Ebates for Holiday Shopping

The Holidays are coming and if you are like me than you probably do a lot of Holiday shopping.  So why not get a little something for yourself when getting things for others?  Enter Ebates.

I’ve talked about Ebates over and over again and if you have signed up for Ebates then you go girl (or boy… whatever).  But if you haven’t signed up yet, or if you have signed up, but “forget” to go to Ebates first before online shopping (hint, hint Mom) then shame on you!   So let me tell you about Ebates again. 

Ebates is a company that rewards you with cash back for shopping online.  Yes, it sounds too good to be true, but how it works per Ebates website is:

stores pay Ebates a commission for sending our members to shop at their websites.  Ebates then splits that commission with you, in the form of Cash Back.

There are tons of different stores participating with Ebates with varying cash back options.  And these cash back percentages change throughout the year (I've seen up to 20% cash back, right now up to 15%).  For example, It Cosmetics is offering 4% cash back right now.  If you read my last post (here) and decided to become an It Girl and purchase some of my favorite It Cosmetics products for yourself, then you would get 4% cash back for any purchase made through the Ebates website.  Basic math here: if you spend $100 you get 4% cash back or $4.  $4 to some may not seem like enough of an incentive to sign up for Ebates, but every purchase you make online adds up and free is free!  So maybe you are a baller instead and want to purchase the $1190 Soho Leather Gucci Disco Bag I've been dreaming of from Saks Fifth Avenue, who is offering 8% cash back on Ebates right now.  That is essentially $95 off the purchase of this gorgeous Gucci Disco Bag.  But $95 cash back doesn't entice you?  I forgot you're a baller.  You see my point...

Additionally, Ebates has a mobile app for on the go shopping and offers in store cash back options, which I've personally never tried, but plan to do next time I go to Buy Buy Baby.  I'll let you know how that works out.

I plan to do all my Holiday shopping though Ebates so mama can have a little spending money.  When you have a new baby, every penny counts including this Big Fat Check for $12.57 that I just received for my recent purchases through Ebates.

So have I convinced you yet to sign up for Ebates?  Use my referral link here and when you sign up and make a purchase you will get $10 free for joining and I will get $25 plus a chance to win $50,000!  And then after you have joined Ebates start referring all your friends so you too can get referral commission.  Everyone wins here.  Plus, if you sign up by November 19, every purchase you make through Ebates gives you an entry into a chance to win $500.  Now that would pay some of my Holiday bills, probably yours too... Fingers crossed!

Free Money

The number one way I get paid to shop is through Ebates, which I have talked about many times before.  To read my last post about Ebates and how I get free cash back when I shop online click here.  Yes, it really works.  I have currently received $916.55 from Ebates and no I don't shop that much online.  Sign up for Ebates here through my referral link and get $10 bonus cash when you make your first purchase.

Today I want to tell you about one way I get free money when I shop in stores with an app called Ibotta.  I mainly use this app when I shop at grocery stores, big box retailers, convenience stores, and pharmacy chains such as ShopRite, Target, Walmart, Costco, CVS, Wawa, 7-11, etc... you get the idea.  Each week participating stores offer different cash back incentives off various items they sell from fruits and veggies, to wine, to household cleaning supplies.  Additionally, most stores offer a $0.25 cash back rebate on any item.  Yep, that's $0.25 for simply shopping in a store.  As far as I'm concerned every quarter adds up.

The Ibotta app is super easy to use and I will give you a quick overview of how it works.  Normally I would recommend looking for rebates at participating stores before shopping, but let's be real... I often forget to do this.  Follow along to see how I redeem a receipt for cash back from my recent shopping trip to Costco.  I find it easiest to manually search for stores, but scroll through the long list if that is your thing.

Nothing I bought at Costco was on rebate and that's when I appreciate the $0.25 on any item cash back rebate!   To add the rebate to your account click the "+" and then "redeem."

This will take you to a new screen that makes you read or watch an advertisement or answer a survey question.  In this case it was an advertisement for Amazon.

After clicking the link for "Add $0.25 Cash Back" I was directed to a screen instructing me to take a picture of the recent Costco receipt and confirm which incentive I was redeeming.

Sometimes you have to scan the barcode to confirm that you bought a specific item, but not in this case.  So collect that money!

And within 24 hours your account will be credited with cash.  

Ibotta is literally the second easiest way to get free money for shopping.  If you can use a smartphone, shop in a store, and follow directions then you can use this app.  Before this current rebate I had $67.70 in my account.

And after my Costco shopping trip I had $67.95.  Get it!

I am on a mission to get to $100 so I can buy groceries without having to spend anything other than cash from my Ibotta rebates.  That would be awesome and I hope to reach this goal by the end of the year.

This is honestly an extremely user friendly app and I would encourage you to sign up for Ibotta.  If you sign up by my referral link here you will receive a $10 welcome bonus for free after you redeem your first rebate.  So what do you have to lose?  Get that money!

My honest Tieks review

I wear ballet flats almost every day at work... Let's start over.

I wear the same pair of ballet flats almost every day at work: a silver pair of Vera Wang Lavender flats that I got years ago from Century 21.  They literally go with everything.  So needless to say I was on the hunt for a pair of ballet flats that are versatile enough to wear everyday and most importantly comfortable.  Now that it is warm(er), I try to go on a walk a few times a week during my lunch break to get a few minutes of fresh air and cardio.  Thus my shoes have to transition from office to walk and back to office without my feet hurting or leaving my feet covered in blisters.

I've heard about Tieks for awhile, but the cost hindered me from trying them out.  What changed my mind was the return policy.  A lot of websites appear to offer free shipping and returns, but when you read the fine print there is some stipulation, whether it is a fee for return shipping or stocking.  Not with Tieks!  So I took a chance and ordered the Rose Gold Glam Tieks that I had my eyes on.  

 

First off the packaging is adorable.  Tieks are known for their Tiffany Blue soles and the packaging ties in with the color scheme perfectly. 

Plus the flower detail is really stunning.  This is an an item that you can definitely repurpose.  The flower detail is on an elastic so it would be a gorgeous finishing touch to a gift as Tieks presents it or would look super cute in your little one's hair as a statement headband.  You're welcome.

 

First off I love the rose gold color.  It screams summer.  I also like that Tieks are foldable.  They come with a black dust bag that the flats fold into, which is a really nice touch.  Plus it allows you to carry these shoes in your purse without getting your purse covered in God knows what's on the ground and change into them as needed. 

 

Now what I don't like... 

I love that the soles are Tiffany Blue, but I really, really, really don't like the blue stripe down the back of these flats.  It cheapens the look. 

As soon as I slipped these on my initial thought was: these are not the most comfortable flats I've ever tried.  Tieks need to be broken in and for $235 I don't know if they will truly become the most comfortable shoe once they form to my feet.  For that price tag I'm just not willing to risk keeping them and then regretting such an expensive purchase.   Plus the demarcation of my big toe is weird.  I feel like that would annoy me overtime.  So the Tieks had to go back.

The main reason I decided to review Tieks is that I did not see a single negative review while researching Tieks online and after trying them I wonder if more bloggers were offered some type of incentive for their glowing reviews.  I'm leaning towards yes considering the cheapest pair of Tieks go for $175, which is pricey! A few bloggers did admit that they were offered half off to review the Tieks and honestly I probably would have kept these Tieks for half off, but no incentive was offered.  For now I'm still on the hunt for the most comfortable flats that won't break the bank.  Suggestions would be greatly appreciated!