[Kayla Buell – Ambassador]

I received my first check from Ebates this weekend for $59.04. Whoop whoop! Free monaaay. Well, not free, but still… money I wouldn’t have received without downloading the app.

I’m a big fan of these money-saving apps like Ebates, Checkout 51, and Ibotta because I figure that if I’m going to be spending the money anyway, I might as well get some money back.

Anyone else use these? Have you found them to be helpful? I guess they could certainly be dangerous if you give in to impulse purchases simply because you’ll be getting some money back, but if you use the apps in a SMART way, they can definitely help you save a few bucks here and there.

Sure, $0.50 a purchase isn’t a whole lot. But over time, that money adds up, almost like having a physical piggy bank that you throw quarters in.

Anyway, if you haven’t checked those apps out, I highly recommend you do. Find the ones that work for you and be sure to check them before you make any major purchases to make sure you’re capitalizing on any deals/cash back offers they’ve got going on.

[Antoinette Minor – Ambassador]

I used ebates years ago but I wasn’t consistent and probably because it wasn’t mobile when it came out. I’m definitely going to try it out because you are so right. The small change does add up!

[Josh Johnson – Ambassador]

I’ve not used either of those, but I do love Acorns! It automatically rounds up purchases (like .94 to 1.00) and then puts that into a separate account for me. I’m the worst at having a saving’s account so this works amazingly well for me!

[Cara Reynolds – SUM180 Community Manager]

Wow, what a great suggestion. Thanks, Kayla! I’m like Antoinette – I tried eBates or something similar years ago, in the dinosaur days before apps – but it didn’t really work for me. If I’m going to use something consistently, it needs to be dead simple. Anyway, savings apps haven’t been on my radar at all before now, but this could really work for me. Definitely checking it out. 🙂