My boys are of the age where they are starting to discover things about life that make my job as a parent more complicated. That’s right, they’ve discovered the wonders of electronics and Best Buy! They are just collectively freaking out about all the new gadgets, video games, and gear they’re finding. I love to see them so passionate about innovation and tech—it’s the future after all!—but I don’t think my wallet will ever be the same.

I have, however, found some effective ways to mitigate their budding love of all things digital—specifically, the Best Buy rewards points program. The rewards program is free and easy to join using your email address, and once you’re set up, you get points for every Best Buy purchase: up to 1.25 points for every dollar you spend, depending on your membership level. Once you get 250 points, you can trade them in for a $5 Best Buy reward certificate. It doesn’t sound like much, but when you have three tech-obsessed boys at home like me, it really adds up!

By their nature, electronics can often be expensive. So, to satiate my boys and make sure my bank account doesn’t implode, I’ve had to find other ways to earn Best Buy rewards points on a budget. Not to brag, but I think I’ve come up with some good ones. That’s why today it is my pleasure to share with all of you a couple of my favorite techniques!

Maximize on Best Buy Rewards Points with Sales

The first and simplest technique—at least in my humble opinion—is to keep your eye out for sales. I know that spending $1,500 on a new TV nets you far more points than spending $500, but if you can’t afford that $1,500 TV you won’t be getting any points at all. Keeping your eyes open for great sales at Best Buy is a fantastic way to afford more electronics, which, of course, then earns you more Best Buy rewards points.

Here are some of the places I like to keep my eyes out for sales at Best Buy:

• The Best Buy Ad: This sounds super old school, but each week I still like to browse the Best Buy ad that comes in the Sunday paper. My family still gets one of those—what can I say, I’m traditional like that—but even if you don’t get the paper, you can easily browse the ad on Best Buy’s website, taking in all the great sale prices they have to offer.
• The Best Buy Go Mobile App: The Best Buy Go Mobile app does a great job of serving as a resource for the store’s sales. With it, you can browse Best Buy’s daily deals, the aforementioned weekly ad, clearance sales, and even open-box discounts. That way you know what kind of great sale price you’re getting before you even head out to the store.
• Social Media: If you keep your eyes on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, you can also find many users who love to share info and tips on Best Buy sales, both for purchases in your area as well as online. We’re all in this together, so why not use some communication?

Double Up On Best Buy Rewards Points With a Shopping App

I think the most effective way I’ve found to earn Best Buy rewards points is by using a third-party shopping rewards app like Shopkick. The app awards you points for certain behaviors you do while you’re shopping, things like scanning the barcodes on products to get more info, scanning your receipts after you’ve made purchases, and—my personal favorite—just for walking into the store! You can then trade those Shopkick points in for Best Buy gift cards (or gift cards to many of your other favorite stores), making them as good as cash back.

Let’s face it, technology is an integral part of our daily lives, but it’s also still pretty expensive, especially for those of us with kids.

The best part of all of this is that you can combine Shopkick with the Best Buy rewards program which essentially doubles your earnings! Oh, and you can also use Shopkick online. It’s really comprehensive and easy to use, which is why I can’t recommend it enough.

Let’s face it, technology is an integral part of our daily lives, but it’s also still pretty expensive, especially for those of us with kids. Fortunately, by monitoring sales and also using my favorite rewards app, Shopkick, I’ve been able to find great ways to make the most of sales, rack up Best Buy rewards points, and earn gift cards with all my purchases. At least technology, and apps like Shopkick, can help turn our trips to Best Buy into extra savings. What a wonderful time to be a shopper!

Looking for the perfect app that will help you earn Best Buy rewards points on a budget? Download Shopkick for free, give it a whirl, and join a community of Shopkickers who love the rewards of shopping with us!

Or join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and check in every day on your phone, no matter where you are, to learn about the hottest, newest deals.

Image courtesy Jonathan Weiss