Frugal Friday: Don't Be Cheap

Picture By: ecastro

I was lucky enough to get two free entertainment books recently when Money Saving Mom posted about the deal. I was so excited when they showed up at my door the other day! My husband and I plan on using one or two on our "stayaction" this weekend when his parents take the girls (more on that later). :)

While I was thinking about the entertainment books, I remembered about when I worked at T.G.I. Fridays. The servers HATED it when someone came in with a coupon. In general, the people who came in with coupons were rude, demanding, and rarely left a decent tip.

I know that many frugal people pride themselves on saving a buck, but sometimes we scrimp in areas we shouldn't. If you're going to go out to a decent place to eat (where you sit down and someone takes the trouble to serve you) please have the courtesy to be mindful of the work and effort someone put into serving you. Tips are where servers make their money to live. I've worked in restaurants and believe me, it's very hard, stressful work, especially when customers decide to be difficult.

In general, you should leave your tip based on the pre-coupon total. Go ahead, be proud of yourself for being thrifty by using a coupon (I know I often am!) but please don't give all the rest of us couponers a bad rap by being cheap. Check out Life as Mom for other great frugal tips this week!

Friday Follow

Hello Friday Followers! If you are new to my blog, welcome! I love having you here today. Here are my two beautiful reasons for why I've been cutting down on my online time:


So, with that said, I do try to post some things pretty regularly. Here are some of my favorite categories that you can check out:

• Mom Monday (every Monday, I host a link up for encouraging Mom related posts)
• Christian Encouragement
• Coupons and Freebies
• Recipes
• Before Motherhood
• Share Yourself Saturday
• Thursday Giveaway Link Up (you can list your current giveaways!)
  

I also try to list deal match ups for local stores (Acme Fresh Market, Giant Eagle, Marc's) as well as a run down of the best drugstore deals for the week. You can find me on twitter and facebook as well. Actually, I post a lot of deals, coupons, etc on Facebook that I don't have time to get to on here. Hope you enjoyed looking around my blog. Leave me a comment and I'll be sure to come check you out too! Happy Friday!

New to Friday Follow? Here's how YOU can join the Friday Follow celebration:

--Link up your blog name and URL using the MckLinky below. Only need to add on one blog to be seen on all the blog hops.

--Grab the Friday Follow and Sponsor buttons and include both on your Friday Follow blog post.

--Follow the Friday Follow hostesses listed in the first 3 slots.

--Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like.

--Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from Friday Follow.

--Follow back when you get a new follower through Friday Follow.

This list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up each week for new participants to find your blogs. The list is only open to add your blog links on Fridays. It will be visible all week to visit the blogs listed.

Coupon Sources

There are many, many ways to find coupons. I've gone about it many ways myself. Here's a few of them:

• Buy a paper (the simplest and most expensive)
• Bum papers off your parents, grandparents, aunt, uncles, in-laws, neighbors and anyone else you may know :)
• Get them from your hubby's work (rarely)
• Buy papers 1/2 price on Monday (some gas stations and drugstores will have leftovers for sale)
• Go recycling dumpster diving (yep, I've done it. Very humbling)
• Print them
• Email a company for them

The last one is the one I want to address today. I have done this before (with P&G and Sunmaid). Some companies will send you coupons just for emailing them. It's definitely worth a shot. To get you started, For the Mommas has posted a list (and another here) of companies she's heard sends out coupons if requested. I plan on working my way down the list! Check out Frugal Friday for other great money saving tips!

Inspiration

Need some inspiration that this coupon and deal shopping thing are really worth it? Check out this post on a woman who got $242 worth of stuff for $0.97. It's not weird, random stuff, but everyday stuff like toothpaste, pasta sauce, dressing, soap and crackers! I don't normally do that good, but it's something to work towards! :)

My Points

Another interesting rewards site is called My Points. I have been doing My Points since I was in college and it's super easy.

How it Works: You sign up and create a profile and username and such. My points will send you "bonus mails" for which you often receive 5 points for clicking on the banner. Sometimes they will send survey invitations and other stuff. The fastest way to get points is to buy things online through their site, which I don't do unless it's something I needed to buy anyway (like Christmas gifts, Amazon.com or ebay). They have an easy points section, where you fill out your profile, answer some questionaires and other little odds and ends.

What You Can Get: My Points can be redeemed for giftcards they have listed. 7400 points will get you a $50 Amazon.com gift card. They have giftcards for over 70 retailers, including Applebee's, BP, and Barnes and Noble. The points really do add up fast. Since I've been with them, I've earned a $25 Hotel Gift card, $50 BP giftcard and I'm at 4268 points now... I'm aiming for that Amazon.com giftcard!

How to Join: Well, I get points if I refer you and I have to refer through email, so if you're interested in joining, just leave me a comment and I'll send you an email invitation. Thanks and hope it works out well for you! To see more frugal tips and ideas head over to Life as Mom for this week's Frugal Friday Party!

The Grocery Game

I had heard about Teri's grocery game lists through magazines and other avenues and thought it was a fantastic idea. I had almost no experience with couponing and didn't know where to start. In that sense, it was a very good tool. I did the free 4 week trial for 4 local stores (Giant Eagle, CVS, Walgreens, and Rite Aid) and even renewed the membership for 8 weeks for Giant Eagle.

Here's how it works: You pick the stores you want lists for. The first store is 8 weeks for $10 and then you get a discount for each store after that. Each week, usually on Saturday afternoon or Sunday, a new list would be posted for the upcoming shopping week. The list would list any sales and coupon matchups and would highlight in a certain color the "rock bottom" prices for certain items.

The whole idea behind the list is to do stockpile shopping. Sales typically run through a cycle and reach their lowest price at a certain time (about every 6 weeks, I think it was). It is at this time you want to use your coupons and buy enough to get you through to the next rock bottom price time. Teri's list supposedly kept track of these times and listed them along with the coupon match ups.

Now, this service could be useful to you if you are new to couponing (it explains how to get started very well, but you can find that online too) or don't have much time for couponing and searching sales fliers and such. However, after my trial period was up and I had started to get the hang of getting free or very cheap items, I realized that basically all the information in the list could be found somewhere online if I just took the time to look and make my own list. I soon realized it wasn't worth it for me to pay for the lists anymore and I discontinued my membership.

The grocery game recently listed a new store: Walmart. At first, I was very excited about this because I have a hard time keeping track of Walmart prices. I paid for the 8 week membership and looked at my new list. I was sorely disappointed. It was just a list of the Giant Eagle and Marc's sales that Walmart would do "price matches" on with coupon match ups. I don't do price matches typically, because Giant Eagle will double coupons up to $0.99 and Walmart doesn't, therefore making it worth my while to actually go to Giant Eagle. Perhaps, if you want one stop shopping in a quick and easy format, this list could work for you. I, however, quickly requested my membership be canceled which they did, thankfully. I would not recommend The Grocery Game, but you are free to check it out if you think it would be helpful for your situation.

Swagbucks

Ok, someone asked me some questions so I'll do my best to clearly explain Swag Bucks and what it's all about. If you still have any questions, just let me know. I'm pretty passionate about this because I think it's one of the few great programs that really pays off quickly.

What it is: At first I was wary of it. Sounded too easy. You know how you search the internet for stuff like "frugal recipes" using Yahoo or Google? Well, if you use SwagBucks.com, you have the opportunity to win what's called "Swag Bucks" which usually range in value from 10 to supposedly 1000. I usually only see the 10, 20 or sometimes 50 ones. I've noticed it averages out to about 10 SwagBucks a day. The greatest thing: it costs you nothing. Seriously. You don't have to give a credit card number or join some club or some of that other nonsense you see out there.

What you can Get: Once you've accumulated a decent amount of SwagBucks you can then redeem them to get all sorts of stuff. Anything from books to Sweepstakes to electronics and (my personal favorite) gift cards. I like the Amazon.com giftcards because I can turn around and get what I really want through Amazon. It only takes 450 Swagbucks to get a $5 Amazon.com gift card and I've already gotten 3 in the couple of months I've been doing it. I then used them to get my mother-in-law's birthday gift (hopefully she isn't reading this! :)

How to Get Started: It's easy. Just click on the pretty, colorful banner above, create an account (name, address, email, that kind of stuff), you'll automatically get 3 free swag bucks and that's it!

How to Earn Swag Bucks: You can simply go to swagbucks.com and enter a search into the box. There's other stuff you can do like trading in old cell phones and shopping through their website, which I don't really bother with. Sometimes I'll type in some random search I don't care about just to get my swag buck for the day. One of the best ways is by referring people. :) For people that sign up through you, you'll receive exactly how many swag bucks they earn, up to 1000 or so. It can add up fast. Also, they have free codes under their special offers once a week, Fb code searches and blog code searches, so keep listening for new opportunities!

Toolbar: The easiest way to search through swagbucks, I think, is to download the toolbar (the little things above the readable screen and below where you type in website addresses. You probably already have a few, like Google or Yahoo.) After you create an account, on the right side of the swag bucks website you should see tabs (Swagstore, Shop & Earn, Trade In, etc). You should see Toolbars listed near the end. Just click that and it'll give you step by step instructions on downloading the toolbar. Then, you don't even have to go to the swagbucks.com website. Just type your search into the little box and watch your swag bucks add up!

I hope this has been helpful. I love being rewarded for stuff I'm already doing! :) So if you're interested, you can go here and sign up!

Grocery Stores (NEO Edition)

I am writing this in response to a question I received about some grocery stores here in North East Ohio. So, I decided to do a very thorough job and add it to the beginner archives because I'll include some of the principles and mindsets I work from. Below are a list of the stores in my area and that I often go to. Please keep in mind, I am a stay at home mom with only one little one (right now!) and I have the time and energy to visit several stores each week. This may not be plausible for everyone and may even change for me in the future. Hope this helps!

Aldi's
Up until very recently, I was a die-hard Aldi's fan. I went there for just about everything, both my family's groceries as well as the stock for the Rock Cafe. However, I must admit now that Aldi's is not always the best option for me anymore. Actually, I rarely go. I've been noticing some serious price increases and fluctuations that can be hard to keep track of (at one time I knew almost all their prices by heart)! I only go to Aldi's now for certain staple items when I don't care the brand, it isn't on sale somewhere else or I know for certain is cheaper than anywhere else (like $0.99 cream cheese). I've never liked Aldi's for produce as it often goes bad very quickly for me, is poor quality or I can cheaper elsewhere. Aldi's manufacturer closeouts are ok, but they don't accept coupons, so I usually don't bother. Also, I don't usually see any mark downs on stuff like I do at Save-a-lot. Once, I got canned pumpkin for $0.25 at Save-a-Lot for clearance. I don't usually see that kind of clearance stuff at Aldi's

Save-a-Lot
I used to dislike Save-a-lot a lot! It always had this grimy, sloppy, dirty feel to it I didn't like. However, we recently moved within a mile of one and this one isn't too bad. The store is often disorganized and still feels weird, but I go for certain items. I love when they have $0.19/lb bananas and cilantro for $0.50 a bunch. Their staple/boxed items are often about the same as Aldi's, if not a little better. Their "name brand" closeouts usually aren't worth it, but they do take manufacturer coupons, so.... sometimes. Only if it's a coupon that won't double elsewhere (like Giant Eagle) :) Overall, their produce isn't bad, but I have a better source...

Marc's
I love going to Marc's for produce. Their produce sales can be outstanding (not so much this week) and their quality is as good as a normal grocery store. I knew a guy who worked there and he said Marc's stuff isn't any different than a normal grocery store really (except the closeouts) and you aren't getting stuff that fell off a truck. :) The Marc's near me has also been getting a great selection of organic produce, they always have wonderfully cheap organic salad mixes and they have reasonable herb prices. Occasionally, Marc's will have a great mark down or sale on meat, so I always check that too. I don't usually get staple/boxed stuff at Marc's unless I have a good coupon that won't double elsewhere or it is a brand specific thing I need.

Walmart
I am not shy about voicing my general dislike for Walmart. I don't care much for their business practices and honestly, their everyday prices aren't that great. Also, the coupon match ups for Walmart I see on the internet are often WAY different than NEO prices and because Walmart doesn't put out a weekly grocery flier, I never know if they have a good sale going on something, it's very hit or miss. Therefore, I typically skip Walmart. I will occasionally go to Walmart if I have a stack of good coupons that won't double elsewhere, I have a good internet coupon (they take internet printables and I don't think they have an amount limit), or I need a brand specific item, like Whink Rust Remover (a miracle product for that yuckie orange stuff in the bathroom sinks and toilets!). I go to Walmart maybe every few weeks.


Drugstores (CVS, Walgreens, Rite-Aid)
Drugstores are amazing for free toiletries. If you have the time to do the rebates, sales and Register Rewards, I recommend never paying for certain items again (toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, etc). Some items are harder (deodorant, toilet paper, etc) but you can still get great deals on them. I never buy these items at grocery stores anymore. Although drugstores can be overwhelming at first, once you get the hang of it, it's really quite easy. Just remember to watch and be careful- they like to pull some fast ones on you!

Acme
In general, I don't go to Acme. In my experience with the Acme's around here, it's usually not worth a trip. The deals are usually not fantastic and you can often find the same things about the same price or cheaper at Giant Eagle, Marc's or Save-a-Lot/Aldi's. Plus, my Acme doesn't double coupons or accept internet printables. I still try to list some Acme deals each week, but it's a rare occasion that I venture into an Acme store.

Giant Eagle
My usual big name grocery store is Giant Eagle. My Giant Eagle doubles coupons up to $0.99, offers fuel perks and takes internet coupons (up to $3.79ish and no free item ones). Giant Eagle's deals are usually good, but I find their produce to be generally too expensive. I often buy hard to find items at Giant Eagle (like organics I have a coupon for or International foods) as well as some items I really want (like Lean Cuisines which help me in portion and lunch control). It's easy to get carried away by large stores like Giant Eagle so I always try to have a premade plan (list and coupons) before entering and avoid certain areas like the plague (cookies, candy, etc).

I don't hit all these stores every week. My usual week is Giant Eagle/Marc's on one day, drugstores another day and Save-a-Lot or Aldi's on another day (usually early in the week because I think they mark down on Sunday or Monday). It may sound like a lot, but it's become routine to me and I LOVE to shop for bargains- it's liek a hobby to me. I really love it when I can leave my daughter at home with Daddy while I hit a fun store (like Giant Eagle) by myself and take my time to find the good deals. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Coupons, Coupons, Everywhere

It's true that the best and most reliable source of coupons is in the Sunday newspaper inserts in the ads section. However, coupons can be found everywhere. With the superbowl approaching, you can find tons of coupons and rebates in the beer section that have nothing to do with beer. It's just game related foods I guess, so they put them there. There are many healthy coupon booklets out there right now, including this one which can be found in grocery stores like Giant Eagle. You can find a lot of coupons online (including on my side bar) and you can get one for $2 any Johnson's baby product here and most online coupons can be printed twice. You even get coupons for signing up for newsletters and junk mailers. Some people hate this stuff, but I personally don't mind because I just throw away the junk and keep the coupons. :) Another good way to get good coupons is through signing up for free samples in the mail. They often put in a high value coupon to go along with that free sample. If you're new to couponing, trust me, it's not too hard to start accumulating a good, hearty stash. The trouble then is what to do with them all.... :)

How-To Beginners Series (4)

Now that I've explained coupons a little, I will explain a little bit of the world of drugstores. Drugstores are a great way to stretch your budget. The author of the Money Saving Mom blog says she only spends $40 a week on groceries and household products and one of the ways she accomplishes this is by using drugstores for most household products and some groceries. I find that usually I no longer pay anything for toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, hair styling, body wash, feminine pads, most makeup and more. Things like deodorant, tampons, and food are a little bit harder, but not impossible!

Walgreens
I have become a very huge fan of Walgreens lately. They just opened up a new one near where I live and I love it! They will accept internet coupons which is a huge help. The best thing about Walgreens is their Easy Saver booklet. Every month, they put out a new booklet (which you can find in the store near the weekly ad) and it is filled with store coupons and rebates. I used to never bother with rebates because I didn't think they were worth it. Boy, how wrong I was!! Every month there are Free After Rebate items. Some of these items are useless to me (like Walgreens filter replacements) but others are VERY valuable, like lightbulbs, toothpaste, shampoos and conditioners. One thing is that you can't be too brand loyal, because it's different every month.

The great thing about the rebates is that they are very easy to do. After you buy the indicated items, simply go to www.walgreens.com (register/log in) and then click on the view more link near the top. Then select view rebates. You can view the monthly Easy Saver or go to claim rebates. Next, select start/add receipt. Click on the rebates you are claiming on the list and click on continue at the bottom. On the next screne, type in your Receipt Reference Number (RFN#) found at the top of your receipt and hit save receipt. Walgreens will review your receipt information and send you an email when they verify it. It may sound complicated at first, but believe me, it is SO easy! Just to be sure, keep all your receipts for the month with your Easy Saver booklet just in case there is an information problem.

At the end of the month, you will click on the review/submit rebate button. If you choose to receive your rebate on a Walgreens gift card, they will give you 10% more back (which I figure will cover the sales tax). They say it takes 4-6 weeks to get your first rebate gift card. After that, you can choose to have them "reload" your gift card each month with the rebates, which should only take a few weeks and they will send you a post card telling you they have reloaded it (it usually only takes a few days in my experience). After the first month or two, you should no longer need to pay out of pocket (OOP) money. You can just use your gift card and keep rolling the money over.

They also have what's called Register Rewards (RR). These are similar to CVS extra care bucks. If you meet the deal requirements, you will receive RR good on your next purchase-they are kinda like gift cards. Keep these in a safe place. Also, RR are not tied to a card which means you can come back multiple times to do the same deal. However, don't let these expire as they usually won't take expired ones! It's like throwing away cash (which unfortunately I've let happen!)

Some Tips

• Grab more than one Easy Saver booklet. It has coupons and stuff in it. It's nice to have one to use for rebates and a couple for coupons
• Try to wait to buy the "Free After Rebate" items till the end of the month. Very often a coupon will come out for that item and it's even better than free! Ex. Crest Pro-Health toothpaste is free after rebate this month. I was silly and bought it on Friday. Today there was a $1.00 off coupon in the Sunday newspaper ads (P&G 8/31). If I had used it, I would still have gotten the same amount of rebate money ($3.79) while only paying $2.79 for the item! They would have "paid" me $1.00 to buy the toothpaste! (This is why I said in the coupon post to NEVER throw away coupons, you never know what you'll need) Note: Sometimes they sell out of items very quickly and don't restock them. It's up to you how you want to handle when to buy them!
• Manufacturer coupons (found in newspapers and online) can be combined with Easy Saver Coupons. One Easy Saver coupon will work on multiples of that same item. Example: If you're buying 4 toothbrushes and the ESC is for $1.00 off one, the register will take off 4X$1.00=$4.00. Other store coupons can also be combined with ESC. Example: the Walgreen's coloring book coupons can combine with the ESC, as well as the ones from their weekly ads
• I've heard Walgreens cash registers can get goofy about coupons, so Money Saving Mom has suggested a few tips about how to use them. Always have the same amount or more items than coupons and give the cashiers the coupons in batches in this order: RR, manufacturer coupons and Easy Saver/Walgreens ad coupons. I usually don't follow this and haven't had a problem... yet. Refundcents.com does suggest manufacturer coupons first and then store coupons to maximize what it'll take off.
• This takes practice!! Don't give up! I am still getting used to it, but I'm finding it to be well worth the time and patience. We'll get better and faster as we learn.

I will try every week to post the best Walgreens deals I can find. There are many websites that list them. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment. You can also check out the post at http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/2008/03/ive-been-shoppi.html which is another great post about how Walgreens works! refundcents.com also did a comprehensive guide to Walgreens that is a TON of information but you have to be a member to access it.

How-To Beginners Series (3)

Today will be an introduction to general couponing. I'm no expert, but I'll try to tell you all the things I have learned so far. A lot of what I have learned has come from the blog at http://www.momsavingmom.com/ I highly recommend her website if you get a chance to check it out. She is a Christian stay at home mom with budgeting and couponing in mind.

Where
A lot of the coupons you'll need you can get in your Sunday newspaper. My parents get two newspapers and they don't use coupons, so I just snag them from my parents. Some people manage to get a newspaper subscription for only Sundays for $1.50 or less. You don't want to pay too much if you're just getting it for the coupons. Some people buy multiple copies for the coupons (if they have large families and such). You can also preview the coupons for the week (not always totally accurate, depending on area, but it gives you an idea) here to see if you'll maybe want to get extras.

Other coupons come from online. Not all stores will accept online coupons, so check with your store. I have 2 Walgreens near my house and one will take them and the other won't. Go figure. I have coupons.com links on the side and bottom of my blog. Just click on them and you can print FREE coupons. You can print several of them multiple times (it will eventually say "print limit reached"). There are many other coupon sites such as eversave.com, redplum.com and many others. I will try to find ways of listing them on my blog. Another way is to go directly to the manufacturer's website and sign up for a newsletter or something. I did this for Huggies and Coffee Mate.

Some people get even more creative with coupons. If there is a good recycling drop off center near you, you can check for unused Sunday newspaper ads. Some people ask elderly neighbors or coworkers for their unused ads. Some people even bum them off their parents! :) There are also websites that you can buy or bid on coupons or some people give them away on their blogs. I personally have not paid for coupons yet and probably won't. I am a little unsure of paying for coupons. I don't think it would be worth it. I have, however, heard of stories where people got a lot of free stuff by purchasing coupons.

Another good source is the All You magazine which can only be bought at Walmart or through a subscription. I've heard it's about $2.24 at the store and full of great coupons. I just ordered my subscription for $18 for a 2 year subscription through a Southern Living consultant. That's $0.75 an issue! You can usually find a preview of the AllYou coupons and I often list where for that month.

Whatever you do, when you look through the coupons, just don't throw ANY away! I have thrown some away, thinking I'd never use them, and I have really regretted it when, a week or two later, that item is on sale or free after rebate. You can't beat free. Even if I don't need it, I could always give it as a gift or to charity. So I strongly recommend coming up with a good coupon system and not throwing any of your valuable coupons away until they expire.

Sometimes, it's not even necesary to cut each coupon until you decide it's time to go to the store. Some people cut all coupons and store them away in a binder, while others just mark their ads with the date on it and file them away whole. Many websites, when they list the sales and coupons that go with the sale will list where you can find the coupon you need. Example: 10/26 RP. If you see this, it means the coupon you are looking for can be found in the Red Plum insert that came out in papers on 10/26. I personally do both methods. I like cutting some just so I can tell quickly if I have a coupon for an unexpected purchase or in case the site doesn't list where to find it. It's up to you. Either way will work.

How-To Beginner Series (2)

For today, I'll list some common coupon lingo and abbreviations. I may have left something out, just leave a comment if you notice anything or have any questions. Also, you may not understand what some of the terms are. We'll go over all that when we get to talking about the stores!


Common Coupon Lingo (some variations apply)

Blinkie- Coupons found in the blinking machines near the products in the store

BOGO- Buy One Get One Free

BOG50%- Buy One Get One 50% Off (and so on)

Catalina- A coupon that prints out of a machine located by the register (a catalina machine). Sometimes are also OYNSO coupons. You got them when certain specifications are met. Used like cash on your next shopping trip to the same store. Watch the expiration dates! They are sometimes very soon and some stores won't accept expired ones (some will)

C/O- Cents off coupons (sometimes also listed as q's)

ECB- CVS Extra Care Bucks which print on the bottom of your receipt on certain specified deals and can be used at CVS like cash

ESB- Easy Saver booklet. Found at Walgreens near the front of the store (usually near the weekly ads) are are full of coupons and the list of rebates for the month. Grab several copies- you'll need them!

ESC- Easy Saver coupons. Walgreens store coupons that are found in the Easy Saver booklet each month

FAR- Free After Rebate items at Walgreens. There are a few each month which can be found in the Easy Saver booklets

IP- Internet Printable Coupons

OYNSO- $$ Off On Your Next Shopping Order. Used like cash next time you come to that store

P&G- P&G insert found in newspapers in the ads section

Peelie- A coupon found on the package

RP or R- Red Plum (a coupon insert found in newspapers)

RR- Register Rewards. Same idea as a Catalina- usually at Walgreens (see above) At Walgreens, these cannot be used to redo the same deal

SS- Smart Source (a coupon insert found in newspapers)

V- Valassis ( a coupon insert found in newspapers)

How-To Beginners Series (1)

So today I will finally begin to compile all the information I would pass along to anyone who is looking to learn to save money through coupons, the internet and other more creative means. Today, I will start by sharing some of the tips, ideas and tricks I've picked up along the way. Feel free to leave your own comments if you feel they will help others!

Be Organized
This is the first thing I learned the hard way. Staying organized with coupons, rebates and ads can save you a lot of money. Many people have coupon organizing systems that fit them personally. I have a 3 ring zippered binder I rigged up that has baseball card holders for all the coupons. Some people use enveloped in a box. Everyone's different. I encourage you to find what works for you and stay on top of it! A little work everyday can keep it from turning into an ugly, seemingly impossible job if you put it off. You can see some people's coupon organizing methods: here, here, and here

Plan Ahead
Almost every place I've looked at about grocery savings has started off by talking about menu planning, lists and planning ahead. If you buy a bunch of cheap stuff that goes bad before you use it, how much money did you save? I encourage you to learn to work the weekly deals that can be found into your weekly menu planning. It can be hard, but it gives you a chance to be creative and you'll probably hear less of "This again?!" I've found that everytime I take the time to sit down and plan out the weeks' meals (including time for entertaining, leftovers and eating out) it's SOOO much easier during the week. I don't agonize all that day about what I feel like making. I just make what's on the list. Many people also encourage cooking ahead and freezing meals, meat, extra ingredients, etc. I'm sure this can be a huge time saver, I just haven't worked up to this point yet. I aspire to though. Moneysavingmom recently did some posts on her baking day where she precooks many items from scratch and freezes them for later use. You may want to check out her ideas.

Save Every Coupon You come Across!!
This may seem silly but I have definitely learned this the hard way. I often throw away coupons I think I'll never use only to learn soon afterwards I could have used them to get free stuff. Even if I never use it, if it's free I can at least give it to someone who will. Some coupons I give straight to people I know will use them. Other stuff I use as gifts (think creative Christmas gifts). I try not to pass up free deals unless I really can't give them away or use them at all.

Take Your Coupons With You
There has been many times that I go to the store without my binder only to find unadvertised deals and items I really regretted not having the coupons for. Sometimes you'll find items on clearance (you can coupons on those too!) and Walmart is always a surprise as to what you'll find

Know Your Stores
It will save you a lot of time and frustration if you know your stores. I know which stores near me accept internet coupons and which don't. Some double, offer incentives and some are just plain difficult to deal with. Some stores allow you to use a Buy One Get One Free coupon with a Buy One Get One Free sale, making both free, while others don't. Walmart does price matches. You get the idea. Be armed with information!!

Check Online
The best deals, coupons and advice can all be found online. I will try to make it a point to round them all up here on this site as much as I can. I once wrote about how someone gave me a giftcard and I jumped online to see if I could find a coupon for that place. And I did. Write manufacturers, sometimes they'll give you good coupons or even free items. Google it. You'll be amazed at what you find.

Now for some DON'Ts

Don't Let Yourself Get Overwhelmed
It's very easy for all of this to be overwhelming. This I also learned. Keep in mind that this should be fun and a hobby. One lady said this is meant to be fun and save you some money, not pay your mortgage. If it becomes overwhelming, take a break. Take a step back. I had to learn that it was OK if I missed some great deals. There'll always be more.

Don't Do Anything Questionable
There are some rules for do's and dont's of couponing. Some people like to break those rules and some have even been taken to court. If it's questionable or you're not sure about it, just don't do it. I've skipped some "deals" posted online that were questionable. Don't sacrifice your integrity for saving money.

Don't Give Up Too Early
It can take some time to get all this stuff down. Down get discouraged too early! It takes lots of practice and can seem like a waste of time and money when you start out (like with Walgreens' rebates). Make sure you give it enough time to make sure whether or not it's really for you.

You can go here to see some more tips from other online bloggers and deal seekers.

How-To and Beginners Series

As I mentioned in my last giveaway, November 14th at the Rock Cafe, I will be doing a class on all the things I've been learning about saving money, coupons and free stuff lately. Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I'm far from being an expert, but I hope that I'll be able to share some new stuff with people that can help them be good stewards with their money. For those of you who can't come and still want to learn some stuff, I will be doing an online version of what I hope to cover. It'll help me get ready for it!

Refund Cents Website

Today and tomorrow, refundcents.com is hosts a guest preview day. You can go to the site and look around at everything they have to offer for free.

I am a member of the refundcents.com website. Now, normally I don't like paying for a money saving service-seems self defeating to me. However, I did a 3 month membership just to try it out and figured I'd cancel if it wasn't worth it (like I did with the grovery game which I DID cancel). But I really like this one.

Not only is the website so full of information I haven't even gone through it all in my first two months of membership, but you also receive a magazine once a month full of all the rebates you can get, real people with all the deals they've pulled off-proving it's possible, and ads which I found helpful as well.

Online, everyday, Michele lists updates on good deals around the web and in stores. Somehow, she gets drugstore ads and coupon previews weeks in advance and posts them so you can be ready. Every week, the website lists all the possible good deals with coupon matchups for Rite-Aid, CVS, and Walgreens. There are also message boards for local grocery stores, centsible chat which is where everyone talks about deals they've found and shares them, and tons of info on just about anything you can think of. Like I said, I haven't even gotten a chance to read it all yet. There's Dinner Tricks, tips and tricks for all the drugstores and more.

Should you choose to sign up for a membership, and are a new member, just be sure to use the links above and if it asks you who refered you type in: sccrkid85. That way I receieve credit. Thanks!

Each month of magazine membership you will receive:
50-70 page issueInformation about 100-300 new refund offers
5 page Ad section
Good Deal Alerts
10 pages of “Tips & Talk” featuring reader letters and pictures (Sample: “Reader Pics & Stories”)
Many, many features and helps too numerous to mention
Access to all Password Portions of this site with hottest daily deals

$30.00 - 14 month print subscription (12 issues) + online access
$25.00 - 1 year print subscription (10 issues) + online access
$14.00 - 6 month print subscription (5 issues) + online access
$8.00 - 3 month print subscription (3 issues) + online access

You can also choose to recieve only online access:
$30.00 - 2 1/2 year online access only
$12.00 - 1 year online access only
$7.00 - 6 month online access only
$4.00 - 3 month online access only

I know, advertisements are annoying, but I really do like this website, so I thought I'd share it with you! :)