Put some WOW in your life
As you prepare for Thanksgiving and other holiday gatherings with family and friends, you may want ways on how to entertain without blowing your budget. In Cameron Huddleston’s article, “How to Feed Your Holiday Guests on the Cheap” on GoBankingRates, we share tips on how to keep the cost of desserts down. Read some of the other ways you can save from other savings experts!
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Here’s how to save money while dining out at restaurants:
Want to have a fancy date night at a great price? Get a 4-course farm-to-table meal at Travelle Kitchen and bar for $45 per person or dinner for 2 at the Willis Tower’s 67th-floor private club for only $89. Find these deals on Travelzoo.
Receive 40% in cash back rewards when you claim this deal at Groupon, link it to your eligible Visa card and use that Visa card for payment at Sumo. The cash-back rewards will be credited to your card statement after every purchase at Sumo for as long as the deal is valid. While you are on Groupon’s site, check out the other fantastic deals they have at local and national restaurants. It’s a great way to experience new ones without breaking the bank!
Now through September 25th, kids eat free every night between 4 pm-10 pm at participating IHOP restaurants. Receive one free kids’ entrée with each adult entrée purchase. The free entrée is valid for kids 12 and under on “Just for Kids” menu items at participating restaurants.
Download the Lou Malnati’s app, link your credit or debit card(s), use it to place your order through the app and earn 1 point for every $1 spent. Earn points for every friend that signs up with your referral link. You will receive a $20 reward for every 250 points earned, which you can use Monday-Thursday. New users will receive $5 off your first order when you use this link to sign up for the Lou Malnati’s app.
Download the new Portillo’s App from the iOS App Store or Google Play. Create an account and enter the code HOTDOG when checking out and you’ll receive $5 off an order of at least $15 through August 31st. (When I used the app for the first time, I also received a free Portillo’s T-shirt when I picked up my order for being one of the first 200 to download the app. Your location may also be participating in that promotion.) Five lucky app users will even win Portillo’s Meals for a year. Also, sign up to receive a free slice of chocolate cake on your birthday at Portillo’s.
Which are your favorite way to save money when dining out?
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I had the pleasure of appearing on Windy City LIVE sharing some of the best free apps to get the best deals.
Here’s how to get the apps (along with a few more):
You can use the Favado app to see what is on sale at the stores, along with the coupons that can be used to save even more money. It’s also easy to compare prices between stores. You may also use it to find lower prices to price match at certain stores.
Use the Coupons.com app to find local deals (if you have your location settings turned on) and also find grocery coupons that can either be printed or added to your store loyalty card. If you have a wireless printer, you may even be able to print the coupons directly from your phone.
Many stores have now developed their own apps to save you even more money. Download their free apps to find out about sales, store coupons and reward programs. Some examples of store apps are:
– Shop Your Way (Sears/Kmart)
– Target
– CVS
– Jewel-Osco
– Best Buy
– Walgreens
Earn kicks on Shopkick when you make purchases using your connected credit or debit card and when you visit a store on the app. You can also earn kicks by scanning or purchasing select products throughout the store. You can then trade your kicks for rewards such as gift cards to select stores. Use those gift cards to reduce the amount you pay on your future purchases.
There are a variety of apps that offer cash back from your purchases, including:
– Ibotta
– Ebates
– Checkout 51
– SavingStar
These apps will give you cash back from your purchases when you either submit your receipts or link up your store loyalty card. Some of them may even have limited time bonuses.
Submit your receipts on Receipt Hog to earn coins which you can then trade for Amazon gift cards or cash via PayPal. Use the cash or gift card you’ve earned on your following shopping trips to lower your final cost.
– Use the Favado app to find the best deals on the products you plan to purchase.
– Use either the Favado app or Coupons.com to print out coupons or load coupons onto your store loyalty card.
– Use a store app to find more coupons, deals and rewards.
– Use the Shopkick app when you enter the store (if it’s on the app) to collect kicks. Scan and/or purchase select products in the store to earn additional kicks. Link up your credit or debit card to earn even more kicks.
– Submit your receipts to the cash back apps and Receipt Hog. Earn gift cards to use towards future purchases.
Which are your favorite money-saving apps?
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Sam’s Club is one of the stores that is just a few minutes from us, so we find ourselves shopping there often. Even though you may think that all you can get there are products in bulk, there are many other ways to save at Sam’s Club. In Cameron Huddleston’s article, “9 Secret Ways to Save Money at Sam’s Club” on GoBankingRates, we share a couple of tips (#3 and #5).
Sign up for a Sam’s Club membership today with our referral link and you’ll receive a free $10 e-gift card. (When you join, we’ll also receive a $10 e-gift card.) Once you’re a member, you may also get your own referral link to earn $10 e-gift cards when your friends become a Sam’s Club member.
How do you save at Sam’s Club?
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As the seasons are changing, now is a great time to find some new ways to save some extra money. We’re thrilled to be included in Cameron Huddleston’s article, “50 Ways to Save $500 This March” on GoBankingRates. Check out our tip on how to save on spring clothing (#24) as well as the other 49 tips and put some money back in your wallet!
Let us know which ones you use and which ones you plan to try!
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My family and I have saved a lot of money over the years by buying open box, display, and refurbished items. Laura Harders of Beltway Bargain Mom included some of tips on how to save when shopping for those in her article for the U.S. News and World Reports Money – “Think Outside the Box by Buying ‘Open Box’.” Check it out and let me know if you’ve ever saved money buying open box, display, and refurbished items or if that is something you plan to do now that you have the tools!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.Thanks for tuning in to watch me on FOX’s Good Day Chicago this morning. I truly enjoyed speaking with Melody Mendez about the different ways you can save money on buying your back to school supplies! Watch the video of the full segment here:
Here are some ways to save money on your back to school shopping:
– Take inventory of what you have. If your kids are like mine, they probably came home with some extra unused supplies at the end of last school year. You may have also grabbed an extra supply or two over the years. You can always turn something old into something new just by getting creative. Using decorative Duct Tape and washi tape are easy ways to turn something into a work of art. Even drawing with Sharpies can make something look interesting.
– Download the free Favado app. Sign up for the Favado app here and download it on your smartphone. This is the best time and money saver because you are able to find the best deals at many stores, including ones for back to school, like Office Depot/Office Max, Staples, Target, Walmart, and more. Use the search feature to find what you still need – you can search by product (ex: crayons, pens, index cards) or by brand (ex: Crayola, Bic, Sharpie). You can even create your shopping list right on the app.
– Start early. Even if your kids have already started school, now is still the best time to shop for back to school supplies. Stock up for when they start running out of supplies during the year because at that point, it will cost 2-3 times as much as it does right now. You can find many supplies on sale for $1 or less.
– Use rewards programs. My favorite rewards program is the Shop Your Way Rewards program for Sears and Kmart because you can earn points on your purchases to use towards future purchases. You can use it to buy clothes and other school supplies. The Children’s Place also has a free rewards program called My Place Rewards where you can earn points from your purchases towards certificates to be used on future purchases. Let’s face it – every little bit helps!
– Use printable and online coupons. Using sites like Savings.com to search for coupon codes before you shop will help you save even more money. Right now, Savings.com is the only one that has Crayola coupons available. You can print them out here:
While you’re here, check out our store matchups before you head out to do your shopping:
What are some other tips you have to help us save money on back to school supplies?
Thank you for reading A Savings WOW! and don’t forget to check out our check out our Coupon Database for lots of money-saving coupons!
Tune into tonight’s next week’s BrandsBloggerRadio Show (#BBRadio Show) on Wednesday, June 15th at 9 PM CST where A Savings WOW! will be one of the live guests.
Also, don’t forget to register for the Midwest Moms Media Brands & Bloggers Summit being held on July 16th in Chicago, IL. Find out more information about it here.
Thank you for reading A Savings WOW! and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter, “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and follow us on Savings.com for the latest updates! Also check out our Coupon Database for lots of money-saving coupons!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy for more information.
