Edit:  I neglected to ensure that the links were all working in this post; I left out the link to CouponShack.com.  This was not intentional and I want to apologize to those great folks.  I haven’t ever used their site but it does look great.  I was simply working on this for about 4 hours and extremely tired, but if ever you see a link that is not working please e-mail me and I will be happy to fix it!

If you don’t have one of those in your back yard, you’re probably going to want some deals to go along with your holiday shopping come Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  If you DO have one of those in your back yard, can I come over and pick what falls off?  Thanks!

You have several ways to make your holiday shopping a little easier on your wallet, even for the most expensive gifts.  You might not even have to go fight the mobs of people busting down doors to get to the 2 or 3 big-ticket items that are in stock on Friday morning at the crack of dawn (well before that!).  How, you ask? I’ll pretend you did, anyway!  Now, I am going to talk about online shopping.  I’ll dedicate an entire post to saving money in-store, I promise.  I know you just can’t wait!

For online shopping you’ll need to befriend a few sites because they will give you cash back for your purchases.  Furthermore, if you refer friends and family, you can get cash back on some of their purchases.  That’s another incentive for you to encourage them to shop in their pj’s this weekend.  Shopping through a cash-back site is simple.   All you have to do is go to the site of your choice, and I’m going to tell you about many, and then click on whichever store you choose.  You’ll be directed to the store and as long as you don’t leave before making your purchases you will receive a certain percentage of your purchases back (depending on which site you choose).  I recommend having at least 3 that you are signed up for so that you can pick the highest payout on the store of your choice.  They often vary and some will have specials that day.  For instance, you might get 3% back at Old Navy on one site and 4% back at Old Navy on another.

This is probably going to be a lengthy post, but it’ll pay off for those of you who aren’t signed up for these sites!

Online Coupon Codes

Online coupon codes can save you tremendous amounts of money when you shop online.  Some offer free shipping, some offer a free product with purchase like the great ones at Bath and Body Works, and some offer a dollar amount off your purchase  ($/$).  You can Google use Swagbucks to search for online coupon codes but why don’t I just tell you about my favorites?  My mom is an expert online-coupon-finder, let me tell ya if there’s one out there she will find it!

My favorite site for online coupon codes as well as printable retail coupons is Retail Me Not. Retail Me Not has the most current coupon codes and printable coupons for thousands of stores.  It is set up as a community where you can join and be a part of the site so a lot of the information comes from members and is verified by people who are actually shopping in the stores.  They have a blog and a spot for you to make a wishlist.  Another site for online coupon codes is Coupon Cabin.  It is set up similarly but has features that I like a lot.  There’s a price comparison tool that’s awesome.  This is actually my personal favorite but I always check each of the sites for current coupons.  Always be prepared!  A few more sites include CouponCode.com, CouponShare.com, CouponCactus.com, keycode.com, CouponShack.com, and CurrentCodes.com.  If you are using online coupon codes, jot them down.  You’ll need them for the next thing we’re going to discuss.  Did I miss any, Mama?  Anyone else have any great coupon sites?

Cash Back Sites

The one thing that usually deters me from online shopping is the shipping cost.  I’m always hesitant to order something that’s going to cost me $10 to have shipped.  Since I found out about cash-back sites, which give me back a percentage of my purchases, I’m fine with online shopping.  I don’t have to deal with crowds or parking (or an irritable Michael), and I put no miles on my car!  Finding the right cash-back site can be daunting because there are so many, but it doesn’t have to be.  Guess what?  You can sign up for them ALL, and possibly start raking in the dough.  Chances are, at least some of the time they will all offer a different cash-back amount (promotions and such), so if you’re signed up for them all you can just buy from that particular cash-back site that day.

It works simply.  Some of them have coupon codes as well as cash back offers.  Check out their coupon code as well as the ones you find from the sites above.  Usually you can choose which one to use.  Most of them won’t allow you to use more than 1.  Click on the store that you want to shop in at the cash-back site, and as long as you don’t leave the store before you make your purchase you’ll get the percentage back stated on the cash-back site.  Examples will come later; there’s a reason why I’m not a teacher.  Here are the best cash-back sites and a few facts about each of them.  I recommend joining them all.  It costs nothing, usually you get a bonus, and some of them even offer referrals.

Ebates is one of the more popular cash-back sites.  There are hundreds of stores offering cash back up to 25%.  I can’t imagine getting 25 percent of my purchase back, can you?  They also offer coupon codes, printable coupons, and they even have a gift section with suggested gifts for the upcoming holidays.  You can shop directly from their site using their coupon codes or yours.  You will earn $5 for each referral!

Shop At Home is a newer cash-back site, and is quickly becoming my favorite!!  First of all, they are a dream to work with.  They offered my readers the chance to win a $100 Walmart e-gift card, and have already contacted the winner!  Their site is great.  They offer online coupon codes. printable grocery coupons, a deal of the day up to 75% off, and more!  They offer a referral program so if your friends and family sign up through your referral link you will get $5 added into your account.  They even offer free samples.  This site has it all, and I do believe will be my #1 site for online shopping.  They will answer every question you have on their Help page! Keep an eye on their blog for special notices, too.  You get your cash 60 days after the end of every month provided there is $20 in your account.  With rates as high as 28% back, and sometimes higher, that won’t take long.

Mr. Rebates is one other major cash back site.  I told you there were a lot.  You get $5 just for signing up!  Now, it’s all about finding the best deal. Mr. Rebates is similar to the other sites, although it seems more basic and simplified to me.  Their referral program is aso different.  On some of the others you get a flat $5 for each sign up. Some you get a smaller percentage. With Mr. Rebates, you get 20% of your referrals purchases.  Check it out for more details.

Big Crumbs is the last big cash back site I’m going to mention in detail on this post.  I will list a couple moreo but your homework for the day is to check these sites out and bookmark them for future use    It has coupon codes, printable coupons and a community of members who help each other get the best deals.  There’s no mention of how much you earn with referrals, does anyone know?  They do say they give you a percentage of cash back for the referrals who sign up under you.

Did I miss any cash back sites?  These are the big ones for sure, and I love the referral process.  It’s worth it to sign up even if you do not shop online because you will earn from referrals.   I hope that if you haven’t already, you will take the time (about 2-3 min. each) to sign up for each of these in the next couple of days so you can get help with your holiday shopping!

How do you save money when you shop online?