Cinema tickets, travel plans and more: My top ways to save money at work

3 min read

I recently got insanely jealous when I got a peek at my coworker Jon Fulluck’s wallet — his platform wallet, that is. 

Using our employee perks platform to get employee discounts at hundreds of retailers, he’s saved nearly $2,000, and can withdraw a sizable sum of nearly $700. Instantly.

Impressive.

It got me thinking, what would I do with that $700, and how can I be a little thriftier and discounts-savvy, like my buddy Jon?

So I hopped onto boom! Discounts for US, our name for the Reward Gateway SmartSpending™ platform and started tracking potential savings for my future plans. Here are a few things that ran through my mind:

Did I have any date nights coming up?

Work keeps my husband and I busy, and it can be tough to prioritize a weekend date night with most of our funds going to rent and other people’s weddings and baby showers. But saving a little cash helps ease that financial burden and makes it more possible. The other day, I used my cinema benefits for employees from Regal Cinema to buy an Ultimate Movie pack with two tickets and a concessions gift certificate (I love my popcorn, with extra butter, please!). So the next superhero movie my husband wants to go see, we’ve got these on hand, and I saved the cost of nearly an entire ticket.

What about those baby showers and weddings?

I’m headed toward 30, and with the weddings (nearly) behind me, on has come the endless baby shower invitations. Fact: Babies need a lot of things. Another fact: It’s not cheap. I have a problem in that I absolutely love spoiling my friends, and more so that I love spoiling their soon-to-be little ones. I tend go a bit overboard, so any buck I can save is worth it. BuyBuyBaby, a popular retailer in the U.S., offers 4% cashback and even has savings on gift cards, which can always be a default if I’m in a rush and need a gift, STAT.

Man, I need a vacation.

Recently, I’ve decided to take a page from my peers at RG and resolve to travel more, and travel often. It’s slow going, but the best part of it is scoping out deals and putting that extra money to important things, like that extra gelato or seven in Italy. Some of my favorite travel vendors like Travelocity and Expedia are on our platform, so I always go there first to see what kind of cashback or discount is available. On a pricey trip to Europe or a beach getaway in the Caribbean, that extra money is all the more reason for me to hit “Book!” on that flight.

My mom deserves flowers.

As I mentioned, I love spoiling people. And as the one that gave birth to me, and has dealt with countless “what am I doing with my life” freakouts, my mom deserves all the presents I can shower her with. One of the most frequent cashback items I go for are our deals at 1-800Flowers and Teleflora. The delivery charge is always what gets me, and right now I can save nearly 15% on a bouquet for Mom. Mother’s day, birthday, “thanks-for-making-me-three-frozen-dinners” day … the list goes on. Just like a nice note brightens my day, why not brighten hers with some blossoms? 

I know this won’t come overnight, and I have to be diligent like my coworker Jon about knowing what’s on our platform from those cinema benefits for employees, travel vouchers and the speciality gifts. But by working at saving each and every last penny, in time — and with my shopping habits! — I bet I can give him a run for his money. 

Plus, this gives me the excuse I was looking for to go buy that extra pair of shoes for my weekend getaway. Thank you, SmartSpending™, for that win-win...