gotten tons of free books!  Not all of them are destined to set on my shelves forever, but I have definitely enjoyed getting to read just about all of the books.  Generally you are allowed to request one book at a time and aren't allowed to request another book until you've posted your review, but some companies will allow you to request several books at once, and you'll often get them all!  Keep in mind you can't just request any book- there is a limited selection each publishing company offers and you choose from that selection.  Shoot, sometimes you can even get DVDs too.  I currently review for Thomas Nelson, NavPress, Bethany House, Waterbrook Multnomah, and Tyndale House.  Mmm....free books!

What about you?  What do you do to save money?