I could argue that for my major, I need access to the newest technology for educational purposes.
Yup, educational purposes.
Honest.
Regardless of our motivation, those pretty little pieces of shiny technology are pricey and I don't really feel like dropping $400 for the unit, plus another $50ish for an additional controller, then another $60 for one game. We're trying to save as much as we can, so spending that amount of money on this type of (admittedly frivolous) purchase isn't an option. So what can we do?
Well, we could just not buy it.
Ooooor we can buy it, but not spend any of our money on it, which is exactly what we're going to do.
The cost of the PS4 plus controller (plus tax) is somewhere between $470 and $490, depending on the price of the controller and we're roughly halfway there. Here's how we're accumulating money to buy a PS4 without using our regular incomes:
- Amazon Rewards points: $120
- We've been saving our Amazon Rewards points for a little while. The last time we used them, we bought a ceiling fan and only had to pay for shipping. Right now, we have about $120 saved up and that number will likely go up while we keep saving.
- Best Buy Gift Cards & Reward Zone: $75
- Reward Zone: We're Best Buy Reward Zone members and have been for years, though we rarely shop there nowadays. Granted, they price match pretty much anything now, so that's helpful. At the beginning of the year, they inexplicably sent us a $20 Reward Zone (or maybe it's called My Rewards? *shrug*) gift certificate. They sometimes do this as a way to bring their customers back into stores. I won't question it.
- Best Buy Gift Card (phone trade in): You may not know this, but Best Buy will give you store credit when you trade in certain types of working electronics. We traded in our newly replaced (but still in great shape) mobile phones. My phone was rougher, so we got a combined $55 for them both. It's not a lot, but it's something.
- We bought Amazon gift cards with both of these Best Buy credits.
- Lean Cuisine Delicious Rewards: $15
- Did you know Lean Cuisine has a rewards program? It's called Delicious Rewards. Most Lean Cuisine meals have a code printed inside the box. Go the website, key in the code and the type of meal, and get your points. The points don't expire and you can use them on things like Amazon gift cards, Zappos gift cards, lunch containers, cute measuring cups, and much more. Their catalog changes each season. If you have an abundance of points, you can only spend them on one type of gift card once a month. On Saturday, I'll be redeeming another set of points for an additional $15 Amazon gift card, making $30 total.
- Texas Unclaimed Property: $23
- I'm sure other states have similar programs, but the state of Texas has a website, ClaimItTexas.org, where you can key in your name and see if you have unclaimed property. According to the website,
One in four Texans has unclaimed property from forgotten bank accounts, uncashed checks, security deposits and utility refunds. It’s your money, and we want you to get it back.
There is currently about $3 billion in property that has not been claimed and approximately $800 million in shared property that has been partially claimed and paid to some of the owners. It’s never too late to make a claim, and we are committed to ensuring hardworking Texans don’t lose a penny.
- I had two small claims, so I filled out the paperwork, provided the required documentation, and mailed it all in. Easy peasy.
- Focus groups/online surveys: $10+
- I've been doing focus groups, online surveys, product testing, and secret shopping (for legitimate companies) for years. Whether you're accepted for these projects depends largely on where fall in the desired demographic categories. The most I've been paid for a project is $350 cash for about 3 hours of my time. You usually sign non-disclosure agreements for these studies, so I can't tell you what topics have been covered, but you pretty much get paid for gabbing about XYZ (or my favorite, eating XYZ). The one I'm currently doing is ongoing and I'm paid around $10 in Amazon gift cards for each super quick survey.
- I initially started doing this years ago by finding some of these focus group-type companies in Craigslist's ETC section. You fill out short surveys and if you are what they're seeking, they'll call you to get more information. Some of the companies with which I've had a great deal of success in the Dallas area include: Hagen/Sinclair, Q-insights, and Focus Pointe Global. If you don't see an ad from them on Craigslist, you can always sign up to be on their mailing lists. When there's a survey you may qualify for, they'll send you an email to see if you're interested.
Currently, we're at $243, with another $15 coming in this weekend. We're slowly accumulating this cash without spending any of our regular money. It'll take some time, but there's a great sense of satisfaction knowing we're going to snag an expensive piece of technology without really paying for it.
MO MONEY, BABY.
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