10 years after the credit crunch and most of us are still crunching! And it’s not the healthy ‘nuts and carrots’ kind of crunchy, but the highly unpleasant, leaving a bad taste in your mouth kindš. We’ve had to tighten our belts so much that our finances have acquired an elegant hourglassā³ shape and we’re all left feeling like wearing a corset…gasping for air.
The Bulgarianš§š¬ in me has never liked spending more on stuff than I’ve had to; even more so now that after paying my monthly bills there’s virtually nothing left in my bank accountš ¾ļø. To be honest I’ve had to be super resourceful in order to maintain the lifestyle I like. And I’ll tell you what…there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to have a good life, to look good, enjoy yourself and travel the worldš. Why should that be just a privilege of the rich?! I think we should all have access to the finer things in life.
So in this post, I’ll share with you the moneyšµš· saving tricks I’ve picked up over the last couple of years. Some of you might already be using the websites I’m about to mention, but even if just one person benefits from this post, well…my mission is then completeš
I’ll start with my personal favorite: Top Cashback (Top Cashback USA). Once you register, you can use the Top Cashback app (website) as a platform to look for the online store you need e.g. eBay, Missguided, Expedia, etc. Once you click on the online shop you’re after, it redirectsā”ļø you to the merchant’s website and you complete your transaction as normal. The cashback tracks super fast and you get your money within weeks. If some of you have used Quidco before, you would’ve found that it takes nearly a year for cashback to clear, which personally made me lose the will to liveš so I stopped using the website altogether. I find Top Cashback really easy to use and their Customer Service is also pretty good. If a particular transaction doesn’t track you can raise a missing cashback ticket and they deal with the merchant on your behalf.
We’ve already established that I like saving money, but it REEEAAALLYš¤ makes my day when I get multiple discounts on a single item. So let’s say I’m in need of a new outfit, I go to Top Cashback , from there I go on to Missguided for example (which by the way is one of my favorite online shops) and just before I complete my purchase I enter my 10% -30% discount code I’ve received in my email for registering with them. This gives me money off the items straight away, plus I also receive cashback in my Top Cashback account for using them as well. It does say on there that if you use a voucher code for Missguided it will void the cashback advertised on Top Cashback, but I’ve never personally had a problem receiving cashback because of using a discount code.
Tipā ļø: If you’re about to go on vacation (not jealous at allš) and need a room, but already have a hotelšØ in mind, it’s best to check the amount of cashback you receive if you book directly with the hotel (Hilton for example), which is currently 5% on Top Cashback or book through a comparison site such as Hotels.com currently offering up to 12% cashback.
I think that’s probably enough info for now…let it marinate and I’ll be back with more tips and pointers soon enough.
Image from: https://greatperformersacademy.com/wealth/the-8-simplest-ways-you-can-save-money-without-feeling-deprived