Have you heard of those programs where you’re enticed with extra goodies if you refer-a-friend to the service your are using? Gifts along the lines of a gift cards, extra points, money or perks?

Companies use these all the time to acquire companies, but you can use them to your advantage too to get free money, or goods of value, all while helping out your friend too. Usually these companies make it sweet for the sender and receiver. The dollar value of these rewards can easily add up over the years. Take for example the $50 Amazon gift card mentioned in this article. It seems pretty enticing doesn’t it? Let’s go on to how you can redeem your $50.

Do you often eat out for lunch during the workweek? Whether you didn’t have enough time to make dinner, pack leftovers or simply don’t want to? Don’t worry about it, I’m just like you! I eat out at least three times a week. That quickly adds up to around $30 if you’re in a city like Chicago. Multiply $30 by 4 weeks, and you’ve got an expense of roughly $120/month for lunch.

Introducing MealPal. I’ve used them for about 4 months now, and they’re great. You pay roughly $82/mo (includes taxes) for 12 meals a month at various restaurants around your city. You pay your monthly rate up front, go to their website, order your food for the next day or day of, skip the lines at the restaurant and wha-la! Food that ends up costing you roughly $6.83 per meal. about 30% in savings a month! This works great for me. They have other plans, but for a limited time, if you sign up and give it a try for 2 months, you and I get an Amazon $50 gift card for signing up! Give MealPal a try here. Offer ends Thursday November 30th.

These programs usually have a limited amount of time, and there many other ones out there, like the Acorns post. Come back to check out what other referral programs we’ll discover or announce.