A blog for travel tips, tricks, and how-tos, brought to you by a mom who loves to explore the world! Join us as we share our adventures and help you plan your own magical family getaways. I'm thrilled to have you as part of our community!

Let me just take a moment to say that I am all about finding ways to save money and get the best bang for my buck. If you are not using Rakuten, you should be! This is one of the easiest ways to earn cashback (or points on Amex or Bilt) for your regular shopping! You are going to buy it anyway, why not get a little something back if you can! I also use Ibotta and Fetch as other ways to try to save and earn back, but Rakuten BY FAR has earned me back the most. I opt to get Amex points rather than cash back because it is more valuable to me, but you can pick whichever you like! 

 

It is super simple you just sign-up, if you use my link you will earn $30 for free when you make your first purchase (This can be as high as $50 when there is a promotion, like right now in November 2025!). 

www.rakuten.com/r/GLICAT11?eeid=28187

 

Then I think the easiest way to use it is by installing a browser extension, this way Rakuten will pop up and remind you to use it when you are shopping! Easy steps on how to do that: https://www.rakuten.com/help/article/installing-the-rakuten-browser-extension-360002101128

 

You can then choose how you would like to earn by going to Account Settings: 

Finally, just shop as normal, and get rewarded with cash back or extra points for it! Just make sure you are clicking through Rakuten to make a qualifying purchase. As you can see, this extra little step is well worth it. I have earned 91,000 Amex points since I started earning them in 2023. For context if that was cash back it would be $910, but when used as Amex points that is more than enough points to fly my family of 4 to Europe. 

Like I said above, I also use Ibotta, which can be a bite more clunky, but if you regularly shop at stores found on it, you can potentially earn a bunch back. I usually cash out my Ibotta for gift cards. Its super simple they email them right to you.  I don't go out of my way to use this, but if I am going to a store that is on the app, I will use it. Once you have the app, you select which store you are going to and then you can check off items that you plan on buying that will earn cash back. Once you are done shopping, just snap pictures of the receipt and submit them for your cash back. Even though I don't go crazy over it, I have earned $250 back using it, not bad! 

If you're interested, download Ibotta and use my code 'nliobxo' to get started → https://ibotta.onelink.me/iUfE/1005cd3f?friend_code=nliobxo

 

Last thing I use to earn back is Fetch. Fetch is super simple to use. You can snap photos of ANY receipt into Fetch to earn points. Fetch points translate to gift cards, you need a certain number of points to cash out for different gift cards. They do offer bonuses for certain products, but I usually just scan all my receipts and earn back whatever the app gives me. It's not much, but over time it's something! For context I currently have 38,000 Fetch points, and i can cash in 28,000 for a $25 gift card to stores like CVS, Disney, or Amazon. 

 

If you're interested, download the app using this link, submit a receipt and we'll both score bonus points.
https://referral.fetch.com/vvv3/referralemail?code=8C4QY5

If you are the type that likes research and doing everything yourself for trip planning, and wants to figure out the best ways to save money- then keep reading. That's the way I like to do things. 

BUT that is not for everyone!

If you are the type that likes the experts to handle things, then your go-to is Vacations by Kat! Katerina is amazing. She offers a service which is not like booking a typical group tour where you have little choice and flexibility. She is not going to send you to tourist trap restaurants for a prix fixe group rates, or put you on a thousand long bus rides. Katerina will work with you to create a bespoke travel itinerary including your accommodations, travel, excursions- as little or as many as you want to do. She is an experienced travel advisor, and she just gets it! Best of all, booking your trip with her can save you some money since she is able to access special pricing and promotions.

So if you are looking to work with someone who will do it all for you, trust me give her a shout:

https://www.foratravel.com/advisor/katerina-randazzo

Disclaimer - I use credit card points and miles to significantly offset costs of my trips and vacations. I will share tips and tricks on how I save and budget, but that’s not what this whole blog is for. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this though, because strategies for using my points significantly impact the way I personally plan things. This is not to say that you need to get into points and miles to be able to travel. Points and miles are not for everyone. 

Contrary to what you see on the internet, I don’t plan “free trips” or fly business class. I just use them to temper my total out of pocket costs. So, I will include some suggestions of tools you can use when planning if you’re using points. But it would be too much to go into all the background here.

By far, the most helpful person I learned from is Katie. She has a blog, free course, social media, and podcast! 

 https://katiestraveltricks.com/