Big Island Budget

Living on a budget can be tough, and that budget gets even tougher living here in Hawaii. We have the highest cost of living in the whole country. (I'm not complaining though! I'll gladly pay more than 5 bucks for a gallon of milk if it means I get to live where it's summer year round.) Over the past few years I have found some pretty creative (and pretty fun!) ways to get the most out of my money here on the Big Island. If you want to try any out for yourself, just click the links below!

A few years ago I discovered a wonderful app called Shopkick. I get points or "kicks" as they call it just for walking in to stores. Those "kicks" can be redeemed for all sorts of different gift cards. You can also get extra kicks just for scanning the bar code of certain items when you are at the store. It's like a scavenger hunt!

http://get.shopkick.com/triangle9583

I've found that the best place to buy groceries here is Target. I use my Target RedCard every time I shop there and get an automatic 5% off every time! I also use my Cartwheel app! Cartwheel is an app that saves all your target coupons on to one barcode. The cashier will scan the barcode on your phone at checkout. Almost all the Market Pantry items are at least 5% off with Cartwheel. The app even has a feature where you can scan the barcode on an item and it will tell you if there is a coupon for it! It is SO easy to use.

                                                      http://cartwheel.target.com/

My absolute new favorite shopping trick it Ebates! My mom introduced it to me this past Christmas holiday and I am hooked! Ebates gives you CASHBACK on your online shopping. Our stores don't carry all items here on the Big Island, and there are a lot of store that we don't even have. So if there is something you really want it has to be ordered online. I've even used Ebates for stores like Target and Macys, which we do have here. I place my order online through Ebates, I choose "Pick up at store" (which saves a ton on shipping!), and then later that day I just go to customer service and pick it up. I save time and money! The best is when my husband and I used Ebates to buy some items from Lowes. It always takes me forever to find whatever I need there. But with Ebates, we just walked to the front desk, picked up our items, and actually MADE 5 bucks in the process.


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My latest discovery is Inbox Dollars. It doesn't involve shopping or coupons. It's what I like to call free money. With Inbox Dollars you earn money by taking online surveys. You can also earn money just by searching the internet and checking emails. I haven't been on it very long and I've already made $12!

http://www.inboxdollars.com/?r=ref19351110





That pretty much wraps up how I get the biggest bank for my buck! As they say, you can only spend a dollar once. And I like my dollar to go as far as possible!