Happy Friday: How One Reader Saved $298 in January
Sent from reader, Bri:
I have been following your site for a long time, and over the years I have told many people about your site when I am out shopping. Hip2save has saved our family SOOO much money over the years with deals, coupons, and rewards. It is hard to figure out exactly how much money we have saved every year so I decided to start a journal with just my monthly savings (as I call it my income) with my rebate checks from Staples, survey rewards from Pinecone that you posted about, cash back rewards from Ibotta, Mobisave, Savingstar, Receipt Hog, Ebates, Chase and others. I have always had some idea of what this was month-to-month but I could not believe my total at the end of January. It was $298.02. I am going to continue to do this monthly throughout the year. I cannot thank your whole team enough for all that you do for us!
HAPPY FRIDAY!
Do you have a funny, “Hip”, or unique photo to share?! Email us at happyfriday@hip2save.com. Every Friday, we post one photo, submitted by a Hip2Save reader, that gives us a glimpse into their frugal lifestyle or simply makes us smile. If your photo is published on Hip2Save, we’ll email you a $10 Amazon e-card!
Live it! Way to keep up the savings. I have been documenting how much money I spend and save on groceries and it’s always fun totaling the amount I saved over the year!
Way to go, Bri! I’ve been following Hip2Save since 2009 and I have no idea how many thousands I’ve saved thanks to Collin!
Thanks Carole. I just thought it would be great to have a idea on how much we save and I am going to continue this all year long.
I decided this year I would keep track of how much I save with my manufacturer coupons, Cartwheel & gift cards I use/earn. Already up to $165. I do a lot of price matching and sales shopping, so I know it is more. But I thought this would be a good, easy start! 😀
That’s awesome! What a way 2 give back Collin! Especially during shaky times with this economy. I feel like we continue to have to do more with less $$. I follow ur site all day long, sometimes I question if some1 might think I’m an addict! Lol ….ty ty a millions xs ty. Somehow I feel more empowered by making smarter choices with hip2save. I hope more realize the power of ur site.
Lol. That’s funny that u say addict. My husband calls hip2save my drug. At least my drug of choice saves me money lol
Lol. My husband says the same thing. Even my coworkers know, the call me the coupon lady. I Aldo wear my Hip2Save shirt to work at least one Friday a month.
Yep me to! I check hip2save a billion times a day. I might be slightly addicted to saving and great deals. 😂
Awesome I need to start doing this to show my husband lol
Great job.
👏👏 I need to start doing this too Hip2Save saved my life I can’t live without this I just got my free Chipolte burrito today thank you Collin
ive been doing pinecone til late last year but i didnt get anything
you are “paid” $3 for every survey. Or you can pick items to purchase with points. I find its better to use the cash out option because you can generally get the item cheaper than the points they charge for it.
Collin can’t thank you and your team enough. Keep up the good work. Il start documenting my savings as well.
Sweet! You are so welcome! 😉
Find&save is another great app for saving money. It has different offers from all kinds of stores. You get cash back like a percentage back or dollar amount back after you spend a certain amount. When you reach $25, they transfer it to your PayPal account. Please consider using my referral code (98C3) if you sign up. Thanks
I am using it and love it 🙂 I am just a few pennies short from my $25
Like me find&save too! If anyone joins, my referal is C54L
Tracy i used your referral code. Mine is HSQ4 if anyone else signs up.
Uses your referral!
Wooo hooo, Bri! 🙂 You go, girl! That is very impressive and inspiring! I am gonna do this next month!
Hi does anyone know how long you can wait to cash out in receipt hog? Want to let my points grow but dont want them to expire… anyone anyone lol?😌
I’ve waited until the biggest payout with no problems.
I started receipt hog October 2014 and just cashed out for the 4500 coins late January 🙂
Receipt Pal is better. I use both with same receipts and I earned $100 on RP before even getting $30 on RH.
Never heard of receipt pal. Brandy, do you have a referral?
I also use both and I have everyone in my office bringing me their receipts. I cashed out for the $30 Paypal (max reward) last September and just got my second one last week. It adds up pretty quickly if you have help! I don’t think Receipt Pal does anything for referrals and Receipt Hog offers slot spins.
Amy — the receipt hog rules say you are only to use receipts from yourself or those in your household.
Thanks for the reminder about receipt hog! I’d been meaning to sign up. Congrats to you on all your hard work! You earned those rewards!!
Thank you for sharing! I’ve been following for several years. I check throughout the day. It’s my crack 😉 H2S is a positive environment and so helpful. Thank you Collin and team!
Anyone know if you have to pay taxes on the things like pinecone or ibotta?
I don’t believe so
Ibotta are small rebates that accumulate before you cash out, so it’s not the same as income money that is taxable. Not sure about pinecone, I’m sure they would ask you for your SS# or send you a 10-99 if you did have to pay taxes on what you earned. I think last year companies had to send out 10-99’s if they paid contractors more than $600, I don’t think I’ve ever earned that much with pinecone. Good question though, I’ve never thought about wether that was taxable income or not.
Thanks!
What’s receipt hog?? Pls share!
Receipt hog is great! All you need to do is take a picture of any and all receipts. You are granted coins which can be cashed in for PayPal or Amazon. Its a great and easy app. It takes a little bit to accumulate, but it becomes a habit to scan when I get home and do all the other rebate apps. Check it out you won’t be disappointed.
It is an app in which you upload your grocery receipts and earn coins. Once you reach a certain level, you cash out. It takes a long time to cash out though
“Saved” is a relative term. I’ve saved a lot by using Hip2Save, but I’ve also bought stuff that I wouldn’t have purchased if I didn’t see it here as well. If I buy an item I didn’t really need for $40 that normally cost $60, did I save $20 or spend $40?
Lol! I know what you mean!! Like at Christmas time I follow this site religiously and end up getting my kids way more than I would have been able to in the past… But say I only “planned” to get them these certain toys that retail for a total of $500 and I end up getting those for only $300 but spend an additional $300 on other awesome things my kids will love… On sale and with coupons and rebates! Well then I still didn’t really “save money” in terms of spending less total but I got a WAY better value for the money that I did spend! I’m ok with that but I don’t track my savings because it’s not really relative to me for this exact reason.
Lol. Exactly. I try to buy only what I really need but I justify that by having saved money on other things and splurging on other good deals ..if that makes sense.
Oh, yeah–I’m with you! This is definitely not a site for minimalists! I always wonder what percentage of readers are hoarders or have shopping addictions/addictive personality types.
I totally agree. We’re always lured by the “good deal.” But after deciding to adopt a more minimalist lifestyle, we purged our entire house of “good deals” and donated bags of items to a local charitable thrift store. While it felt good to get it out of the house, it was also a bit depressing to realize how much all those “good deals” really cost us. I still follow H2S daily, but now I am much more discerning before giving into the temptation of the “good deal.”
It s called judgment…😀 we ‘re in a low budget and after moving around a lot, I feel I have a good sense of what I really need…this site totally helps me get these things cheaper or even free! That s the point. I follow, I decide and then I m grateful. One can use it as they see fit…
I tracked my savings some years for ago and my best year it was about $5500. It’s amazing how much money can be saved and this blog was a huge part of it!
Well I am the opposite of a hoarder… I cannot stand too much stuff and clutter. I try to keep my stock pile in check and give lots of my couponed items away to family and friends. I do really enjoy the challenge and the feeling that couponing gives me. However, people who play sports, paint pictures, go boating , golfing etc enjoy the challenge and how they feel doing it so I look at it as my hobby. I think as long as someone is not spending money they don’t have or shouldn’t be spending to snag a deal then it’s fine. 😉
Yowza. How did you get 20 survey for one month at Pinecone? I am set to unlimited and I get 2 a week maybe. That’s 5 per week. Crazy. And I have been with them for at least 3 years.
I was wondering the same thing!! I typically get 4 surveys a month if I’m lucky.
I’m guessing that she just cashed out in January and didn’t actually earn it all that month. She has $5 listed for Receipt Hog and that’s not possible in just one month unless she had some hella big wins on some slot spins.
Hey Amy you are right I cashed out in January on pinecone. It seems that if I wait to cash out then I get more surveys coming in. Next week I get to cash out of receiptpal for 25.00.
i dont know how much i have saved but my last trip alone i had 20.00 dollars in coupons!!! it add up over the yr. love coupons and sales.
Thanks for sharing this, I’m going to try some of the links 😊 trying to raise money for my husband to play in the transplant games in Ohio this June, these savings will come in hand!!
I always encourage people who start saving this way to keep track before and after. As doing this helps keep the time you are spending in perspective. Your time is soooo worth the amount you can potentially save. There is also a gradual learning curve that takes time to see. I was keeping track back in 2012 before using hip2save and continue to keep track. We have saved anywhere from 500-1,100$ a month! This is not taking into consideration inflation or the taxes we’re saving as I was able to quit my job to be home with my kids! I actually am NOT doing pine cone research or surveys and still saving. Thanks so much Collin! You have no idea how much this sight enriches people’s lives! I am praying you will have the energy and passion to keep it up!
Living paycheck to paycheck sucks. I love Hip2Save,but really do not have any extra money to buy most things the Collin posts even if it is a great deal. I see all this Amazon stuff and it just really blows my mind that people have all this disposable income to buy,buy,buy. But I will say that I love posts like these and that there are now many ways to earn rewards by doing some of things mentioned in this post. Just wondering if anyone else feels this way and struggles to make ends meet? I am lucky that my kids are older now so we do not have to buy much as for as diapers,formula etc. Everyone is so encouraging on this site. Collin you do an amazing job everyday and I love to read all the posts. Thank you for caring about everyone. You are so genuine and giving. It is hard to see that sometimes un our society today.
Laurie
Laurie, have you ever heard of Dave Ramsey? He changed our lives! We live on a written budget, no credit cards, debt free – it will absolutely work for you and your family too! I use lots of Collin’s deals within our budget, but many are waaaay out of reach for what we need in our family. I would really encourage you to listen to Dave Ramsey’s radio show – you can listen to his audio archives, he is very down to earth and teaches a very simple method that will get you from living paycheck to paycheck to feeling confident in your financial future. LOTS of people who follow Hip2Save use the Ramsey plan.
Your graciousness towards Collin is so thoughtful, I really wish the best for you and your family too
I just read my post and I sound like a crazy infomercial! HA! I just get excited when I think about how much our life changed when we started using a plan and written budget, okay, I’ll go take a breath and calm down now 🙂
Laurie – I don’t know the last time I paid out of pocket for anything on Amazon. I am a big fan of Swagbucks and earn about $50/month from them, I also earn Amazon GCs from the receipt apps others have mentioned above and until recently Louder Rewards gave me another $40/50 per month (app sucks since they have “upgraded”), there are also the miscellaneous sites where I earn additional Amazon GC that cover what I spend. If I don’t have the GC to pay for it then I don’t get it. I’ve been able to get 5 subscribe & save items/month plus additional items posted this way to include a Roomba, Ninja Mega Kitchen System, and I just ordered a Kindle thanks to Collin’s post.
If you’re interested in Swagbucks my referral is https://www.swagbucks.com/refer/freebieforamy
Pay now or pay later. I wouldn’t eat anything at McDonald’s or Pizza Hur, but I’m all for saving money when I can.
Pizza Hut I mean
I too have recorded monthly coupon savings since 2010. I did pretty well, saving about $2000/yr each of 5 years. Then I found Hip2Save in 2015….$7000/yr!!! Holy cow! Feels like I went from amateur to pro. Did I buy extra stuff I likely didn’t need because of the good deals: absolutely. But I didn’t go overboard about it. I learned to start a small gift closet, and I got my daughter (our first) stuff you just need for a new child. I’ve learned a lot, including the need to restrain yourself from buying extraneous stuff. It’s savings on everyday items that have really added up. Thank you Collin!
I guess it’s all relative. Sometimes I purchase things that I wouldn’t have otherwise because I’ve seen them on this site. On the other hand I give a lot of stuff to my elderly parents and college age sons, so finding bulk deals here really helps. Also as a small boss at work I’m expected to contribute to celebrations and supply rewards for team projects. H2S really helps with reward items – just bought 8 water bottles from Tanga that were listed last week and used 2 free bottles of soda for a party.
I’ve really cut back on the “deals” that I buy. I felt like I was getting great deals but I wasn’t saving any money. I was just able to get more stuff for the money. I did a serious evaluation and I realized that I have not been saving. You know you are addicted when you know your usps, ups, and fedex mail carriers. Hahaha, especially when you can’t remember what you’ve ordered. Anyways, I just had to get real with myself and use self control. There will always be good deals. If you miss one another will come along. Love all the ideas here. I’ve been meaning to sign up for receipt hog.
Just signed up for Find & Save please use my referral code : HS5X . Thanks 🙂
I used yours. If someone would like to use mine it is HSZ2.
I love that you call it your income!! I always say that my husband works and earns our income but I spend it wisely and save the rest.
Thanks Maggie 🙂 My hubby works hard for our money and I am home making our money work for us both! By following Collin site we do not have any credit card bills(we use our 1 credit card and payoff every month) and we then get gift cards for the rewards and we also have paid off both our vehicles early too with help from hip2save! We could not have done all of this without you.
I feel like it is important to keep track of what you save so you can see how well you are doing. It does take time to keep track but I feel it is worth it. I have saved between $8000 and $10,000 a year for the last 4 years!
I wanted to do this after the holidays, honestly, I saved so much during that time. Thank you so much, Collin!
YW! 😀
Ww how are you eating so much back a month on Ibotta?
Some months it is not as much, but there was a lot of items in January that kept coming back into my gallery so I would keep resetting every time and I also was able to get a bunch of different bonuses too.