Do you shop online? Do you want to save money shopping online? How about getting cash back when you shop online?

If you’re a loyal reader of Esavingsblog, you know I love cashback sites, and I use them to save whenever I can. It’s a great way to stack savings and it’s a no-brainer if you’re going to shop online (and even offline now).

I recommend signing up for at least a few cashback websites and check each one before you shop to see which one is giving the most back on that day. Some sites will offer double cash back days and bonus cash back, so it is always best to check each one.

My Top 5 Cashback Sites

How does a cashback site work? 

Cashback websites receive a referral commission for driving traffic and sales to a store’s website. They then give a portion or the entire commission back to its members as a cashback rebate.

Why use a cashback site?

Why not? You are going to shop anyway so why not get cash back for doing so.  Besides getting cash back, most of these sites also list coupon codes you can use as well to save even more money on your purchases.

Plus, they’re FREE, and some of them will give you a signup bonus just for signing up. Do you need another reason?

Below is the list of my Top 5 Cashback Websites

1. Rakuten (Formerly Ebates)

Rakuten is one of my favorite and probably the most popular cashback websites out there. I have been a member of Ebates since 1999, and I have earned over $496 so far. Rakuten (Ebates) offers a free gift card for new members and has one of the best referral programs as well. Plus they now offer cash back for offline purchases! Below is a screenshot from my account.

2. TopCashback

TopCashback is another one of my favorites because it gives its members 100% of the commission they earn on your purchase. This means you can earn a lot of cashback through them. So far I have earned over $120 shopping through them. Below is a screenshot from my cashback account.                                                                                                                

3. ShopAtHome

ShopAtHome is a great site that was founded way back in 1986! I have been a member of ShopAtHome since 2010 and I have earned over $321 with them so far.

4. BeFrugal

I have been a member of BeFrugal for a few years, and I have earned over $50 with them so far. You can cash out at just $25. Get $10 to start by using my referral link here.

5. Giving Assistant

I am fairly new to Giving Assistant, I had a chance to review them recently, and I loved how fast and easy it was to shop through them, so that is why I added them to this list. My very first purchase saved me almost $16! You can check out my full review here. If you sign up using my referral link, you will get a $5 Bonus in your account. You can signup for free here for that $5 bonus.

Do you have a favorite cashback site you use? Share it in the comments below this post. Like this post? Share it using the sharing buttons, Sharing is Caring :-).

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here

SAVE OR PAY OFF DEBT?

Should you save or pay off debt? I hear this question a lot!

If you’re fortunate enough to have an income that exceeds your bills (you will know this for sure if you create a budget), it can be confusing to figure out how to put that money to good use.

Is it better to pay off your debt or put that money into savings or investments?

Deciding whether to save your money or use it to pay off debt can be determined by examining a few important factors.

In order to determine what is best for your personal situation, you need to ask yourself four questions.

4 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF TO DETERMINE WHETHER YOU SHOULD PAY OFF DEBT OR SAVE

1. HOW RISKY IS YOUR SOURCE OF INCOME?

Your income source will be the main factor in what to do first.

If you’re in a rocky job or plan on starting a new job then you may want to save a little money first before paying off debt until you know your income source is solid and so you have that sense of security.

But on the other hand, if you’ve worked for the same company for 15+ years and expect to work for 15 more then paying off debt should be a priority.

You’ll also want to ask yourself how easily you could find a job if you were to get let go suddenly. If your salary is one you could easily replace with another job then you won’t need as much saved.

A stable income would tend to favor paying down debt, whereas less stable employment tips the scales in favor of saving a bit more before tackling debt.

I recommend having at least a small amount of savings ($1,000 or one month of expenses whichever makes you feel better) before tackling debt “just in case” but then I suggest you tackle that debt head-on.

Debt has interest and also causes a ton of stress.

Just think of how great it would feel to not have debt. Also, think about how much you could save once that debt is paid off and all those monthly payments are going toward savings!

2. DO YOU HAVE AN EMERGENCY FUND?

I mentioned this briefly in the first question but putting away some money is a good first step if you don’t have any savings at all.

Even with high-interest debt, having an emergency fund before attacking your debt will give you some sense of stability.

You’ll sleep better at night, too.

If you follow Dave Ramsey you know that he suggests having a $1000 Emergency Fund to start before digging into debt but to start paying off your debt as soon as you get that $1000.

If having only $1000 makes you nervous still then save a little more but like I mentioned earlier, that debt has interest!

Saving a months’ worth of expenses should be enough to make you feel more secure when tackling your debt especially if your income is pretty stable or if you can easily find another job if something were to happen.

Again if your income is rocky then you can save 2-3 months of income depending on how fast you think you would be able to replace your income.

That’s why the first question is so important. Make debt a priority but also make sure you are stable enough to start tackling it.

Once you get that security you want to tackle your debt immediately. If you already have an emergency fund then you need to start tackling debt now.

3. WHAT IS THE INTEREST RATE ON YOUR DEBT?

Your credit card interest rate might be 19% or more. No one, not even Warren Buffett, can routinely achieve that kind of return through investing and if you’re just sticking money into a savings account then you will definitely not see even close to a good return on that money.

Paying on a 15% debt is similar to earning a 15% return.

So if the reason you’re not tackling debt is that you want to invest money then tackle your debt first! That interest you’re paying on your high-interest credit cards is money down the drain.

4. WHAT ARE YOUR FINANCIAL GOALS?

Your financial goals are important to set before making financial decisions.

A lot of people have an idea of their goals but they never actually sit down and write them out.

The simple act of writing out your goals will open up your mind and help you see the big picture of where you want to be a year from now, five years from now, etc.

To simply say I want to save money or I want to get out of debt is not enough. You want to think about how that would feel if you were to pay off all of your debt and save for emergencies, retirement, and vacations.

If you’re nearing retirement and already have plenty of money set aside, get busy eliminating your debt! You want to be debt free during retirement if you can.

Now that you’ve written out your financial goals. Look at them!

What would you need to accomplish in order to reach those goals? Most financial goals would be better achieved with no debt.

Thinking about buying a home? Buying an investment property? Improving your credit? Starting a business?

All of these goal examples are more likely to be achieved when you have no debt holding you back.

Avoid ignoring the emotions surrounding your financial decisions but also be aware that you may just be avoiding your debt because you don’t want to think about it.

Paying down debt and saving are both worthwhile options for your extra cash. Either choice is better than spending it but the feeling of being debt free is wonderful and paying interest on the debt is a huge waste of your money.

TIME TO MAKE A PLAN!

I know most people are just going to skim this article and think ok good ideas and move on but I want you to really think about becoming debt free.

Imagine how great it would feel to not have to make monthly debt payments. To be able to pay for things you enjoy paying for each month.

Sit down, create a plan and a budget if you don’t have one and get saving and paying off that debt!

If you’re struggling with debt or have any questions leave them in the comments! I read all my comments and I’ll be happy to reply!

Be sure to also signup for my newsletter which will give you access to a bunch of money saving resources and printables to get you motivated!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here

WYZE CAM PAN REVIEW

Are you looking for an easy to use good quality affordable security camera?

Maybe you need a nanny cam or baby monitor camera. I was looking for a camera that would allow me to watch my grandmother during the day when she was alone.

I wanted one that I could get notified of movements and one that I could live view from anywhere.

My friend recently bought a few Ring security cameras and I loved the quality and how easy they were to set up and use but I didn’t love the price.

After seeing those I wondered if there were any affordable home cameras out there that were comparable for a fraction of the price.

After doing some research I came across the Wyze Cam Pan Security Camera.

What sparked my interest was the super low price (under $40 on Amazon including S&H) and the high number of great reviews.

*Note this camera is only $29.99 on the Wyze website but with shipping of $7.99 it comes out to be the same price as on Amazon.

Could this $30 camera really be that great?

I ordered it seeing it was so cheap and I was so impressed with it I decided to write a review of my own.

This review is NOT sponsored by Wyze and I purchased the camera with my own money.

Note there is a cheaper smaller version of this camera called just Wyze Cam but it doesn’t rotate or move so I paid a little extra for the newer version.

If you want a camera for around $25 then definitely check out the original Wyze Cam. But for this review, I am reviewing the Wyze Cam Pan camera.

FRUGAL TIP: Want to learn how I score free gift cards each month to Amazon? Check out 10 Ways to Get Free Amazon Gift Cards.

Wyze Camera Review

QUALITY

My first impression of the Wyze Cam Pan was that it was very nicely packaged and looked and felt like a nice quality camera.

It was a little bigger than I thought it would be but I could have easily just looked at the description to find that out.

It’s 2.4 x 2.4 x 5 inches which isn’t huge but I think I was expecting it to be flimsy for the price.

This wasn’t a problem for me as I wasn’t using it as a hidden security camera. If you’re looking to hide it as a nanny cam or something like that this may be an issue.

It also does have a cord and needs to be plugged in so keep that in mind if you’re planning on hanging it up or putting it somewhere not near an outlet.

SETUP

Setup was super easy.

You basically:

• Unpack it and put it where you want it to go (within reach of an outlet, the cord is 6 feet long)
• Download the Wyze App from Google Play or the Apple Store
• Open the Wyze app and create an account (simple)
• Go to the section of the app where it says “add a device and select Wyze Cam Pan
• Plug in your Wyze Cam and wait for a yellow blinking light then hold the setup button on the camera until you hear a beep and it say “Ready to Connect”
• Setup the camera to your WI-Fi Network through the app and follow the instructions

That’s it! It’s really easy and anyone can set it up in minutes.

This is a picture of it at my grandmother’s apartment (excuse the bad lighting). It’s on top of a small TV monitor she has set up to see the lobby in her building.

FUCTIONALITY

Once the camera is setup you can access a live stream at any time by opening the app on your phone and clicking on live stream.

You can hear audio and also move the camera around which is a great feature for such an inexpensive home security camera.

You will also get notified every time the camera detects movement. The videos will be saved for 14 days for free in the secure AWS cloud for no monthly fees and you can see them right in the app.

You can also save the videos by downloading them. I ended up ordering the SD Card so that I could save my videos there.

The quality of the video is outstanding, especially for the price. I was very impressed.

NIGHT VISION

It has night vision! Below is a picture of how it looks with the night vision. Great right? Especially for a security camera at this price.

You can also see a little bit of the app in this screenshot. I had my phone upright but if you tilt your phone you can view a full screen video.

TWO WAY AUDIO

The Wyze Cam Pan also has two-way audio! This is a feature I thought only high-end camera’s like the RING or Nest would have but the Wyze camera has it.

This is great for talking to family members or even the household pet when you’re away.

I did have issues with some echoing but I am not sure if maybe its because I have it set up on top of a TV monitor and near another TV (its the best spot to view my grandmother’s apartment).

WORKS WITH ALEXA

I haven’t set this part up yet. I do have an Echo Dot setup at my grandmothers so she can easily control her lighting but I am not sure I will need this feature for the camera.

VIDEO REVIEW

I found this awesome YouTube Video from Smart Home Solver that I think gives a great review and look at the Wyze Cam Pan.

I decided to add it because it shows you the video and how clear it is and goes over a lot of the details that I was unable to show you in this article.

OTHER AFFORDABLE HOME SECURITY CAMERA OPTIONS

I wanted to share with you two other options I came across when doing research. There are tons of options out there but these two were in my top choices.

I have not personally tested these but they had good reviews on Amazon that you could check out.

NetVue Camera

This NetVue Home Security Camera sells for around $40 at the time of writing this. This is an option if maybe you didn’t like the look of the Wyze Cam Pan.

It has similar features like 1080P, motion detection and night vision. It doesn’t include free cloud storage though but it says it supports an SD card.

You can check it out here.

BLINK XT

The Blink XT Home Security Camera System is a bit pricier at around $79 but it is wireless (it comes with a 2-year battery) and it’s weather resistant.

It has other great features such as Motion Detection, HD Video, and No Monthly Fees for cloud storage.

This is a great option if you need a wireless camera or if you want to use it outside.

You can check it out here.

If you’re looking for an affordable home security camera definitely keep the Wyze Cam Pan in mind. I may test out the Blink in the future as I like that its weather resistant and wireless but for $37 I am loving the Wyze Camera right now.

What are your thoughts? Have you bought one of these? Do you have one you prefer? Leave your comments below!

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here