This post contains my referral links to Ebates, for which I will earn a referral fee if you sign-up.  But don’t worry–Ebates gives you something too, just for signing up!!!

Moms always know best (someone be sure to tell Kane that when he’s older).  So when my mom first told me about Ebates, an online cash back shopping/rebates website, I should have listened to her. But I didn’t.  I was skeptical, and put off joining.  Worst mistake ever.  As soon as she got her 1st “Big Fat Payment” rebate check in the mail, I immediately went and signed up.  Since then, I’ve received cash-back rebates for $330.46!  Let’s walk through how why you should use Ebates and how to get started.

I love online shopping.  I find it to be the easiest way to comparison shop and make sure I’m not only getting a good deal, but that I’m getting the best deal.  By using Ebates, you’re maximizing your savings by racking up their rebates, which are in addition to any deals you score on an online retailer’s site.   Ebates offers cash-back rebates for over 1700 stores, and while their website says that they offer rebates of up to 25%, I have found offers for as much as 40% cash-back (see the Magazines.com offer below)! Below are the current cash-back offers at some of my favorite stores:

It’s super easy to get started and immediately begin saving money.  To sign up for Ebates, click here. When signing up, you will get to choose one of five sign-up bonuses: a $10 giftcard from Macy’s, Walmart, Target, or Sears, or $5 cash-back on Ebates.  Once you’ve signed up and logged into your account, there are two ways to get cash-back while shopping.

1.  Go to Ebates website and search for the name of the online retailer you want to shop at.  Once the name pops up, it will tell you how much money you can save.  Click on the name.

3.  Once you click the “Shop Now” button, you’re on your way to saving!  This will open a new window in which your online retailer website will load like normally–it just tracks your purchases.  Make sure to shop from that window ONLY to make sure your cash back applies.

4. In a couple of days, you’ll receive a confirmation email telling you how much of a rebate you earned!  Ebates distributes their cash-back rebates every 3 months, so while you won’t get the rebate the day you purchase, it’s a nice way to “save” funds and put them towards a bigger purchase.

I am a very forgetful person.   Sometimes I’d forget to follow the steps in Option 1 so I would miss out on my cash back.  Recently, however, Ebates came out with the cash back button (top right-hand arrow below).  When you install this on your internet browser, it will alert you when you’re on a website that has cash back.  Just click the cash back button (the yellow “E”) in the top right-hand corner, or click the red “Activate Cash Back” button on the left-hand side of the page.  You will get a notification that “Cash Back Is Active” and the square around the cash back button will change to green.  The actual cash-back process is the same as Option 1.