Whether you’re a teacher buying classroom supplies, a freelancer upgrading your desk setup, or a small business owner managing monthly expenses, staying on top of office spending is critical. But smart budgeting isn’t just about cutting costs—it’s also about earning some of that money back. By combining expense-tracking tools with cashback apps like Fluz, Rakuten, and Ibotta, you can turn your everyday office purchases into long-term savings.

Here’s how to keep your budget in check while earning cashback on supplies you’re already buying.

Step 1: Use a Budgeting App to Monitor Your Expenses

To get started, you need a clear view of where your money is going. Budgeting apps help you categorize expenses, identify overspending, and plan for future purchases.

Top tools for tracking office spending include:

• Rocket Money – Ideal for freelancers and remote workers looking to eliminate wasteful subscriptions and stay on budget
  
• Mint – A popular choice for visualizing expenses and syncing multiple accounts
  
• QuickBooks – Best for small business owners who need to integrate bookkeeping, invoicing, and budget tracking
  
• YNAB (You Need A Budget) – Great for proactive budgeting and goal setting, especially if you’re managing variable income
  

These tools help you understand monthly and quarterly patterns so you can better predict—and control—your office supply spending.

Step 2: Sync Your Cashback Strategy with Your Budget

Once you know what you’re spending, plug cashback into your system to improve margins.

• Fluz: Buy digital gift cards from retailers like Office Depot or Staples right before checkout and earn instant cashback. You can match exact purchase amounts to avoid leftover balances.
  
• Rakuten: Activate cashback when shopping online for larger purchases such as furniture, tech, or bulk supplies.
  
• Ibotta: Scan your receipt or link store accounts to earn cashback on items like snacks, cleaning supplies, or classroom essentials.
  

You can add your cashback earnings to a “savings” or “reinvestment” category within your budgeting tool to track how much you’re getting back over time.

Step 3: Set Monthly Supply Budgets with Built-in Cashback Goals

Let’s say your typical monthly supply budget is $200:

• Allocate $150 for essential items
  
• Use Fluz to earn cashback on these purchases
  
• Reserve $50 for opportunistic shopping—taking advantage of Rakuten or Ibotta deals
  

This lets you stay flexible while keeping your spending predictable. Over the course of a year, even 5–10% in cashback returns can translate into hundreds of dollars saved or reinvested into your workspace.

Step 4: Review and Adjust Each Quarter

At the end of each quarter, review your budget categories and compare them against your cashback earnings:

• Where did you overspend?
  
• Which merchants gave the best cashback returns?
  
• Can any purchases be timed with promotional periods or special offers?
  

Making quarterly adjustments ensures that your cashback strategy evolves with your needs—whether you’re scaling up a business, prepping for a new school year, or managing new projects.

Final Tip: Automate What You Can

• Use recurring purchases with Amazon Subscribe & Save
• Set calendar reminders to activate cashback before online shopping
  
• Save your favorite retailers in the Fluz app for one-tap gift card purchases
  

Together, tracking your spending and using the right cashback apps will make your office purchases smarter, not harder.