This resource page shares different websites, apps, and stores our thrifty family uses to help us keep our expenses low. Consider this your one-stop resource for tools to help you save money this year.
Thrifty Tools That Will Help You Spend Less This Year
(Links in this post are affiliate links. I will be compensated when you purchase by clicking those links. See my disclosure page for more information.
If you have read my book, Thrifty & Thriving: More Life For Less Money, you know that I have been practicing thrifty ways since my teenage years, with only a small bump in the road while I was dating this charming guy in college, who later became my husband. But once child number one was on the way, I returned to thrifty living, and my husband willingly came along for the ride.
Thirty years later, we have become thrifty ninjas–finding ways to save money on practically every purchase we make. This list shares many of our favorite websites and apps for stretching our dollars further than some might deem possible.
The App We Use Most Often To Save Money At The Gas Pump
Upside is an app that gives you cash back when you fill up at the gas station. In our area, my family can use this app at several different gas stations, saving anywhere from 1 cent per gallon to as much as 10 cents per gallon.
The Upside app is simple to use; it takes less than a minute to find a gas station, claim the offer, and then enter the information needed to start processing the cash back. Generally, it takes less than 24 hours to receive your money back in the “Cash Out” area of the app. You can opt to receive your cash out through PayPal, a mailed check, or a gift card (starting at $10).
Use my referral code YG5ZB during sign-up, and you will receive a one-time 15¢/gal bonus. Go here to sign up for Upside.
For more ways to save at the pump, read How To Save Money Using the Upside App. In it, I share a long list of gas money-saving apps.
Apps That Save Me Money On My In-Store Purchases
These are two no-brainer ways to turn snapping pictures of receipts into a few gift cards each year.
Fetch Rewards
Use my referral code RE9FU at sign-up and receive bonus points when you complete your first receipt.
Fetch Rewards allows you to earn 25 points from each grocery receipt you scan (any store). However, you earn even more points when the receipt includes items from a particular brand or is part of one of their current promotions. I love that you can cash out at just 3,000 points for a $3 gift card — it doesn’t take long to earn enough points to reach that level.
Receipt Hog is a slow earner, but it is simple to use and fun! You can upload almost any type of receipt, and when you do, you receive either coins or spins. When you spin and get 3 in a row, you earn coins. Go here to sign up for Receipt Hog and use my referral code, YECT1667, during sign-up to start your account with a few spins.
Point Programs I Use To Earn Gift Cards
I have been using point programs since my kids were little, and my eldest is turning thirty next year. I have tried numerous different companies, but I have been using only two for well over a decade.
Two things I like about Swagbucks is that it offers over 20 ways to earn points, which means you will probably find a few ways to earn points doing things you already do online. The other thing I like is that cash outs for gift cards start at just 300 points for a $3 gift card–no waiting forever to earn enough points to get a return for your time spent. Go here to sign-up for Swagbucks.
MyPoints is the first point rewards program I ever joined, and I am still a member today over a decade later. My favorite way to earn points with MyPoints is through their emails, where you can earn 5 points just for clicking through to the website advertised in the email. I earn several $3 gift cards to Amazon each year just by doing this one point earning action–and MyPoints offers many more ways to earn points. Go here to sign-up for MyPoints.
For a complete list of point reward programs I have tried and liked, read this post.
Survey Programs That I Have Found To Be Worth The Time
I prefer my surveys to be short, sweet, and rewarding. So far, I have only found one survey company that does all three of those things-PaidViewPoint.
PaidViewpoint is still on my daily “do it” list. Each day I hop over to PaidViewpoint and check and see if they have any surveys for me. I spend the time doing so because the surveys are always short and sweet. Sure, they don’t pay much per survey, but I also don’t have to deal with the frustrating and time-consuming survey screening process. Go here to sign up for PaidViewpoint.
Save On Campground Fees With These Websites
My husband and I have used Boondocker’s Welcome to be able to not only keep the cost of camping down but also to secure a spot in an area where traditional campsites were booked. Boondocker’s welcome sells annual memberships to RV owners. The membership allows them access to a network of thousands of private landowners who are willing to host RV’ers on their property for free (if dry camping) or at a minimal cost (if using hook-ups). Go here to get more information on Boondockers Welcome and to sign-up to become a member.
Use my referral link and get 15% off your membership to Harvest Hosts. You can use this program to camp at unique small businesses across the USA. Although there is no cost for the camping spot after you purchase a Harvest Host membership you are expected to spend at least $20 at the business you stay at.
Use my referral code VICTORIAH0E8BCE or my referral link and earn a $10 Hipcamp credit towards your first campsite booking. Hipcamp opens up a world of unique campsites. Some offer great views, experiences, hiking trails, or more. Unlike Boondocker’s Welcome or Harvest Hosts you don’t need an RV to use HipCamp –tent campsites are available. They also offer glamping sites where all you need to bring with you is your change of clothes and your toothbrush.
Cash Back Sites I Use
If you frequently shop online, get the Rakuten browser tool, which makes it easy to start earning cash back at all qualifying websites. Rakuten has a $5 cash-out threshold and pays out payments quarterly, but it is well worth using. I have received as much as $15 in cash back from one order. Go here to sign up for Rakuten.
My Favorite Company For Finding Promo Codes
Honey has saved me a significant amount of money! On average, it saves me $10 for each website for which it finds a promo code. And the best part is that it is instant savings — I don’t have to wait for cash back with Honey (unless you use the Honey Points cash back area, which I don’t tend to use). Honey has a browser app too, which makes applying a promo code a breeze; in fact, at a lot of sites, Honey can enter the promo code for you with just one click. Go here to sign up for Honey.
Where We Get Prescription Glasses For Less
How much can you save by shopping at Zenni? I purchased a pair of scratch-resistant, blue-light-blocking glasses for my son for just $80 at Zenni, whereas our eye doctor quoted over $300 for a similar pair — that is a savings of $220! Go to Zenni and get $5 off your first order when you use my referral link (these words in blue).
How We Save Money On The Cost Of Printer Ink
We have had several HP printers over the years and have been super impressed with how long they last. When we replaced our last one, we switched over to a wireless printer that was compatible with HP Instant Ink Service. I am so pleased with this program; the ink comes right to your door before you need it–no more late-night trips to 24-hour stores for ink so you can print your child’s paper that they need to hand in first thing in the morning.
Additionally, it is more cost-effective than purchasing ink in-store. Currently, I am on the $4.99 per month plan, which allows for up to 100 printed pages per month. That is $60 a year for ink, and it doesn’t matter if I use color ink; they send whichever one I need at no extra cost. I also get to save up to 200 sheets in a rollover account, so that if I am under 100 printed pages one month, I can save them for another month when I use more pages.
Get a free month of HP Instant Ink Service when you sign up using my referral link here.
My Favorite Way To Get Free Paperback and Hardback Books
My Reader Rewards Club
If you like Christian fiction or non-fiction, then you are going to love My Reader Rewards Club. You collect points by answering short surveys, reviewing books, referring friends, and a few other ways. You can cash those points in for books that are then mailed out to you for free. Go here to sign up for My Reader Rewards Club. Start your account with 25 points when you use my referral link.
For all the ways I keep the cost of books I read to either free or close to free, read this post.
Companies I Use (Or Used) To Keep My Blog Expenses Low
I am currently using BigScoots, which is relatively inexpensive compared to other hosts for a blog of my size, and it has more than doubled the speed of my blog–plus, they have excellent customer service.
I wish I had known about Grammarly when I wasn’t earning enough to afford a proofreader. I don’t think Grammarly could ever replace a real person proofreading your blog posts, but it will catch a fair amount of mistakes, and the fewer grammatical errors you have, the more professional your site appears.Go here to sign up for Grammarly; a yearly subscription is super affordable.
An Online Source For Groceries We Use Every Month
Amazon Subscribe and Save—I constantly add more items to my Amazon Subscribe and Save monthly orders. I, of course, take full advantage of the 15% discount on 5 items or more (some items offer a smaller discount). On a few items, I receive a 20% discount because I am an Amazon Prime member.
