This is a fabulous question that I received from a reader – “How do I shop online when I am on a cash budget?“.
Well to start off with, for years I did not shop online at all – when we were at our hardest time financially I had to say no to most online deals, which is very hard! I only shopped online when I have money in paypal through selling something on Ebay or through taking at home surveys.
Here are some ways that you can shop online while still using a cash budget:
1.) I have an ING Account that I have set up that I pre fund with money to use online. I would recommend you give this money a purpose and amount. For example: Give yourself $30 per month to get diapers on Amazon, or $50 per month to shop online on Daily Deal sites for dates or Valentine’s day gifts. The money needs to have a purpose and a reason to be in there, don’t spend it ‘just because you can’. If you don’t spend it all one month, don’t use it up, and let that amount roll over to the next month. (You can get a FREE $50 bonus to ING Direct when you sign up for an account – see details here.)
2.) Use Swagbucks to earn money for online shopping. It is very realistic that you can earn $5 in Amazon gift cards per month, you can save those up and use those for items like diapers, snacks, toilet paper, batteries + more!
3.) Purchase a pre-paid card at your local grocery store. My local grocery stores gives 10¢ off per gallon of gas for every $50 you spend, this includes gift cards. If you know you are going to make a large online purchase – you can purchase gift cards to their retailers at any grocery store or drug store and use those to shop online.
What are some ways that you shop online and still use a cash budget? I would love to hear them.
Ebates is good to use with the debit accounts right?
Paypal is useful for those who like it. You put money from a bank account into your Paypal account to use. If you earn points on Superpoints, a deposit to Paypal is an option (I have not yet tried this myself)
I also always search the internet quick for any possible coupon codes I may not have remembered.
Yes- you can use Ebates with a debit card account. I also use Ebates when I purchase a daily deal from Groupon, I may as well get cash back on top of the great deal I just got.
I used to do the prepaid card thing, but then I got a small-limit credit card for reoccurring charges online. Love that you listed some other options!!