Do you shop online? Do you love getting packages? Are you human? I am positive everyone in my generation buys clothes/shoes/electronics/everyday items from the Internet, particularly if you are part of the working world (*plays "Miss Independent" track!*) and don't have time to browse in-store. If you said yes to the above questions, I hope you've been using a rebate system for all those online purchases, like Ebates or FatWallet.
How they work: you have to click through the site to get to the desired retailer and make your purchase from there. The sites track the clickthroughs and will automatically post rebates to your account after a successful checkout. A surprising number of companies offer discounts through these two sites, you just have to check which one is higher - ex. Nordstrom (6% at FW vs. 3% at Ebates), ShopBop (6% at Ebates), and my latest obsession - Hayden Harnett (4% at Ebates, not at FW). It takes a little time for the cash back to be approved and processed, but hey, it's as good as finding money in your pocket after you've forgotten about it!
I signed up for these services years ago, but didn't fully utilize them 'til now. Back in the good ol' college days, I had classes three out of the five weekdays, and enjoyed something called Leisure Time to take many a shopping trip. Now, I prefer checking out online and looking forward to receiving packages. Something about the anticipation of deliveries makes me happy, even though I know exactly what is coming =P Before I pull the trigger though, I check both rebate sites to see if there's cash back available. If anything, it helps with shipping. I was reminded about these sites today because I got a notification that I've accumulated $40 from the past few months' self-gifts.
Hope this puts some dollars back in your wallet while doing your parts to contribute to an economic upswing!
