A few months ago, I told you about a new iPhone and Android app called Ibotta, which can potentially save you lots of money. They’ve rolled a new version today, so I wanted to re-introduce the app because I still love using it.

What’s The Same

The basics of Ibotta have stayed the same: Once you’ve downloaded Ibotta, you simply choose the offers you’re interested in, then go shopping. Once you’ve purchased a qualifying item, you upload a photo of your receipt through the app, then scan the barcode of the qualifying item, also through the app. Ibotta will verify that your purchase qualifies for the offer, and then credit your account. I’ve done it many times and find Ibotta very easy to use.

You can cash out your savings through Paypal when you hit the $5 minimum threshold, or donate your savings to a school or the United Way. Maybe the best part about Ibotta is that you don’t need a store loyalty card, and it works at so many stores, including Target, Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, Kroger stores and their affiliates including Ralphs, and Safeway stores and their affiliates including Vons/Pavilions. See the full list here.

What’s New

Bonuses and Store Extras: To find bonus offers and special store-exclusive offers, go to the Main Menu in the Ibotta app (tap on lines icon at the top left of the screen). Bonuses include $1 when you refer one friend, $5 when you refer 4 more friends, $1 when you redeem at least 1 offer each week for the 4 weeks in a row, and $0.50 when you redeem 4 offers by the end of April. My store extras include 4 offers redeemable at Target only.

Friend Bonuses: Ibotta is now offering extra incentives to refer as many friends as possible. In addition to the $5 bonus I just mentioned, you get $7 for referring 5 more friends. If you can get 100,000 friends to sign up, they’ll give you $150,000 (good luck with that!).

Newbie Bonus: New Ibotta members can get a a free $2 credit when you join Ibotta and redeem 2 offers within the first 2 weeks of registering. Current offers include Capri Sun (perfect for Ralphs), Ball Park Franks, Healthy Choice and more. It should be really easy to redeem 2 offers in 2 weeks.

I’m not sure how long the $2 sign up credit offer will last, so join now while it’s still available!

And thank you if you join(ed) Ibotta using my referral link!

Amazon has made some changes to their Subscribe & Save Program that could potentially save you a lot of money. But there are pros and cons to weigh, so I thought it was worth dedicating a post to discussing the new Subscribe & Save.

What is Subscribe & Save?

If an item is eligible for Subscribe & Save, there will be a box just under the price that tells you the Subscribe & Save price, and over to the right, there will be an option to order through Subscribe & Save:

Subscribe & Save gives you a discount of 5%, plus FREE shipping with no minimum. The “subscribe” part of it means that the item will be automatically shipped to you again. You can select an interval of anywhere between 1 to 6 months. However, you are not locked into anything, and you can cancel your subscription or delay the next shipment at any time on the Your Subscribe & Save Items page.

What’s New

Recently, Amazon revamped Subscribe & Save to consolidate Subscribe & Save orders into one shipment per month. They also increased the Subscribe & Save discount to 15% if you have 5 or more Subscribe & Save orders in your monthly shipment (except diapers and wipes). While this doesn’t help if you need something right away, it’s a fantastic way to save on everyday items that you might need but can’t easily get for less in The Drugstore Game or by being an extreme couponer at the grocery store.

For example, my March shipment included Gillette Mach3 Razor Cartridges, Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Cleaning Pads, and Philips Sonicare for Kids Replacement Brush Heads. The Mach3 is my husband’s favorite razor and less than $2 per cartridge is a lower price than I can find in-store, plus a good price for a new razor these days is $1.99 so it’s cheaper to buy these cartridges – whereas a few years ago, it made more sense to buy new razors because they were free at the drugstores. As for the other items, I was out of magic erasers, which I love to use, and I couldn’t even find the kids Sonicare brushes at Target. Add in a couple more subscriptions for things we use, and I got things I need at a great price, all delivered to my door. (And I paid for them with FREE gift cards that I earned though Swagbucks!)

When to Buy Through Subscribe & Save

Every shopper should have a stock-up price list, so that you know when something is a great buy. If you shop regularly and pay attention to sales, you tend to know what you regularly find on sale at your stock-up price, and what’s rare to get super cheap.

I find that Amazon is a great place for those items that don’t fit into either of those categories, but which you buy regularly. The razor cartridges from my March order are a perfect example, since I rarely, if ever, find them at the same price at a brick and mortar store.

Amazon is also a great source for hard-to-find, and consequently more expensive, items. A perfect example is fair trade cocoa powder, which I can only find at Whole Foods, and for a much higher price.

And of course, there are the irregular bargain buys that pop up fairly often. For instance, we often see a stock-up price on toilet paper – there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason as to when the deal is available, but if it’s there, then it makes a great addition to your monthly Subscribe & Save shipment.

In sum, shop wisely and let Amazon Subscribe & Save save you money and time.

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Before we had kids, my husband and I briefly had a dog. He was the most adorable Maltese puppy, and I think of him sometimes and hope that he’s had a wonderful life. I have no regrets, except that we couldn’t keep him, but he sure did cost us a lot of money. We won’t be getting a dog anytime soon, but if we ever do, I’ll follow these money-saving tips:

1. Save plastic produce bags for walks – I see people with the special rolls of plastic bags designed for dog walkers, and it seems like an unnecessary expense. Plastic produce bags (the kind you bring home apples and oranges in) would serve the same purpose, without any extra cost.

2. Sign up for store and manufacturer loyalty programs – I’ve seen some amazing pet-related deals in my constant search for deals to share with you, and they almost always involve a high-value coupon from a store or manufacturer’s loyalty program. For example, Petco has the Pals Rewards program, which gives you 5% back on your purchases, and sometimes sends out high-value coupons.

3. Keep an eye out for pet-related daily deals – In addition to Doggy Loot, a daily deal site devoted to dog-related products, I’ve seen dog toys, sweaters and other products at daily deal site Zulily.

4. Exercise with the dog – Instead of paying for a gym membership, private classes, or exercise equipment, take the dog on long walks. In the last few years, friends have told me about the areas they take their dog for walks and some of them are miles long, or involve challenging terrain, or both!

5. Buy a dog from a reputable breeder – Due to allergies, we could never rescue a dog from a shelter. But I’d take care to buy a dog from a reputable breeder, because the people I know who’ve purchased dogs from pet stores and, shall we say, somewhat shady breeders have all spent a huge amount of money on veterinary care.

6. Train the dog yourself – There are lots of books and web sites about dog training, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money on a professional trainer. You just have to be willing to put in the time and effort.

7. Trade dog-sitting services – If you have friends who have dogs, you might be able to trade dog-care services for out-of-town trips and avoid paying for an expensive kennel stay, or the expense of taking the dog with you on your trip.