Sorry, folks, but there is NOTHING going on in the freebieverse today. The only sad scrap I even have to offer is a "new" Borders coupon for 33% off (as in, they sent this to me yesterday, but we already had one that was good through the same date, Jan. 10).
This does give me a chance to remind you, though, that if you were shopping at Borders during the holiday season, you may very well have accumulated some Borders Bucks (i.e., store credit) that has to be spent in January. You should have received an email, but you can double-check by logging in at Borders.com with your Rewards account number and checking your account summary.
I have a whopping $5 in store credit to use this month, so now I'm pondering how best to squander my free money... but I'm definitely getting at least 33% off.
- Stephanie P.
- Got a tip for your fellow cheapskates? Send it to hardtimesnewsletter@gmail.com!
Showing posts with label cash back. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cash back. Show all posts
Friday, January 7, 2011
Monday, November 16, 2009
Opinion Outpost: Earn cash or Amazon credit for surveys!
It's been a while since I mentioned Opinion Outpost (that's my referral link), so I thought I'd talk about them again since we're going into the holidays. No, I'm not an official spokesperson or anything, but I noticed today that I've made $85 so far through them, which isn't too bad for killing time on the Internet! And I'll be cashing out to do some Xmas shopping pretty soon, you betcha.
Basically, it's a survey site that's free for anyone to join, and you can earn cold, hard cash - OR Amazon e-certificates, which are redeemable instantly, a pretty awesome new development (previously, you had to wait and they would mail you a check, which you can still do if you want the cash). You earn points for completing - or partial points for being disqualified from - surveys, and if my shaky math works out, it's about $0.10 per point. So a typical survey might get you 20 points, or $2, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up pretty quickly and they're easy to polish off in a couple of minutes while you're waiting on hold or whatever.
There are plenty of other good survey sites besides Opinion Outpost out there if you look for them, many of which pay in cash. Just remember, a legitimate site will never charge you to join up, will explain its rewards system clearly, and won't require you to participate in any "special offers" or "premium memberships." If you're going to waste time in front of your computer, you might as well be making money, right?
Basically, it's a survey site that's free for anyone to join, and you can earn cold, hard cash - OR Amazon e-certificates, which are redeemable instantly, a pretty awesome new development (previously, you had to wait and they would mail you a check, which you can still do if you want the cash). You earn points for completing - or partial points for being disqualified from - surveys, and if my shaky math works out, it's about $0.10 per point. So a typical survey might get you 20 points, or $2, which doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up pretty quickly and they're easy to polish off in a couple of minutes while you're waiting on hold or whatever.
There are plenty of other good survey sites besides Opinion Outpost out there if you look for them, many of which pay in cash. Just remember, a legitimate site will never charge you to join up, will explain its rewards system clearly, and won't require you to participate in any "special offers" or "premium memberships." If you're going to waste time in front of your computer, you might as well be making money, right?
Friday, January 16, 2009
Judging a book by its cover.
If you're like me, then the new year is causing some vague itchy feelings of guilt and shame when you look at your filthy, crap-piled-up post-holiday dwelling, and some nebulous plans to "straighten things up." If your bookcase (or ten-foot-tall-stack teetering next to your bed) is in need of some pruning, try selling them off at Cash4Books.net.
The process is straightforward: first, enter your books' ISBNs (above the bar code) to find out how much they'll pay. It looks like they're more textbook-oriented, but recent examples of prices show that they pay about $1-3 for fiction. Submit your order and they'll give you a prepaid postage label to affix to your parcel. Then, just pack up your books and send them off, and within 3 business days after they receive your books, they'll cut you a check or credit your Paypal account (you get a 3% bonus for using Paypal). Easy, right?
I haven't tried it yet myself, but am planning to run some titles through their pricing widget soon to see what I can get. Having someone pay ME to conveniently make my unwanted junk disappear is like unicorn magic!
The process is straightforward: first, enter your books' ISBNs (above the bar code) to find out how much they'll pay. It looks like they're more textbook-oriented, but recent examples of prices show that they pay about $1-3 for fiction. Submit your order and they'll give you a prepaid postage label to affix to your parcel. Then, just pack up your books and send them off, and within 3 business days after they receive your books, they'll cut you a check or credit your Paypal account (you get a 3% bonus for using Paypal). Easy, right?
I haven't tried it yet myself, but am planning to run some titles through their pricing widget soon to see what I can get. Having someone pay ME to conveniently make my unwanted junk disappear is like unicorn magic!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Wait, I've got a coupon...
As useful as Ebates is, it does have its limits - not every online store will be on there, not even all the major ones. But this doesn't mean you have to pay full price on your purchases! Before you check out, do a quick Google search for coupons and promo codes to see if there are any discounts floating out there on the Internets.
Whenever I search, the site that seems to come up in the first few results is Retailmenot.com. These sites can all be hit-or-miss, but this one is good because it allows users to rate coupon codes based on their reliability, and add comments (users often add comments noting that it worked on xx/xx/xx date).
The codes come from a variety of sources, and are good for dollars off, free shipping, gifts with purchase, and the like. It never hurts to check, especially if you're like me and paying extortionate shipping rates kills your soul. I just knocked $3 off my Threadless order, which made the shipping, you know, almost reasonable.
Whenever I search, the site that seems to come up in the first few results is Retailmenot.com. These sites can all be hit-or-miss, but this one is good because it allows users to rate coupon codes based on their reliability, and add comments (users often add comments noting that it worked on xx/xx/xx date).
The codes come from a variety of sources, and are good for dollars off, free shipping, gifts with purchase, and the like. It never hurts to check, especially if you're like me and paying extortionate shipping rates kills your soul. I just knocked $3 off my Threadless order, which made the shipping, you know, almost reasonable.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Happy Cheap Year!
Happy 2009, everybody! Having just returned from a spendy NYE trip, I'm eager to kick off a new year of savings. You probably know about this one already, but since it can be your ticket to multiple levels of discounts, I'm going to talk about Ebates.com anyway.
Once you create an account on this site, you use it as a portal to get to the hundreds of online stores that are Ebates affiliates, and get automatic cash rebates when you shop. Each day, certain stores offer double rebates, so it's worth checking if you intend to make a big purchase. For example, I just bought a pair of snow boots at Endless, because Seattle's weather is still nutso. Using Ebates gives me 7% cash back, and I got marked-down boots with an additional $15 off, plus free overnight shipping, PLUS points on my rewards credit card. $$$$
Ebates has tons of stores that I actually shop at anyway (not shady web businesses you've never heard of), so it can be a sweet deal. The only bummer is you have to remember to go through Ebates FIRST - you can't retroactively have them credit your account - and they issue checks quarterly once you have a minimum $10 refund balance, so you could be waiting a while for that rebates check. My next check is due February 15, which is like Valentine's Day for my checking account!
Once you create an account on this site, you use it as a portal to get to the hundreds of online stores that are Ebates affiliates, and get automatic cash rebates when you shop. Each day, certain stores offer double rebates, so it's worth checking if you intend to make a big purchase. For example, I just bought a pair of snow boots at Endless, because Seattle's weather is still nutso. Using Ebates gives me 7% cash back, and I got marked-down boots with an additional $15 off, plus free overnight shipping, PLUS points on my rewards credit card. $$$$
Ebates has tons of stores that I actually shop at anyway (not shady web businesses you've never heard of), so it can be a sweet deal. The only bummer is you have to remember to go through Ebates FIRST - you can't retroactively have them credit your account - and they issue checks quarterly once you have a minimum $10 refund balance, so you could be waiting a while for that rebates check. My next check is due February 15, which is like Valentine's Day for my checking account!
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