How to Save Money on Inventory Purchases & Almost Everything Else

Posted by Big Brand Wholesale.com on 18th Apr 2020

I’ve always hated those “advice” articles that say “How to Save $100 a Month!” then they tell you to stop drinking coffee, cancel your gym membership and not go out to eat. Can you save money that way? Absolutely. But does it make you happy? No. I would go as far as saying it’s miserable advice.

You have probably heard the phrase “A penny saved is a penny earned” - it’s true! Especially when you own your own business. Every buck you save is $1 less that you need to generate.

As you probably know by now, I am a huge fan of cutting costs without compromising quality or my lifestyle. I have spent years trying to figure out the best, most simplistic ways possible to save money on everything business-related without having to sacrifice. So here we go:

One of the most simplistic ways ever to save a buck is to use Mr Rebates when you order certain things online. I have been with Mr. Rebates since 2009 and I have saved over $21,000:

Mr. Rebates is 100% free and it’s a cash back program BUT unlike other programs you can get paid out right to your Pay Pal every month. There’s no catch. No games. No gimmicks.

Each time you make a purchase at one of their partner stores you get 1%-15% cash back. There's tons of stores (literally, there’s probably 5,000 stores), but the stores that really stand out to me are:

Home Depot - 1-3% Cash Back (also REALLY adds up every spring when you buy landscaping supplies! Or, if you are remodeling your home or buying a new furnace… jackpot!)
Ace Hardware - 3% Cash Back
Alamo Car Rental - 4% - whenever I travel I rent through Alamo because it’s at basically every airport
Alibaba give 5% Cash Back - I haven’t personally used it but I know a lot of people who order their tape, poly mailers, etc through here
Ann Taylor Factory Outlet - If you are looking to order a couple things to sell, you can score free coupons + 2% back
Bath & Body Works! 1%
Saks Outlet Online!! 3% Back
Sams Club - 2%
The Body Shop - 10% BACK!!
Vista Print!!! 8%!
Puma, Adidas, Perfumania, PETCO and more!

Anyways, there really is a TON of stores and it’s so simple to learn to place your order online then “pickup in store” or, most stores now offer Free Shipping with X-amount purchase.

If you book hotels or order supplies for your day job, you are royally missing out on major cash!

Cashouts are paid on the 1st of each month, so I have a reminder set in my phone for the 29th of each month to cashout. Super simple and it does add up. As mentioned, I have been with Mr Rebates since 2009 and I have 0 intention of ever leaving!

MAXIMIZE CASH BACK ON EVERYTHING

Maximize your cash back by using the correct credit card. People often make the mistake of getting the wrong card for business. Although air line miles are cool, this is NOT a good card to use for business. You want to use a good card that gives you CASH, paid directly into your bank account. The reason for this is because cash can be spent on plane tickets if you *decide* you want to go on vacation, or, if you have a slow month you can use that cash to pay bills.

I highly recommend using the Chase Freedom Card. You get 1.5% cash back on EVERYTHING, no exception and no maximum. This is AMAZING when you use this card for all of your shipping charges! I currently have 66,616 points:

This equals $666.16. Always take the “Cash Back”. Even if you want to book a flight or buy a gift card, take the cash back then use that cash to pay for your travel or whatever. I'll explain why in a minute.

There are other cards that offer a higher percentage but they cutoff your cash back at $500-$5,000. You don’t want this! You might think that $500 cash back is plenty but I absolutely assure you that in a couple years when your business is slammed and you’re shipping all day long you are going to regret that choice (Yep, this is the card linked to our postage program account, so every time we print a label, we are getting 1.5% cash back)!

There is also the Amazon Card. This is a 2nd card you really should get. Use this card only for your Amazon shipping supplies purchases (and gasoline, if you remember). You’ll get 5% cash back on all Amazon purchases and I believe gasoline is still at 3%. I think there is also 3% or so for groceries. Personally, I always forget about the Amazon card because I use the Freedom 24/7.

When you buy all of your business supplies through Amazon you save out the gate but the 5% back really adds up. Here’s my account:

I have 50,413 points which equals $504.13. ALWAYS TAKE THE CASH BACK!!! NEVER “Shop with Amazon”!!! Here’s why: If I take the Cash Back I can use that $500 to shop on Amazon and earn 5% cash back again. This means I will earn $25 from spending my $500 on Amazon. BUT, if I instead clicked the “Shop with Points on Amazon” I would earn $0. That would just be silly. By always taking the cash back I am able to rack up points really quick.

Quick note - Set up “Auto Pay” for both cards. That way you never miss a payment and you’re never late so you never pay a penny of interest :)

Ok so let’s do a quick review so far:

You want to buy $1,000 in wood fencing from Home Depot. How do you do it? Do you drive to Home Depot and pay with your Amazon Card? NO!! Don’t be a nut job! Aren’t you listening to me?! Just kidding...You are super brilliant and a really faster learner! You already know you will use Mr.Rebates to click the Home Depot link:

You will then order your fencing and choose “pickup in store” unless shipping is free - by the way, did you know home depot ships rocks and plants for free with $45 purchase??? I just ordered a ton! - check out my Mr Rebates cash back:

Of course I paid using my Chase Freedom Card.

How much did you save / earn total? 1% + 1.5% = 2.5%. That’s $25 EARNED FOR NOTHING!!!! Plus, if you do the “pickup in store”, Home Depot will go pull all that crap and even load your card for you! Hell yeah!

HOW TO SAVE ON BUYING INVENTORY THROUGH US!

But before we finish this article, of course we have to tell you how to maximize your savings on our site BigBrandWholesale.com

First, before you make a purchase, join our mailing list. This triggers a big coupon for your first order (usually 10% off, which is a lot when you're buying wholesale! IF YOU DON'T SEE THE COUPON, CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER!)

Next, join our totally free loyalty program. This gives you 5 points for every dollar you spend.

When you place your order, pay with your Chase Freedom Card and make sure you use that 10% off coupon.

When you place your second order, you're going to use your Loyalty Points and again pay with your Chase Freedom Card.

Now, let's say your first order was for $800 and your second order was for $500... here's the math of savings:

ORDER #1 = $800 BEFORE SAVINGS. Once the 10% off coupon applied, it brings the total down to only $720 (because shipping in the USA is free and we do not charge sales tax or other fees). Your Chase Freedom Card is going to give you $12 CASH BACK! Total Cost for $800 in merchandise ends up being only $708, out the door!!!

Now you have earned 5 points for every dollar spent, which gives you 3,600 points. You can now get a coupon for your next order. (Here's where the savings REALLY start adding up! You're gonna love this...)

With our Free loyalty program, it's easy to get discounts off every single purchase. So with 3.600 points you can redeem a $25 off coupon (2,500 points).

If you cash in your $12 in Chase Freedom Cash Back, it is deposited right into your bank account.

ORDER #2 = $500 BEFORE SAVINGS. On this order you are going to use the $25 off coupon code, which gives you 5% off, bringing the total to $475. Then you are going to pay with your Chase Freedom Card and get an additional $7.12 in cash back. If you use the $12 from the previous order's Chase Freedom Card Cashback, you have now saved HUGE. That means $500 in wholesale goods is going to cost you only $450.85, out the door, which is equal to 10% savings!

So let's add up both of these orders and look at TOTAL savings combined.

$800 + $500 base price = $1,300 cost BEFORE savings

Total spent on $1,300 worth of wholesale merchandise = $1.158.85

TOTAL SAVINGS = $141.15 = OVER 10% SAVED!!!

Pretty awesome!!