Ebates--Free Money

So you guys know that occasionally I'm late to the party, right? Ebates is (in the internet's words) "a company that gives you cash back if you click through the links of the stores listed on their site." So if you're signed up with Ebates and you're buying something online (and aren't we all at this time of year), they will give you cash back for the stuff you buy.

(You can sign up through this link. If you do, I get bonus free money for referring a friend. Once signed up, you can do this too. Here's the link.

When I signed up I went to Sears.com and bought a cooking pot, which I needed because the bottom of mine looks like cancer just waiting to happen. And they gave me 6% back. When I went to Sephora and bought some make up, which I was going to buy anyway, they gave me 4% back. People, it's free money! Or at least it's free money if you stick to purchases that you would have been making anyway.

In addition to this when you sign up and make your first $25 purchase, you get a $10 gift card to a store of your choosing (I picked Walmart--super boring, I know, but practical). They then send that in the mail. So when I made my first purchase, I got my 6% back, plus I'll receive a $10 gift card. That's more free money.

And then if you refer your friends and they sign up (and spend their first $25), you get extra money there too. You always get $5 per friend. And right now, there's a promotion going on where you get $50 if two friends sign up and $100 if three friends sign up. This is why my brother-in-law introduced me to Ebates when my family came for Thanksgiving. And I have to admit that I was more than happy to sign up with his link because free money and I are friends. And I don't mind giving free money to my friends either. Free money for all, that's my motto.

Getting your free money is easy. They will send you a check or you can have the money deposited into your paypal account.

The toughest part (for me) is remembering to go to Ebates first and then shop through their site. However, there's a "button" you can download to your computer that puts a little Ebates thing in the corner of your computer screen when you're shopping online. Then you can click on that and boom, you're signed up with Ebates and any shopping you do gets you credited. I was hesitant to add a button to my computer, but I now love it with my soul. It's kind of awesome. That means you get free money and don't even have to think about anything. Win win. (It will usually ask you if you want the button. If it doesn't go to ebates.com/button.htm.  I love love love the button. Anytime you shop somewhere it pops up in the screen of your computer telling you how much that store is offering in cash back. Then you click it and you're just there--you don't have to think about anything.)

And finally, there are apps you can get. I'm (admittedly) not Captain Super App, but I know that most of the modern world is. Anyway, with the apps they'll alert you of deals that are coming up (say, if a store is giving a high cash back or if there's a promotion like the Refer Your Friend one going on right now).

But don't overthink it. Just sign up through them. Shop as you normally would (starting at their site first) and then, bam, free money.

Also, use my link to sign up for Ebates. Get me free money, yourself free money, and then get your friends to sign up so they can get free money too! Whee!!!

Here it is:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=d0lSciT0t%2BiG2vGgIs119Q%3D%3D&eeid=28187