The Dire Straits Did Not Lie on MTV: You CAN Get Your Money for Nothin'

"That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Get your money for nothin' get your chicks for free..."

                        --Dire Straits, Money for Nothin'

Author's Note:  OK, it's the middle of the night.  I can't sleep.  I can't promise any of this will be coherent.

It's September.  Do you know what that means?  It means that CHRISTMAS is just around the corner.  Because we have completely and totally lost the meaning of Christmas (it's harsh..but it's true), we begin the STRESS of Christmas right about...now.  We start thinking about gift giving.  Actually, we start thinking about gift BUYING, don't we?  I'm not going to get into the whole commercialism nightmare that we've managed to turn Christmas into.  (Believe me, I have a LOT to say about that...as does everyone else on the blogosphere.  But, I'll spare you just this once.)

Here's the thing:  most of us buy gifts. If you're like ME, you HATE to go shopping.  I like the fun and festive atmosphere of shopping at Christmas but then I get depressed when I look around and see all these frowning, stressed out people.  And I don't deal well with crowds.  Or lines.  Or stupid people (did I say that out loud?).

So, every year, I shop from home.

LAST year, however, was different.  I discovered the magic of Ebates.  I am totally going to sound like an infomercial right now but I have to tell you this:  EBATES IS MAGIC.  You know why?  Because I go to Ebates, I find the store that I'm already buying from anyway and I click on their link and then THEY tell me how much I'm going to get IN CASH just from buying the stuff I was already going to buy anyway.

Huh?  

OK.  Let me give you an example.  I bought Thing 2 a backpack for school this year.  Well, I ALWAYS buy backpacks from Lands' End.  They're sturdy.  I've never had one wear out...they just get outgrown.  Instead of going straight to Lands' End, I did this:

• I went to Ebates.  
• I searched for Lands' End on the Ebates site.  
• A linked popped up that showed me a coupon code to use for Ebates AND a 3% cash back incentive.
• I clicked on the link.
• I went to Lands' End and ordered the backpack, just like I always do.
• I later got an email telling me how much money I earned from Ebates.  For that transaction, I think it was something like $2.00.

Just this year, I've earned $171 from Ebates just buying things I was already going to buy anyway.  Now, $171 might not seem like a lot in a year but a) it's basically "free" money and b) that was in addition to the coupons I used from Ebates that saved cash anyway.  They send you a check once a quarter.  It's fabulous.

AND, here's the fun part:  If you start now, you can do all your Christmas shopping using Ebates and you can get CASH after Christmas.  They send you a CHECK just for shopping.  WHAT?

If you refer friends, they give you money for THAT, too.

It's ridiculous.  And it sounds too good to be true.  But it isn't.  It's cash money.  For doing NOTHING but clicking on a link.  

OK, so your assignment is to get started right away.  Click on my link to sign up (because I totally get money if YOU sign up and actually use Ebates).  And then share YOUR link with YOUR friends and YOU'LL get money when THEY sign up.  I'm telling you...this is easy.  Seriously.  Do it.  You will not regret it.  (And, quite honestly, even if you don't use my link to sign up, I hope you will sign up anyway.  It's just a smart thing to do, right?  Just go to www.ebates.com.  Remember that!) 

MTV did not lie....get your money for nothin' and your chicks for free...(OK, fine.  I am NOT telling you that chicks are free. We're actually very, very expensive.)

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