Go ahead. Throw away your Starbucks cup on the way back to your car. Or you can toss the little plastic cup from your free sample. But whatever you do, do not throw away your receipt!
"I use to be the guy who would not take the receipt or I'd throw it away on the way out of the store," Kyle James, founder of money-saving website Rather-Be-Shopping.com, said.
But James said not anymore.
"I'm making $40 or $50 a month just by scanning my receipt."
One way is by using theIbottaapp.
"The cool thing about Ibotta is you get money back on generic stuff like milk, eggs, bananas," he said. "It's not just name-brand stuff that you might not be buying."
Another is Walmart's alternative to price matching, it's called the Savings Catcher app.
"You just scan the QR code at the bottom of your receipt with the app and the app will figure out if any of the local stores are selling what you bought at a lower price. Walmart will automatically give you the difference in price," James said.
The money back is credit usable at Walmart.
Also, check the bottom of your receipts, especially at home improvement stores.
"At Home Depot or Lowes they'll have an online survey. Many times (by doing them) you're going to get a coupon in your email or exclusive discounts," James said.
For James' full list of ways to cash in on your receipt, go to his website.
