Explain this Ibotta thing to me?

I have posted twice about my Target Ibotta trips now.  I know some of you may want some nitty-gritty explanations.  I am not sure whether these awesome Ibotta deals will last or not.  I am hoping that they do continue so I think it is worth taking the time to document and explain them.

Here's what you NEED:

• A Smartphone with a working camera
• The Ibotta App (it's free)
• A PayPal Account
• Access to stores that are participating in the program like Target, CVS, Stop & Shop, Walmart, or Whole Foods.

I have mentioned this in some other posts, too.  But, I'll explain my current deal philosophy:
I am not currently a hard-core couponer with a big stockpile.  I'm not currently in a position to only pick up items when they are free or money makers.  My current coupon and deal posts will be best for people who are currently paying FULL PRICE for items that they need in their household.  I would make a list and then go shopping.  Sometimes I would have an occasional coupon for an item we use and sometimes the item we needed would be on sale.  But, most of the time we paid FULL PRICE for an item.

Years ago I was a hard-core couponer.  I had an awesome stockpile and I would not have been happy paying the prices I am now blogging about.  But, the reason I now pay these prices is because I no longer have an awesome stockpile to draw from and I don't have a lot of coupon sources anymore.  Today's stockpile consists of items from our latest warehouse trip (we have a BJ's Wholesale near by where we get decent prices on things we use everyday).

I'm not working right now so it was time for me to reduce our 2nd largest household expense - food and HBA's. 

Here are my 2 biggest tips to those just starting out:

1. Stop being brand loyal for at least 90% of your grocery/HBA purchases.  This is hard!  I understand that you like what you like.  But, the best way to get deals and save money and build a good stockpile is to let go of the thoughts that you have to buy 1 specific brand and 1 specific size.  For example, I prefer BJ's Wholesale brand Paper Towels in Select-A-Size.  Last week I was able to get another brand of paper towels for less money per roll than the BJs brand.  I bought them to build my stockpile and to cross that item off of my shopping list.
2. Find a way to get more coupons.  You can print coupons on a printer, use your smartphone, clip inserts from the Sunday paper, ask friends and family for their coupons, sign up online, contact manufacturers and ask for some coupons and so on.

Last week I visited my favorite deals and coupon website hotcouponworld.  Some of the posters were talking about their weekly deals and they were mentioning their Ibotta bonuses.  I read-up and signed-up for Ibotta.  I then made my shopping list and dug out my coupon binder.  I didn't have many coupons so it was easy to organize. 

You have to do the Ibotta tasks before you go shopping in order to qualify for the cash back.  Take the time to go through al the deals and choose which you will buy before you leave the house.  I also recommend that you do the tasks for a couple of "maybe" deals because the store may not have the items for you to purchase.  If you can't purchase the item then you can't get the cash back.  It is important to note that if the Ibotta deal is on 2 products, then you have to buy the 2 products during the same shopping trip at the same store.  Example, $1.50 cash back if you buy Scott Paper Towls and Palmolive Dish Soap.

Then, I went to Target for Deal #1 and Deal #2 purchased on 2 separate days.

Let's talk about a specific Ibotta deal:

$5 Autumn Stock Up:
Redeem at least 2 offers per day on 2 separate days for a total of 4 offers or more to earn an extra $5 bonus.

These are the items that qualify:

• Kleenex tissues
• Scott TP
• Pull-Ups
• Goodnites
• Depends
• Poise
• U by Kotex
• Viva PT
• Huggies Wipes
• Huggies Diapers

On Trip #1, I bought Huggies Wipes and Huggies Diapers (amongst other things).  On Trip #2 I bought Kleenex and Scott TP (and other things, too).

• Just for doing the tasks (prior to shopping) I get money off of each purchase.  Please note that these amounts have to be estimates because I can't locate them in the Ibotta App anymore (because I submitted my receipt):

Kleenex tissues ($.50)

Scott TP ($.75)

Huggies Wipes ($.75)

Huggies Diapers ($1.25)

So, buy these 4 items and then submit you receipt and your UPC scans to Ibotta and earn:
.50+.75+.75+1.25 = $3.25

• Then, you earn $5 for the fall stock up sale above.  As long as you follow the requirements and buy 2 items on 2 different days before the deal expires, you will get the $5.  So you earned $3.25+$5 = $8.25 on items that you needed anyway and would have paid FULL PRICE for.

• Finally, you purchases also count towards some other bonuses, too.  Ibotta will keep track of all of your purchases and will show you the percentage complete for each bonus.  Here are the additional bonuses you may qualify for by purchasing the same 4 items that I bought:

1. The Scott TP and the Kleenex count towards the $3 Freshen Up Bonus.
2. The Huggies Wipes and Diapers count towards the $2 Hug Your Baby Bonus.
3. All 4 offers qualify towards the $20 for 10 Offers Bonus.
4. All 4 offers qualify towards the $10 Share the Love Bonus.
5. Any of the offers qualify towards the $1 Steady Eddy Bonus.
6. All 4 offers qualify towards the Money Bags Bonus (I'm not sure that this has a monetary value, though).

Having manufacturer or store coupons would reduce your OOP (Out of Pocket) total, too.  I just didn't have any.  I'm happy to help with questions or planned deals.  Just leave a post or drop me an email.

If you are interested, please consider using my Ibotta link:

http://ibotta.com/r/ek3svw

DISCLOSURES:
I was not compensated by Ibotta, Target or anyone else for my post.
If you click on my Ibotta link and sign up for Ibotta I will receive some kind of Ibotta monetary bonus.  I gave you a link to my favorite coupon website Hot Coupon World but I am not compensated by them either - except in the form of all the deals and knowledge I received from that site over the years!