There are so many ways to spend money online – electronics, clothes, books, music – the list goes on and on. But there are also millions of sites dedicated to helping you save money, instead of spend it. Here are some top sites to help you save money:
1. Freecycle.com: Say you’re hunting for an old couch. Instead of buying one, you could visit Freecycle.com to see if someone is giving one away in your area. This online nonprofit group connects users giving stuff away with others who need their stuff. They organize people into regional groups by state and help them get rid of or find everything from couches to DVDs. All you need is Internet access to find the items you need for free.
2. BillShrink.com: This site takes a look at your current cell phone plan and credit card account then researches other plans that might suit your finances better. In less than five minutes, it compares your current spending with what you’d be spending under the selected plans. It’s a quick, simple way to switch over your cell phone and credit card accounts to others that work better for you.
3. SmartyPig.com: Imagine restructuring your habits so that you save for specific items in a responsible way instead of spending money you don’t have. SmartyPig.com helps you decide on a goal-oriented savings plan that deducts a certain amount from your checking account every month until you have enough money to reach your goal. They provide you with incentives to spend your money wisely, like coupons for Overstock.com or prepaid cards that help you get cash back. This site helps you save money while changing your spending habits to avoid debt and costly interest fees.
4. Couponcraze.com: When you visit Couponcraze.com, you’ll find thousands of merchant-approved promo codes. This means they’ll work when you enter them in the “coupon code” box on the merchant’s website. Use these coupons to help lower your expenses when shopping online. You’ll find discounts on everything from contact lenses to magazine subscriptions.
5. Mint.com: Getting an account with Mint.com means you can keep track of your balances and transactions across multiple financial accounts. The site keeps all of your financial information in one secure location so you are aware at all times of your spending, income, balances and net worth. This information can help you decide what purchases you can make responsibly and how much you should be saving.
6. eDeals.com: Many sites give you access to coupons that can be redeemed online. But if you’re looking for a site that offers coupons you can redeem at your local grocery, check out eDeals.com. This site teamed up with Valpack to provide printable, local coupons, so you can search online and find coupons to your local grocery store instead of Amazon.com.
7. SkyScanner.com: Planning a trip soon? Visit SkyScanner.com before you purchase tickets to compare fares on budget airlines. It might not be the most glamorous way to travel, but finding the best airfares on SkyScanner.com helps you cut down on airfare, so you’ll have more money for other travel expenses.
8. FindaBetterBank.com: When you’re sick and tired of your bank’s high fees or inconvenient ATMs, then visit FindaBetterBank.com. It’s a site that compares banks with your current one so that you can switch to a bank that suits your needs best. It ranks the features you want in order of importance to you, then shows you the banks that utilize those features best. It’s a great way to save money and find the best features to conduct your finances.
9. Pricespider.com: This site helps you find the best deals on exactly what you want – it hunts the web for the items you want at the price you’re willing to pay. You no longer have to hunt for sales by clicking through hundreds of websites to find an acceptable price. You’ll save time and money by using Pricespider.com to help you with your online shopping needs.
10. Gasbuddy.com: Use this site to help you find the cheapest gas prices in your area. You enter your destination and it maps out the closest gas stations, along with the prices at which they’re currently selling gas. Even a few cents helps when it comes to gas prices, and Gasbuddy.com offers a smart way to save when you fill up your tank.
Sites like these provide great ways to shore up holes in your budget and find deals on things you really need, like gas, gifts and bank fees. The Internet has a wealth of sites that can help you find money where you need it. Use this vast resource to your advantage – it’s at the tips of your fingers.
This post was provided by Check ‘n Go, a payday loan and installment loan company. Check N Go is the fourth largest consumer financial service institution offering check cashing and online payday loans in the United States. As a founding member of the Consumer Financial Services Association (CFSA), Check N Go has always been committed to responsible lending and works with legislators to improve the credibility of the cash advance industry.
I realize you are trying to make lots of money on your site so you can quit your job, but really, this article? An “ethical payday loan” company? You want to have a reputable blog about personal finance, and you sell out to day loan companies?
@Kat, I am sorry you are offended. I have a long answer and a short answer.
Short answer: Yes, I do accept ads from payday loan companies. I usually don’t include them in my feed (I sometimes forget) and I back date them just for readers like you that don’t like them, but I will accept them happily.
Long answer: I do not suggest using payday loan companies but I have nothing against them either. They are a legal lending option – I just hope no one ever runs out of other options first since 530% loans seem like a bad idea. But who am I to judge how people get their money?
I also am not a how-to-get-out-of-debt personal finance blog. I am a you-are-looking-to-hang-out personal finance blog. It’s supposed to be fun and I just assume people don’t read the posts that they don’t like – I don’t.
I don’t give investing advice, just my own opinions and suggestions. I’ll take out the word “ethical” since that’s subjective, but I like the post itself. I thought it was a good list of real online sites that are helpful.
Here is the link to the post I wrote about this last year: http://www.budgetinginthefunstuff.com/bfs-and-advertisements/
Well a good one in terms of the list of sites which can help you build a better budget and stay on target and I have now the apps which can help you that. Checkout my post here and also let me know via comments which ones you use and I will happily that those in the list.
I use Retail Me Not to find coupon codes when I decide to buy something online. There are also a lot of good deal blogs which will list what’s on sale at grocery/drug stores each week which is convenient for me.
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