This post is sponsored by Everywhere Agency;
however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
I know my kids are counting down the days till the Christmas morning while I am starting to count the pennies to my next paycheck. Every November I seem to run low on cash and that is just in time for the biggest sales of the year. With these easy tricks, you won’t only find where to find money for gifts – you will also learn how to make credit cards work harder for you.
Cash out your rewards!
If you use credit cards, you might have rewards sitting in your wallet collecting dust. I usually find enough to redeem for a gift card or pick something I can use as a gift. My favorite thing is going through the cards I don’t use at the moment, but keep around for a rainy day – there are usually some points on those too.
Shop the Reward Systems Like You Shop Credit Cards
If you discovered that your cards don’t give you much love, consider shopping for a card that will help you feel loved. One of my cards collects points that go toward a car purchase and I know for a fact I will never use them. At the same time, I discovered that BankAmeriDeals by the Bank of America is a great program that has no fees and very easy to use.
Once you sign up for the program, it will give you offers, that are tailored specifically for you based on your spending patterns. Check the ones that you think you will be able to use and collect cash back when you do. 10%? 15%? 20%? That is something, especially if it’s a product or service you use on the consistent basis. 
How easy is the reward program? As much as I love collecting miles, there is usually an annual fee for the card and a huge list of blackout dates for booking. Make sure the program fits your needs and easy accessible.Bank of America’s AmeriDeals is free, safe, accessible via their website or mobile app, and works with debit cards too.
Ready to cash out? Tell them where to send your money! Use it toward your monthly credit statement or save it for a family trip or holiday season. If you are not a customer of Bank of America, check out your bank for similar programs.
Where do you shop?
I am a firm believe that an objective analysis is a solution to many financial problems. seat down and analyze where you spend your money. Many credit card companies make it easy but helping your breaking down your spendings into categories. When you know where you spend, you know what reward system works best for you.
Certain credit card programs give you more points or higher cash back, but do you make a point of picking the products and services with the highest payouts? Here is an excellent example: often I have no time to do my own grocery shopping and I rely on Peapod to deliver my groceries. With an average order being $120 three times a month I am happy to collect 15% cash back with BankAmeriDeals. Believe it or not, I can actually get more than $300 back without any coupons, since it’s all handled on the other side.
Do you have any tricks up your sleeve? Share! I’d love to add them to this article
