5 Ways Actors Can Save Money by Shopping Online

9/20/2018

I love saving money.

My mom even once told me it's ok to not be so frugal with certain purchases because some things are worth a good investment, like a decent house.

It's super easy to save money in today's digital world by simply signing up for an account and then clicking a button on your browser.

Remember, a financially stable actor is more confident and relaxed in the audition room because they're not desperate for the job. If you still have debt, you're not considered financially stable.

I'm typically skeptical of signing up for new accounts, but I've had great success with a few products.

In this post, I'll tell you which products I've personally used to save money or get cash back that are super easy to use and actually worth your time.

Disclosure: My personal referral links are listed below, meaning my accounts will receive a certain number of referral bucks from anyone who clicks on my links and utilizes these tools. I personally use and love each of these and encourage you to also take advantage of the savings and referral programs whether you signup through my links or not.

1. HONEY CODES

This is definitely my favorite tool on the list.

Honey will automatically show you a pop-up window and offer to auto-apply coupon codes currently available for that site.

If none of the codes work, Honey will notify you that you're getting the best deal.

They've also released a rewards system called Honey Gold which allows you to earn "coins" that can later be used on purchases.

Currently, 100 Gold equals $1. You need a minimum of 1,000 Gold aka $10 to redeem your rewards.

My rewards dashboard is pictured below so you can see the various redemption options. The options aren't clickable until I hit the 1,000 point minimum.

I used Honey before they released this system, though, so I loved it just for the auto-applied coupons, especially for Target.

Honey has saved me sooooo much money at Target! Gold rewards are just a bonus.

JOIN HONEY

2. EBATES CASH BACK

This is my latest adventure in saving money online.

I was very hesitant to use Ebates initially because it wouldn't work with Honey, but now they have a great pop-up that reminds you to activate your cash back if you're on a site they support. No issues with Honey since.

It's as simple as clicking the Activate button.

Ebates also notifies me of their available cash back deals directly above my Google search results.

Sometimes the same items may only be 2% cash back on one site, but 6% cash back on another.

I linked my Paypal account for payouts, and they send me updates every now and again letting me know how much has accumulated in case I'm ready to transfer.

I will say that my first Ebates update was an uneventful $0.43.

However, I've since made major online purchases like new tires for $15 cash back.

The deposits add up over time, even the little ones. If you use it all year, then hello Christmas money!

Just let it accumulate until Black Friday, and you should have a solid gift fund.

JOIN EBATES

3. WIKIBUY BEST PRICE

There are a few ways to use this tool.

The primary way I use WikiBuy is to locate a better deal on a product I'm buying.

If WikiBuy finds your same product for cheaper elsewhere online, it will show you a little green bubble telling you how much you can save.

Below I've pictured a $15 savings alert for dog food. On Amazon, you can either search a product or look for the green badge directly on the product page.

The one caveat is that you may need to wait longer for shipping, but if you don't need it ASAP, then the savings are worth the wait.

You can also have WikiBuy run coupon codes for you just in case Honey missed a few.

Notice the 3% back on the picture? It's not a cash back system, so keep using Ebates.

WikiBuy has launched their own rewards system called Wikibuy Credits that allows you to purchase items from their store, hence the 3% in the picture that looks like cash back.

JOIN WIKIBUY

4. GROUPON STACKING

Groupon is an oldie but a goodie.

You can stack Honey coupon codes and Ebates cash back on already discounted Groupon purchases.

First, activate your Ebates cash back.

Next, run Honey coupon codes for extra discounts. You'll also accumulate more Honey Gold.

That's a seriously good dinner for cheap.

Even if you only use Groupon, you'll still get a discount, but why not stack coupon codes, rewards, and cash back?

JOIN GROUPON

5. STORE REWARDS

These are the cherry on top.

Make sure you sign up for any and all store rewards so you get those perks from your accounts as well.

Not every store will have them, but most will automatically apply them to your purchases when you sign into your account to shop online, which brings us to our bonus tip.

BONUS TIP

You'll notice all of these savings are happening online.

Order your purchases online to activate these savings even if you need them that day because most stores offer free in-store same day pickup or delivery (helloooo Amazon Prime).

Then all you need to do is drive to the pickup lane, hit the customer service desk, or wait for it to arrive which is also going to save you a lot of time.

Did I mention that your time is valuable?

You'll also save moola by not browsing the store and picking up extra items.

Plus, you get free rewards! They add up just like the cash back deposits.

TAKE ACTION

These savings aren't going to activate themselves.

Create accounts for each of these tools today, and install the browser plugins so they can start saving you money ASAP.

Also, if you're interested in saving money to help you pay off debt, then consider putting an extra set of eyeballs on your budget.

I highly recommend that you use my free download Actor Boss Budget to get started. Not having your finances together is subconsciously hurting your confidence as an actor.