I was reading some "mom blogs" to get some recipe tips and checking in on some updated coupon policies and whatnot and stumbled upon one that was running a post on smartphone apps that save you money and/or keep you organized. It wasn't mentioned in the actual post, but a reader mentioned the app Ibotta and I was instantly intrigued and downloaded it. Holy moly, where have been? Seriously. I use several apps and coupons and I think this may be one of the better ones I've used. Not only can it be combined with coupons, in-store apps like Target's Cartwheel, and other apps like Shopkick (which I also happen to be a big fan of), you can also use other payment options like giftcards to complete your transactions and still get the cash back and unlike Ebates (which, don't get me wrong - I also love), Ibotta has in store promotions and you can cash out through paypal or redeem for giftcards at anytime as long as you have $10 in your account.
So, during the VIB sale, they were running a rebate at Sephora stores for $5 back with a purchase of $50 or more (psst they are still running this rebate - both in store and online - in fact, it regenerated for me!). I had to make sure that after my 15% still put me over the $50 (some deals have a certain dollar threshold at once while others have a threshold that you would meet over time) but I made my purchase, saved 15% instantly thanks to the sale and then I got $5 back on Ibotta (all I had to do was meet the requirements for the deal and scan my receipt); basically 10% cashback. They also have other options that you can purchase online but you need to go through the Ibotta link so you can't do Ebates and Ibotta for example.
The other cool thing about Ibotta is the teamwork function. I haven't been on there long, but it looks like every month you and your team (facebook friends and referrals) try to get to certain dollar amounts of rebates throughout the month and when you do, you get $5 here and $5 there. So for the April event, I've already made an extra $10 just for using the app. Since downloading the app on the 17th, I've already banked $25.05!
In addition to shops like Sephora, Express and Aeropostale (just a few of the stores - though they seem to update weekly), you can also use this on groceries that you would normally buy and individual cosmetic items at Target, CVS, Walgreens, etc. They tend to do small amounts for things like "any brand of cereal" "any brand of chips" "a gallon of milk" and as long as you do the very simple tasks to unlock the rebate and the item checks out (you scan the barcode), you get the rebate and as I said, you can combine with coupons. So as an example, earlier this week, Safeway was running a deal on garbage bags (I know this is completely unrelated to beauty but it's so cool I had to share). They usually sell them for $10 but were on sale for $5. I had a $1 off paper coupon and Ibotta had a 75 cent rebate. So after all was said and done, I basically paid $3.25.
I'm not being paid or sponsored by Ibotta in anyway, but you will see my referral links scattered through this article. Join my team and we can make money together! If you download directly from your phone, my referral code is fkemmhr. See you there!
