6 Money-Saving Tips for Canadian Shoppers

Saving money and making money is at the forefront of the minds of many people, as we often live beyond our means and covet all the luxuries that our world offers.

So, if coupon-clipping isn't your thing, these next six tips might just make keeping the money in your pocket just that little bit easier.

We've all heard of Rakuten - their ads are all over the TV! You might remember that they used to be known as Ebates.

How does it work?
First, sign up for free on their website or in their app. Then, when you want to shop online with your favourite retailer, visit Rakuten first. Search their database for said retailer and click the link to go to that retailer's website.

And shop as usual.

A percentage of the money you spend with that retailer will be applied to your Rakuten account.

Rakuten will pay out once you reach $5.

Sign up for Rakuten HERE.

Honey takes away all the stress of saving a buck or two whilst shopping online. Install Honey and you can stop looking for coupons and deals.

How does it work?
Sign up for Honey on their website and click the link that allows Honey to install a plugin on your browser. It really is as simple as that!

You will notice a tiny 'h' appear in the upper right corner of your browser window, just to the right of the address bar.

When you next shop online, that little 'h' will likely turn orange and you'll know that your retailer of choice has coupons, deals, and discounts available.

Honey does all the work and finds the deals so that you don't have to.

When you reach checkout, Honey will scroll through all available coupons and codes and use the one that gets you the biggest discount on the items you've chosen to buy, allowing you to save big without even trying.

Sign up for Honey HERE.

Great Canadian Rebates is a lot like Rakuten in that you sign up on their website and use their links to shop at your favourite retailers.

GCR simply offers an alternative to Rakuten so that you can check both sites and choose the one that offers you the biggest cash back percentage.

They also have listings of current coupons, deals, and promotions.

Sign up for Great Canadian Rebates HERE.

Checkout51 gives you cash back on your IN-STORE purchases. We don't always shop online so in-store cash back is important too!

How does it work?
Sign up on their website or in their app, and browse the cash back deals that are on offer.

When you buy the items that have cash back offers, use your phone to photograph your receipt, and submit the photo through the app. Within a few hours, cash back will be added to your account and they pay out when you reach $20.

Sign up for Checkout51 HERE.

Leo pays you to answer surveys. It's as easy as that. And it works.

How does it work?
Sign up through their website or through the mobile app and answer a few questions about yourself. LEO starts to build your profile and will alert you via email when a new survey becomes available.

Watch your participation point accrue and choose from several payout formats:

• PayPal
• AirMiles
• Aeroplan
• Cheques
• Visa
• Gift-Card

Sign up for Leo HERE.

Sign up for Shopper Army and take part in their Missions. These might be survey questions and sometimes they're invitations to purchase and review products for cash back, resulting in FREE products.

Like Rakuten and Honey, they also provide cash back on purchases made through their website.

Sign up for Shopper Army HERE.

Some of these services can be used before you shop (like Rakuten and Great Canadian Rebates), while services like Honey come into play at the point of online checkout. Used correctly, these two type of services can use in tandem to maximize the discount to the customer.

Checkout51 is solely for in-store shopping. The cash back adds up quickly though.

Each of these websites and services have their strengths and each can be used to try to keep as much cash in your pocket as possible. Learning to use these services wisely will surely save you money, time, and it might even give you a bit of thrill.

Happy shopping!