Saving money isn't always the easiest thing to do. It can be hard to figure out which companies will actually save you money versus which ones only claim to. Here at The Frugal Navy Wife, we have a handful of amazing programs and services that we love to use when we're looking for ways to save money. Since we're always looking for ways to help you save money, we wanted to put those services and recommendations in one place for you to find.
These money saving websites, homeschooling sites and more are all fantastic for when you're looking to save money on a rental car, find a homeschool tip or earn some extra money. No matter what you need, they're sure to help. These are the ones that we personally use when we need to save. Over the years, these sites have saved my family thousands of dollars and I know they'll do the same for yours.
Money Saving Recommendations
This list is rather long so to help you out, we've added links that will let you jump directly to the section that you're looking for. To view a specific section, simply click the link below that you're looking for.
Money Saving Websites
Ibotta – Ibotta is one of the easiest ways to save money buying items you buy every week. Well, I should be more accurate you will get money back on items you already buy. Buy your item like normal on your grocery trips then unlock them on Ibotta and upload your receipts to get money back anywhere from 25¢ to $5+ Then you can cash out via Pay Pal or, my favorite Amazon Gift Cards.
Checkout 51 – Another cashback shopping app like Ibotta but you can use it on the computer as well as a smartphone. The best part? You can use it and Ibotta together. Do they both have a rebate for a gallon of milk? You only need to buy 1 gallon of milk and then you can get the rebate on both apps!
Ebates – If you are not using Ebates when you are shopping online then you are leaving money on the table plain and simple. With Ebates, you are cashback on purchases made online. If you are a new member you will also earn a bonus $10 gift card of your choice when you make your first purchase!
Shop Your Way Rewards – If you shop at Kmart or Sears even just a few times a year you really need to be a member of SYWR. This program is free and offers tons of great rewards, coupons and more. My favorite is the points you rack up for money off your next purchase.
Raise – This is one of my new favorite ways to save. This is a discounted gift card site. Heading to the grocery store? Check Raise first and see if any gift cards are available. Get a $50 gift card for only $45 and you have already saved $5 before coupons and sales you score at the store.
Republic Wireless – If you are looking for ways to save money on your phone bill you need to check out Republic Wireless. You can get a phone plan for as little as $15.00 a month! They offer all of the latest phones and the service is great! Plus they have a data buyback plan if you don't use all your data!
Groupon – Ok I won't lie I LOVE Groupon. Groupon not only sells items at a great discount price but they sell local tickets, experiences, and vacations too! I shared how I score free Groupon Bucks making everything I buy off Groupon free. I also shared 14 ways to save money on Groupon.
Amazon Kindle – You don't need a Kindle to read kindle books and take part of the free books they offer. You can get the free Kindle reading app for your phone, tablet or computer and read kindle books anywhere.
Amazon Prime – Most everyone have heard of Amazon Prime, but it might surprise you to know that not everyone is a member.. You get free 2 days shipping on your orders but Prime has become so much more than that! Prime members can enjoy free Prime Music streaming, free TV shows and movies, free photo storage, and access to Prime Pantry. Plus, if you've never been a Prime member before, you can get a free 30 day trial to Amazon Prime.
Fandango – Going to the movies? If you buy your movie tickets online with Fandango many times you can get a great deal on them. Even if you can't score a great deal buying your tickets online has its benefits, like making sure you have tickets for the movie you want to see before driving there.
Upromise – If you're trying to save money for your kids college, consider signing up for a Upromise account. Link your store cards up to Upromise, activate your eCoupons, and shop like you always do. The money you earn goes into a college account for you kids. You can earn money for family members as well. You can have grandparents link to your account as shop for you kids as well.
Target Redcard – If you shop Target a lot, you'll want to make sure that you've signed up for the Target Redcard Debit card. This isn't a credit card. It is a debit card that attaches to your checking account. Redcard holders save 5% at Target, get free shipping at Target.com and more! For heavy Target shoppers, it is well worth having one and can save you a considerable amount of money.
If menu planning isn't your thing, you'll want to consider signing up for $5 Menu Plan service. Created by Erin Chase of $5 Dinners, you'll receive awesome menu plans that are full of cheap but delicious meals! The service is perfect for anyone who wants to have a well planned menu but doesn't have the patience or time.
If you're spending too much on groceries, you need a grocery budget makeover! The course, created by Erin Chase of $5 Dinners, can teach you how to overhaul your grocery spending, save money on groceries and more! Erin only opens the course a couple of times a year, but if it isn't currently open, it is definitely worth getting yourself on the waiting list.
Eating out doesn't always have to be expensive and Restaurant.com proves it! Buy discount gift cards for your favorite restaurants for pennies on the dollar and enjoy a budget friendly night out! The options that you'll have to choose from will be limited by your area, but there is almost always one or two restaurants to choose from!
Earn Extra Money
You already search the web so why not get paid a bit to do it? Sign up for a Qmee account and they will pay you just for searching when you're on sites like Amazon.com and Google. You won't get rich with Qmee, but you can make up to $50.00 a year. For me, that's a tank of gas or admission to a favorite family fun destination for our family!
Just about any Mom can tell you the value of a great consignment store and that is exactly what Swap.com is. An online consignment store! This is my favorite of the online ones that I use because all I have to do is send in the items! Once I do, they take photographs and and store them until they sell. You get to price the item and they handle shipping! When you item sells, you pay a small item fee and you're done! Swap takes a wide variety of items so be sure to check out the site the next time you declutter!
If you like earning free gift cards and cash, you're going to love InstaGC! When you sign up for an InstaGC account, you can take surveys, complete offers,m watch videos and more for points. Those points then become free gift cards or cash for you! This is one of my favorite sites to earn from and one that I've been a member of for several years! I use it every year to help get Christmas free!
For those that prefer to earn more passively, there's Swagbucks! With Swagbucks, you get paid to search the web! Just replace your current search engine with Swagbucks and earn points! Those points are then exchanged for gift cards from a ton of different places! Not only that but when you sign up for a Swagbucks account, you'll have the chance to earn bonus points by completing tasks, watching videos, doing surveys, and more!
Sign up for a Prize rebel account and you'll have another chance to earn gift card! The thing that makes Prize Rebel stand out is that you can order actual prizes too! This makes it fantastic for earning free Christmas presents, birthdays and more!
Another one of my favorite ways to earn extra money is with Grab Points! Complete offers and surveys on your phone or computer and earn! Cash your points out for tons of different gift card choices or Paypal cash! Plus when you sign up for a Grab Points account and use code MQN9K1G you'll get 500 points free! Free money? You can't beat that!
If “regular” surveys are your thing, you'll want to head over and sign up for a MySurvey account. Mysurvey is rated A+ by Survey Police and has a fantastic BBB rating. You can take surveys for cash which makes it one of our favorites. Not too many sites actually pay in cash only so Mysurvey really stands out for that reason alone.
Cashcrate is one of the original survey/offer sites and in my opinion, it is still one of the best. Plus, when you sign up for a Cashcrate account, they'll give you $1.00 free after you confirm the email they send you. Complete surveys and offers for money. There's no points here. What you see is what you earn.
Another awesome “real” survey site is Opinion Outpost. Again, you'll take surveys for cash or gift cards, but Opinion Outpost has something else going for it. When you sign up for an Opinion Outpost account, you'll often be given the chance to test full-size products for free!
If you want to get paid for doing very little, you'll want to sign up for an Inboxdollars account. You can literally get paid for doing nothing more than opening emails! Other ways to earn are offers and surveys but they're totally option if you want them to be. Inboxdollars pays by check once a month which can be a nice, tidy little addition to your monthly budget!
Quick Rewards promotes that you can get paid for everything you already do online and I'd have to agree. When you sign up for a Quick Rewards account you can do surveys, earn cash back for shopping online, get paid to play games and even watch videos!
I put together a list of my top 45 Places to Earn Free Gift Cards and how I used them to add an additional $210+ to my budget every month.
Money Related Help
Mint.com is a free budgeting tool that I highly recommend It is what we used to get our budget on track. You link your bank account and it pulls your transactions and you place them in a budget category. You can keep track even on your phone with their app.
When you sign up for a Stash account you have several options for saving, investing, and retirement. You can set up reoccurring savings and investing or add to it when you have extra money.
If you like cashback you need to sign up for a Dosh account. Link our card and forget about it and rack up the cash back anytime you use your card.
Homeschooling Sites
Educents is like the Groupon of daily deals for homeschool curriculum! Sign up for an Educents account now and check out the deals and watch for the freebies!
When you sign up for an ABC Mouse account you do get a month free. We use ABCMouse with our homeschool curriculum. Their curriculum goes up to 2nd grade, so when my kids need a break they play ‘games' with ABCMouse to help reinforce what we are learning.
We are currently using their Horizon curriculum and LOVE IT! Make sure to check out the Alpha Omega curriculum since they offer so many option from teacher led to student led, online, or pen and paper!
Blog Related Help
I love using Tailwind for Pinterest, scheduling, sharing content with Tribes, analytics, and more. Plus they now have an option for Instagram. Sign up for a Tailwind account to check it out and poke around.
I started on Bluehost and recommend it to anyone just starting out. It is easy to sign up with Blue Host I even have a step by step guide for setting up a WordPress blog on Bluehost.
One of the best ways to earn money blogging is with affiliate income. I suggest you sign up for a Share a Sale account because they have some of my favorite affiliate programs!
Military Deals and Savings
I love USAA and all the products they offer. We started using them for their car insurance and renter insurance and have used many of their services since (and still use their car insurance!) You can sign up for a USAA account and take a look around.
We use Navy Federal for all our banking. Checking Savings, business accounts, car loans, and more. You can sign up for a Navy Federal Credit Union account and take full advantage of their services!
Couponing
I always check for online printable coupons once I have my grocery list each month. You can view coupons on Coupons.com each time you go shopping!
