My $32.54 rebate check is in the mail. What is it for? For shopping. I bought some clothes at Macys.com and some hard drives at Dell.com. Now Ebates is sending me a rebate check. Just like that.

All i did was sign up at Ebates, then clicked through their store links before making my purchases. Ebates tracks the transaction, and gives you back a percentage of what you spend at tons of online stores — over 1100 stores including eBay. Every 3 months you get a cash back payments by either check or PayPal (i forgot to update my PayPal info so i’m getting a paper check this time).

Here’s the cool part: when you sign up using this referral link, you and i will both get a $5 bonus after your first purchase. Then keep racking up the rebates when you shop online — just remember to click the store link on Ebates.com first.

The great thing about all this is that it’s free money! Why not get some cash back if you’re going to buy stuff online anyway? Even better is that this is on top of any cash back or rewards you might get when using your credit card. Don’t forget to follow @Ebates on Twitter for special rebate rates and offers. And if you’re a really shrewd consumer like me, shop comparison sites like Bountii and Google Products to see who has the lowest price, then check Ebate’s list of stores to see how much cash you’d get back.

If you’re worried that this sounds like a scam, it’s completely legit — shoppers have received over $40 million in cash back through Ebates since 1998 [via retailtouchpoints.com].

I feel like i have a ton of shopping tips because i’m always out to squeeze every last bit from my dollars, and usually manage to do a pretty well for myself. I’m gonna try to post tips and ideas a little more often. So in summary:

1. Click on this link.
2. Sign up at Ebates (it takes 15 seconds).
3. Get a free $5 bonus.