Top Ten: Get more bang for your buck

Last week, Lauren from Life Uncluttered invited me to participate in her top 10 series.  I thunk and i thunk about 10 things i even knew about, wondering if there was such a thing.  As a list lover, this is right up my alley.  And as a cheapskate frugal minded person who wants to get the most for their money or their time, i thought the Top Ten Ways To Get More Bang For Your Buck would be a good fit. 

the cape on the corner's top ten ways to get the most bang for your buck

1. Have a love affair with Swagbucks, and work it, work it, work it.  I work it simply.  Install the swagbucks tool bar, and search through it.  Told you, really simple.  It is just one extra step-instead of going directly to a website, you are going to insert that website or search into your sb toolbar, press enter, and magically points will appear.  You don't get points with every search, but you get points A LOT! And with those points you can redeem them for anything listed, but i have chosen Amazon gift codes.  What can't you get from Amazon?  I also do the swagbucks daily poll to earn points, and subscribe to blogs that tell you when a new code is available.  But that's it, and i'm getting rewarded for doing something i do-surfing the internet- countless times a day!

2.  Memolink is my baby.  The boyfriend and I have been members for over 10 years (oh my gosh, how did that happen!) and i talk about this site to everyone.  You buy things online, right?  Get rewarded for it.  Before i make a purchase online-every time-i see if Memolink has the store.  If they do, i go to the store's website via ML, and earn points per dollar.  You know groupon? ML has it. So it looks like this-search ml through swagbucks-buy groupon through ml-earn per dollar for something i was going to buy anyway.  Oh, if only they would have etsy! If i send you a referral link via email, i get bonus points.  You'd like me to have that right?  I know you would...

3.  Restaurant.com-of course, clicked through ML at 120 points per dollar, is the best place to score gift certificates for cheap to the listed restaurants.  There are restrictions, like only good certain days of the week, but when they are 90% off and you're getting a $25 gift certificate for $1...i don't mind what the restrictions are.  You can search most cities in the US, so a genius idea i can't take credit for is buying these for your vacation destination or your vacation home since you'll likely be going out to dinner there.

4.  It's my birthday, and i'll get free if i want to.  Friends, i make no bones about signing up for every email list i can get on, if it's going to result in free food for my birthday.  Just went to a new place for dinner last weekend, and hopefully they'll throw something my way when October comes.  My inlaws think this means cheap, i think if the places offer it, why the heck not take advantage??  I'm getting older anyway, why not get something for it?

5.  Netflix is my friend.  Instant netflix is best friend.  I haven't been to the slums they call movie theaters in months.  10 bucks for an entire month of indies and foreigns, or see 1 new mediocre movie.  Yeah, let me ruminate on that....Redbox and Instaflix are also good, and they provide free codes via text and email.  Hey, for a dollar i'll pretty much see anything.  And some are surprisingly good!  Gnomeo and Juliet, anyone?

6.  Credit cards that give back-at this very moment there is a $10 dollar reward card to Old Navy burning a hole in my wallet.  Shop where i would anyway, and they give me money for doing so.  Yes, thank you, more please.

7.  Coupons-ok, i'm not talking couponing like a crazy person that stockpiles 62 mustards just because they can-but use coupons.  In college my roommates would just buy the things they needed from anywhere, used absolutely no coupons, and never bought a spare to avoid this in the future.  Do you know how much they charge at a gas station for basic necessities?  Memolink and Swagbucks offer grocery coupons you print out, therefore only printing the ones you need, and you earn points when redeemed.  It's like a thrifty savey cycle of goodness.

8.  Online coupons-never buy anything online without searching for coupon codes.  You don't always find them, but it's worth the free shipping or extra 30% off your order if it's out there in cyberland.  Again, use that swagbucks toolbar!

9.  Magazines-Websites like Tanga, Best Deal Magazines, and even Amazon have fantastic deals on popular mags or ones you haven't heard of.  Super Chevy magazine for the boyfriend who restores old cars...yes.  Natural Health magazine for your new age coworker....yes.  Rolling Stone for your music lovin' self...yes.  Got 'em all for around 3 bucks each for a whole year.

10.  Coke points-yes, i partake in the occasional soda, and underneath that bottle cap or 12 pack is a code.  That code translates into more cokes or other goodies, like a Better Homes and Garden subscription.  For drinking coke, which we'd do anyway.  My dad and best friend used to give us all their coke lids-now that they see us getting such great stuff, they have signed up for their own account.  I may have asked the bartender at a recent wedding for the coke lids, i may have torn the codes from the 12 packs from a family barbecue, and we may have our friends collecting from neighbors.  But i'm not saying.

So there you have it, my guide to getting more bang for your buck.  Yeesh, with it all piled together it sounds like a lot of work or i'm a lunatic, fanatically seeking out the best deal.  I assure you that's not the case-i do a normal amount of fantatically seeking out the best deal.

How do you get the most bang for your buck (aside from thrift stores or garage sales)?