The Cash Back Hack I Learned Too Late

  This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of RetailMeNot. All opinions are 100% mine.

Don’t you hate it when you learn an awesome trick to save money right after you spent a bunch of money where you could have used that very trick?

Well that just happened to us!

As I explained in my November family budget update, we bought the components for a new computer as well as a TV and accessories and a trampoline over Thanksgiving weekend.  Three major purchases for our family.

Like any frugal girl worth her salt, I made sure to get cash back for shopping online.  I always do!

But the week after, I discovered an amazing tool for saving even more money with online shopping and I think you’re going to like it too.

If you’ve done frugal online shopping then I’m sure you’ve heard of RetailMeNot.  Whenever I search “coupon code for [insert store name]” they always come up as one of the first search results.  I’ve looked to RetailMeNot for their online shopping coupon codes for years.

Now RetailMeNot has cash back options too!

RetailMeNot does their cash back different than most cash back sites I’ve seen.  Instead of giving a tiny percentage of the total purchase back as cash, they have what are more like cash back coupons.

If you’re making a large purchase, then you’re definitely going to want to take advantage of their cashback options.  Right now they have cash back for online shopping at hundreds of stores.

This year we put Christmas lights outside for the first time ever (Have I mentioned how excited I am about Christmas in our new house!?)!  We needed some serious extension cords and way more lights than we had, so I ordered some Christmas lights and three 100-foot extension cords from Home Depot (and picked them up in store an hour later!).

Thanks to RetailMeNot I got $20 cash back on my $200 purchase.  That’s 10% cashback!  It certainly beats the 0-2% cashback you’ll get elsewhere!

Cash back is just the beginning.  It gets better!

I decided to install the Genie browser extension so I wouldn’t forget to get cash back, but it turns out it is waaay cooler than a simple reminder to activate the cash back function.

Since RetailMeNot is also an amazing coupon code database, the Genie will automatically try all the coupon codes for me and pick the best one to apply!  No scrolling through a bunch of coupon codes that don’t work and having to try each one out myself (and then get frustrated when they’re expired and give up)!

I’m shopping for dress shirts and pants for my husband now and I’m really appreciating the Genie doing the dirty work for me!  Lands’ End has coupon codes that have pin numbers with them, so they are especially tedious to enter.

Just watch the Genie work its wonders on my order:

If I had only known!

I’m really wishing I had known about RetailMeNot’s cash back offers and had the Genie installed before Black Friday.

While we got our few percent back on our purchases at NewEgg, OfficeDepot, Sam’s Club, and Best Buy, when I compared that cash (well, change) with what I could have got if I had used RetailMeNot, I felt sick to my stomach.

We missed out on over $50!  No joke!

Don’t do what I did!

Next time you’re making a big purchase online (or any purchase, for that matter), check RetailMeNot.

Better yet, install the Genie so that you will not only know about the cash back offers, but you’ll get the best coupon codes applied automatically without the time-consuming searching and frustrating trial and error.

Be sure to check out their Sweepstakes Signup Page to sign up for their emails so you’ll know when the best deals at your favorite stores are happening so you don’t miss out!

How about you?

• Have you ever realized after-the-fact that you missed a deal or could have saved money?
• Have you seen the RetailMeNot Genie work its wonders?!