A SAVVY mum has revealed how she has made thousands of pounds in her spare time and it is so easy anyone can do it.
Julie Vare, 53, from County Durham regularly shops online and uses a simple trick that means she’s quids in.
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Mum-of-one Julie is a member of TopCashback and uses the site nearly every time she makes an online purchase.
She has earned £6,000 from getting cashback and uses the money to treat the family to a “free holiday“.
Julie said: “I first found out about TopCashback when my sister told me about it.
“I did wonder if it was going to be worth it, but I soon realised it can be quite lucrative.”
TopCashback is one of the main cashback sites where you can earn money by shopping with retailers via their website.
Julie has been a member of the site since 2009 and has made thousands by getting money back on things she’d normally by, such as holidays, insurance and things for the home.
She said: “I needed to make quite a few big purchases in a short space of time when I first joined.”
“I joined the site in the same year I was due to get married and we booked our honeymoon flights and hotels.”
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“Travel cashback is often very good. We recently spent £365 on accommodation with Hotels.com and received £29.18 in cashback.
“We also booked a hire car with Holiday Autos through the Topcashback site which cost £286, and we received £24.05 cashback.
Julie’s biggest rule for making money via cashback is never shopping directly with a retailer – always shop via the cashback site.
The savvy shopper also revealed how to boost your balance without spending a penny.
She said: “We used USwitch to compare mobile phone SIMs, we received £11.55 and made no purchase.
“I have also referred lots of my friends, as you can also get a referral bonus for that which varies from £30 to £50.
“I spoke to one of my friends recently who had made a big purchase for her home but when I asked her if she had used the TopCashback site she had forgotten.
“It takes a little bit of time to get in the swing of things and remember to use it.”
The couple has also just finished building a home and used TopCashback to make a lot of the little purchases from shops like Screwfix and Toolstation.
“Rewards for house DIY items are much lower than from holidays but when you need to buy a lot it mounts up.
“We made purchases for £12 and received 12p cash back or £15 and received 50p in cashback.”
But Julie’s biggest tip is to only ever buy things that you need and she doesn’t just shop for the sake of earning cashback.
She said: “The most recent thing I bought was protein powder and a gym top from My Protein.
“I spent £80 and got £20 cashback. I would have bought those items anyway I just did it while they had the cashback offer on.
“I also received £20 cashback on my first order with Hello Fresh, the order was only £22 anyway.”
Her biggest rewards often come from booking travel and insurance, though the exact amount she makes each month depends on what she needs to buy.
She said: “Some months I can earn £3, others it could be £53, at the moment I have £1,700 sitting in my cashback account which I have built up over the years.
“Once it reaches £2,000 I’ll treat us to another free holiday.
“In previous years we’ve put £2000 towards a family holiday to Majorca and used cashback to pay for a weekend away in York.
“We will sometimes use it towards activities when we are on holiday, such as kayaking or a cooking course.
“It could take another year or so to get to £2,000 but it doesn’t matter I am not in a rush.
“It really is just free money.”
How to earn cashback
Another popular site for earning cashback is Quidco.
When using these sites all you need to do is check if your chosen retailer offers cashback through either one of the sites, then shop using their link.
Bear in mind it might not be instant and it does take a few weeks for the money to land in your account.
One savvy shopper has been using cashback websites for more than a decade and uses his profits to have Christmas for “free”.
Most cashback sites are free and you just need to sign up with your name and email address.
You can get cashback on everything from everyday shopping to car insurance and broadband bills.
You can even earn cashback by switching your bank account.
They usually come with terms and conditions that you have to fulfil so make sure you read the small print before signing up for the cash.
One financial whizz managed to bag himself £1,000 in free cash from banks this year.
Meanwhile, one grandma reveals how she makes an extra £850 a month using savings backs and side hustles.
