I'm a Frugal Mom

My job description goes a little bit further than "Mom."  One of my other responsibilities is finance.  I am working on creating a budget for our family and moving to an all-cash system.  I'm giving myself a few months to get a rough budget in order since our lives have changed quite a bit in the past few months, but it is something that needs to be done.  In the age of plastic, it is easy to swipe the card at the checkout and not even pay attention to how much you've spent.  I have started to use cash for groceries and after running around to the different stores I now know how much I've spent.  I think the days of swiping the magic debit card are coming to an end!


I like to shop around to find the best price for everything.  I am a grocery ad reading, coupon clipping, online shopping mom.  Yes, I understand that this takes more time, but when it comes down to it we are living off of one income and saving money whenever possible is a must.


One of my favorite money-saving sites is Ebates.  Whenever I am purchasing online, I log into Ebates and see if my store participates.  The concept is simple:  enter a website through Ebates and receive a percentage of cash back.  The hardest part is remembering to start at the Ebates website!  Most of the time, the cash back is a small percentage of your total purchase, but there are times throughout the year where the percentage of cash back may be doubled or more.  You receive a check every three months if you have more than $5 in your account.  This can be a really good deal if you like to do your Christmas  shopping online.  I have received several checks and love that it's so simple to do.


A lot of stores also allow you to shop online and pick up your items in the store.  This is another great way to save some time and money, as you can still access the store through Ebates and receive your cash back.  I have one tip, though:  always keep your order confirmation.  I have had a few times where my purchase didn't get credited, but they keep tracking tickets on the website and you can provide your order confirmation to solve this problem.


If you shop online, give it a try!  Who doesn't like free money?  You can check it out by clicking:


Ebates


Happy shopping!