Tausi Insider

How Rakuten Works Formally known as Ebates, Rakuten is a cash back rewards app that earns you money when shopping with participating retailers. It’s fairly simple to use: If you’re on a website that supports Rakuten, you’ll see a pop-up appear letting you know how much cash back the stores allows, and offering a button that activates Rakuten then and there. Then, you continue to shop on the site, and anything you buy contributes to your Rakuten cash back. You’ll receive the cash back in the form of a check (no gimmicks!), but you do need to earn at least $15 before the check will be sent. Unfortunately, Rakuten’s biggest deals have come and gone following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but there are still plenty of opportunities to take advantage of. If you’re already going to shop with these stores, why not make a little cash on the side? Not to mention, the app searches for available coupon codes to add at checkout, a feature central to another app you may have heard of ... ...

Several surveys released this holiday season indicate shoppers are willing to gift second-hand items. recep-bg/iStockPhoto / Getty Images At a mug swap in Guelph, Ont., in early December, plenty of people came out to hunt down the right used mug for those on their Christmas list: One mother and daughter took home 10 to give as presents. Those who attended were looking for gifts that didn’t stress their bank accounts, says organizer Steph Clarke of the Guelph Tool Library, which held the event. Ms. Clarke believes most people have no qualms about gifting things that were previously used. “It’s becoming more about the intent or the spirit of the gift,” she said. “If you find something that’s perfect for your loved one, it doesn’t matter as much if it’s second hand.” With soaring inflation and higher interest rates depleting household budgets this holiday season, there are signs that Canadians are increasingly turning to second-hand items as gifts. A practice once deemed uncouth is beco...