Friday Five.

For this week's Five on Friday, I thought I'd talk about 5 money-saving websites/apps that some people STILL do not know about. I was at a baby shower last weekend and I overheard one girl saying that she just discovered the Target Cartwheel app, and the girl that she was talking to had no idea what it was, and that's what prompted this post. I feel like being a blogger, we hear about new products or services a lot faster than people who do not have/read blogs. Guess that's why there are so many reviews/giveaways out there! 

Anyway, let's get started...

{Cartwheel}

The Cartwheel by Target app is an app where you scroll through the list of categories, which range from groceries to clothing to toys and more, then you select the item you plan on buying. It saves the item to your cart (you can save up to 18 items) and when you are done shopping, the cashier scans the barcode in your app and your discounts are applied! Discounts range from 5% to 25%. Pair it with your Target Debit or Credit card, and you'll get an additional 5% off of your entire purchase! My last trip, between both the Cartwheel app and my Target Debit card, I saved almost $10. It may not sound like a lot, but all of those little amounts every trip really add up!

{Ebates}

This is probably my favorite website/app that I love telling people about. Not only can you find coupon codes for almost any website out there, but you get CASH BACK when you shop online. Free money, people! New users get a free gift card just for signing up! Each store has it's own % that you get back. For example, J.Crew gives you 2% cash back, but some stores are offering double cash back for Mother's Day (Nordstrom 6%, Macy's 6%, Sephora 8%). Even websites like Living Social and Groupon offer cash back! Payouts are every 3 months and you can choose for them to send you a physical check in the mail, or have your money deposited into your Paypal account. 

Sign up here! 

{Etsy}

Etsy is the website that most people have probably heard of by now. It is a shopping website mostly made up of handmade or vintage items. Products range from art, craft supplies, food, jewelry, clothing, knick-knacks, etc. This website is great for finding unique gifts for the person that has everything. A great way to save money using Etsy is if you are in the market for inexpensive invitations. Some sellers will personalize your invitation for you and email you the PDF so you can print it out at home or at a printing store like Kinko's. 

{Mint}

I had always heard about the Mint website/app, but didn't really get into using it until I was determined to pay off my credit cards. Opening up the app on my phone and seeing that bottom line number of my balance get lower and lower was super rewarding. The app also helps manage budgets and tracks your spending by linking up to your bank accounts. It will also alert you if your accounts gets low on funds (whoops), a large purchase has been made (for security purposes), and when you have a payment due soon (thank you). 

{Rent the Runway}

Back in 2010, Cameron and I were invited to 15 weddings! Between being a bridesmaid in a couple, and one day being invited to 3 different weddings which obviously we could not make it to all of them, we probably attended 10 of them. Being a girl, you know we like to wear a new outfit to everything, but for some it is just not financially possible to go out and buy a $200 dress for every occasion. Enter Rent the Runway. This website rents designer dresses, jewelry, and handbags, for a fraction of their retail price! Rental prices range from $30 up to $200+. If you are not sure how specific designers' clothes run in size, you can talk live to a stylist, or you can read reviews and even see pictures of "real" people wearing the piece. RTR will also send you two different sizes of the same dress, in case the size you thought you would be doesn't fit. Rentals last for 4 days, and on the last day, you pop the dress in the pre-paid envelope back in the mail. Easy as that!

Now, if you are like I was with the 10-15 weddings in a year, or plan on renting more than just two dresses in a year, RTR now has a service called PRO to save you even more money. You pay just $29.95 for the service and you'll receive free shipping and insurance for the rest of the year! They'll even throw in a free rental dress for your birthday! 

Hope you discovered something new and helpful today that will save you money in the end! 

Now go out and have a fantastic Mother's Day weekend!