Xbox Live subscribers, you’re mostly likely aware that Microsoft is upping the annual rate to $60 tomorrow, November 1. However if you act fast, Buy.com has Xbox Live Gold 12 month renewal cards for under $40 shipped. And you can get an additional 3.5% cashback if you click through Ebates. You can order as many as you want — stock up now for $40 each. Letting your account autorenew will cost $60 per year starting tomorrow.

Extra Savings on Local Groupon Deals

Do you know about Groupon? Sign up for daily discounts around 50% off at local restaurants, entertainment and services. Just days after i signed up, i got a Groupon worth $15 at one of my fave burger spots Big Buns for only $7, and i see several interesting deals each week.

Here’s the extra. You can get an additional 6% cashback from either Mr. Rebates (my personal favorite rebate site) or Ebates.

Black Friday is all about getting you to spend money, even it’s on stuff you don’t really want or need, or money you don’t really have. Know what you want to get, know how much you want to spend, and stick to it. Sometimes “deals” aren’t. Often you’re better off finding the same thing online (cheaper with no tax), or a better quality product than the cheapo stuff they practically give away at midnight in stores. Wisebread has 5 tips for things you shouldn’t buy.

Know What You Want

Knowing specifically what you want to get and how much it’s worth and what you’re willing to pay is the single best thing you can do to make you a better shopper and keep money in your pocket. Going out to the malls “just to shop” this weekend can easily be either a waste of time or waste of money. Find specific items you want then research and comparison shop ahead of time. I start at Google and Amazon to get a baseline of a “good price” on most things. I also like Bountii for comparisons on electronics. Bountii lets you track item prices and will automatically send you alerts when prices drop, so you don’t have to check back periodically — it’s practically shopping for you. Don’t forget to factor in state sales tax, shipping, and any other fees (will you have to carry a credit card balance to buy it?). When comparing the same item at different retailers sometimes a higher initial price ends up being cheaper because there’s no tax or shipping charges and you could get some cash back bonuses.

Go Cheap

Don’t overlook refurbished and used items or auction and trading services. eBay and craigslist have incredible deals on perfectly good items that some people are just trying to get rid of (some perfectly new). Video games often go for half price slightly used and work just fine. I picked up a sealed copy of Forza Motorsport 3 for 25% off through craigslist because a guy got it for a gift and didn’t need it. “Certified refurbished” products are usually just like brand-new items and often come with similar warranties but at big discounts simply because they aren’t “new.” Just do your homework and make sure you know what you’re getting.

Get Money Back Guaranteed

If you’re going to shop online this weekend, make sure you take advantage of all the “free money” out there. I’ve saved about $200 just by using cashback services for purchases i’ve made online this year — and it was all stuff i was going to buy anyway. I’ve previously mentioned Ebates for really simple cashback when shopping online, but my current favorite is Mr. Rebates. Every time i buy something on eBay i use Mr. Rebates to get 3% cashback which can be combined with Bing cashback (10% during the holidays) for a total of 13% back on almost anything on eBay. They also have higher percentage rebates on many stores — i just got 8% back at Endless.com on a pair of shoes using Mr. Rebates. Just sign up for an account in seconds, click through to shop at thousands of online stores, and get money back. Most rebate sites will quarterly send you a paper check or a direct deposit to a PayPal account. Another cool thing about Mr. Rebates, Ebates, Spree, and many others is they offer referral bonuses when your friends sign up and make purchases. There are dozens of cashback sites, that all work about the same, so check who’s offering the biggest rebates where you’re shopping.

Bing cashback works similarly, you click on store links from the Bing site after you sign up and get percentage rebates on certain items or from certain retailers. Bing cashback at eBay has a few rules: it must be a Buy-It-Now purchase, not a regular auction and you have to pay via PayPal. But like i said, they’re currently offering 10% back that can be applied to almost anything you can find on eBay (just search at Bing.com and look for the gold coin icon). You can “stack” this with Mr. Rebates by first searching on Bing.com to activate cashback in eBay (save the item to My eBay to make it easy), then click on the eBay link in Mr. Rebates, find the item in My eBay and complete the Buy-It-Now purchase. Sometimes you get instant cashback without the 60 day waiting period.

I got $187 instant cashback from Bing on eBay.

• Bing cashback has increased holiday rebates like 10% back at Best Buy, Macy’s, and eBay.
• Ebates is offering double cashback at many retailers only on Black Friday.
• Mr. Rebates also has a long list of special rebates and coupons.

Another way to get money back is to use a rewards credit card on your purchases. It’s a simple way to get 1–3% back without doing anything extra. It can really add up on bigger purchases like TVs and computers. I personally use my rewards card to pay for everything i can to maximize my rewards, but of course i pay it off every month so i don’t run up balance fees.

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.