25 ways to save money and bargain shop in small towns and rural areas: Part 5
I read tons of great blogs that tell you how to save money and coupon at stores in big cities. These deals are great, but what if you live in a place where none of these deals exist? How do you save money and bargain shop when you DON’T live in a big city?
Even if you live in the middle of nowhere like we do (100+ miles from any “city” of 20,000 or more), it is possible to save money and bargain shop.
- This is part 5 in a series explaining super easy ways to save money and “coupon in the country”: (and yes, you can still use these tips if you live in a city, lol).
- You can read the rest of the series here.
21) Sign up for Freecycle. You can search for local groups in your area. (Even our small town has one!) However, even if you live in a small town or rural area, NEVER EVER have someone come directly to your home to pick up / buy / sell items. Meet only in a public area and bring a friend / relative along. Do not give out your home address. Do not take your children along. This is purely for safety – you can never be too careful on the internet.
22) Check Craigslist for bargains. However, even if you live in a small town or rural area, NEVER EVER have someone come directly to your home to pick up / buy / sell items. Meet only in a public area and bring a friend / relative along. Do not give out your home address. Do not take your children along. This is purely for safety – you can never be too careful on the internet.
23) Do a massive house cleaning and de-cluttering. Sell items on Craigslist or list them on eBay for extra money. However, even if you live in a small town or rural area, NEVER EVER have someone come directly to your home to pick up / buy / sell items. Meet only in a public area and bring a friend / relative along. Do not give out your home address. Do not take your children along. This is purely for safety – you can never be too careful on the internet.
24) Buy your eyeglasses online at Zenni Optical. The prices start at $8. Yes, I said $8! You can even get extras added on to your glasses, and the total including shipping is still generally under $20, including shipping!) My husband has bought two pairs through Zenni Optical, and had a great experience. You can see his review here.
25) Sign up for all the cash back shopping sites online that you can. Then, before you shop online, check all the sites to see which one offers you the biggest discounts and cash back! You can get up to 25 – 30% cash back from these sites! There are 1000’s of stores that will give you cash back (free money!!!) through these sites! This adds up quickly, especially around Christmas time! It is FREE to sign up for these sites. Basically, you are getting PAID to shop!
You also get $5 free, just for signing up at most of these sites! Sign up for all of them before you forget! Here are the sites we use/recommend:
- ShopAtHome.com. $5 sign up bonus!
- Mr. Rebates. Get $5 just to sign up. Refer your friends and get 20% of your friends’ cash back earnings.
- eBates. Get $5 just to sign up. You get $5 for each friend you refer that signs up for Ebates and makes a purchase.
- Big Crumbs. You can sign up as a Crumb Saver or Crumb Earner. Crumb Savers get a higher cash back percentage, but receive less cash back when referring friends. Crumb Earners receive a lower cash back percentage, but earn cash up to 5 referral generations away! (So if you have a lot of friends, I recommend signing up as a Crumb Earner! Otherwise start with Crumb Saver, as you can always switch to Crumb Earner later.)
Remember: each site offers different cashback amounts for different stores, so check all of the sites before making your final purchase. Please note you must shop directly through the cash back site to get cash back for your purchases!
Be sure to subscribe to our free blog updates so you don’t miss our future GIVEAWAYS, money saving tips, and ways to make money online!
- We would also love to hear from any of you that live in small towns or rural areas. How do YOU bargain shop and save money? Post a comment or send us an email at CAFMmomma AT gmail DOT com to let us know!
Your Frugal Friend, Niki says
Great post—I’ve really been enjoying this series!
🙂
Anonymous says
Thanks for the glasses website. I have put off getting new glasses for a few years because of the cost. I think I can afford them now!