Kimberly Reyes Lifestyle by Design: Blog Savvy4Less: Savings On Steroids!

All of these online loyalty and discount sites can be overwhelming... I recommend taking them in stages. They all basically function the same way. You get credit for clicking through the link that they have posted to get the advertised savings or to get credit in the form of cash back or points to redeem.

I was a HUGE fan of Chase's program until the banking restrictions put an end to that...

I ended up getting thousands of dollars of money back from that program.

It can really pay off!

Now back to the old tried and true companies...

Top 3 That I Recommend!

ebates.com I have been a member since 2007....

Online Rebates & Coupons at over 1,600 stores!

Shop through the ebates site to get 2%-10% back on everything that you purchase. When you search the for a retailer, it will give you a banner/button with an offer/sale from the store and the percentage that you will get back from ebates. You choose which sale that you want and click on that link to claim the promotion.

You can get cash back in addition to discounts and offers like: free shipping, sale prices, and gift with purchase. The cash back ebate is on top of whatever promotion the retailer is offering.

ebates offers Daily Double cash back for one specific retailer each day and special offers by email too!

You can print grocery store coupons and more! I will detail grocery discounts in a later blog...

I have gotten thousands back in rebates!

Mypoints.com I have been a member since since 2006.
I have earned well over 200,000 points and used to always walk around with gift cards in my wallet that I got for FREE from Mypoints. You earn points through shopping, clicking on emails, printing and using grocery coupons, signing up for services and taking surveys. There are so many ways to earn points and they add new ones during holidays and special events. Games... Contests and more.

Sign up for their emails. You can scroll to the bottom and see if they give you points for opening the email. If they don't... don't take the time to open it unless it is a sale or discount that you already know that you want... Mypoints will usually give you 5-15 points for opening emails.
Cruise through their easy points section only when you have spare time... Most of those point opportunities are only available once.
Grocery Coupons are an easy way to accumulate points. I will cover that in a later blog. (BIG topic)
Every time you purchase anything online search the product or retailer on the homepage. I never wander through the site to shop. I search for what I want to buy. It's not overwhelming that way.
They offer just about everything: travel, retail, grocery, specialty, services....

Upromise.com -

I have been a member since 2006

Create a college savings service that harnesses the purchasing power of parents, extended family, family, and students to make it easier to pay for college.
Members direct their spending to Upromise partners—including more than 800 online stores, 10,000+ restaurants, grocery and drugstore items—and earn money for college.

You can shop the same way that you do with the other companies. I find that this one is powerful if you know someone that is going to go to college. You can set up and account for the child and have all of your friends, family and relatives log in their credit cards and then you never have to think about it. Every time they get gas... it adds to the account. Every time they eat at a participating restaurant .. it adds to the account. Easy for grandparents and others to use without having to think or hassle with details. Once they register their credit cards... no more thoughts or worries.

I am not a huge fan of shopping through this site... But, a big fan of registering credit cards and getting credit for purchases without trying....

How Do I Layer Savings? Easy......

I sign up for email alerts directly the from merchants that I use regularly: Macy's, Overstock, JCPenney, Kohls, etc.
When going through my email, If I find a sale or something that interests me from a retailer like Macy's, I will note the promo code in the email and go directly to ebates or Mypoints.
When on ebates I will search for the Macy's, find the promotion that I want on ebates, make the sale through the ebates link and then at the end... when it asks for a promo code... I will enter the code that I received directly from the retailer.
Purchasing through the ebates site gives me the rebate, using the promo code in addition gives me the retailers discount too!
I NEVER purchase ANYTHING online without clicking on ebates or Mypoints first to see if that company has a link through one of those sites.
I do almost ALL of my holiday, gift and business shopping through ebates and Mypoints.
The points and cash back Really adds up fast!
I do something similar with grocery shopping and ALWAYS save at least 30%-50% off of groceries with very little effort. That is a topic big enough for it's own blog post...
If you don't shop through one of these sites... it's like throwing away money.