Whenever I give my husband a present, be it Birthday, Christmas or Father’s Day, my aim is to pay for it completely myself.
As we are a one income family, you might see the inherent challenge there. This is where cash back and earning apps come in. I made a goal this year to pay for every holiday using only money earned from apps. Father’s Day marks the first holiday of 2017 where I have to put my money where my mouth is.
My husband has expensive tastes. He likes high tech gadgety type things. Records. Fancy sweatshirts that cost more than sweatshirts should be allowed to cost. But he also works so, so hard to provide for our family. He is committed to me staying home with our girls and that is a gift I can’t really ever repay. But I can try!
My master plan to Couponing to Father’s Day:
Identify earning levels.
My currents apps are Yaarlo (code KRISTINC215), Receipt Hog, Find & Save, Ebates, Checkout 51, and Ibotta. The panels I am a part of are Swagbucks, Pinecone Research, E-poll, and Playground Crew.
I broke these down into three categories: Consistent, Occasional, and Seldom. My seldom earners (looking at you, Yaarlo) are the ones I don’t count on. They live in the background, and when they are ready to cash out, a leprechaun riding a unicorn will let me know. That’s how rare those cashouts are. Seldoms: Yaarlo, Find & Save, Checkout 51.
My Occasionals are just like they sound. An occasional cash out. They make money, but not on a routine time frame. Occasionals: Receipt Hog, Ebates, Ibotta, Pinecone Research, E-poll, Playground Crew.
One is the loneliest number, but in my case the most profitable. My only consistent source of earnings, in that I was able to cash out on a predictable schedule for a predictable amount, was Swagbucks.
Assign cash out location.
After determining where my money was coming from, I needed to determine where my money was going. While paying for holidays, I still want to be putting money in my Disney fund. Assigning certain apps to go toward different savings projects accomplishes this.
Seldoms. They live in the background, and when they are ready to cash out, a leprechaun riding a unicorn will let me know. That’s how rare those cashouts are. No assignments.
Occasionals. When these are ready, I’ll cash them out and put the earnings in the Christmas Fund. Because there are some serious time variables, I don’t want to risk counting on that money for time sensitive occasion, like a holiday. By acknowledging their fluidity, I can avoid depending on funds that don’t exist, while still utilizing them to help my overall savings plan.
Consistent. I cash out of Swagbucks once a month, right after bonuses are released. My earnings can vary, anywhere between $25-$100 a month. Every other cashout, my earnings would go towards the holiday fund. Remaining months would go into the Disney fund. If you’re following along with my fund Deposit posts, you may notice that some months are more Swaggy than others. This is why.
Shop around.
Now I knew where my money was coming from, it was time to tell it where to go!
My husband keeps an Amazon wishlist full of high tech gadgety type things, records, and those fancy sweatshirts. I went with one gadget, one vinyl, and a book. The fancy sweatshirt will wait until his birthday.
The Beatles Anthology 2, on Vinyl. Originally, $44, waited until it was $29.99.
Powerball Gyroscope. $11.99. I couldn’t find a deal on this one, but some people are worth paying retail for. ;)
Those two items I purchased on Amazon, and used my Swagbucks gift card. The last item was on his wishlist, but I went to Better World Books for purchase. Better World Books is an organization that collects and sells books online to donate books and find literacy initiatives world wide. They have a terrific selection and frequent sales on their used books. If you choose Used Condition of GOOD to LIKE NEW, you’ll find excellent quality books for great prices. Did I mention free shipping?
This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Leviten. Originally $16, Amazon had it marked down to $10.32. I scored it from BWB for $3.98, Used GOOD, but when I got it, it was like new!
Total Spent: $45.96
Retail Price: $71.99
Total Saved: $26.03
The remainder left on my gift card will roll over to my gift fund. Which I’m priming for birthday season, because fancy sweaters don’t come cheap. If you’re looking for ways to streamline your gift savings while still adding to your Disney fund, let me suggest the Savings to Disney course. Not only does Kristin break down the different ways your savings can transpire, worksheets to help you track and organize are included!
How did your Father’s Day gift giving go? Do you have savings plans in place for big holidays? Let me hear all about it in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!