With inflation on the rise, it’s only natural that you want to find ways to save money wherever you can. The problem is that most money-saving tips require a lot of time, which — as we know — time is money, too. What if there were some tips to save money easily, without having to do much besides a click of a button (if at all)? We have some easy money-saving tips for you today, from apps to memberships.
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1. Spend less money on gas: Upside
Filling up the gas tank eats up a lot of your monthly expenses, and for most of us, it’s a necessary evil. Sure, carpooling or taking public transportation can save you some money, but that’s not always easy or even possible for everyone. Upside is an app that helps you save money at the pump by showing you a map of where you can get gas for the lowest price possible.
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2. Use a price comparison app: Flipp
Why buy something at one store if it’s on sale for cheaper at another? The problem is that checking prices across multiple stores is a time-consuming task. But there’s a solution in price comparison apps like Flipp. This app can save you considerable time and effort by showing you the deals being offered at stores as well as reviews from customers who have shopped there before.
You can find savings on essentials like groceries, furniture, and more with the thousands of weekly ads. Flipp highlights savings from over 2,000 stores, including big chains and franchises, to local stores. Plus, you can add any loyalty points and rewards that you have at a store to the app so that you can quickly access them at checkout.
Credit: Flipp
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3. Shop and get cash back: ibotta
Ibotta is an app that you use to easily cash back on items you’re already purchasing at your go-to stores, including grocery stores, food delivery, movie and concert tickets, and more. Some of the most popular retailers you can find deals with through ibotta are CVS, Walgreens, Target, Lowe’s, Petco, Domino’s Pizza, REI, and over 1500 brands and retailers. The best part is that it’s super easy to use; just download the Ibotta app for shopping in person or take pictures of your paper receipts after the fact. Or, use the browser extension to get you money back while you’re shopping online, and set up alerts for when prices drop on certain products.
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4. Use a VPN
I’ve spoken numerous times before about how important it is to have a VPN. When you don’t have a VPN, your device’s IP address can be tracked and shared with retailers and data collectors, which can make prices higher or lower depending on where it tracks your location.
When you have a VPN, you will be able to choose your IP address and then see if you can get lower prices for the same products depending on the location you put in. In addition to getting access to blocked or censored e-commerce sites while you’re traveling, a VPN can simply get better deals on things such as hotels and flights for your vacations and even subscribe to services that are not available in your country for a great price. It’s not a guarantee that the price will be lower; however, it is worth it to double-check.
There are a lot of VPN sites out there, but I recommend ExpressVPN. It has a quick and easy setup, is available in 94 countries, and will not log your IP address, browsing history, traffic destination or metadata, or DNS queries. It’s also the fastest VPN we’ve tested and has servers in over 105 countries.
Read more of my reviews for best VPNs here
5. Use your library card
Local libraries can be great money-saving resources. If you’re someone who likes to read physical books, you can pick them all up at the library, including digital books, for free. Libraries also offer tons of free programs that would likely cost money if they were held elsewhere, as well as discounts in your local area. It costs you absolutely nothing to get a library card in most cases, and having one could actually save you lots of money in the long run.
Credit: New York Public Library
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Kurt’s key takeaways
There are so many ways to save money on everyday purchases. But, most of us are too busy to take the time to search for and plug in promo codes that, most of the time, don’t work or browse online until we find the store selling the product we want at the lowest price. Instead, try some of these tips above to save money without having to go out of your way.
Do you use any of these apps or money-saving tips? Do you have other easy-to-use money-saving tips? Let us know in the comments below.
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