How to Adult: Money-Saving Tips Online + Good-To-Knows

I've discovered some effective, easy and useful money-saving tips for online shopping and I'm here to share my findings because I know we all love to have more money in our bank accounts. If you want to be effective with your money without too much effort, here are ways to save online as an adult.

1. Get back $150 when you sign up for a new credit card & spend $500 //

As an adult, it's now more important than ever to build your credit score. Your credit history will open doors to more opportunities and a better future. For example, good credit means you're more likely to get approved for an apartment and a car, as well as receive lower interest rates for loans, because it shows your reliability in paying. I recently signed up for the Chase Freedom Unlimited credit card, which offers a $150 bonus back into your account for spending $500 in the first 3 months. That bonus is such a great incentive to sign up for a card that will build your credit history. That's a lot of money to get back too, especially for spending what you were already going to spend. 
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BENEFITS:

• 1.5% cash back on everything, so you'll earn a little something as you spend.
• Additional cash back using their online rewards site for shopping at online stores, like Nike (4%), Groupon (4%), ContactsDirect (5%), Footlocker (2%), Target (1%), & Ulta (3%). 
• Sign up process was smooth and easy, and I even landed a $5,000 credit limit right off the bat as a new college graduate, so the card seems to be very available to those who are just starting to build credit. 
• No annual fee, so no strings attached.
• Excellent online banking system (useful for paying your bills online through a connected checking account and setting up alerts to your phone, to ensure that there aren't any false charges.) 

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I haven't found any negatives, just great strengths from this credit card. As long as you're good about paying your bill every month and you ideally spend 10% of your total credit limit, you will do great with this card and build your credit. If you're interested in learning more and signing up, here is a link to their page. 

2. Use UNiDAYS for tons of discount codes on Fashion, Health/Fitness, Beauty, Lifestyle, Tech & Food //

If you are a college student or your college email still works, you should take advantage of the many discounts available for popular brands using UNiDAYS. This site provides discount codes for students for free. You can save a lot of money on items that you already buy or want to buy as gifts. I personally saved 15% on Adidas shoes using UNiDAYS, and the amount saved really does add up.

The site provides unlimited unique discount codes, that you can't find on retailmenot.com or other coupon code sites. You might even be able to stack coupon codes from other sites. It was easy to sign up: just join with your email, your college name and grad year. I don't think they check extensively, so it's worth a try if you are no longer a student. 

My favorite UNiDAYS discounts include:

1. Adidas - 15% off
2. Ray-Ban - introductory 25% off (that's nuts)
3. MAC - 10% off
4. Urban Outfitters - Extra 10% off
5. Clinique - 15% off
6. American Eagle - 20% off
7. Hollister - Extra 10% off
8. Asos - 10% off
9. PINK - 15% off
10. Public Desire - 15% off
11. Nine West - Extra 10% off 
12. Cotton On / Cotton On Body - 20% off
13. Levi's - 15% off
14. Aerie - 20% off
15. Eyebuy Direct - 20% off / 1 800 Contacts - 10% off
16. Hello Fresh - 15% off
17. eBags - 30% off

The store list is extensive and there are more options unmentioned (like Nasty Gal, Missguided, Apple, Kate Spade, Samsung, Boohoo, Charlotte Russe, Microsoft, Express & more). It's probably the best student resource website because you can easily save money to buy other things! Here's the link to the site.

3. Get free 2-day shipping & movie access for 6 months with the Amazon Prime Student 6-Month Trial // 
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BENEFITS:

• Completely free & easy to cancel before it ends: there's a button that says "End trial and membership", so ending is really simple.
• You get free 2-day shipping on "Prime" items, saving money and time. No need to spend a certain amount to receive 2-day shipping. 
• You also have the wonderful access to free movies and shows. It's amazing for procrastination or relieving stress caused by the academic / real world.
• 6 months can last you from Fall to Spring, so you can definitely make it through the year with the trial, being able to order books (& everything else) on time. 
• And if you ever have an issue with your order, Amazon customer service is really good at replacing and refunding items without you having to send things back, which I can proudly confirm from personal experience. 
• Amazon can even extend your trial membership if your order doesn't arrive in 2 days. All you need to sign up is an Amazon account and your school email address. Check it out here.

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4. Try a free Amazon Prime 30-day free trial for non-students //

If you aren't a student, Amazon also does a 30-day free trial for the public. The trial offers the same benefits as the Amazon Prime Student trial. Trial includes the 2-day free shipping on millions of Prime items and access to an abundance of movies and tv shows. You can read more about it here.

These free movies aren't ancient, I'm telling you. Sweet!

5. Get 2 free audio-books from Audible //

If you're anything like me, you love to read and you like the idea of being read to. Audible does that!
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Situations where you can listen to audiobooks:

• In the car, while sitting through traffic on your way home
• While waiting at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles)
• While waiting in line at the post office / during Black Friday
• While exercising
• While cooking meals
• While getting ready in the morning
• Moments in your comfortable bed before you doze off to sleep
• When you can't sleep 

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I love the idea of being productive with my time. Because it's difficult to find time to read, Audible is an amazing concept that fills that desire to read more.

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BENEFITS:

• With this trial, you can choose 2 books that you can keep forever (even after your trial ends).
• You can cancel anytime just like the Prime trial. 
• If you purchase additional audiobooks, you get 30% off those audiobooks. 
• On a different note, Amazon also offers an Audible Gold Membership, which is a step up from the trial. If you want to be a permanent member, the membership is $14.95 a month, can be canceled anytime and receives 30% off additional audiobooks. 

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But I highly recommend trying the trial first! Get those free books, y'all. Here is a direct link to the free trial.

You can access Audible on their website on your computer, or they offer an app for your smartphone (iPhone, Android, Windows phone), Kindle and tablet (iPad, Windows, Android). 

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To end, these were a couple of money-saving tricks that I've discovered and felt were share-worthy for your benefit. If you have any questions, let me know down below. If you try any of these out, also let me know down below. On a parting note, know that you are bound to come across money savings in almost every purchase you make online. Discount codes are frequently available online because stores want you to buy from them, so do a quick search for a purchase. If that fails, most websites offer an email sign-up discount. *winky face*