What is the Drugstore Game?
In a nutshell, it means using ECBs, RRs, SCRs and coupons to get huge discounts on groceries, health and beauty products, and household items for 80%, 90% or 100% discount!
I must admit, I'm not as good at the game as I'd like to be. I routinely save 75% and often save much more, but more seasoned gamers than me spend much less OOP than me. I have a few links for you from the pros, who will explain all you need to know to play the Drugstore Game.
I must admit, many times it is just that for me: a game. It's fun to try and work out great deal scenarios and gratifying to leave the store with $30 worth of products for $1.50. However, I want to caution you to start slowly. Don't try to learn all three stores at once. You'll go crazy. You'll burn out. You'll spend too much. Don't try to get every deal. Get what you know your family will use in the next couple of months. Let's just say, I have gone overboard a time or two...
I recommend you start with CVS or Walgreens (Wags). Rite Aid is a bit complicated, and because their sales start on Fridays, I often find them sold out of the best deals by Monday when I usually start my shopping week after I've had a chance to look at all the other store ads and coupons.
Now for those great links. Learn all you can from these pros.
Chief Family Office The Drugstore Game: A Primer
Money Saving Mom CVS 101
Chief Family Officer How to Play the Drugstore Game at CVS
Money Saving Mom Walgreens 101
Chief Family Officer How to Play the Drugstore Game at Walgreens
Moms Need to Know Rite-Aid 101
Chief Family Officer How to Play the Drugstore Game at Rite-Aid
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Coupon Lingo
There are a lot of blogs and websites out there that can alert you to great deals. Most of them use the same standard terms and abbreviations. Here's a little glossary to help you understand them:
BOGO OR B1G1
Buy One Get One__________ usually free or 50% for the second item
DND
Do Not Double
WSL
While Supplies Last
WYB
When You Buy
MIR
Mail In Rebate
SASE
Self Addressed Stamped Envelope
MFC or MFQ or MQ
Manufacturer Coupon usually accepted at any store
Store Coupons
Coupons good only at a specific store.
Catalina
Coupon dispensed at the register at the time of purchase.
RR
Register Rewards, like catalinas, these are coupons that are printed out at the register when you buy certain products at Walgreens. The coupons are good money towards your next purchase. Weekly and monthly Register Rewards deals can be found in Walgreens sale flyers.
ECB
CVS issues Extra Care Bucks, similar to RRs, use as money towards your next purchase. You must have a CVS card to earn ECBs when you purchase certain products. ECB deals are also advertised in the flyers.
SCR
Single Check Rebates. This is Rite-Aid's rebate system. Certain products are featured each month on SCR deals. You must enter your receipts on Rite-Aid's website and at the end of each month a rebate check is issued. You must have a Rite-Aid card to collect SCRs.
Stacking
using a manufacturers coupon and a store coupon on the same product.
Blinkies
coupons dispensed near a product at the store, usually from a blinking red box.
Peelie
coupons that you peel off a package.
Tear Pad
a pad of coupons or rebate forms found on a store shelf or display
OOP
Out Of Pocket. The amount of money you pay after coupons and discounts, before catalinas, RRs, ECBs, etc.
RP
Red Plum Sunday insert coupons
SS
Smart Source Sunday insert coupons
PG
Proctor & Gamble Sunday insert coupons
BOGO OR B1G1
Buy One Get One__________ usually free or 50% for the second item
DND
Do Not Double
WSL
While Supplies Last
WYB
When You Buy
MIR
Mail In Rebate
SASE
Self Addressed Stamped Envelope
MFC or MFQ or MQ
Manufacturer Coupon usually accepted at any store
Store Coupons
Coupons good only at a specific store.
Catalina
Coupon dispensed at the register at the time of purchase.
RR
Register Rewards, like catalinas, these are coupons that are printed out at the register when you buy certain products at Walgreens. The coupons are good money towards your next purchase. Weekly and monthly Register Rewards deals can be found in Walgreens sale flyers.
ECB
CVS issues Extra Care Bucks, similar to RRs, use as money towards your next purchase. You must have a CVS card to earn ECBs when you purchase certain products. ECB deals are also advertised in the flyers.
SCR
Single Check Rebates. This is Rite-Aid's rebate system. Certain products are featured each month on SCR deals. You must enter your receipts on Rite-Aid's website and at the end of each month a rebate check is issued. You must have a Rite-Aid card to collect SCRs.
Stacking
using a manufacturers coupon and a store coupon on the same product.
Blinkies
coupons dispensed near a product at the store, usually from a blinking red box.
Peelie
coupons that you peel off a package.
Tear Pad
a pad of coupons or rebate forms found on a store shelf or display
OOP
Out Of Pocket. The amount of money you pay after coupons and discounts, before catalinas, RRs, ECBs, etc.
RP
Red Plum Sunday insert coupons
SS
Smart Source Sunday insert coupons
PG
Proctor & Gamble Sunday insert coupons
Coupons, Coupons, Coupons
You won't find coupons for every item you want to buy, but you will be able to find coupons for many of the items you routinely buy. Coupons are not just for junk food! I have used coupons for fresh fruit and vegetables, coffee, meat, milk, cheese, yogurt, bread, toiletries, toilet paper, school supplies, dining, entertainment, recreation, and more.
Sometimes your coupons will give you an overage, which helps offset the cost of items you don't have coupons for. Seasoned couponers have even been known to use coupons to get items they don't use in order to get that overage, and then donate those items.
For now, let's get started with WHERE you can get coupons, and how to ORGANIZE them.
* First of all, don't ever pay for coupons from clipping services. There are plenty of ways to get coupons for free.
* Sunday newspaper. If you don't get the paper, do you have a neighbor who does? Perhaps they will give you their inserts. I have a retired couple across the street who don't use their coupons. Every Monday I find them in my mailbox.
* Check for abandoned newspapers at coffeeshops on Sunday afternoons. Many people leave their newspapers behind when they've finished reading them.
* Trade. Do you need diaper coupons but don't have a cat? Does your friend need cat litter coupons but doesn't have a baby? Trade your coupons!
* Blinkies. Many stores have "blinkies," those blinking coupon dispensers or tearpads on the shelves. Other stores, such as Walgreens or Ralphs, have their own coupon books, usually at the front of the store, which you can stack with manufacturer coupons.
* Check your mailbox. Coupon inserts sometimes come in the mail.
* Magazines. Many magazines have coupons. One of the best magazines for coupons is All You. You can sometimes find cheap deals on subscriptions at Best Deal Magazines or Amazon. Watch the blogs for special codes to get them dirt cheap.
* Online. Yes, you can print coupons from your computer! Just remember, only 2 prints per computer are usually allowed. It is illegal to photocopy printable coupons. Print in black and white to save on ink costs. Some great coupon printing sites are:
Smartsource
Redplum
Coupons.com
Shortcut$
CouponMom
Grocery Smarts
The Frugal Girls Coupon Database
Many company websites offer printable coupons. Check the websites of your favorite brands for coupons and sign up for special offers and promotions while you're there.
Now that you know where to find coupons, how will you organize them? You need to find a system that works for you. This is what I do:
I have a 4-inch 3-ring binder. I have divided it into sections for Samrtsource, Redplum, General Mills, and Proctor and Gamble. Those are the main inserts that come in my newspapers. I print the insert lists from Sunday Coupon Preview (I signed up for email reminders so they are always ready before Sunday). When my coupons arrive on Sunday, I use a marker to write the date on the front. I skim through for local coupons such as restaurants, and I then file the whole insert in a page protector with the list of what's inside on top.
I don't clip anything until I need it. The Grocery Smarts site, and many of the blogs I follow let me know which insert the coupons I need are in. That way I don't have zillions of individual coupons to file. I keep each insert for at least 3 months, or until I'm sure all the coupons in it are either expired or clipped.
I have a small plastic file box, meant for 4 x 6 index cards, with dividers for my clipped and printed coupons. I've seen other people use plastic shoeboxes, accordion files, binders, and an envelope system. Use whatever categories make sense to you. For instance, I separate "soup" from "canned" but I lump yogurt and biscuits together under "refrigerated." since they are next to each other in the store. There is no right or wrong way to file your coupons.
Next up: Learn the Lingo
Sometimes your coupons will give you an overage, which helps offset the cost of items you don't have coupons for. Seasoned couponers have even been known to use coupons to get items they don't use in order to get that overage, and then donate those items.
For now, let's get started with WHERE you can get coupons, and how to ORGANIZE them.
* First of all, don't ever pay for coupons from clipping services. There are plenty of ways to get coupons for free.
* Sunday newspaper. If you don't get the paper, do you have a neighbor who does? Perhaps they will give you their inserts. I have a retired couple across the street who don't use their coupons. Every Monday I find them in my mailbox.
* Check for abandoned newspapers at coffeeshops on Sunday afternoons. Many people leave their newspapers behind when they've finished reading them.
* Trade. Do you need diaper coupons but don't have a cat? Does your friend need cat litter coupons but doesn't have a baby? Trade your coupons!
* Blinkies. Many stores have "blinkies," those blinking coupon dispensers or tearpads on the shelves. Other stores, such as Walgreens or Ralphs, have their own coupon books, usually at the front of the store, which you can stack with manufacturer coupons.
* Check your mailbox. Coupon inserts sometimes come in the mail.
* Magazines. Many magazines have coupons. One of the best magazines for coupons is All You. You can sometimes find cheap deals on subscriptions at Best Deal Magazines or Amazon. Watch the blogs for special codes to get them dirt cheap.
* Online. Yes, you can print coupons from your computer! Just remember, only 2 prints per computer are usually allowed. It is illegal to photocopy printable coupons. Print in black and white to save on ink costs. Some great coupon printing sites are:
Smartsource
Redplum
Coupons.com
Shortcut$
CouponMom
Grocery Smarts
The Frugal Girls Coupon Database
Many company websites offer printable coupons. Check the websites of your favorite brands for coupons and sign up for special offers and promotions while you're there.
Now that you know where to find coupons, how will you organize them? You need to find a system that works for you. This is what I do:
I have a 4-inch 3-ring binder. I have divided it into sections for Samrtsource, Redplum, General Mills, and Proctor and Gamble. Those are the main inserts that come in my newspapers. I print the insert lists from Sunday Coupon Preview (I signed up for email reminders so they are always ready before Sunday). When my coupons arrive on Sunday, I use a marker to write the date on the front. I skim through for local coupons such as restaurants, and I then file the whole insert in a page protector with the list of what's inside on top.
I don't clip anything until I need it. The Grocery Smarts site, and many of the blogs I follow let me know which insert the coupons I need are in. That way I don't have zillions of individual coupons to file. I keep each insert for at least 3 months, or until I'm sure all the coupons in it are either expired or clipped.
I have a small plastic file box, meant for 4 x 6 index cards, with dividers for my clipped and printed coupons. I've seen other people use plastic shoeboxes, accordion files, binders, and an envelope system. Use whatever categories make sense to you. For instance, I separate "soup" from "canned" but I lump yogurt and biscuits together under "refrigerated." since they are next to each other in the store. There is no right or wrong way to file your coupons.
Next up: Learn the Lingo
Some Shopping Strategies
I have just a few tips for saving the most on your grocery/household budget.
** First of all, forget loyalty. Shop several stores. I am lucky that within a 4 mile stretch on the same street as my daughter's school, where I have to drive every day, there are a Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons, 2 CVS, Walgreens, and even 2 Dollar stores. On the same intersection as her karate studio, where I go twice a week, there are a Vons, Trader Joes, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid. I am able to shop more than one store to fulfill my shopping list, and pick the best deals from each store every week, and I can go to 2 different CVS or Walgreens in a day to roll my Register Rewards or ECBs (more on those later) without wasting gas on special trips. Think about where you routinely drive, and make note of the stores along the route. Combine your trips to save time and fuel and maximize your savings.
** Secondly, keep a price book. You don't have to record the prices of every single thing you buy, but start with about 25 or so items that you routinely buy. For example, you may buy milk, cheese, bread, ground turkey, chicken breasts, lunchmeat, bananas and cereal nearly every trip. Those are the items you'll want to track. You can always add more later. When tracking prices, it's important to track the UNIT COST. That means if you paid $2.00 for 8 oz of cheese, your unit cost is .25/ounce. That way, when a 12 oz package is on sale, you can compare the cost per ounce and truly see if it is a better deal. As with all of my tips, you can start small. Start with only 2 stores and 20-25 items so you won't feel overwhelmed. When you gain confidence and experience, you may want to add to your price book. here is a great link from Money Saving Mom for downloadable price book sheets. Simply print several and keep in a 3-ring binder.
Most stores cycle their sales every 3 months or so. Even if you don't visit the stores every week, look at the sales flyers that come in the mail each week and try to fill in your price book weekly. After about 12 weeks you should have a clear idea of what the lowest prices for your favorite items are.
** Third, read the sales flyers. The front page generally has the best deals of the week. If you did nothing else but shop the front page of the sales flyer, you would save. If you can combine those sale prices with coupons, you are really saving! I use a marker to scan the ads and circle the items I'm interested in that appear to be a good price. I then compare those circled items to what I have on hand and my coupons. I find 2 websites invaluable at stage: Grocery Smarts and Sunday Coupon Preview. Grocery Smarts allows you to see the sale prices of several stores, along with the coupon matchups for them. You can even "shrink" the list to show only the best "stock-up" deals for the week. Sunday Coupon Preview lists all the coupons that will be in the Sunday coupon inserts. More on how I use those later.
** Know when the sales begin and end. Most grocery stores run their sales from Wednesday through Tuesday. Most other stores run their sales Sunday through Saturday. Rite-Aid begins their sales on Fridays. Most stores also have their sale flyers online, and many provide previews a few days before the sales begin. Check websites and sign up for email links to those sales flyer previews. Some that are available are Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and Staples.
Next time: coupons, coupons, coupons
** First of all, forget loyalty. Shop several stores. I am lucky that within a 4 mile stretch on the same street as my daughter's school, where I have to drive every day, there are a Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons, 2 CVS, Walgreens, and even 2 Dollar stores. On the same intersection as her karate studio, where I go twice a week, there are a Vons, Trader Joes, CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid. I am able to shop more than one store to fulfill my shopping list, and pick the best deals from each store every week, and I can go to 2 different CVS or Walgreens in a day to roll my Register Rewards or ECBs (more on those later) without wasting gas on special trips. Think about where you routinely drive, and make note of the stores along the route. Combine your trips to save time and fuel and maximize your savings.
** Secondly, keep a price book. You don't have to record the prices of every single thing you buy, but start with about 25 or so items that you routinely buy. For example, you may buy milk, cheese, bread, ground turkey, chicken breasts, lunchmeat, bananas and cereal nearly every trip. Those are the items you'll want to track. You can always add more later. When tracking prices, it's important to track the UNIT COST. That means if you paid $2.00 for 8 oz of cheese, your unit cost is .25/ounce. That way, when a 12 oz package is on sale, you can compare the cost per ounce and truly see if it is a better deal. As with all of my tips, you can start small. Start with only 2 stores and 20-25 items so you won't feel overwhelmed. When you gain confidence and experience, you may want to add to your price book. here is a great link from Money Saving Mom for downloadable price book sheets. Simply print several and keep in a 3-ring binder.
Most stores cycle their sales every 3 months or so. Even if you don't visit the stores every week, look at the sales flyers that come in the mail each week and try to fill in your price book weekly. After about 12 weeks you should have a clear idea of what the lowest prices for your favorite items are.
** Third, read the sales flyers. The front page generally has the best deals of the week. If you did nothing else but shop the front page of the sales flyer, you would save. If you can combine those sale prices with coupons, you are really saving! I use a marker to scan the ads and circle the items I'm interested in that appear to be a good price. I then compare those circled items to what I have on hand and my coupons. I find 2 websites invaluable at stage: Grocery Smarts and Sunday Coupon Preview. Grocery Smarts allows you to see the sale prices of several stores, along with the coupon matchups for them. You can even "shrink" the list to show only the best "stock-up" deals for the week. Sunday Coupon Preview lists all the coupons that will be in the Sunday coupon inserts. More on how I use those later.
** Know when the sales begin and end. Most grocery stores run their sales from Wednesday through Tuesday. Most other stores run their sales Sunday through Saturday. Rite-Aid begins their sales on Fridays. Most stores also have their sale flyers online, and many provide previews a few days before the sales begin. Check websites and sign up for email links to those sales flyer previews. Some that are available are Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons, CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, and Staples.
Next time: coupons, coupons, coupons
Monday, September 27, 2010
The Envelope Method
Here are two links that completely explain the envelope method. If you do this, you will stay in your budget, because once your envelope is empty, there is no more to spend until payday.
Dave Ramsey's Envelope System
Simple Mom Envelope System
Here;s a great guest post at MoneySavingMom by Jenny Whitney on her experience with the Envelope System.
Dave Ramsey's Envelope System
Simple Mom Envelope System
Here;s a great guest post at MoneySavingMom by Jenny Whitney on her experience with the Envelope System.
Budgeting
BUDGET.
Everyone hates that word. Why should you have a budget?
Without a budget, you may save nothing, despite your bargain-hunting and coupon-clipping. You need a system to track your income and spending. I am not going to tell you what your budget should look like. That is a personal issue, unique to each family. There are many resources that can help you create a budget for your household. I will tell you that with a little effort, you can save a substantial amount on your grocery and household items.
I'll just address your grocery budget, which includes everyday household items like shampoo, laundry soap, etc. Start by averaging the amount you've spent over the last 6-8 weeks. Go slowly. Plan to shave 5% or 10% at first, and work on getting that down to 50% over time, once you've learned the system, and have a chance to stock up a bit on staples.
I found a great tool for tracking my savings. It's a downloadable Excel file from The Coupon Project. Each time I shop, I enter the information from my receipt and it calculates my savings. I love seeing how much I save and my actual-to-budget spending all in one place. Go here to check it out and download it for FREE.
Another tool for budgeting is meal planning. If you take a few minutes each week when making out your shopping list to make a menu plan, you will be more likely to stick to your food budget. You will make one trip to shop for all the ingredients you will need, and since they are readily available in your frig you will be less able to justify running through the drive-through. MoneySavingMom has several menu planning forms that you can download for FREE here. Remember to look in your refrigerator, freezer and cupboards first when starting your menu plan. Use what you have. Then look at the weekly ads and compare them to your coupons, or a coupon database site like the one at The Frugal Girls. I use Grocery Smarts to see the best sale/coupon combinations every week.
Unless you are very disciplined you may find it very hard to stick to your budget when you use a credit card to pay for your groceries. Even if you pay off your balances every month, you may still be spending too much because you are not paying with cash. Try the envelope method for a few months and I'll bet you see significant savings.I'll explain the envelope method in my next post.
Everyone hates that word. Why should you have a budget?
Without a budget, you may save nothing, despite your bargain-hunting and coupon-clipping. You need a system to track your income and spending. I am not going to tell you what your budget should look like. That is a personal issue, unique to each family. There are many resources that can help you create a budget for your household. I will tell you that with a little effort, you can save a substantial amount on your grocery and household items.
I'll just address your grocery budget, which includes everyday household items like shampoo, laundry soap, etc. Start by averaging the amount you've spent over the last 6-8 weeks. Go slowly. Plan to shave 5% or 10% at first, and work on getting that down to 50% over time, once you've learned the system, and have a chance to stock up a bit on staples.
I found a great tool for tracking my savings. It's a downloadable Excel file from The Coupon Project. Each time I shop, I enter the information from my receipt and it calculates my savings. I love seeing how much I save and my actual-to-budget spending all in one place. Go here to check it out and download it for FREE.
Another tool for budgeting is meal planning. If you take a few minutes each week when making out your shopping list to make a menu plan, you will be more likely to stick to your food budget. You will make one trip to shop for all the ingredients you will need, and since they are readily available in your frig you will be less able to justify running through the drive-through. MoneySavingMom has several menu planning forms that you can download for FREE here. Remember to look in your refrigerator, freezer and cupboards first when starting your menu plan. Use what you have. Then look at the weekly ads and compare them to your coupons, or a coupon database site like the one at The Frugal Girls. I use Grocery Smarts to see the best sale/coupon combinations every week.
Unless you are very disciplined you may find it very hard to stick to your budget when you use a credit card to pay for your groceries. Even if you pay off your balances every month, you may still be spending too much because you are not paying with cash. Try the envelope method for a few months and I'll bet you see significant savings.I'll explain the envelope method in my next post.
A Little Advice Before Getting Started
The first thing you have to get over is your store loyalty. Don't get me wrong, I love my local Vons, and I do much of my grocery shopping there, but if Ralphs has a better sale this week I'm going there. Some weeks I may even go to two stores, and buy the best deals from each one. Other weeks I never set foot in a grocery store. I might get free eggs or oatmeal for .50 at a drugstore! Stocking up at a warehouse store? Not so fast...I can usually beat their prices with a sale and coupons. It's important to compare UNIT prices when shopping at warehouses. I haven't quit my Costco membership yet, but I buy a lot less there than I did last year.
Get club cards for everywhere: CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons. Don't make a special trip: you can apply online for them, or get one the next time you shop. You'll see the advantage to those little cards soon.
Go slow! Don't try to hit every deal you see at once! The amount you spend is much more important than the amount you save! Prioritize your spending. Stick to your budget.You'll burn yourself out if you try to shop every store every week. Look carefully at the ads and blog posts and decide what you really want, and watch your budget. That being said, stocking up when things are cheap is a great idea. If you can buy 6 tubes of toothpaste for .25, stock up. Otherwise, you are going to run out of toothpaste and have to pay $3.50 for one tube! If you already have 6 tubes of toothpaste, but you're almost out of shampoo, you better focus on shampoo deals and skip the great sale on toothpaste. Got it?
Speaking of stocking up, do you have a shelf in a closet or cupboard you can empty and use? When you buy several bottles of shampoo or lotion at a time you need somewhere to keep it. It's also nice to have a few extras to be able to donate without breaking your budget. Do you have a freezer? That may be something you will want to set aside some savings for. I got a small chest freezer this year for around $150 and I have no trouble keeping it full. When whole chickens go on sale for .67/lb, where are you going to put 5 chickens? If you don't have a freezer, don't worry. Just put it on your "to save for" list.
Get club cards for everywhere: CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, Ralphs, Vons, Albertsons. Don't make a special trip: you can apply online for them, or get one the next time you shop. You'll see the advantage to those little cards soon.
Go slow! Don't try to hit every deal you see at once! The amount you spend is much more important than the amount you save! Prioritize your spending. Stick to your budget.You'll burn yourself out if you try to shop every store every week. Look carefully at the ads and blog posts and decide what you really want, and watch your budget. That being said, stocking up when things are cheap is a great idea. If you can buy 6 tubes of toothpaste for .25, stock up. Otherwise, you are going to run out of toothpaste and have to pay $3.50 for one tube! If you already have 6 tubes of toothpaste, but you're almost out of shampoo, you better focus on shampoo deals and skip the great sale on toothpaste. Got it?
Speaking of stocking up, do you have a shelf in a closet or cupboard you can empty and use? When you buy several bottles of shampoo or lotion at a time you need somewhere to keep it. It's also nice to have a few extras to be able to donate without breaking your budget. Do you have a freezer? That may be something you will want to set aside some savings for. I got a small chest freezer this year for around $150 and I have no trouble keeping it full. When whole chickens go on sale for .67/lb, where are you going to put 5 chickens? If you don't have a freezer, don't worry. Just put it on your "to save for" list.
Welcome to Getting Buy on Less!
My New Year resolution in 2010 was to never pay full price for anything, if I could help it. So far, I think I've done pretty well! I regularly save over 50% at the grocery store, and well over 75% playing the "Drugstore Game." I've put lots of time into researching the drugstore and couponing methods of saving, and now it's time for me to share what I've learned.
So many friends have asked me how to get started with couponing and such. I'm no expert! But I promised a blog to help them. I started a rather eclectic blog in January 2010, but I've decided to dedicate this new blog just for helping you to save money and get some free stuff. I will use loads of links to the "expert" sites, tips that I glean from the dozens of bloggers that I follow, and some personal shopping highlights to give you inspiration and ideas. Yes you can get everyday household items and food for 50-100% off! Get out of debt, and if you already are out of debt, save for college, retirement, etc., treat yourself (with coupons, of course) now and then to dinner or a show or even a massage.
Are you ready to start saving? I'm going to give you your first assignment: get a new email address. I keep my main email clean by using a separate free email account for all things shopping related. I am using Gmail. I use my Outlook for personal emails, business stuff, banking, etc., but for club cards, blog newsletters, manufacturer newsletters and such I go online to Gmail. Many companies require an email address before they let you print their coupons, so you may be getting a bunch of email. I would also like to encourage you to use Google Reader. One username and password is all you need for Gmail and Reader, and any other Google apps you might like to use, such as Youtube. The reason I suggest you get Reader, is that instead of visiting multiple websites, scrolling through Facebook and Twitter feeds and emails, you can just subscribe to the RSS feeds of the bloggers and websites you like view them all in one place, without any ads and clutter. Of course, if you are partial to Yahoo or any other free email and reader site, feel free. I get no compensation from Google, I'm just a satisfied user.
Now look at the blog list to the right. Click some links. Check them out. These gals know their stuff! I follow each of their RSS feeds in Reader.
So many friends have asked me how to get started with couponing and such. I'm no expert! But I promised a blog to help them. I started a rather eclectic blog in January 2010, but I've decided to dedicate this new blog just for helping you to save money and get some free stuff. I will use loads of links to the "expert" sites, tips that I glean from the dozens of bloggers that I follow, and some personal shopping highlights to give you inspiration and ideas. Yes you can get everyday household items and food for 50-100% off! Get out of debt, and if you already are out of debt, save for college, retirement, etc., treat yourself (with coupons, of course) now and then to dinner or a show or even a massage.
Are you ready to start saving? I'm going to give you your first assignment: get a new email address. I keep my main email clean by using a separate free email account for all things shopping related. I am using Gmail. I use my Outlook for personal emails, business stuff, banking, etc., but for club cards, blog newsletters, manufacturer newsletters and such I go online to Gmail. Many companies require an email address before they let you print their coupons, so you may be getting a bunch of email. I would also like to encourage you to use Google Reader. One username and password is all you need for Gmail and Reader, and any other Google apps you might like to use, such as Youtube. The reason I suggest you get Reader, is that instead of visiting multiple websites, scrolling through Facebook and Twitter feeds and emails, you can just subscribe to the RSS feeds of the bloggers and websites you like view them all in one place, without any ads and clutter. Of course, if you are partial to Yahoo or any other free email and reader site, feel free. I get no compensation from Google, I'm just a satisfied user.
Now look at the blog list to the right. Click some links. Check them out. These gals know their stuff! I follow each of their RSS feeds in Reader.
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