They’ve eaten all of the food in the house, outgrown all of the clothes and shoes you just bought them and the house can never seem to stay clean nowadays. With 4 school-agers, August has quickly become my absolute favorite & least favorite month of the year. It’s a reminder that not only is summer coming to an end but
SCHOOL IS BACK IN SESSION!!
Now don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my children, it’s just my wallet that’s not too fond of them right now. Seriously. How is it that they’ve grown a whole two sizes just over the summer, go from eating 3 meals and 1 snack per day during the school year, but need to eat every 5 minutes over the summer? Am I the only parent dealing with this?! I need answers!
While it can all be a headache, I’ve grown to love the little hiccups along the way, and the month of August seems to smooth everything back out for us. In the state of Ohio, not only does August mean back to school, but it also means TAX FREE WEEKEND IS COMING!!
That’s right! Ohio’s tax-free weekend begins this Friday, August 5, 2019 at midnight and lasts until Sunday, August 7, 2019 at 11:59pm!! According to the Ohio department of taxation, that means the following items will be exempt from taxes:
- Clothing priced at $75 per item or less
- School supplies priced at $20 per item or less
- School instructional material priced at $20 per item or less
(Don’t live in Ohio but want to take advantage of a tax-free weekend? No worries! You can find a list of states and dates here)
So in honor of all things that make my life just a little bit easier, I’m sharing with you the ways that I make money while I spending it, especially during tax free weekend.
Rakuten
Formerly known as ebates, Rakuten is my absolute #1 go-to website when purchasing anything online. I’ve been a member since 2014 but didn’t start using the site until 2017 (when I finally got serious about saving money and started couponing). In the last 2 years, I’ve earned $231 for simply doing what I typically do; shopping online! I’m such a fan of this site, that when I’m in a store and see something I want to buy, I pull up the website to see if I can purchase it online. I check the percentage differential between online and in-store (yes you can get cashback from in-store purchases too!!!) So there are absolutely no excuses!
I even told hubby that he can only shop at stores that are affiliated with Rakuten. Yes, it’s that serious! The best part is you can refer a friend, and you both get paid! You’ll receive $25* when they sign up and make their first purchase, and they’ll receive $10* just for shopping. It’s a win-win for everybody!
Here are some of my fav Rakuten partners:
As of 7/2019
Amazon– 5% cash back! I really don’t know what I ever did without aunty Amazon in my life. Between Rakuten and Amazon, I never have to leave home!
Walmart– 5% cash back! And when you sign up for Walmart’s Grocery Pickup via my link, you can let someone else do all the shopping, load your car for FREE and get $10!! Who doesn’t enjoy done for you stuff?
Old Navy– 8% cash back!!! I LOVE Old Navy!! And with this percentage, coupled with the deals that they have going on right now, it’s perfect for back to school shopping and tax free weekend!! Don’t miss out!
Macy’s– 6% cash back!! Today happens to be a double cash back day, so instead of the normal 3%, Rakuten is offering 6% cash back.
Groupon– 6% cash back!! Yes, the Groupon that we all know, love and already offers great discounts, is apart of Rakuten!! There’s really no reason why you shouldn’t sign up. But if you need one more all II have to say is…
HOTELS & TRAVEL– From 2% cash back from booking.com and Hilton to 8% with Expedia, there’s no other way to travel (unless you have access to an all-inclusive…)
While the cashback percentages are lower than those of Rakuten, Upromise offers cashback to help you save money for child’s’ college fund. You can easily link a 529 college plan, add a beneficiary, get paid and get others paid just for referring them or opt to cash out your earnings. Your friends and family can also make contributions to your account. I don’t use this platform nearly as often as I use Rakuten, but with college being around the corner, I’m going to start.
Ok, so listen carefully. You have to be extremely disciplined when using this method! If you have issues with credit card debt and/or paying your credit card bill on time, then this is NOT the option for you. But if you don’t have any of those issues, then not only can you make money while spending it, you can also boost your credit score (not overnight, this is going to take time).
Here’s how it works:
With the Capital One Quicksilver credit card, you can earn an unlimited 1.5% cashback on anything. So obviously I use this card for every purchase that I make (even when I have the cash to pay for it). Don’t let people feed you the misinformation that you shouldn’t be using a credit card. The key is not to use more than 30% of your credit card limit. (If you want me to do a blog post on the do’s and don’t of using a credit card, please let me know in the comments). I usually set aside the money that I was going to use to pay for that item and wait for the purchase to appear on my online credit card statement. I always pay the minimum amount due on the due date, then wait a few days after my due date to pay the remaining balance. This is known as micropayments and can be done as many times per billing cycle as you would like. By making multiple payments within 1 billing cycle, you’re proving to the credit card company that you are being responsible with your credit. Remember your payment history makes up 35% of your overall score. So use it responsibly!
Well, that’s it! Those are my top tips for making money while spending it. Did you find them helpful? Are you already using some of these tips? What are your must haves when it comes to saving money? Comment below. I would love to hear from you!