If you’re like me, you love spending money. However, as a university student, it can be difficult because most of us are on a budget. Impulsive purchases that are often unnecessary add up quickly, causing me to re-evaluate some of my financial decisions. Desperately looking for ways to satisfy my need to spend and save money, I have found a few hacks that I swear by.
Rakuten
Originally known as Ebates, Rakuten is a platform I’ve used since elementary school. I was skeptical at first but saw several YouTubers promote the site. It is where you essentially get cashback for shopping. You make all your purchases via their browser extension or app and can receive cashback running from 1-50%, depending on the brand.
To receive your money, you can either get it mailed to you or sent directly to your PayPal. Not only that, Rakuten offers discount codes when purchasing different items.
Honey
I swear by and will never stop promoting this discovery of mine. Honey is a helpful platform that can help you save a few dollars. Before making an online purchase, you can download Honey’s browser extension to discover coupon codes and get a discount on your purchases. I have been able to get anywhere from $10 – $15 dollars off.
Zara
This next one is courtesy of my retail experience working at Zara. During sale season, there are markdowns where select items will decrease in price. For legal reasons, I couldn’t tell you which days these happen, but they definitely happen, and I would check online and in-store to see if an item you desperately wanted is marked down. It is important to note that the company does not do price adjustments, so the risk of something being sold out is possible.
Fast Food Rewards
These are the most obvious. You probably know about them, however, I, myself, have not taken advantage of the Tim Hortons rewards system despite grabbing a coffee from the franchise almost daily. It’s worth checking if your favourite franchises have rewards systems. Most do, and signing up is a simple way to save money on food or drinks when you accumulate enough points to get a free purchase.
These hacks might help satisfy your need to spend, but the key thing to remember is what you need versus what you want. While I love to splurge, I have to think about the consequences of paying my credit card bill. Everyone wants to save money, so start with small steps like taking advantage of these websites and rewards. Your future self will thank you.