Are you getting a little overwhelmed with all the deal sites and incentives? I went through a little period recently when I definitely did! Especially with all the incentives! There would be "refer a friend, get $5 credit" on one site, then another would be "refer a friend, get $10...when that friend makes their first purchase" or "buy this deal and get 3 friends to also buy it and yours is free". Honestly, who can keep up with all that stuff? And even if you do have a super organized way to do it, who wants to? (I actually think there are a few sites out there that are designed to help you keep track of all of them, but not sure what they are or how they work. Different post.) But - I have been reminded this week why I do all of this: because it pays off! I'm not talking about
quit your job and live off of deals kind of pay-off - but
little bits here and there that really make my day pay-off. For instance:
A few weeks ago there was a special on the deal site Lot 18. All you had to do was sign up for a free account and you got $20 in credit. I took a look at the site and very nearly decided not to sign up - because everything seemed quite out of my price range. Don't get me wrong, I loved the stuff, but just didn't foresee ever being able to buy anything, even with a $20 credit! But I went ahead and signed up (and I think I even told y'all about it), and kept checking for various deals. I was surprised at the good deals that came through, considered several of them - but was just biding my time, and then out of nowhere they announced free shipping for about a 6 hour time period!!! I was then able to use my credit paired with the free shipping and get two bottles of Syrah (normally $58 + $9.99 shipping + tax) for a grand total of $17.53! Awesome!
Just this morning I was going through my email and I saw one from Eversave that looked a little different (honestly, I normally just delete all the emails that come through - unless something catches my eye). So I opened the email and low and behold, they were reminding me that I have a credit on my account with them that is going to expire tomorrow! I got a referral credit several months ago and just completely forgot about it. Now I get to go to Eversave and pick out something for practically nothing!
Yesterday, Plum District was offering $10 off any order (no minimum). Just a random "Happy Tuesday" kind of deal. I had $5 credit in my account (from another referral), so I was able to purchase a voucher worth $130 for only $15 for NuMeStyle.com. I'm such a sucker for quality hair care products, so I get to splurge on something nice for myself - for only $15!
So here are my pointers for keeping things simple:
1) Create an email address that is for the express purpose of online registration for deal sites and coupon stuff. That way your personal email doesn't get cluttered with tons of emails (and you will get tons).
2) Anytime there is an incentive to join a site - like free credit - DO IT! There is really no reason not to; they literally take less than a minute! You normally have several months to use your credit and you never know when they're going to run a special like free shipping, or offer additional discounts that you can stack! Plus, these discounts will come in very handy in the next few months when you're looking for something different and unique to give as Christmas presents.
3) Use the same email addy and password for all of the "deal accounts". That way you don't have to remember which goes with which.
4) Don't try to keep them all organized, or keep up with your referral points/credits. They'll email you when you get them and when they're about to expire - and then you'll be pleasantly surprised by "free" shopping days!
So have fun, relax, and enjoy the rewards of "social shopping"! :)
