In this episode of Spillin' the Peach Tea we'll be discussing different app, platforms, and methods to help you save/make some extra money in this economy with only tiny changes to your daily routine.
Video Transcription Below:
The information provided in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Peach State does not make any warranties or representations with the use of any companies appearing herein. If you would like to speak with someone regarding your specific situation, visit your local branch.
00:07
Hello guys and welcome back to another episode of Spillin' the Peach Tea. I'm Gabe.
And I'm Elia.
And we're so glad to have you back. Today we're going to be talking about how we can save a little bit of cash in this unstable economy and, uh we're going to do that by introducing some new apps.
Some apps that will help you save some money, get some rewards, and help out a little bit here and there.
00:35
So the first one we're going to talk about is Honey. Have you ever used Honey?
I have.
So Honey is a digital couponing browser extension. So basically goes on your browser and while you're shopping, you put everything in your cart, you're ready to check out and it filters through all these promo codes that ranging from 15%, 10%, 30%, however, whichever best one it finds and it gives you the best possible coupon and it helps you save money on your purchase.
Yeah, the great thing about Honey too is that there's what, almost more than, what, 10,000 retailers that use it?
I think it's 30,000.
Wow.
Yeah.
So, um I mean, you got a lot of options when it comes to, you know, where you can shop and save some money. So that's awesome and good to know. Um, I know there's also some other platforms out there that kind of do some of the same things, but Honey is a great resource since they've partnered with a lot of different retailers.
Yeah, and Honey kind of takes away, I know in the past I've went to Google and searched up promo codes and tried to, you know, go back on the website and enter them in and they didn't work and then you go keep going back and forth. Honey eliminates all that and just does everything right there for you automatically and then gives you the best possible.
Now, there's no guarantee that you're going to get a promo code sometimes, but why not try.
Yeah, and the extension that you put on your browser is gonna let you know, um if the, of course it's gonna pick the best code that works. Um, you know of course there are codes that are there that may be expired, um but it's going to run through everything and allow you to see what is available. And if nothing is available, it'll usually give you a prompt like this is the best price. So, um it's very easy.
All you gotta do is just go to their website. You can download the extension there and then you'll just plug it into um whether you use Safari or Chrome. It works on both platforms and they also have a dedicated app as well for the phone. You just, um download that and you can actually plug it into your phone browser as well. So that makes it even easier. So,
Nowadays everybody does most of their shopping, you know on their phone so that will definitely help out and again, yeah save you as much as you possibly can on a purchase. Why not?
Oh yeah. So, promo codes are are obviously the first step. What would you use next?
03:08
So, I would use Fetch. So, Fetch is like a, you upload your receipts to it, whether it's physical receipts from grocery shopping or anywhere else, or you could even do e-receipts if you do a lot of online shopping. So, you just download the app, do your purchase, grab your receipt, whether physical or e, and snap a picture and it'll give you, it'll give you, um points, I think you get about 25 points per receipt.
But Fetch also has offers within the app itself. So, before you go shopping, you should just open the app and take a look on what the offers are. Sometimes they're, you know, buy two of this name brand and you get 3,000 bonus points or yeah, so.
You can get the automatic 25 points for the receipt, but then you can also get those bonus points. Um, and they live within the app, and then you can redeem them, whether it's to your bank account or gift cards, um later on when you have, you know some stacked up.
Awesome, awesome. Okay. Yeah, I've never used that, um. But that actually sounds like something that would be cool because you could definitely bag a few little extra gift cards for the family.
I mean you're going grocery shopping anyways, why not just take that receipt and instead of just throwing it away or saying you don't want it, you can just snap a quick picture of it and get some, get some rewards.
Sweet, sweet. So do they have any um website extensions or is that just an app itself?
I believe it's just an app itself, um so you just download it on your phone and then snap away.
Nice, nice. Okay.
04:52
Um I know for me a great website that I like to use is called Rakuten and they're partnered with several retailers as well. Um, have you ever used it?
I have not.
Okay. So they have a dedicated app and they also do an extension just like Honey. Um, essentially how it works is you download that extension and then you go to the site that you're going to shop and it will tell you the amount of cash back that you can get.
So for example, if you're going to a store like Kohl's and you're shopping online, you can just easily go to Kohl's.com. If the extension is already plugged in, it's going to drop down and tell you, hey, you're going to get 5% back on this purchase. So you just fill your card up with the things that you need for you or your family and then when you go to check out, at the end, it'll give you another drop down that says you've received this much money cash back.
Um, Rakuten basically keeps that in your account and they give you a check at the end of the quarter of all the cash back that you've essentially earned.
So you know for me, I've used it for several years now and um quarterly, you know, I can get anywhere from $50 to $100 back, which is, you know, a nice little surprise.
A nice little surprise in the mail, a little check.
Right. Yeah.
So you could ideally use Rakuten, the way you just explained it and then use, and then have Honey also scrubbing for coupons at checkout and use both at the same time.
Exactly.
And get even more savings.
Even more, even more.
So that's one thing that we're definitely going to talk about here later.
06:28
As far as some other platforms that we can use other than like an app or website, what are um some things that you like to use?
I like using, and this is an app, it's the Upside app.
Okay.
So, but this is for gas, and we all know how expensive gas has gotten. Insane!
Um, so you basically for that one you use it before you make the purchase, so you open the app when you're you know you know, say you are about to leave the house and you need to get gas you open the app you see it shows you like nearby gas stations that have say 15% sorry 15 cents off a gallon um so you drive to that gas station and you check in basically when you get there and then you make, and then
you fill up your gas, you make your purchase, and then your your card, I believe, is linked to that um app, and then it automatically gives you those points in the app, so that is like a great way, everybody gets gas, everybody needs gas so why not go ahead and get those points because it is not cheap!
Yeah, gas is getting expensive by the day.
Yeah. Another misconception though about the Upside app is it's not just for gas.
It's usually, it’s promoted just for gas, but it also works. Um it has restaurants and grocery stores, so you can also...Open the app, take a look. If you're already going somewhere, why not, you know if you're going on a little date night, why not get some points along the way.
08:01
Yeah, now, one thing I want to stress too is a lot of the um restaurants, gas stations, uhh some of the things that we do like recreational wise, they have loyalty apps. Umm or loyalty programs, not apps, but you can go to their apps to plug in those loyalty um credentials and save even more.
So um, for me, if I was to go get some gas at Racetrack, since I'm a loyalty member there, based on any purchases that I make via gas or in the store, those points add up and then I can get discounts at the pump or off of a certain, uh certain merchandise.
Um, I know some of the clothing stores have loyalty programs, cosmetics, um a lot of those things, you know based on how much you shop there, the more points, rewards…
Definitely take advantage of those, especially if you frequent that place often. Don't just get it just to get it. Um, but yeah, like you said, restaurants, coffee shops, gas stations, um. A lot of grocery stores have them nowadays, so why not take advantage? I know um at Target, I get like, every time you spend a certain amount, you get like a $5 little gift card.
Yeah.
It's a nice, it’s a nice little, it’s a reward. It’s a nice little reward to um, because I'm already going and I'm already shopping, so it's just like a little incentive to, to keep doing so.
Yeah.
So, I think it helps you and the you know the company, store, whatever itself that you keep coming back right you know so it helps both of you guys.
Yeah. And I know a lot of people, obviously, like if you get groceries, Kroger, you're going to go there, you're going to spend your money, you're going to get your points, 100 points equals 10 cents off at the gallon. Um, of course, you have to use that 10 cents at their pumps, but once again, that's one of those things where you're getting the points based on what you need and you're using it for something else that you need, aka gas, so.
10:08
And a lot of these stores have like physical or e-mail coupons. So, some stores will e-mail you coupons um that you can use for in the store.
Some of them will have physical coupons. I know at Aldi um when you're walking in, they have just like a flyer with that week's deals. So why not combine those coupons or deals with that rewards card or rewards program that they have.
I’m sure a lot of people's parents remember, or a lot of people who had parents from back when uhh, you know you remember that you get the Sunday paper, there would be lots of physical manufacturer coupons there.
None of that anymore.
A lot of that stuff has died out. But, you know, every now and again, there are um, paper coupons that you'll get in the mail, um or that will be, like she said, attached to some of the flyers or the um the weekly deals that you can obviously use.
But on top of that, you know going through and actually seeing like what kind of promotions the stores are going through. So, like so like you said, weekly deals, some of the grocery stores, i.e. Publix, will do uh maybe a buy one, get one or um you know buy 10 get 10.
I think is that it or is am I.
Not sure.
That might be a wrong but double check that. Don't, don’t quote me on that but um you know a lot of the grocery stores will have some, some deals that you know if you buy 5 items that they’ll take an additional dollar off of each item so.
But don't just buy something just because you have a coupon or just because there's a deal on it.
Correct.
Buy stuff that you actually need, that you actually are going to use. Don't drive across town and spend $5 on gas to save $1.50. So, use these platforms and these apps wisely um because they can hurt you if not used properly.
12:07
Yeah, I mean, as for everything, you know don't overspend.
We're, we’re really trying to give you advice on spending for the things that you know, you absolutely need, everyday needs, like gas, groceries, um and food, um and even clothing, some of that stuff that, that you and your kids will need for maybe the new school year or you know, even, as you know, we're rolling out this podcast, you know, Christmas is going to be coming right around the corner.
So um saving money, even on Christmas shopping is going to be a huge deal this year.
Yeah. And like you said, with Rakuten, you're getting $100, $50 to $100 check every quarter. That can definitely be Christmas presents.
For me, another option that I like to use and um, this can be a little controversial, but if you use your head while you're doing it, using your credit card as another option to save, um a lot of credit cards, I know some of the ones that I use will have um their own rewards programs that you can use and they will also have um special deals on certain stores that you shop at that you know if you spend a certain amount, they'll give you $20 cash back or um 10% or maybe even give you some points for Amazon. So.
Definitely a lot of those cards that, you know, I know one of mine that I use kind of has like tiers where you can pick what you want like 3% back on or 2% back on, or, so those definitely help.
13:46
And also Peach State's credit cards have um, certain credit cards have great rewards programs that you know our members can also take advantage of.
Yeah, and I know a lot of those rewards will allow you to take those points and use them within their dedicated app to you know purchase things like gift cards.
Travel, merchandise, gift cards, yeah, anything you really need.
So there's plenty of options um. But with using all those options to really get the ultimate savings here, what can we do?
14:19
We can stack all these savings and use all these apps at the same time!
So you can you know, use Honey to get those promo codes. You can take that receipt, plug it in to Fetch, to Rakuten, um to any other platforms that you use, and then you know use the gas app, you can just stack all these savings and get you know one transaction can be used across several platforms and can you know give you the maximum savings.
Yeah. So just to kind of clarify that a little bit for everybody, if you're going to, let's say just your regular grocery store, right? Um your grocery store may be having a deal where um, like we said earlier, if you're, need cereal for the kids, hey, you buy five boxes of Cheerios, you're going to save $5.
Okay. And then they may have a digital coupon where that brand is another, let's say, $1.50 off. And if you're using your…
Fetch. It could be another offer on Fetch.
Upload that receipt, um. You also have your Kroger points that you can use towards gas.
Yeah.
And then if you were to use a Kroger credit card with that, you would also get an additional set of points for using that as well.
So right then and there like, you've maybe saved more than $20, $25 if you really look at the savings at the end of the day. And a lot of that can be um, I'm just using it for groceries, but things like that can be used for gas. Online shopping for when you're buying your clothes and other things um, you'll really see some big savings there um, if you're stacking all those things when you do use them.
Yeah, and this is, we're not telling you to change your lifestyle or anything, this is adding to that.
Yeah.
So, these are things you're already doing. So why not add a little, you know, another step and not leave money on the table and potentially, you know, get um all the savings and stuff that will add up eventually and gets to be a good amount.
I don't think a lot of people realize how much money that they're leaving on the table when they are shopping um, just out of maybe not knowing about stacking um, maybe the, the tediousness of it. But, what were you going to say?
I mean, there's a lot of platforms that I didn't know about that I, you know, now are, want to try and want to use and utilize so I can get the best possible savings, um.
17:05
But in this economy, like we said in the beginning, everything's gotten more expensive. Um, so especially for families out there, people who, you know, this can definitely help.
And this is a way to, I mean, is it really going to get you ahead? No, but it's gonna, it’s gonna be able to give you some cash back to maybe make things more manageable um, to kind of like back to where they kind of were um versus like you really being knocked over the head with some of these, you know, rising prices due to inflation and things like that.
So, um, definitely take full advantage of things where you can.
17:47
There’s also apps you can use to kind of like meal prep. It'll help you come up with like an ingredient list so you're not overspending on groceries and not buying something just for a specific recipe and then it goes bad and then you have to throw it away so you're not wasting food.
I believe some, there's one that's called Carby. There's one called Tapcook. But I do believe these have subscriptions, unfortunately, which kind of defeats the point in saving in the long run.
But you can always use handy, dandy ChatGPT and you can know put in, you know, where you're shopping, um. Your budget, how many people in your household and it will give you a, a grocery list, um meal ideas, um you know for those busy families, those single moms people who are really busy. Which is another way to also save so then, you know you're saving there. you're saving when you're uploading your receipt, you're saving when you're um, you know everywhere else and you're using those credit cards and it adds up man!
It does.
Um, I would definitely be careful when you're using your credit cards, um just to stay in mind, like, hey, let's really just use the money that we know we were already going to spend on, you know said purchases beforehand and not to let all that stuff rack up. Because obviously with interest and things like that, you can get behind really quickly.
So, we want to emphasize that, you know, we're just using this for the stacking purposes and to buy the essentials.
Yeah, don't spend…
what you don't have.
Exactly.
So don't spend like we said, just because you have that coupon, don't spend on things you don't really need that are going to go to waste. Use those, use these apps and these platforms to elevate what you're already doing, and what you're already buying. That's the golden rule!
19:48
Um we hope you liked today’s episode, I hope that you uh got some great information on how to stack and how to save some extra cash during uh, some of these tough times, and um moving forward, that you can um, use those to your advantage.
Yeah. And if you guys do use them and have opinions or want to let us know what, how it went, let us know below, um.
Don’t forget to give this video a like, hit that subscribe button, and let us know on future topics you’re interested in learning about.
Until next time.
Peach out!
The information provided in this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Peach State does not make any warranties or representations with the use of any companies appearing herein. If you would like to speak with someone regarding your specific situation, visit your local branch.
www.peachstatefcu.org
Federally insured by NCUA.
Thank you for watching!
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