Nowadays everyone has a reward program. I get it. With so many around it can be annoying with the space it takes up on your phone and in your mind trying to remember numbers and passwords. However, there are some programs that are really good and can be helpful for you and your family. Being a stay at home mom for many years I used reward programs to help me shop and save money for my entire household. A few of my favorites are DSW VIP, Old Navy, American Eagle Real Rewards and rebate programs like Ibotta.
Now it's true reward programs can help you save money and while I love a good deal and saving money, you have to be remember if it's not in your budget then it's not a deal. Being on a single income, I was able to use reward and rebate programs to stay in my budget and help purchase clothes, shoes and even groceries for my household. But I had to be aware of my budget and sticking to it.
Some programs allow you to use your rewards on top of already low prices. In fact, during the month of August DSW offered reward members a ten dollar reward each week we donated gently used shoes, and with a house full of girls you know I have shoes. It was basically free money they were handing out. Also, the reward didn't expire until November so I had time to look around and use it when the time was right for me. As it turns out two of my daughter's needed some boots and so we went on the hunt and were ecstatic with what we found. Of course if you know me you know I checked the clearance section. They each found a pair of combat boots for an extra fifty percent off the price. That made each boot around thirty dollars with the discount. I then applied my thirty dollars I earned from donating shoes to my sixty dollar total and voila! I cut my price in half, making my final cost for each boot about fifteen dollars a pair.
I have used methods like these to save money over the years and really make my dollar go further. Once you take the time to understand the program, you can surely make it work to your advantage. So pick the ones that make the most sense and help you achieve your desired goal. As for the others, it's ok to set them to the side and save some much coveted storage space on your phone. Tell us your favorite reward program and why you love it in the comments?
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