Coupononomy

CATAGORIES.............BY REQUEST

2011-09-08T15:09:00.000-07:00

My Filing System still is "prettified" as I have yet to put the duct tape (hot pink) on the boxes , as I just haven't had the time to get the tops trimmed and it done NEATLY like I want it to be ............so I don't have an updated photo to show you but I have had several requests for CATEGORIES that I use.

As I have stated many times, my categories may or may not work for you. Some people like to put in order of the store layout that they shop most frequently, others may alphabetize their categories, I don't do either........ I put what "makes sense to me" which is what I have gotten used to over the years......

So here goes nothing, here are my categories as you have requested:

1st Box .......... on the left
FRONT: coupons that I think I need to check against products to see if sale prices/unadvertised prices are worth my buying, this is in FRONT and not under a "tab" that categorizes

FREE:   free coupons that I need to use so they don't expire

FROZEN FOODS:   category I usually don't have many coupons for

2nd box Left
BREAD
DAIRY.............subdivided by 2 snack bags, regular dairy and then another for items that really are not dairy but in the dairy case (ie: biscuits)
PRODUCE
MEAT

3rd box left
Breakfast
Canned Goods
Condiments
Mexican

4th box left
Desserts
Baking Items
Snacks
Drinks
Wine Tags: this category is now almost obsolete due to those that have abused this luxury, it used to be such a wonderful item..........now ............not so much

FIRST BOX RIGHT
front of box : uncategorized: miscellaneous things like coupons from scanned ECB card that I have not used yet and short exp. date items

BABY
PET

2nd Box:
Paper / Plastic
Cleaning

3rd Box
Health / Beauty (subdivided by 3 bags: soaps and body care / make up / shaving needs)
Oral Health Care

4th Box
Medicines
Household: (batteries, office supplies etc)

My side box contains : paper clips, pens, business cards and I put my phone there while shopping
The very front of box has rec'ts and /or ECB /Register Rewards or Catalinas that may "spit out"
The Top lid contains Scissors, extra dividers, coupon wallet that holds VIP cards and /or gift cards
and very top of lid is where I put uncut coupons and / or store folders in which I pull coupons/ads etc and file so I can easily pull out a "shopping guide" of what I want to purchase with the relevant coupons.

I hope this helps you guys!

ANJIES NEW SYSTEM!

2011-08-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

NEW COUPON FILING SYSTEM! I finally did it!


photo credit: tommi brandt

The photo you see is the OLD system I created about 18 -20 years ago? I don't know exactly when but this coupon box was created from a CASSETTE TAPE BOX.   I had been couponing about 10 years when I developed this system to be a "cheaper and more efficient version" of the one I had before this one!

I gutted the bottom out of it and used cards, envelope boxes, envelopes and snack bags to file all of my coupons.   IT WAS THE BEST SYSTEM I EVER USED!   When I was introducing my GF, TOMMI to the coupon world (we think 16 years ago she started?)    I don't know if you can see everything , but I ditched my box from wear and tear years ago, TOMMI HAS NOT THIS IS THE BOX SHE IS STILL USING ! (photo taken today)

Since that time that I ditched my beloved coupon box and rebate box too for that matter.......... along with all of the FILES AND FILES of cut UPCS that used to be the "bread and butter" of couponing and rebating, I have tried, reviewed, and tested many methods. The binder system , many boxes, wallets and last but not least the system that my new friend and fellow couponer ANN uses..........   this was the absolute best way I could find and I posted about it HERE
and more recentlyin the article FILES AND PILES UNCOVERED

Photo from the OLD DAYS! @ Vicki P my BFF and KINDRED SPIRIT and I collecting the forms and coupons!

NOW....................... TO UNCOVER MY NEW FILING SYSTEM ! I just finished putting it together THIS AM and it is cleaned out and ready to be ROAD TESTED! :) I have been brainstorming what I wanted for a very long time and this is the closest I can come to the OLD BOX (see first photo) that lasted for so long! I am sure it will need to be TWEAKED to get it JUST RIGHT........ but for now ........... I LOVE IT!

I don't think the photo does it justice but for now this will have to do as I am multitasking like crazy!

HOW I MADE IT

ANJIES NEW SYSTEM! :) not a stereo silly........ a COUPON ORGANIZER

I bought an attache case at STAPLES item # 555695 priced $35.99 , I actually bought mine in store and used the 15% off savings pass that I got in the mail. BE SURE to have your reward # on your online account if you order on line, thats how I got this free savings pass, being an online customer with a reward #. Staples does have coupons to use online too, if you are not ordering right now , sign up for their emails and if they have a sale or coupon you will know and you can apply it to your order then. I am sure other stores have similar ones and you may find a better deal. I like this one as it is ROOMY without being too big and has locking hinges on the side to keep the "lid up" while shopping.

measuring the boxes ..........empty envie boxes worked great

I had to make sure not to interfere with the hinges on the sides and not too tall to block the top from closing, I still may need to tweak this , Faith said I should "hot glue" them to the bottom, I'm not so sure about that .

4 reg. sized envie boxes and one #10 envelop box they are 99cent each at Target

I am using a pampered chef free coupon wallet I got to hold my "cards" and have it tucked away in a pocket

I got these nifty avery small files with tabs as a free sample via snail mail this week

The AVERY envelopes with tabs were just what i needed to put in coupons that I am going to match with sale flyers . They are thin and opaque, PERFECT!

manilla folders .........for sale flyers

I labeled some manilla folders with the store names that I shop most often and paired them with the Avery envelopes. I put these in the expandable pocket in the top of my box.

I made organizer dividers to reflect what I deem the necessary categories, how I shop, everyone may be different!

Some people would file alphabetically, others by store aisle, I file according the categories I "grew up with" the ones that I know from years gone by........ Everyones will probably be different , you do what works for you! I paperclipped all of the boxes together so they do not slide around, they are all connected. there is empty space on the right side of the box so that I can put my keys in the box while shopping.

SNACK BAGS , those little short bags with the purple and pink birds on them are what I am using because I could not find the clear ones at a price I liked, these are clear on the backside, so I put the coupons in to the clear side. I found these bags for 25cents each at target on end cap clearance. As you can see I have scissors, pens, paper clips, business cards etc all in the box. there is a spot for my cell phone which I can just slip in the case top while shopping. It doesn't fit well enough to carry it in all the time. I still want to take a better photo, cover the envelope boxes (maybe with some of that cool new duct tape?) and tweak it to make it "perfect." Only time will make that happen and USE............. which I plan to get plenty of!

I hope this system works as well as the last ..............here is a photo of the last system that my GF tommi is still using as of this post from 16 years ago!

CREATIVE SAVINGS TECHNIQUES in the LAUNDRY ROOM

2011-03-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

CREATIVE SAVINGS TECHNIQUES?

I buy sale/bogo/coupon laundry detergent and I get laundry detergent samples frequently and YES I use them when I can get a super deal but I can't do this ALL of the time ........... I love to save money and OH BOY is this ever one of my #1 TOP TIPS that i frequently share and make it a point to share when I teach a seminar or a class on saving money........... its not always about clipping...........

This is another older article that I dug out to help the newbies and refresh the minds of the "pro" SAVINGS SPECIALISTS

Laundry Savings

I am all about FRUGAL and saving money on things. One of the biggest savings that I have in my household (besides groceries) is Laundry Detergent. I hate the hiked up laundry product prices and have been disgruntled about the "cease in making the small box" that I used to get for pennies after coupon usage (doubled) in the grocery store. I live for laundry product free samples and would otherwise buy the $2.99 laundry detergent at food lion, if I didn't MYO (make your own) laundry soap. This saves me an incredible about of money and my clothes smell good for pennies.

PREVIOUS POST ON MYO LAUNDRY SOAP AND DRYER SHEETS
MYO............ Powdered Laundry Detergent
1 cup grated Fels Naptha Soap (I use 1/2 a bar for each batch and make 2 batches at a time)
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup 20 mule team borax
Mix and store in airtight container or bag. For light loads, use 2 tablespoon. For heavy loads, use 3 tablespoons.
ANJIE NOTE: THIS RECIPE SAVES YOUR TONS OF MONEY! if you cannot find the ingredients locally you can purchase them here

MYO DRYER SHEETS : use a matchless sock and liquid fabric softener. Put a quarter size dab on the sock of the liquid softener. Rub the sock together until the sock is not wet but rather damp and throw in the dryer with a load of clothes. CHEAP softener is AOK, I love using free product samples to do this!

HA HA HA this was written in 2008 and the following paragraph makes me laugh because everything old is new again! .............

Now one of the draw backs of MYO laundry detergent is that the colors and whites are not as deeply colored or bright white if you do not use BLEACH of some sort. So then we start talking about the added expense of doing laundry one more time. I like for my clothes to last a long time. I am not a slave to fashion and tend to buy more of "what i like" than what is "in style." This drives my daughters crazy, and they threaten me with "what not to wear" from time to time! :) I tend to wear 70's style , gypsy-ish long dresses A LOT! :)

USING stain fighters and color booster is a savings in the long run........... your clothes last longer and look "newer" too! The cost of a bottle for 33 loads is about $2- $4 without coupon at your DG or FD or Dollar store....... I have found that I can stretch a 33 load bottle into 40 loads further reducing the cost to cents per load. This is a small price to pay for the RESULTS in SAVING YOUR CLOTHING from the TRASH BIN due to stains and/or dulling color, dingy whites. Not only is it effective in treating stains it is also easy to use. It doesn't add but a couple of seconds to the time it takes to do your laundry and works most of the time! :)

SAVVY GREEN SHOPPING : Is that an oxymoron? Not Always!

2011-03-09T08:53:00.001-08:00

Photo Credit: shopperschoice.com

"ITS WHAT YOU SPEND NOT WHAT YOU SAVE"
People always say "eating healthy" and "being environmentally conscious" is expensive and for the most part they are right. There are exceptions to this rule and I attempt to buy & eat healthy when I can and within my "budget" of $200 a month or less for all consumable products in the household. Most of the time I am "under that" and even have gone an entire month spending only $20 out of pocket but have also gone the other way and spent the entire $200 or more on a party or cookout. I am always looking for ways to LIVE LAVISHLY FOR LESS and I try to educate others on how to do the same. If you are a long time follower you hear my voice in your head saying certain phrases and the one above in red , should be one of them!
Many blogs and SAVINGS SPECIALISTS (freelancers are otherwise known as) tout about all of the SAVINGS they have but they don't talk about their BOTTOM LINE .............. stick with me and I will show you the way!

I DONT LIKE TO COMPROMISE LIVING or my LIFESTYLE ............. TO SAVE A DOLLAR and neither should you......that is like being on a BUDGET which like a LIFE DIET & everyone knows that doesn't work.............

I made several orders with the $100 I won on this site.............
this is one of them.............
I actually paid ZERO for the $25 credit.......... (you can earn credit too, sign up, enter the contests and refer your friends!)

GO HERE to sign up if NEWBIE TO DEAL PULP
GO HERE if you are already a member

this particular deal is expired but you will get the idea from this
I am using online sites for price comparison and there may be better deals at the dollar stores but ......... this is the easiest way for me to make my point........

I normally pay for Trash Bags for the kitchen, I try to find GOOD DEALS on them but they are expensive (especially the bio/green ones which I prefer) I have over 100 bags in this order which if you are looking at walmart/glad bags they are $16 for 100 before coupons...........I got OVER 100 and bio/green in this order

Next I ordered the "to go" coffee cups with lids (environmentally friendly / not styrofoam for those that subscribe to that theory)
Comparably Walmart carries 50ct for $9.97 WITHOUT lids + s&h and are not bio/green - we do use the reusable travel cups too, but have problems frequently with "leaking, breaking, losing" them too so we would much prefer these

these 2 items above equal the amount I spent....... about $25 out of pocket.......... SHIPPED (save the gas money) and EARNED points on my CREDIT CARD for rewards later too....... These are items that we normally use, pay for out of pocket and need to replace often at our house........

PLUS I got 200 jello shooter / disposable condiment cups 2oz each with lids for Summer Cookout and Lunch packing (bio/green) they are $10 for 100 of them here without lids (+ shipping)
like getting it for FREE when you consider the price comparisons, you can also look at this purchase in reverse....... we will need the souffle cups and would have to pay for them full price later
so it would be like getting the coffee cups and trash bags free
comprende? capishe?

the trick to this is #1 use a reward site when you can (this one is not listed on the reward sites so n/a) #2 use a reward card to purchase (earn reward points) or Paypal (get free paypal money to pay) #3 compare prices and make sure to include your TIME & GAS in the equation #4 get "free" items if you can, ship it for free when possible and kick your "normal" up a notch by purchasing better quality at the same cost #5 buy products you purchase ANYWAY or NEED for gift , not buy to get a "deal" buy the deals to meet a need and live lavishly with the rest and most importantly #6 NEVA NEVA NEVA pay full price for anything!

HERE IS MY INVOICE!

LetsGoGreen.biz
Your order no. 698-16565 has been received.
Order Summary:

Item	Qty	Description	Options	Rate	Amount
EP-PC200	2	Eco-Products 2oz Corn Souffle Cup 100pk		$6.88	$13.76
EP-PCLID	2	Eco-Products Lid for 2, 3 & 4oz Souffle Cup 100pk		$5.68	$11.36
EP-BHC10-WA	1	10oz World Art Eco Hot Cup 50pk		$9.98	$9.98
706173-020301	5	13gl Ecosafe Tall Kitchen Bags 15ct		$2.98	$14.90
Deal Pulp $25 OFF	1	Deal Pulp $25 OFF (Y2RJGKMCNQNWV)		($25.00)	($25.00)
Tax					0.00
Total					$25.00

Old Article Resurfaces! GET OFF YOUR LIFE DIET!

2011-03-09T08:51:00.000-08:00

WELCOME NEWBIES - GET OFF YOUR LIFE DIET!

PREFACE:
I wrote this article in MAY of 2004 , long before Oprah "came up" with comparing Budgets to Diets (brilliant concept! tee hee) I wrote this article to introduce myself to a social network called BACKWASH. I only wrote a couple of articles and then stopped as the community was not really a "good fit" for me and the "process" of publishing articles was much more difficult than I was used to! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO without further ado......

HERE IS MY INTRODUCTION
Hi there, I am a resident friend in the frugal backwash arena that will be sending you the "Live Lavishly for Less" column. I thought I would take a minute and introduce you to "anjie’s world" before we get "officially" started.

"Anjie’s world" includes learning to enter contests that you can actually win, doing rebates, shopping online frugally, turning small change into dollars, getting free things, and getting off that LIFE DIET. Everyone can use this information, single moms, married dads, students reading from library computers to those in corporate offices using their laptops over lunch. Shop Macys, Nordstroms, Hechts (you can afford it, I promise) when you know how to shop "off season, with a coupon and free shipping" You may not be able to satisfy the common "gotta have it and gotta have it now" attitude that many kids are adopting today, but you will be able to have it, just be patient and you too will live lavishly for less.

I have always been interested in winning contests and won my first one when I was 8 years old. I inquired about "saving money" frequently from my limited resources, and always looked for ways to get things I was told we couldn’t afford. I sold greeting cards door to door at 10 years old, I formed a "ME" group with a few other preteens at 12, the ME stood for "money earners" we even had white tee shirts that we ironed the red letters M & E on the front. We babysat and we cleaned apartments. We lived in Goverment subsidized apartments at the time and no one had any money for luxuries but that didn’t mean we didn’t want them! I asked my mother once about a system that I heard about that you saved the labels from grocery items and could cash them in, she told me that was a ’scam’ and didn’t save you money. I was also told that there wasn’t any money but the finances were "none of my business" this was very frustrating for me and I didn’t understand how much things cost or the concept of a credit card at all. I didn’t understand how we could not afford for me to have the toys or records or clothes that I wanted but we could buy a new car. This concept just wasn’t clear, as children should be seen and not heard at that time.

My parents idea of "making it" was the KIDS doing without to pay bills. This sounded and felt to me like a "diet" you had to do without the things you want in order to achieve a goal. I never did like dieting, never saw one that you could actually stick to and frankly don’t want to live my life on a diet either. My little ways of making extra money and earning prizes paid off for me in ways that one could never imagine. Winning tickets to go to the movies and to go skating was very exciting for me at that time, and I proudly told my mother that there were ways that you could get the things you want without doing without if you really wanted them. She didn’t buy into that theory and never investigated this route because it was somewhat of a secret, people just didn’t share that kind of information.

I was totally unprepared for what life would deal me at an early age. At twenty years old I was a single parent, with no support system, no knowledge base on how to make it, no college under my belt and no real concept of "finances" "banking" "credit" etc. I had to teach myself, learn from others bits and pieces and put it all together like a puzzle and fit the knowledge into my life so that I could raise my daughter and provide her with a life that I never had. I wanted her to have everything that I could give her (within reason), food on the table, educational materials, toys, pretty clothes and to experience the world, of course, but I couldn’t afford it, so began my quest to "beat the system"

This may have been the catalyst for my dive into the world of frugality, but today I will tell you that even if I won the Lottery I would still be frugal and take advantage of the things America has to offer. There is no reason why there should be any Americans that don’t have enough to eat and there is no reason to be on a LIFE DIET. There are ways to enjoy your life, have the things you want and need, save money, invest small amounts of money that apply to all of us that will not compromise your enjoyment of life.

As you can probably tell I am very passionate about what I believe in and have learned through by life experiences. I am also a strong believer in RAOK (random acts of kindness), pennies from heaven, and KARMA the Law of Return that means, quite simply, that what you do affects what happens to you. If you do good, good is going to happen to you. You will see that there are ways to help others too in ways that you never thought possible, you will have excess in life instead of not enough, so there will be plenty to share!

That daughter is ~~24 years old~~ 28 and I have another one now that is 16 20. I have two step daughters ages 22 & 12 that live with us and now have 3 grand-children. I have a college degree in Social Work and I have worked my entire life to perfect the science of being a "savings specialist." I have goals to create a proactive program (unheard of in government offices for the most part) to teach people what I do before they are in debt up to their eyebrows and / or have lived on a life DIET and begin to binge. I believe in the philosophy that you can help someone by giving them a fish if they are hungry but if you give them the fish and then teach them how to fish then you have changed their life. This applies to Everyone, not just the impoverished. Is there something that you really want to have or do that you tell yourself that you cannot afford or shouldn’t spend the money on? Well guess what? I am here to tell you that you can have anything you put your mind to and you will neva neva neva pay full price for anything if you apply some of my strategies to what you are already doing.

Well I hope that this introduction has helped you to get to know me a bit before we start our journey here. I look forward to making some friends, teaching you what I know and most of all to hear about your success in getting off your diets!

2011 Coupon Schedule...................well from March on!

2011-02-28T11:47:00.001-08:00

March
6 — Smart Source & Red Plum
13 — Smart Source & Red Plum
20 — Smart Source & Red Plum
27 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
April
3 — (2) Smart Source
10 — Smart Source & Red Plum
17 — (2) Smart Source & Red Plum
24 — Procter and Gamble
May
1 — Smart Source & Red Plum
8 — Smart Source
15 — Smart Source & Red Plum
22 — Smart Source & Red Plum
29 — Procter and Gamble
June
5 — Smart Source & Red Plum
12 — Smart Source & Red Plum
19 — Smart Source & Red Plum
26 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
July
3 — No Inserts (Independence Day)
10 — Smart Source & Red Plum
17 — Smart Source
24 — Smart Source & Red Plum
31 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble

August
7 — Smart Source & (2) Red Plum
14 — Smart Source & Red Plum
21 — Smart Source
28 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
September
4 — No Inserts (Labor Day)
11 — Smart Source & Red Plum
18 — Smart Source & Red Plum
25 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
October
2 — (2) Smart Source & Red Plum
9 — Smart Source & Red Plum
16 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
23 — Smart Source & Red Plum
30 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
November
6 — Smart Source & Red Plum
13 — Smart Source & (2) Red Plum
20 — Smart Source
27 — Procter and Gamble
December
4 — Smart Source & Red Plum
11 — Smart Source & Red Plum
18 — No Inserts
25 — Procter and Gamble

THE BOTTOM LINE! are you really SAVING MONEY? "APPLES TO APPLES"

2011-02-28T07:34:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: http://mykidsneedshoes.com

One of the biggest shopping tips that I can give you is DO NOT (I repeat) DO NOT spend more money than you need to...........this defeats the purpose of couponing.   Another thing that is a "throw off" is how some blogs show you "how much money I saved" meaning how many coupons and discounts they rec'vd, NOT the amount they spent. THAT IS WHAT COUNTS, the BOTTOM LINE.................HOW MUCH MONEY WAS SPENT , HOW MUCH MONEY CAME "OUT OF POCKET" as I originally coined it!
DONT GET CAUGHT WITH YOUR PANTS DOWN TRYING TO SAVE MONEY!

If you are buying items that you don't use and you don't gift or donate then all of those coupon savings are a waste. In Addition some people actually end up spending MORE money than they used to because they not only are buying EXACTLY WHAT THEY USED TO but they are also purchasing couponed items IN ADDITION.   If you do the math, the only way this saves you is if all of your "extra items" are absolutely FREE. It is very disenchanting and confusing when you are not savvy in the coupon world and you attempt to "do like the pros" and copycat buy what they buy.................just because they are "saving money" and your bank account shows that you are "spending more." YES THIS IS A COMMON NEWBIE MISTAKE and often discourages you from continuing your process because ................is this really saving money?

A great example of what I do that really works.AND SAVES YOU MONEY..................I have been pantry shopping since December, when I made my last huge grocery shopping trip because I was having my people over. Even though it was "bring a dish" I still spent $250 on supplies, food and drinks.   This is over my "monthly" budget for an entire month. In addition , we emptied our chest freezer when we built our carport and donated 8 bags of grocery items to the Food Bank since December.   Soooooooooooooo I normally spend $30- $50 a week and have been spending much less on misc. items to "fill in the gaps" which actually frees up $30-$50 a week (depending on what I Have to buy) for other things.   THIS IS SAVING MONEY when you save in one area and use that money to pay off other things (credit card balances, bills, birthday gifts or even stashing it in the bank) BECAUSE I have had other things to pay I wasn't able to "stash" this money but yes I was "robbing Peter (my grocery money) to pay Paul (other things).

I am not making my weekly pilgramages out to the DRUG STORES to pick up the "free and almost free items" either. Saving money on gasoline and also the item cost (if any) I am depleting some of my resources as I truly am bursting out of the seams of my closets and storage places. I am not willing to use even more space, I have shared with non-couponing friends and have made up a few baskets as gifts as well. This is in addition to making a large bag of donations and oh yea gifting a person I freecycled from. I love what I do but I have enough...........more than enough when I run down on supplies then I will replenish............. A few times I have participated in the community yardsale and sold many of these items at a fraction of the cost of what they could be bought for (without the couponing skills) and done very well.   I haven't done that in a while and my supplies runneth over! NOT that I would love the FREE BUTTERFINGERS From Rite Aid but until I "need" to drive that way it is not cost effective to go get them or time effective either.

Creative Cooking Skills come to play when you "pantry shop" and meals take a bit longer, this is TRUE but they are so worth it.   I am making lasagna tonight, I had to buy the Ricotta as a "fill in" item but everything else was here ............ and I am making the sauce from Tomatoes I bought with paypal money from MUR GLEN that I had on my other blog.   Yes it will take a bit longer and it cost about $2 out of pocket (ricotta) but will be eaten and the left overs will be frozen for Butch's lunches. If I were "buying" groceries instead of pantry shopping we would be having garlic bread and salad with this but because I am creative cooking
we will have biscuits or tortillias with parm . cheese on them and fruit salad (from cans).

This week our Grocery list has on it:   Olive Oil, Canola Oil, Hormone free Milk, carrots and deli turkey for Faith's lunches. Oh yea and we may need some Paper Towels.   Now, when Butch goes to the store he may pick up something else he sees/wants but that is because he has no will power LOL not because we NEED anything! :)   The total for what we need should cost around $10 - $12 which is at least a $20 savings.   If I were to write a blog and say that
"I saved $20 this week at the grocery store"   and you saw another blog that said "I saved $180 at the grocery store" you would assume the 2nd scenario was the best scenario wouldn't you?   ITS NOT! unless the person that saved the $180 also spent $12 after the savings. THEN that would be a comparison of apples to apples.

THIS IS HOW TO CALCULATE
Ask yourself "what do I normally spend at the STORES (all of them , divide them up to "GAS" "clothing" "food" "health & beauty" etc) "
TAKE THAT AMOUNT AND REDUCE IT.................... if you are INCREASING YOUR SPENDING
you are NOT SAVING MONEY its that simple.............I don't care what your receipt says , what matters is what your BANK ACCOUNT SAYS!   :)

You want to do little things that MAKE MONEY (maken baken) to apply to the items you want to SAVE MONEY ON !

NEVER FAILS: fabulous freebies and items that you WIN on the computer without leaving your seat
are NEVER FAIL items, you cannot lose! you got them free doing something you like to do and didn't spend any more time (if you follow along with me I save the time finding the REAL items for you) and the money / gas . You get items for FREE and you can use, donate, gift or sell them for a profit.

NEVER FAILS: surveys, search to win, paypal interest, referral dollars pennies on the dollar, mystery shops etc ............. MAKING MONEY you wouldn't otherwise have AGAIN saving the time (I do this for you) and I don't WASTE YOUR TIME by posting things that will get you no return or just because I will get paid to share.

REMEMBER ..................if your BANK ACCOUNT or your CREDIT CARDS say you are spending too much money it doesn't matter what discounts you got...................and thats the BOTTOM LINE!

SHOPPING STRATEGIES: don't put all of your eggs in one basket

2011-02-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: www.rainboweggfarm.com

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Hello Southern Cooking Fans! My name is Anjie and I am The Frugal Freelancer. I ! I am originally from the deep south, the state of Louisiana but now reside just below the Mason Dixon Line in Virginia. I was thrilled to have found Christy and her blog several months ago while surfing the net. Being a lover of both cooking and books, her site caught my eye and I had to make an order! After reading her blog and ordering her cookbook, It quickly became apparent that we shared the same recipe heritage! I didn’t think that many other people even knew about these! My readers will certainly recognize the home made doughnuts along with a few other goodies that I have posted over the years

I have been on the internet now since 1996. Back then you turned your computer on and a little blinking line welcomed you. It was the PONG vs’s WII Days - if ya know what I mean! I met some friends on the only internet choice “Prodigy” that shared some of the same interests that I had: Couponing, Cooking, Saving Money, Free things, Contest and anything that could help one to live more lavishly , but for LESS! I traded coupons and upcs with a “group” (the one and only original group) of couponers on the net! (”the starving student, anjie” is now waving to Dorothy, Bobby & Ethel in case you are reading this) We all met each other here in Virginia and Dorothy even came all the way from California!

Couponing and Saving money is an entirely different story! I started that hobby / necessity in 1982. I was a single parent, with no support that didn’t want to be “in the system,” but rather yearned to “live lavishly” and buy named brand products, eat well, and live well! :) So I worked full time, lived in government subsidized apartments and did “what ever it took” to have and experience the finer things in life. I do all of this now because I love it, it’s my passion, and I don’t know of any other way to do it! I occasionally splurge and buy things without a coupon now (even though it is a air tight economic climate) like a LAVISH $10 bottle of peach tea syrup at lunch today with my girlfriends at a local tea shop and a bottle of wine for when my husband gets back from his trip to California next week. This lifestyle is made possible for me because I live beneath my means. I use a plethora of making money and saving money ideas and strategies to “make it work” and it is just a “way of life” for me. I don’t live in huge house but I still have that southern big front porch and a deck with grill that was won recently in a sweepstakes! I live in a cottage bungalow that was a fixer upper on a lake, drive a Hyundai and spend UNDER $45 a week in groceries.
$45 a week in Groceries? YES that’s right and it has recently increased to that amount from $30 - $35 in the past due to the recession and drastic increase in prices! I know a lot of you think that I must eat poorly to do this because they have read my $30 a week menu / shopping article I wrote years ago. This isn’t exactly so, those menus (along with other sites menus that have popped up drastically in the last few years) were written to help out people who are “just starting out on their journey’s to save money” or have just recently had a hardship etc etc……… They work and are better than ramen noodle and peanut butter & rice diets, if you know what I mean? They are not the healthiest of diets and tend to be mostly “carbs.” It is expensive to eat healthy………. and eat gourmet style meals ESPECIALLY if they are organic ! So with all of that in mind, I would like to give you some ideas on how you can save money and cook “SOUTHERN STYLE” but for less money………..
I use any and all of these strategies together…………. not one excusive strategy……….for now you may want to try ONE at a time and work your way up, if you are a “newbie freelancer.” First you learn to SHOP and then you learn to COOK around what you bought!

REMEMBER YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING………….
Couponing….…… wanna see me in action? THIS Today Show clip shows me “couponing” in 2002. I have also started a blog called Coupononomy. It will eventually hold all of my past articles that are still relevent. Right now it has a good amount of information if you are interested in the “how to’s”

REBATES
HERE is a recent example at Walgreens……
which we STOCKPILE (buy lots of)

it is expired NOW but you can get the idea:
2 Nabisco crackers 4-8oz are $1.99 each *****STOCKPILE ITEM!
- Buy one get one free SALE
- $2/2 Sunday paper coupon = 2 FREE
****GET EXTRA COUPONS FROM YOUR FAMILY / FRIENDS to STOCKPILE THIS ITEM, DONATE AND/OR SHARE YOUR EXTRA……….. OR COOK CREATIVELY WITH CRACKERS AND PACK THEM IN LUNCHES!

Angel Food Ministries This is for EVERYONE, no income limits or barriers……. it benefits religious organizations when you buy it and you get a lot of food , no coupons needed for $30. Read about it here and find out if there is a local pick up site in your area. I had to wait until late last year to take advantage of this program. I have been “watching” this program in other areas for years! Great program thus far! You order online and pick up 1x per month at scheduled date and time. Some areas take Food Stamps and my area takes a Credit Card. This is not a benefit for “poverty” it is a “nutrition program” for everyone.

Outlets / Salvage stores: Big Lots, Salvage Barns, Ollies, Dollar Stores: these can be good resources at times, but no coupons are allowed. I don’t have a bread outlet near me but if I did I would definitely take advantage of it) I recently found the entire ZATARAINS LINE at Dollar General (they do take coupons btw) and they have BLUE RUNNER RED BEANS (rare find in VA) …….oops…..maybe I shouldn’t have given away that secret….. and they have a sweepstakes there now……so enter while you are reading about it, remember you gotta be in it to win it!

ORDERING ONLINE From time to time if you order items online they are cheaper, or should I say “not as expensive” to get them online. When this happens I share this information with people via email in my newsletter HERE. I call these GDAS or Good deal alerts. A recent example of this was that I was able to buy 4 boxes of Kashi Mountain Medley Cereal for $1.98 shipped to my house! The only way to beat this deal is FREE and they would have to ship it to me, because the gas would cost more than this to go pick it up these days.

TEST / REVIEW PRODUCTSI have done several from survey sites as well as on blogs …here is just one example.I had my husband make meatballs for one! Blogs are FREE. You can start one on blogger its easy! You too can test products and review them from your home!

GROW YOUR OWN here
I use an aerogarden now! I love it. I have eaten lots of fresh herbs and now am growing romaine lettuce. It is wonderful and is EASY! A great way to buy this product is save your Amazon Gift certificates. Get these with your search and win points and redeem for a pricey item you otherwise wouldn’t buy for yourself. If possible (as I did) match with mail in rebate & make money for buying it. The rebate for $25 was used to buy another “kit.” I think you could probably make your own kits for these if you were savvy! I also have grown outdoor herbs and gardens as well, on a small scale (raised bed)

CONTESTS / WINNING
I have won several small prizes that reduce my shopping expenses! Even if I don’t normally buy a product or don’t use a product I will get it to GIFT it - if I cannot use it! More recently I won a $50 Gift Certificate to use on BEEF at Safeway! How cool is that? Christy, get ready I will be asking you for some BEEFY ideas! ***note that I am using 2 strategies here……..
In a pinch menu
Use this menu in emergency (the prices have gone up since written)
THIS IS WHERE IT GETS REALLY INTERESTING…………. IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE DO THIS:

Stockpiling / Sale Shopping: take advantage of items that you can get for nearly nothing or free and stockpile them. (SEE PICS of one of my pantries……… some stockpiling going on there!) Do you see the stacks of canned chicken? I recently paid 25 cents a can for them with coupons. What would you do with 20 cans of canned chicken? Well, if you don’t already know the answer to this question I have the answer…………CREATIVE FRUGAL COOKING! The steps are easy………… pay as little as you can for the healthiest of foods and cook around what you ALREADY HAVE rather than what you need.
USE COOKING SITES AND VIDEOS to find recipes using ingredients. You can search for these recipes by using SEARCH & WIN SITES (if I am going to be searching, I might as well have a shot at winning something or earning points! I have won many items this way) I have a drop down menu of them on my blog if you are interested in a list of them (l see eft side of home page) I usually will shop for a “main” ingredient or the item I have the “most” of . Here is a Favorite that gives you suggestions by ingredient

THIS WEEKS NO COUPON SHOPPING was under $39 without even touching my coupon box! multitasking , tax season, catching up, scrapbooking, lost an hour, electricity out, full schedules, meetings, school, PTO, sports ………. etc etc.. does this sound familiar? I had to “stay home” from the trip to California that I was scheduled to go on….. this ought to tell you how much “extra” time I had this week………. in this case you are “in a pinch”
If you are an average spender of $145 a week you can use my techniques (there are many others) and save $100 a week if you want or need to! What would you do with the “extra?” MAKE SURE you give extra items that you don’t or won’t use to charities, share with your neighbors, friends and family too! They will all appreciate the help and you can earn a tax deduction, pay it forward and/or barter for other things you may need! Take the monetary savings and use on items that are “splurges” or pay down your other bills, take trips, buy diapers, heck, what ever you do with it…………… its like Free Money! I have stockpiled my kitchen with all kinds of cookware, serveware, appliances and even kitchenaid dishwasher for FREE! If I can do this YOU CAN TOO! What are you waiting for ? Get started!
Remember Neva Neva Neva Pay full price for ANYTHING!
@njie

"To Cut or Not to Cut?" that is the question!

2011-02-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Photo Credit: helix.co

I used to cut EVERY COUPON and I mean EVERY SINGLE ONE , even if I didn't use the product or know anyone who did I cut it...........and filed it and then threw away what I didn't use.........those days are over !

THE HISTORY
I had a GREAT filing system. I had a gutted and remade Cassette Tape box that was PERFECT with ziploc snack sized (short bags) in each compartment to hold the sorted coupons. It fit perfectly in my basket , locked tightly and was easy to manage (carry) but ............was a bear to clean out (the only pitfall of this particular system) I don't have any photos to show you , but I used this tried and true system for many years. I put other products on "test runs" "trials" and "reviews" to try to find a replacement that would be more efficient or really "more anything" but nothing every compared............it was damn near perfect I gave it a "10" for the "times."   I also had a rubbermade, locktight file box for rebate forms (there were a plethora of them in those days) and I filed them by expiration date...........and ad a box for "extras" and even filed TRASH (my trash and everyone elses that I could get my hands on) to "pull the UPCS" I needed for an offer.   I traded via snail mail , conventions and some friends I met along the way and then started trading through "Prodigy" in the old days when there was a black screen and a cursor to work with.   I subscribed to every publication that talked about rebating and couponing to make friends, traders and contacts nationwide.
I even wrote articles to earn more issues...................... THOSE WERE THE DAYS

FAST FORWARD 20-30 YEARS LATER
there are many many sites that tout many many systems as the "best" and "tested" filing systems for couponing.   Its almost comical to see those binder systems and boxes that file the coupons. I have reviewed most of them and trust me they are NOT worth the time and effort for the occasional deal that I may miss for doing things the way that I do now. Not to mention the "cost" "bulk" and paper cuts on my fingers from the plastic inserts.

The digital age has changed things and even though I am not sending out 100's of rebates a month (the postage increases have also dampened the "worth" of such ventures) I am still SAVVY SHOPPING , FREE SHOPPING, GIFTING , STOCKPILING, DONATING and "rocking" the coupon world.
I barely send out 1 per week, if that these days when 1 per day was heartbreaking in the day.

Just as you "DONT WANT TO PUT ALL OF YOUR EGGS iN ONE BASKET"   you also don't want to depend on one SAVINGS STATEGY.............actually I have written several articles on the topic of using the different ways to shop depending on what you need, whats on sale and what you can afford. I will be REPOSTING a "guest blog" that I did some time ago NEXT on this page / series on HOW TO BE A COUPONER!

One of the strategies I use depending on the week is........ this online DATABASE here to "look up" items and match coupons with them. This system allows for you to NOT cut your inserts and file them by date and look up the coupons to match with sales weekly. I know it sounds complicated but really it isn't................ this video actually makes it a bit MORE SIMPLE THAN IT REALLY IS................truthfully it is somewhere in between

NOW here is another video about the STRATEGIC SHOPPING that she uses for DRUGSTORE DEALS...........I call is SAVVY SHOPPING .........its the same thing

THE FILES & THE PILES ......................UNCOVERED.

2011-02-14T10:23:00.001-08:00

THE FILES & THE PILES ......................UNCOVERED.

One of the most frequent questions I get about "saving money" or "couponing" is how to organize things. When I say things, freelancers know I mean "piles" the piles of "things" that are necessary to the art of SAVING MONEY.

coupons (clipped and unclipped) or how do I do this exactly?
rebates
printed store specific offers/deals
groupon type gift cards
gift cards
frequent shopper cards
magazines
receipts/bills/invoices

There are many tried , true and not so savvy ways to do the things I do, I have tried most of them in my now almost 30 years of "doing my thing." The VERY BEST system I had was learned in the days of "coupon conventions" and if you have been a couponer for a long time you FONDLY remember the days..........well.............. I know that I do. ................but that is another subject...........

So let me start by saying that a "couponers work is NEVER DONE" and if you are one of those people that get frustrated with a lot of unfinished tasks going on then this hobby or lifestyle may not be for you.

There are piles of "things to do" "things pending" and "things that are complete" around my house and sometimes they end up in baskets like the one pictured and oh yea did I mention closets, under beds and anywhere I can find are the perfect places for HIDING THE PILES when necessary? LOL

My SYSTEMS have evolved to meet my personal need and technology. Currently this is what I am using and what appears to work best for me. GRANTED there are draw backs to every system and there are to this one as well.......but............... so far it works just fine for me RIGHT NOW

Cheap folders with pockets in them are 1¢ to 20¢ each depending on when you buy them. I try to stock up at BTS time (august) when they are minimally priced. I replace them often and do not expect a long life time out of them. They are easily taken with me and fit nicely in a reusable shopping bag when I grab them out of their "file".

This is a tv tray that tucks under my kitchen island or is portable to bring anywhere in my house. It has unfiled entire inserts, sharpee, scissors and magazines that I need to cut or tear out items from to put elsewhere, it is a WIP (work in process station)

This is a CLASSIC PILE of coupons, receipts etc that need to be filed ..........with my letter opener as a paper weight. As I open mail the items that "need to be filed" go into a pile. Yep another pile........if you are feeling panicky at this point, there is no sense in reading further , this is not the lifestyle for you...........if you are ok with this.......... then READ ON you are going to do just fine!

My CLUTCH that goes into my purse. It has Credit Cards, Reward Cards, Punch Cards, Loyalty Cards, etc etc in it

This is a peek inside ^^^^^^ note that the Carlton one is for stores that have long since gone out of business LOL ...........I think I need to throw that away...........or do you think an ebayer would want that? LOL!

My Desktop Monitor with surrounding PILES of gift cards, loyalty cards and items that I need to "Input" and a few business cards that need to be filed in my roladex............I maybe convincing myself that an "assistant" would be nice .......LOL

CALENDAR : at least 2 of these are NECESSARY AND NEEDED to "mark" so you don't forget to cancel , take advantage of , renew by dates, etc etc etc.........without this ...........I am LOST. Note: the "for dummies" book is for Photoshop 7...........My class is for CS5...........but I only have 7 at home .......so this is something else I cannot do without "at this moment" this area is yet another transformed TV tray stand.

This ^^^^ is my work in progress as I am "sorting" I am going thru piles and putting them elsewhere. either in their respective folders, my clutch , my snap wallet , TV TRAY or envelope that is for "items to share"

I also have a box that you cannot see for the expired coupons to send to Military Members that can use for up to 6 months after expired.

This is a closer view of my clutch which houses my GC, ECB, WALGREENS REWARDS, etc etc
this is where I place the CUT coupons that I intend to use when I go out............ so they are not flying all over the place. If they don't go there they go with a paper clip into one of the folders.........

I hope this photo blog has helped "some" in the process..........but if you are wanting more.............

I wrote a blog that I add to and do not publicize much a long time ago that is a place that is a reference to couponing . It has a lot of broken links due to the time sensitivity of them but you can get some valuable answers to questions and the "general idea" about a few coupon related questions and answers. if you want to check it out it is located HERE and if you are really in the mood for reading check out the Frugal Diary from 2004-2006 posts HERE that discusses a lot of "how and why" but again the time frame in which they were written is important to remember.

I will search for some GOOD VALUABLE INFORMATION and make more posts on this subject soon.
this is a good start!

What is a Savings Specialist: FREELANCER

2011-01-08T19:52:00.001-08:00

Saturday, January 8, 2011

MY FRUGAL DOINGS as a FREELANCER

"Gotta Get ........Lots O' Irons in the Fire"

~Captain Ruby Red~

In the past few days I have had a plethora of FRUGAL DOINGS I hope you have been following along

if not this list is to catch you up! :) I have always had lotza irons in the fire and an "umbrella" company that houses them all ME . I am a "Freelancer" which can be defined as an INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR. The IRS states that we are legally:
People such as lawyers, contractors, subcontractors and auctioneers who follow an independent trade, business, or profession in which they offer their services to the public, are generally not employees. However, whether such people are employees or independent contractors depends on the facts in each case.
The general rule is that an individual is an independent contractor if you, the person for whom the services are performed, have the right to control or direct only the result of the work and not the means and methods of accomplishing the result.

These are my "means and methods" for the week:

Target
I went to the 90% off Christmas clearance sale at our local targets - 2 of them, I ended up buying some new stockings a few pins and 4 kids christmas baking sets. I paid ZERO out of pocket because I had a Target GC that I have been holding on to a while. AWESOME! I paid $14.xx for over $140 retail and out of pocket was ZERO I still have about $10 on the card too! I am "eyeing" the ping pong table that has been marked down to $99 ..............hopefully I will be able to "catch" it when it goes to about $50 or so.........and also use that $10 I have left to make it even betta!

Swagbucks
Cashed in for $10 in AMAZON GC this week! I also recruited my niece in law to join the program
she is a newbie and needs to get in the "swing" of things. Of course I have done several searches this week to collect points (at least once a day) and found a bonus code on their blog too! Mega Friday always rocks for extra points too!

Coke Rewards
saved a few coke points from the trash this week and added them to my account. Mind you I had to get "help" reading the code from Faith who has much younger eyes and can discern the letters and numbers much better than I can! :)

Hautelook

Just depleted my "reserves" here and made a big purchase. I had some credits that I spent here to get a suitcase for us as the one we have had for the last 5 years is on its final leg. I can't wait to get it! :) paid $99 for it before my credits and $30 shipped afterwards. I tried to replace this one from the thrift store for many months (since our last trip) but was unsuccessful in securing one in better shape than what I have (thats really sad) that is large enough to accomodate.......so I bit the bullet and paid $30 for one that was listed as $400 value and designer too! If you are not a member why not? get signed up and get ready for the next sale if you have a membership in good standing and you refer a friend that makes a purchase you get $10. right now the designer blow out and the organizer sale is the best. ENJOY! (hint: this site has hotel/ getaway sale events too)

Mr. Rebate
I requested my check from Mr. Rebates this week. It will come the first week of feb. directly to my paypal account. this is just like free money! (if you are just setting up a paypal account ......make your password unique , not one you use elsewhere and then also hook it up to a bank account that is separate from you main household account. My check this month is $22.xx! :)

Paperback Book Club Swap
this is one of my very favorite free sites ~! its a service that allows you to list any books you have but don't want and collect points for each one requested and then collect points or credits to request books that you would like to read or collect! I have traded or swapped all of my "extra books" so I am now buying credits to use on the site to collect all of my favorite books since I was a teen! :) I am trying to collect the versions of the year that I would have read them in as well! WHAT A COOL SITE for a bibliophile like me! Join in the fun! This week two of my wish list books were "granted" and I have them enroute to me .........for free! (hint: you can fund or buy credits for your account via paypal once you are done trading your extras!)

Livewire
I completed a screener which qualified me for a survey here this week! I will be getting paid $5 fot the completion of a survey on "running shoes" that took me only 10 minutes to complete! If you figure out the "per hour" rate on this..........um ........... that is $30 an hour....... I think I would like that as a full time job ! "survey completer" paying $30 a hour, oh yea babe wish I could do an hour a day at least! :) More survey sites I like are located HERE

One Kings Lane
Another AWESOME designer sale site! this one allows you a $25 credit when someone you know that you refer makes a purchase! I had some $$ here from making referrals and was able to pay forward a gift to someone recently separated that was MINUS a clock in their study due to it! she is getting a very nice clock to replace the one that was there.........maybe even a better one! :) In addition I ordered some EXPENSIVE wine glasses (a complete set!) for myself.......... for FREE! now with that being said I am READY to get some more credits ! :) head on over there and sign up.........then refer your friends and family so you too can get a $25 credit to spend..........then wait patiently to find "just the right deal" to pay it forward or buy the item you have been wishing for ! HOW COOL IS THAT?

Modnique

birthdays are coming up for my daughters and I got them each a very beautiful "extra" gift here . AWESOME prices on jewelry and other items like BOOTS (ordered some for me a while back that I love) and Kelly scored a most awesome sequin tank for christmas that I paid a fraction of the retail value for! watch for the 80% off and more deals! wow.... I have never done the "make offer" deals but I love what I have gotten and OH MY if your referrals make a purchase $100+ then you get a $15 referral credit. Shelly referred me and I had no problem making the $100+ for 6 gifts (reg. $600+) so she got the bonus! sign on up and wait for your SPECIAL DEAL to happen! CONTEST TO ENTER ON SITE TOO!

Half.com
I taught Butch how to sell on Half.Com over the Christmas holidays. He brought my old computer into the living room while he was off and and I gave him movies and video games that we no longer need to list. We had many that we had collected over time. We collected after fees about $240 total and we spent paypal money (not out of our bank accounts) to pay for the postage..........which was mostly reimbursed so pure "profit" to our bank accounts. (hope this makes sense) There are "coupons" or discounts you can send to people who are "newbies" that are $5 off $10 purchase. If you are newbie and never used half.com let me know (send me a message either here or on facebook) and I can send you a coupon and I will also get one too! details from site:

When you submit your friends' names and emails on the "Take Five!" page, they will receive an email with a coupon code valid for $5.00 off their first order of $10.00 or more (not including shipping and handling) at Half.com. Every time one of your friends uses their "Take Five!" $5.00 coupon at Half.com, we will give you a coupon code that you can use to get $5.00 off a $10.00 order. Both you and your friends win!

This week my last deposit from what we sold over Christmas was deposited into my "extra" checking account for $59.99 .. This will pay part of my Verizon bill this month! We still have some movies and a few video games up on half.com and are getting ready to list more items in the upcoming weeks.

Comcast: we have comcast. we have comcast for cable and internet. It is expensive, there is no choice of services here but the good news is that they honor "specials" because Direct TV is a competitor even if no one else is...... DirectTV is not for me but some people opt for it as an alternative. I have been on "special rate" for many months now and all of the sudden full price kicked back in and it took a "nano-second" for us to notice. I called Comcast today to get back on the "specials" and saved $60 a month........until the next time. It is still expensive but the savings is over $700 a year.

Craigslist.org
I sold a couple of items this week on Craigslist totally $65. Over the Christmas Holiday I sold over $100 on Craigslist with no fees. While I have had success selling on Craigslist I have never found anything that I wanted to buy. I have looked for things there but everything I have looked for has been overpriced so I try not to do the same. I price things at what I would want to pay for them. I love the site and if you use it wisely and make your deals with purpose and guidelines there is no reason to be worried. I meet at a local Sheetz for most items , its public, very busy and security cameras are everywhere. I deal with Cash Only and do not communicate by phone, only email. I hope these hints help you to be successful too. I have had friends successfully rent homes and purchase items through this venue as well.

Rue La La
I had a credit here and you may as well? I was lucky enough to pay only $9.95 for the shipping on two bottles of wine directly to my house. This wine sells for $65 a bottle and was on the site for $40 and I had a $30 credit. so $20 for 2 bottles of $65 a bottle wine, can you say "live lavishly for less?" the single bottles are no longer on the site and there are only a few options left there were 10 options 2 days ago. In any case if you have credits here DONT LET THEM EXPIRE! :) they do ya know? the "sign up credits" expired the end of 2010.

Survey Savvy
requested a check today , its been a long while since I have and I have been "collecting" so I had $35 in my account! :) this is one of my very favorite survey sites. You should have a separate email account for survey sites and screeners and should only sign up for those that you KNOW to be reputable........ not everyone you get invited too, there are many that are not worth the time and effort required to collect very little if anything , and send you tons of spam. I have a "rating" scale on my site here that you can check out and ALL of them are reputable. the problem is that I have not updated this page in a long while so there may be some broken links, but most should be in working order. In addition there are some newer reputable sites that are not listed there at all that should be. Hopefully this will all be "fixed" in the near future, in the mean time sign up for those that you are not affiliated with here and this should be a GREAT start for ya!

Sheetz

I redeemed a "punch card" this week for a free coffee and a free sandwich here. I go to sheetz often and keep the punch card in my car so I always have it. when you have "punched" so many you get a free one. If I see a friend in sheetz buying coffee or sandwich I always get them to "punch" for me as well if they are not going to! :) you wouldn't believe the amount of people that thinks this is a hassle to keep up with and don't mind if you get a punch for them :) when we went to WVA over the holidays (there were 2 sheetz in a few miles) between the racetrack and our hotel we stopped there several times a day, so I was loaded with "punches" :)

Mystery Shop
another page that I need to update but is a good start if you are a newbie. the links that are GOOD are GOOD , never pay or complete offers in order to get selected for Mystery Shops or get info about Mystery Shops, this should be free information without any "catches" to it. It is a legitimate way to make a few extra dollars, try a few different things and / or indulge in a few lavish activities in return for your opinion. I have been a mystery shopper for many years and have scaled way back in the past few years. I have become "picky" and only do a few select shops from time to time. there was a day when I was always raising my hand volunteering for ANY shops that I could do in order to get my name out there and make as much as possible but the fun left as the responsibility grew. Now-days I take a few "here and there" and this past week I accepted one of my faves for a FREE LUNCH for 2 in a week! yeaaaaaaaaaaaa

There are a few more things I did to save money this week but I have already overwhelmed you if you are a newbie and bored you if you are a seasoned freelancer, so I will stop for now. My hope is that you are inspired to do some FRUGAL DOINGS as a SAVINGS SPECIALIST and are enjoying the benefits of being a FREELANCER! :)

HOW TO SHOP FOR CYBER MONDAY #1 MAKE A LIST AND CHECK IT TWICE !!!!! I am talking about WHO to buy for not WHERE to buy, as almost EVERY ONLINE RET

2009-11-29T16:29:00.000-08:00

#1 MAKE A LIST AND CHECK IT TWICE !!!!! I am talking about WHO to buy for not WHERE to buy, as almost EVERY ONLINE RETAIL SHOP will be having sales and promotions
sit down in your PJS and grab a cup of coffee and GET READY TO SAVE BIG TIME!
I have done EXTENSIVE research on the cybermonday sites / sales etc and have found that
our FLBYU shopping TECHNIQUES in the past are STILL THE BEST WAY TO SHOP so here is how we do it.............
photocredit: highposition.net

MAKE SURE YOU ARE USING A CREDIT CARD THAT REWARDS YOU FOR SHOPPING WHENEVER POSSIBLE

THIS DISCOVER CARD will reward you with $50 CASH BACK if you purchase $599 in 3 months **********HINT: pay your bills whenever possible with this card to easily reach your $599 and write a check instantly to cover so you have no finance charges 0% apr and 0% annual fee to start!

AMAZON SUPER STORE / SUPER CENTER LINK for CYBER MONDAY
IS HERE
***they also have a credit card and if approved you get $30 credit to your bill
search for "credit card" and choose AMAZON REWARDS I get GC from them EVERY MONTH or SO for my spending on this card! you can too!

REGISTER YOUR CASH BACK CREDIT CARDS HERE
this site is a CASH BACK / INCENTIVE to save for COLLEGE or OTHER SAVINGS ACCOUNT
I have my CVS card and a few of my CREDIT CARDS registered and when I use them I automatically acrue a small percentage back to RECOUP later. I do NOT suggest doing your shopping thru this site but instead just registering your cards for usage later........... I have other cash back sites listed below......... that I do recommend.

I also use AMERICAN EXPRESS, BASS PRO SHOPS & BARNES AND NOBLE to make my purchases and EARN GC that I use as gifts!
B&N (front page when clicking thru TOP RIGHT small pic , get $25 GC for successful sign up) BPS has $50 after first purchase, I have successfullly gotten BOTH of these GIFT CARDS for THIS CHRISTMAS!

CYBER MONDAY SITES there are several "sites" dedicated to cyber monday. I don't really find them helpful as most of them are just LISTS of sites you can shop thru. I offer an extensive listing of sites to shop thru that are reputable and established HERE but here are some strategies to help you save even more.

SIGN UP FOR THE FOLLOWING CASH BACK / POINTS PROGRAMS
tonight or today there are FIRST TIME USER BUCKS for the FIRST 3 PROGRAMS
if you are a "newbie" DO NOT DOWNLOAD anything from any of these sites as the programs will try to override each other and may cause you to NOT collect from any of them in the long run. YOU MAY BE OFFERED POINTS OR CREDITS TO DO THIS REFRAIN FROM THE TEMPTATION. :)

photocredit: condodomain.com

#1 MR REBATE
#2 CASHBAQ
#3 EBATES
#4 BING
#5 MYPOINTS ***THIS IS NOT A CASH BACK BUT A POINTS FOR SHOPPING PROGRAM that you can cash in points for GIFT CERTIFICATES / GIFT CARDS to use later
#6 SWAGBUCKS ***THIS IS NOT A CASH BACK BUT A POINTS FOR SHOPPING PROGRAM that you can cash in points for GIFT CERTIFICATES / GIFT CARDS to use later

When you want to shop at a certain store tomorrow open all of these site windows on a different TAB and compare cash back / point rates **********BE CAREFUL USING CODES IN ADDITION TO THE SITES ABOVE unless the SITE LISTS THE COUPON THEY WILL NOT ALWAYS PAY YOUR CASH BACK when using an UNAUTHORIZED CODE
THE MOST RELIABLE CODES will be listed on the REBATE SITES!

AMAZON SUPER STORE / SUPER CENTER LINK for CYBER MONDAY IS HERE
updated cybermonday (started TONIGHT) and will continue thru tomorrow
they promise to be watching other sites and price matching, free S&H on many item
and some lightning deals, I will be shopping there on and off all day!

ALSO OPEN MY FLBYU SHOPPING PAGE HERE if you do not have time or energy to use the cash back programs , you can always help me by shopping thru the links I have listed, I do get "nickels" when people click thru and shop thru my links

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRY USING CODES in conjuction with my links
feel free to try, it won't hurt either of us! :) other CODE SITE:
http://www.retailmenot.com/cybermonday/ NOT AS RELIABLE but often has a larger amount of codes ^^^^ ALSO you can GOOGLE for a code
example: GAP+ COUPON+ CODE+2009 you may also get expireds but worth a shot if you found NOTHING thru the sites I have listed

CHECK YOUR EMAIL for private offers from sites you may have purchased from in the past
I had a few of them that ROCKED! one of which you may want to check out NOW for future if you haven't signed up for notifications is MAgAZINE.COM I often get $5 off any purchase from them which makes my purchase almost FREE , AS I SHOP AND FIND THE DEALS I will be posting to this blog
BOOKMARK IT and also sending out GDAS via email and Facebook
so stay tuned and ENJOY cybermonday !

GOOGLE CHECK OUT has some offers to be aware of
GO HERE to sign up AT CHECK OUT if you see logo (shown on left)
then check out thru this venue for ADDITIONAL savings to what I have listed above!
HOME RUN DEAL!

Buy.com $5 off $30
Tigerdirect $5 off $30
Toys'R'Us $10 off $60
Sierra Trading Post $5 off $30
ShoeBuy.com $5 off $30
Petco $5 off $30
Ritz Camera $10 off $100
Blue Nile $20 off $120

KASHI panel w/ coupons, samples and more

2009-06-11T11:22:00.000-07:00

$1.50 coupons / printable for KASHI WAFFLES
buy at SUPER TARGET for $1.79 *honey oat variety or 29 cents after printable
coupon HERE

$1.50 off these YUMMY cereal bars! I absolutely LOVE the blackberry graham cracker ones
and love the SAVINGS too! GO HERE to get your coupon
these are BRICKS coupons you can read more about them
HERE

Kashi : Recipes : Kashi® GOLEAN Crunch!® Pineapple Upside-Down Pancakes via kwout

JOIN THE KASHI PANEL here http://www.kashi.com/account/new

RESTOCKED COUPONS / PRINTABLES!

2009-04-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

Coupon Bar / Coupons
BETTY CROCKER: they recently added this ability to their website it is so cool!
RED PLUM
Shortcuts.com
EnjoyLifeFoods.com - This great food allergy friendly company also offers coupons for several of their products
SMARTSOURCE COUPONS!
UPROMISE
P&G
Cellfire - Electronic coupons that can be used at Kroger
Mambo Sprouts free printable grocery coupons
COOL SAVINGS: SIGN UP HERE
EAT BETTER AMERICA

Things to do In a PINCH : NO TIME FEW DIMES

2009-03-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

THINGS TO DO IN A PINCH:

Photo Credit: NBC.COM

QUICK couponing or In a pinch menu
both of these strategies are for those that do not have the time or resources for the other strategies above, they work and they work well...........but they do not save you "as much" and/or they are not as healthy as other strategies.
Use this menu in emergency (the prices have gone up since written) the cost for the In a pinch menu is about the same as taking the time to cut, file and use coupons, saving on average 70% off the retail value if done "ANJIE STYLE" if you just match coupons up to what you buy you can use things like COUPON MOM or the GROCERY GAME
Just take a RECIPE ( hey how about something like THIS PECAN PIE from CHRISTY ) and search for each ingredient using the various data bases and find the matching coupon for the product (either printable or by date from sunday paper)

Food Lion: (note all of the ORANGE stickers on the meats!)
Boneless Beef (orange sticker) reg. $25 for $11.72
this is a nice roast, stew meat, and ribs
Perdue chicken breast $1.99
Bag of Apples: $2.50
Green Onions .69
Cabbage $1.17
Garden Salad 6 oz $1.49
Skinless Chicken Breasts $2.61
Ahi Tuna $5.50 (B1G1F - food lion makes each product 50% off)
Ground Turkey $2.79
DEAL OF THE DAY! 4 bags Popeyes Sugar Snaps - 25 cents each - the produce dept ordered WRONG product so they drastically reduced, those are "manager specials" STOCKPILE TIME.. I bought 4 which is stockpile because I don't usually buy this....you may buy this often, have a big freezer and want 15!

DM tomatoes $1
Elbow Macaroni Muellers 79cents
Yellow Onions $2.69
Italian Vin. Dressing: $3.79
Black Beans 67cents
Total Out of pocket with one $2 coupon found on shelf for the dressing: $38.09
this is ALL that I will buy for the week. I will combine the items above with items on hand in my pantry.
some ideas from these ingredients that I could make:
CHRISTY'S BAKED MACARONI & CHEESE
Apple Dumplings
Quesidillias
Onion Rings
Stir Fry
Salad Night
Ahi Tuna
BBQ
Roast
Beef Stronganoff
Chili
etc etc etc.................... the idea is combine what you stockpile with the sale items and the staples............

SURVEY EARNINGS to ADD TO YOUR COUPON SAVINGS

2009-02-28T11:47:00.000-08:00

Saving with coupons is a great way to save money, earning $ and items with surveys is a great way to add to your budget for spending. You may choose to take your survey earnings and buy your self some EXTRA or MORE LUXURY ITEMS at the grocery store!

MOST Grocery stores print a rec't and at the bottom of the rec't is the opportunity to call, give your opinion of the store and then you will be entered to win MONEY or other items. The odds here are pretty good because not many people do this in comparison to how many people shop and because the timeframe given to enter is usually SHORT DATED. The downside is there is almost always the option to enter by mail (even if you did not shop at the store) so more SWEEPERS are in the contest w/o actually doing the survey. ALSO............ there is usually 1-5 prizes NATIONWIDE per month. I personally like "more prizes" but I will enter on occasion.

INSTEAD I PREFER TO.........

Check out the LEGITIMATE SURVEY SITES that cost no money, pay you money and / or rewards for giving your opinion

ANJIES LIST OF SURVEY SITES that she has experience with AND RATED
Anjie's Survey Article from EONS AGO
Nicole's Nickels: Earn $ from university-sponsored surveys/experiments
Focus groups NEWS catching "criminals" WOW another good use for them!

A COUPLE OF EXTRAS:
You Data: scroll down to the bottom of my FRUGAL FREELANCER blog & sign up
SAY NATION: I haven't added this one yet to my "big list" but I love it! JOIN HERE SURVEY & GAME SITE WITH OPPORTUNITY TO GET GAS CARDS AND MOREREFERRAL CODE: 2513691811 NOTE: when you use a REFERRAL CODE you get EXTRA POINTS too!

PHOTO CREDIT: ECHO MEDIA

ORGANIC / NATURAL COUPONS BY MAIL AND PRINTABLE

2009-02-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

Coupon Books from MAMBO SPROUTS

ORGANIC / NATURAL COUPONS BY MAIL AND PRINTABLE
HERE

Our unique coupon program provides consumers with savings at their fingertips. Free coupons for natural and organic products are mailed three times a year to 385,000 consumers in nine different markets. The value-packed book is also mailed to almost 1,000 retail stores four times a year.

Be healthier, greener and save money on your grocery bills with 'just a click' when you use Mambo Sprouts free printable grocery coupons. Download free grocery coupons for savings on your favorite healthy and natural products, including organic food and beauty products, healthy kid's snacks and more! The choice is yours with Mambo Sprouts natural and organic E-Coupons! Print your organic coupons today!

RED PLUM COUPONS DISAPPEARING?

2009-02-17T08:10:00.000-08:00

This morning my daughter called to let me know that she gets "less" coupons than I do IE: no red plum in jacksonville NC
I thought that is STRANGE as I had not heard this before! she said that RED PLUM would be MAILING her coupons to her..........

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO I decided to research what she said and found this site
BRING BACK THE COUPONS
which is rallying COUPONERS SUPPORT to write / call the companies to get the coupons BACK in our SS apparently this INCLUDES VA and started FEB 1 (don't know how I missed this)
but this was on the site............. GO TO THE SITE AND SEE WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

Valassis has pulled their RedPlum coupon inserts from major cities in Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Utah, Virginia, Washington, D.C., North Carolina, Maryland, and Texas. The purpose of this website is to provide a platform for consumers everywhere to make a public statement to the Valassis Corporation regarding their decision to remove their coupon inserts from Sunday Newspapers.

My daughter signed up (as did I) thru this link to get the RED PLUM delivered via SNAIL MAIL
the site says this may take 5-6 weeks to rec've these :(

THE PRINTABLE RED PLUM COUPONS ARE LOCATED HERE

BRICKS COUPONS

2009-01-19T12:13:00.001-08:00

BRICKS COUPONS are coupons that come up very often after you complete a form, sign up for mailing list, enter a contest etc............. I am often using SEAMONKEY that does NOT let me print the coupons so I have to repeat / retrace my steps in another browser to get them to work/view/print............

USUALLY BRICK COUPONS ARE HIGH VALUE! recent examples of this
$3 on a pint of Ben & Jerrys (was pulled quickly due to abuse)
and
50 cents on one RICE A RONI (making them FREE at kroger and other double coupon stores) AGAIN this one was pulled, lasted a bit longer but not everyone that wanted one got one that is for sure...........
if you get in on a GOOD ONE you are quite fortunate! :)

FOR A CURRENT Listing of many / most current bricks coupons you can go HERE

I found that others were having some "issues" printing the BRICKS STYLE coupons and found this interesting article printed on a sweepstakes site that I thought would be helpful for many:

Fix Problems Printing Online Coupons ~ Sweeties WINNABLE Online Sweepstakes 2009 and Blog Giveaways via kwout

BRICKS COUPONS tries to keep the "couponer honest" in that it is almost impossible for the AVERAGE OR BEGINNING coupon user to print more than one of each coupon. "copying" with a scanner or copier usually does not print as clear of a coupon and would often cause a store /company etc to invoke the policy of NO INTERNET COUPONS due to the large amount of fraud in these areas (costing us all) so please don't be greedy, there are ways around the "limitations" as there are most "rules, laws, ethics" , I do say why not use the back button and print 2 of the coupons, but really that should be ENOUGH for ANY ONE PERSON OR FAMILY depending on the rules. SOMETIMES "bricks" will "reload" if things went well on a particular campaign and allow users to repeat a coupon. I try to keep up with this and let you know when this happens! :)

ANOTHER COURTESY..................
MANY TIMES a company will "pull" a bricks coupon after so many coupons are printed out. PLEASE do not PRINT them unless you plan on USING THEM so those that want them can find them to print! :)

UPDATED PRINTABLE COUPON INFO

2009-01-19T11:47:00.000-08:00

I have found that the MORE places you are signed up for PRINTABLE coupons and information the Better! here are the 'top dogs' that almost always have coupons to print and or load to your VIP store cards to help you save money, they are worth checking! BOOKMARK this page of my blog and check before you make a trip "out" to see if there is anything additional you may want to use.........

I AM PURPOSELY LEAVING OUT "BRICKS" COUPONS as I will be making a separate posting for these........... NEXT! :)

SIGN UP HERE
printables that change weekly or sometimes even more often

SIGN UP HERE
***if you use "back" button you may squeeze out 2 of the same!

SmartSource

coupons to print HERE
Magazine Program Schedule w/ Themed Events
Blinkie In-Store Program Schedule

P&G coupons

Sunday Coupon Book info HERE
P&G monthly newsletter
Buy $50 in P&G products get FREE coupons (exp 1/31)for the year of 2009 offer

KROGER & KROGER FAMILY COUPON CARD LOADING SITES

EAT BETTER AMERICA great source for healthy eating coupons
*****CURRENT OFFER IS $10 coupon book you can also GO HERE for others

Pillsbury ****current offer is $10 coupon booklet plus GO HERE to print what is available in addition RIGHT NOW

BETTY CROCKER: they recently added this ability to their website it is so cool! ***current offer BC $10 Coupon BOOK in addition the printable RIGHT NOW coupons are located HERE

RED PLUM

BOX TOPS for education products coupons here

2009 SCHEDULE OF SUNDAY PAPER INSERTS

2009-01-04T11:45:00.000-08:00

thanks to freelancer, MARIA for sending me this info!
*****don't know what I would do with your input, freelancers!

here it is
January
4 – 2 Smart Source & 2 Red Plum
11 — Smart Source & Red Plum
18 –Smart Source &a Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
25 –Smart Source & Red Plum

February
1 — Smart Source & Red Plum &; Procter and Gamble
8 — Smart Source & Red Plum
15 –No Inserts scheduled
22 — Smart Source & Red Plum

March
1 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
8 — Smart Source & Red Plum
15 — Smart Source & Red Plum
22 — Smart Source only
29 — Smart Source & Red Plum

April
5 — 2 Smart Source & 1 Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
12 — No Inserts
19 — Smart Source & Red Plum
26 — Smart Source & Red Plum

May
3 — Smart Source & Red Plum
10 –Smart Source & Red Plum
17 — 2 Smart Source and 1 Red Plum
24 — No Inserts scheduled
31 — Smart Source & Red Plum

June
7 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
14 — Smart Source Only
21 — Smart Source & Red Plum
28 — Smart Source & Red Plum

July
5 — Procter and Gamble only
12 — Smart Source & Red Plum
19 — Smart Source Only
26 — Smart Source & Red Plum

August
2 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
9 — Smart Source & Red Plum
16 — Smart Source & Red Plum
23 — Smart Source & Red Plum
30 — Smart Source & Red Plum

September
6 — No SS or RP Inserts - Labor Day One Procter and Gamble
13 — 1 Smart Source & 2 Red Plum
20 — Smart Source & Red Plum
27 — Smart Source & Red Plum

October
4 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
11 — Smart Source & Red Plum
18 — Smart Source & Red Plum
25 — Smart Source & Red Plum

November
1 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
8 — Smart Source & Red Plum
15 — Smart Source & Red Plum
22 — Smart Source Only
29 — No Inserts scheduled

December
6 — Smart Source & Red Plum & Procter and Gamble
13 — Smart Source & Red Plum
20 — No Inserts scheduled
27 — No Inserts scheduled

AVOIDING FAKE COUPONS

2008-10-01T09:07:00.000-07:00

CBS 6 - WTVR, Richmond Va - Avoiding Fake Coupons (5:17am) via kwout

HOW TO REDEEM INTERNET COUPONS UPDATE

2008-10-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

IN 2005 I wrote an article about REDEEMING INTERNET COUPONS, in my article I had a sample letter for those that wished to "take issue" with stores that did not redeem internet coupons. NOW SMART SOURCE has joined with us in the quest to have stores accept and redeem our coupons ...........they have their own sample letter HERE to print and bring with you to the store

IN ADDITION they also have some NEW great coupons out HERE to print and redeem!

GO GET UM!

SMART SOURCE COUPONS print from home!

2008-09-03T09:35:00.000-07:00

NEW addition to the FLBYU website!
GO HERE
Smartsource coupons you can print from home
contest to enter on site as well!
ENJOY!

How To Find & Get Coupons

2008-07-10T16:24:00.000-07:00

HOT TO FIND & GET COUPONS

PART 1 OF COUPONONOMY: Coupons and our Economy

The U.S. Economy isn't GOOD and everyone knows it. They not only KNOW it they FEEL IT, SEE IT, HEAR IT AND READ IT everyday! The headlines discuss "fuel prices up" "stock market down" and everything else in between. Just today I went to the grocery store and saw 2 very disturbing things.......... a plastic jug of Folgers coffee for $10.XX at Food Lion and $2.99 for get this 1 ENGLISH Cucumber! I made a $30 a week feeds your family of 4 menu & shopping list in 2002 and posted this on my website. I bet that $30 would cost TRIPLE that amount right now using the same ingredients and items! I now have had to revise my budget to $40 a week but I am also feeding a family of 6 at the moment! (4 adults, 1 tween and 1 toddler). This does NOT include cleaning products or diapers but most everything else is included. I am focusing on "How to Find & Get Coupons" today but later I will revise the $30 menu to $40 to better suit the "Coupononomy" of today.

#1 Get the SUNDAY PAPER (with coupons of course)
subscribe if you can and have delivered bright and early..........

HERE is a site to check out and see if you can get a DEAL on your subscription to the newspaper. HINT: click on NEWSPAPER PARTNERS then on your STATE /AREA to find your local paper, doesn't work as well with Zipcode

HERE is the 2008 SCHEDULE (remaining months) for Coupons that will be in the NEWSPAPER ***thank you to freelancer, TINA for putting this together for me! :)

KEY: V = Valassis
SS = Smart-Source
2SS = Two separate & unique Smart-Source inserts
P&G = Proctor and Gamble (ask me about my STOCK in P&G)

July
27 — SS; V

August
3 — SS; V; P&G
10 — SS; V
17 — SS; V
24 — SS; V
31 — No Inserts (Labor Day)

September
7 — SS; V; P&G
14 — SS; V
21 — SS; V
28 — SS; V

October
5 — SS; V; P&G
12 — SS; V
19 — SS; V
26 — SS; V

November
2 — SS; V; P&G
9 — SS; V
16 — SS; V
23 — SS
30 — No Inserts (Thanksgiving)

December
7 — SS; V; P&G
14 — SS; V
21 — No Inserts (Christmas)
28 — No Inserts (New Year’s Day)

#2 ask your neighbors, family and/or friends for their paper too ! if you can't do that.......go to the grocery store SUNDAY NIGHT or MONDAY a.m. and ask your cashier friends if you can have the coupons from a paper they are sending back. (see #3 )

#3 MAKE FRIENDS : CASHIERS at your GROCERY STORE........ friends that collect coupons........ join coupon trading groups (may have some local in your area?), neighbors that throw away their SS THIS IS SO IMPORTANT ..........many people just "don't have time" to do coupons........or "just don't have the skills" so get them instead of the coupons winding up in the trash can........... HINT: post a "wanted" on your local FREECYCLE for SUNDAY PAPER FLIERS & COUPONS!

#4 SUBSCRIBE to free magazines or DISCOUNT MAGAZINES
THIS IS AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE for great coupons........go thru your
magazines and clip clip clip go thru magazines at your library or dr. office if they let you take them they would more than likely otherwise end up in the trash..........my personal favorite magazine for coupons is ALL YOU MAGAZINE you can find this at Walmart but you can subscribe for tons cheaper HERE 2 full years for only $20 ***this also gives you the option to choose a school or charity to get a portion for you buying it

FREE BABY magazines are GREAT resources for FREE Coupons for many items including J&J products, and many others including FORMULA.........if you don't know anyone with a baby, donate to WOMENS' SHELTERS OR WILDLIFE ORGANIZATIONS to make someone smile and get a TAX deduction FREE! NOW here is a DISCOUNT magazine site.........that can't be beat over 100 magazines to chose at $4.69 a subscription for 1 year!................the coupons will far outweigh that cost not to mention
the magazine! I often put FREE or DISCOUNTED offers in our NEWSLETTER but for now you can find MORE DISCOUNT MAGAZINES CAN BE FOUND HERE

#5 Grocery / Retail Shopping "valued customer cards" and more Most grocery stores are offering "valued customer" type cards that you get for no cost by filling out a profile form in the store or take home and mail in a "response card." these cards when used at check out take off additional savings from your shopping totals. These are no longer limited to Grocery Stores and Drugstores but I have them on my key ring for electronics, pet stores, sports stores, office, gas stations and more. I have a BUNCH of these! Using these will do one or all of several things.......... savings at register, generate offers to be mailed to you, give you points for purchasing, enter you into contests and more. (OLD ARTICLE SPECIFICALLY ON THIS HERE)

Recently KROGER (& related stores) has started a program (maybe other stores too) in which COUPONS can be selected online to add to your card. You can use these coupons in conjunction WITH clipped coupons (double dip) for now, but if this "catches on" many companies may offer these instead of clipped coupons (cheaper for them) but would BUM ME OUT (these are limited to 1 or 2 per account, stockpiling not possible if only choice) but for now its a great deal!

KROGER & KROGER FAMILY COUPON CARD LOADING SITES:

#6 While Grocery OR retail store Shopping check the following places for coupons:

blinkies: machines that "spit" out coupons hanging by products
Catalina Machines machines that "spit" out coupons at check out
SMP: specially marked packages and HT (hangtags)
Bulletin Boards: these are pretty scarce these days but worth checking out
Deserted Grocery Carts: sometimes I get really lucky with this tip!
Pull Outs: Store Ads
special Displays: cardboard stands promoting products
bins that people discard the coupons they don't want
sharing bins some stores and other places (commissary) have sharing bins to deposit your unwanted coupons, this isn't only a place to give but also a place to LOOK to see if there is something you need!

#7 The Recycle Bin: if you take a look you will see many discarded coupons here, I personally don't do this but many do and successfully too! CHECK OUT THIS dumpster diving success story HERE omg - maybe I should rethink this! hmmmmmmmmmm

#8 JUNK MAIL? THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS JUNK MAIL IN MY HOUSE! sign up for all the advertisements you can you will get on lists that send you free products and coupons regularly.........just throw the rest away/shred/recycle etc .........in addition to coupons you could get address labels, greeting cards all free.

#9 Fill out Rebates, Coupons, Free Products Offers etc......
THESE ARE THE BEST............fill out your name on coupons that allow you too.......you may win a contest or qualify for free products.........don't bank on it.........but be surprised when you do............
send in for REBATES after using a coupon on product to maximize your savings look for the FREE AFTER REBATE deals.............use coupons to purchase and you have covered the cost of your stamp usually! :)
walgreens.com is just one example of a store that offers many
FREE AFTER REBATE products Also, try for riteaid.com Coupons and their Single Check REBATE program. Many companies will send to you their BEST HIGH VALUE COUPONS along with a rebate submission! "GIMMEES" are also good sources for coupons! RECENTLY I have been entering a contest Sponsored by Green BUCK (details here) each entrant rec'ves $10 in free coupons. One of these coupons is $2 on ANY PRODUCT at "YOUR FAVORITE STORE" how cool is that? USE THIS COUPON on a FULLY REBATED product and you just made cold hard cash buying a product! WATCH FOR MANY OF THESE OFFERS HI-LIGHTED IN OUR NEWSLETTER and BLOG

#10 Entertainment Books *********on sale right now FOR ONLY $9.99 each this is GREAT! I usually buy 2 a year, 1 for home town, 1 for vacation spot, using only 1 coupon usually pays for entire book************* they always have some type of "grocery" shopping coupons and discounts in them as well as b1g1f dinners out, convenience store coupons, outings, entertainment etc we keep ours by the front door so we never forget to "look."

#11 Print what is available on line........here are some reliable sites that have printables ALL of the time you will also find printable coupons on your favorite product sites (NOT ALWAYS but lots)

COUPONS COUPONS COUPONS: my personal favorite
Clean Home Journal
Coupon BUG
BOX TOPS for Education
EAT BETTER AMERICA great source for healthy eating coupons
ECLIP
Pillsbury
Remedy Life
SMARTSOURCE: they send me email updates all the time so I know if I wanna go take a peek
BETTY CROCKER: they recently added this ability to their website it is so cool!
RED PLUM

*****ANJIE ARTICLE ON HOW TO REDEEM PRINTED OUT COUPONS FROM THE NET IN YOUR LOCAL STORES, that give you ISSUES about it! HERE

#12 CHECK THE ANJIE NOTES (all sections) for COUPON, FREEBIES, SAVVY SHOPPING & even contests that you can win groceries and or coupons! read EVERY ISSUE and take advantage of ALL that you can...........this will give you more $$$ to get the DEALS!

#13 Buying Coupons buying or paying for coupons is illegal, but paying someone for their service of clipping/sorting/mailing you coupons is NOT!

Here is a disclaimer that is found on most Coupon Clipping Service Listings: "I am not selling the coupons, they are free, I am charging for my time and effort in finding, gathering, cutting , listing here and shipping. Thanks!"

BEFORE YOU START BUYING OR TRADING COUPONS YOU MUST "LEARN THE LINGO"

ANJIE-ISMS OR FREELANCEBYU slang or lingo YOU CAN FIND HERE

THIS ARTICLE ABOUT COUPON LINGO WAS PUBLISHED IN THE OBSERVER by SUE STOCK read in its entirety here:

"You’ll find that couponers use a lot of slang when they talk about coupons. You may need some of it to navigate my posts, even though I try very hard not to digress into coupon lingo. Here are some common phrases you may see.

Q: slang for “coupon.”

BOGO: short for buy one get one. A lot of stores offer BOGO sales each week, so this one comes up a lot. You may also see it B1G1. Also sometimes written BOGOF for buy one get one free.

WYB: Short for “when you buy.” Coupons or sales sometimes set terms that are like “Get a free roll of paper towels when you buy two.”

DND: short for "do not double"

EXP: short for "expires"

GC: short for gift certificate or gift card

CC: short for credit card

SASE: Self-addressed, stamped envelope (common for rebates)

NAZ: name, address and ZIP code

POP: short for proof of purchase (again common for rebates)

One more note: You’ll also sometimes see coupon values written like this: .50/1 or $1/2. Those designations give the amount you’ll save follow by a slash and then the quantity you have to buy. So, those two examples are save 50 cents on one and save $1 on two. "

NOW that you know the lingo its time to Shop for coupons you want or need!

I have bought coupons from many sources. ***My favorite source is EBAY! ****

Ebay consistently has "free item" coupons listed that were acquired through rebates, Sunday paper , magazines etc that I am in need of. You can also find "bulk" great coupons such as the Meow Mix Free cup coupon that was in last Sunday's coupon section. You do not have to bid, postage is usually reasonable (at least from the sellers I use) and I get them very timely. I love that I can read feedback from other buyers, have several areas of the country to ship from (shortens wait time) and usually the sellers are eager to please adding extras etc for repeat customers. I get Paypal from doing surveys, Mystery Shops etc , so usually it is FREE MONEY I am spending. Usually I am not spending Paypal money for larger purchases, so coupons are "cheap, easy & help me ROLL MY MONEY into cash and freebies" Now that I am ALSO using a cash back system with ebay it makes this EVEN BETTER! I don't find many of the "local, limited area" rebate forms and wine tags that I need, and you also cannot buy cigarette coupons on the internet. (funny note: you can buy EXPIRED VINTAGE cigarette coupons tho, so if you have any you are not using save them they may be worth money one day!)

Here is how I do it........

register with this site BIG CRUMBS it has a money back program for shopping EBAY! I don't use it for anything else but this , but you may find other ways to earn money back thru this program.
BOOKMARK your very own Ebay shopping link to use each time you shop Ebay for coupons its that easy!
GO TO EBAY and search for coupons you want to use Example: "hunts ketchup coupon"
I don't like to bother with BIDDING so I then click the BUY IT NOW option if I find an item with a price & shipping that is acceptable to me. Then I "SORT BY PRICE WITH S&H INCLUDED" I will usually pay for the coupons with PAYPAL right away and usually these are shipped promptly.

SOME OTHER COUPON SERVICES everyone knows that URSALA "Dabs Forms" used to be my favorite source of coupons on the net ! She had to sell her business and now its called something else and run by someone else. Everyone that has been a freelancer since the beginning knows that I just loved Ursala and her service. Here are my choices for Coupon Clipping Services now......... this is my all means not all of them that are out there, but they are all GOOD for one reason or another and can meet your needs without being "risky."

Rebecca's Forms & Coupons service HERE

Lynn's Coupons & Refunding service HERE

I have received coupons and forms from the listed sites above. I have been happy with my envies!

Rebecca's is probably the best known of all of the sites I have listed above. She has a "shopping cart" and charges postage (+ 10 cents supply cost) in addition to the cost of your items. Most items have a "limit" or a "minimum" purchase required. She even has a sneak preview section where you can order NEXT SUNDAYS coupons in advance so they get to you sooner. I rarely see the best forms posted here or very many. "Totally free" coupons on this site either go like lightening or are not posted here at all in most cases. She has the "most" of each coupon so chances are you will get to choose a particular coupon that you may want to use for a sale item. Paypal is accepted for payment.

Lynn's coupon service is a spin-off from the original site which was run by two sisters. I never felt a "homey" atmosphere with this site but I have been very successful in finding particular forms that I may be looking for. Lynn's service has a quick turnaround. I have never bought any of the "bundles" on this site but her rebate form choices are great. Lynn charges postage (which is a higher cost than actual) on top of the posted amount of each coupon & form. Selection is great and she sends out emails if you sign up for it to let you know what the latest items in stock are.

There are several other services that I could list that would even pay me to do so (through affiliate programs) but I am not going to endorse them because of some reason or another. You can find them through search engines if you really want to look around.

Finally there is DEDE'S coupons which unfortunately was down when I first wrote this article due to the owners laptop being stolen........... NOW it is BACK - up and running! I have been referred to this site by freelancers that have been happy with her service but I personally have not used it. I will be checking this site along with the other ones I mentioned regularly.

#14 COUPON TRAINS: many couponers get involved with trading coupons thru the mail with other couponers, this is called a "coupon train." what you do is take what you want or need from the "envie" and replace with other coupons and send to the NEXT PERSON in the train. There are rules that differ with each "train" and differing amounts of people that participate on each train. I personally do not belong to a train at this time due to so many of them "getting lost in the mail" and someone losing out somewhere along the line. I choose to give my coupons to others that I know that can use them and am lucky enough to have people give them to me. When there are specific coupons I need, I turn to Ebay or coupon buying services. If you are interested in joining a "train"

Here are a couple to consider (I actually was going to go into more detail on this but due to some unforeseen events, I had to cut this short)............ I do know that BOTH of the groups that I am referring you to, have LOADS of emails that they send out, so you may want a separate account if you do not want your reg. box to fill up, or join with DIGEST version so you get condensed (many emails in one)...... just a suggestion.......

If you join either of these groups please let them know when "applying" (there is an application process) that you read the freelancebyu article in reference to them so they know where you are coming from. These both seem to be
"tightly run" groups that do check for bad traders before alloying membership.

Group Moderator, RENITA provided me with VERY detailed information about her group, OURCOUPONCAFE. Our group is all about coupons, coupon trains, sharing great deals and freebies! We love using coupons to save as much as we can on our grocery bill! Let's save money and have fun doing it! Join a coupon train, or conduct your own! We have Bingo, Swaps and other fun stuff going on. There are minimal requirements, so you don't have to feel like you need to participate in everything. ...... I routinely save about $500 or more per month since I began with the groups and have learned where to find the best deals, getting more coupons for the items I need, etc. I don't know what we would have done without it these last couple of years! http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/OurCouponCafe

Group Moderator, SUSAN provided me with this information about this coupon TRAIN: CS COUPONPLANCE: Our group is a place for "couponers" to trade coupons, refund forms and upcs. We have trains running for coupons, forms, stickers, etc. Crafts, Recipes, Freebies, Contests, Good Deals and Recalls can be found and shared here as well. We play games and have contests. This is a very friendly group, we like to have fun and save money! To join click this link http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cscouponplace/ , scroll to the middle of the page and click on the purple "Join Now" button.

Both moderators/owners were very friendly and helpful and I am sure if you would like to join their groups they will be equally as friendly and helpful to you!

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST............... duh why didn't I think of that?

#15 ASK -Compliment THE MANUFACTURERS! ok this sounds too easy! "JUST ASK" believe it or not I have been VERY successful at calling or emailing the manufacturers to give them compliments, or just say I would like to try your product and they 9/10 times will mail you GREAT COUPONS! YEP it is true there have been many people to try this and be successful! I used to do this EVERY MONTH and have let this slip recently! I have written several COMPLIMENTARY LETTERS to companies about the products I like this week, I always include WHAT PRODUCT I LIKE , WHY I LIKE IT, info from the container (upc and any other code #'s I can find) and any other creative thing I can think of. I do write the occasional "complaint" but only when I have to and not often because I know that companies always hear the BAD but rarely the GOOD , and I want to thank them for offering coupons, rebates, premiums etc and encourage them to continue! THERE was even one guy who did this "EXPERIMENT" check out the website HERE. IT IS FUNNY but it is SO VERY TRUE! My company letter writing techniques are VERY DIFFERENT than his but the results are similar! My freelancer friend, TONYA suggested this guy is FUNNY like the book "LETTERS FROM A NUT" so this may be some GREAT READING for some of us! this is what Tonya had to say, "It reminds of me of the book "Letters from a Nut" - these letters were discovered by Jerry Seinfeld and published in a book. This guy wrote to all of these companies with crazy requests. Anyway, that's what his letters kind of remind me of - they are very funny! And I also like the whole idea of what he's doing...." Freelancer, ISPRI contributed this great site which connects you to many Company websites! WOW, talk about making things EASY FOR YA! Anyway, most of the companies that you write and request coupons will send them for good PR as long as you are not one to do this ALL OF THE TIME, I am sure if you do this on "occasion" you will get GREAT RESULTS!

HERE is an EXAMPLE of a GREAT COMPANY taking the time to answer one of my company letters

Dear Ms. Henley,

Thank you very much for your interest.

Sun-Maid Growers of California has been providing premium products to people all over the world for over 90 years. We believe that our dried fruit, bakery products, confections, and dried specialty fruit is the very best.

Although we do not have a mailing list or internet coupons, coupon offers can be found from time to time on all of our products and through newspaper and magazine publications. Additionally in an attempt to offer reduced prices to
our consumers, we occasionally offer promotions to our retailers, who in turn pass their savings on to our consumers through reduced shelf prices.

We appreciate your continuing interest in our products and hope you will enjoy the complimentary coupons that will be sent to the address you have provided.

Sincerely,
Sun-Maid Growers of California
Consumer Affairs

RECIEVED SEVERAL 35c coupons for this product (*remember you can double up to 50cents at some stores / more on this later)

I HOPE THIS ARTICLE HELPS YOU BE A SUCCESSFUL COUPONER!

Remember Neva Neva Neva Pay full price for anything

Anjie @-->>--

THANKFUL FOR COUPONS

2006-03-05T15:59:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for all of the freelancers, my site, my
knowledge etc in the field of FRUGALNESS and COUPONS

yesterday........... I was thinking this as I went about my
daily routine and then some

I woke up to drink some first rate coffee, which was very
cheap, with my FREE international delight creamer, and my
packets of splenda (free)........

I got on the internet and won 5 more 2liters of COKE (see
forum for how you can do this too expiration 3/15/06)
then made 2 orders from some GDAS very cheap and winding up
my shopping for CHRISTMAS for my two grandchildren (whom I
spoil rotten btw) and it is only MARCH, both grandchildren
are getting SO MANY GOODIES and I am DONE with them and now
on to finish my KIDS! :)

NEXT I got on my FREE TREADMILL (thanks to freecycle.org)
and jogged a mile........ used my arm rings (GOT VERY CHEAP
FROM A GDA A WHILE BACK) and then used my FREE JUMP ROPE
(from mail in offer)

I jumped in the shower after grabbing some VERY CHEAP after
rebate AQUAFINA WATER, and used my FREE SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER
AND SOAP to get squeaky clean.  Then I used my CHEAP CHEAP
CHEAP ST IVES foot scrub, and my AWESOME BODY LOTION from
BBW that I got FREE with a coupon!  HOW COOL IS MY DAY SO FAR?

I got out of the shower and used some FREE SUAVE mousse for
my hair and then used about 5-6 different cosmetics (ALL
FREE OR CLOSE TO IT) to get "ready" for my day out!

I put on my $15 SKIRT (retail $99) and my $1.25 shirt
(thrift store)and my BIRKENSTOCKS from a GDA and my STRIPED
SOCKS from my BESTEST PRINCESS MARIE from Christmas, and I
was looking kinda cute! :)

OUT I went with the DH to run errands! we went to QUIZNOS
for lunch with a b1g1f coupon that they DID NOT ACCEPT (but
in its place gave me $2.00 off) will be writing them a
letter about this because hey , I got the coupon right from
their SITE! :(

then over to STARBUCKS same shopping center, for FREE
FRAPPACINOS after using my last 3 GC that I got free from
writing some online reviews.  I had 57c left so I gave as
RAOK to the guy behind me who was VERY HAPPY to accept!

NEXT STOP CARPOOL, I had gotten in on a deal with them over
christmas buy $100 GC SAVE $25....... I had already used $70
so I had $30 left, my carwash was $26.95 so FREE to me
today, and I had $3.xx left which I promptly gifted to the
lady behind me, she was THRILLED and VERY APPRECIATIVE

NEXT STOP  SALVAGE BARN
WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO reaped a bunch of great goodies and
filled our trunk FULL of great items for under $58
at least $175.00 retail price, sure wish they would accept
coupons but alas, they don't wanna mess with them

NEXT STOP DOLLAR GENERAL
several purchases here to include 5-FREE ANACIN (using
coupon) 2- FREE SIMPLE GREEN CLEANERS and 2-FREE COLGATE
ITEMS!  (see our forum under OTHER STORE DEALS for details
on how you can do this too!)

NEXT STOP we went to the OFF LINE BETTING TRACK and placed 2
$6 bets, NO LUCK so we travelled home

NEXT STOP: WALMART ,  well this is definately NOT my
favorite place to be, but we passed the SUPERSTORE and there
were some items that I could not find anywhere else
HERE is what I got
2 - Rotisserie Chickens $4.29 used $3 off coupons making
them $1.29 each

Country Bobs sauce FREE with coupon (still available to
certain states) http://www.countrybobs.com/default.asp

VANILLA CREME coffee $2.77 used $1.00 coupon cost $1.77
will get FULL rebate made $1.00

JOLLY TIME popcorn (got the new marshmellow!) $2.00
used the $1.00 coupon from here
http://www.jollytime.com/special_offers/coupon.asp

CASE of water $4.28

BIG BAG of Ruffles LIGHT free with coupon from expired offer
TOTAL for this was $9.76  had a $10 GC FREE! will get back
$2.77  PROFIT for my trip! woooooooohooooooo



CAME HOME and unloaded our goodies OMG what fun.......

THEN OUT TO DINNER
we traveled to ZORBAS and nope we didn't have a coupon or a
GC but we treated ourselves to a nice romantic GREEK dinner
for under $53 complete with WINE AND AWESOME DESSERTS
we orig. intended to go to a FREE DINNER at bennigans but
there was a car accident and we were starving and had no
choice but to pick another place, this was our choice and
OMG we were loving it!  NOW if I could get some discounts
for that place I would be in heaven! :)

HOME AGAIN HOME AGAIN JIGGITY JIG...........

into my NEW DKNY pj's that I got for 90% off from a recent
deal alert OMG the best pj's , comfort, style and price
could not be beat!  hope you got in too! 

Watched an ALMOST free movie that I bought from another GDA
and fell quietly to sleep, thanking God that I have a frugal
lifestyle that allows me these luxuries that I otherwise
would not be able to have, do , reap and enjoy


UNTIL NEXT TIME  CAN I GET A HIGH FIVE?
REMEMBER NEVA NEVA NEVA PAY FULL PRICE FOR ANYTHING

How To Redeem Internet Coupons

2005-10-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

THIS ARTICLE WAS ORIG. WRITTEN for my ONLINE DIARY
HERE
This article was syndicated and probably needs a bit of updating since its orig. post, but others are still publishing and using this article as the "go-to" on how to redeem so thought it was worth republishing here.........

Many of you have written to me about having "issues" redeeming internet coupons. Some store policies include NOT accepting them. I have been fortunate to have had success in redeeming my coupons locally but I want to give you some HELP for those that cannnot.

SOME STORES do not accept ANY coupons other than their own. the list of stores that do not accept them in my area that I wish they did are

BIG LOTS
SAMS CLUB
SALVAGE BARN

*********they opt out because it would take employee hours to sort and send them in, plus coupon fraud etc they state that they do not make enough profit to warrent this....... I do not shop at these stores often because of this for groceries and health & beauty products, I can get a better deal else-where on most items! These stores are not WRONG for what they do, just are not condusive to my needs.

There is such thing as COUPON FRAUD and some stores are saying they are not accepting internet coupons due to this.

There are articles on the net about this situation and one site that sends letters to the stores asking them NOT to accept the coupons from the net. The following is an article about WHY stores choose not to accept internet coupons http://www.ag.state.ar.us/consumer/ca199.htm

The following article talks about the MONEY LOST per year due to ALL COUPON FRAUD http://www.jsonline.com/news/gen/feb03/121476.asp

The following url is an info site about Coupons & Coupon Fraud, they prosecute people who misuse and abuse coupons....... they ALSO send out faxes to store headquarters about Internet Coupon issues. http://www.cents-off.com/faq.htm

NOW YOU CAN SEE WHY THIS IS A CONCERN FOR COMPANIES and WHY some are choosing NOT to be involved! Coupon FRAUD is not limited to INTERNET but is ACROSS THE BOARD! ALL of the coupon activity is open to the ABUSE that occurs, THIS IS WHY FREELANCEBYU.COM ACTIVILY FIGHTS and TALKS AGAINST abuse and misuse of offers by companies, WE WANT THE SAVINGS TO CONTINUE AND BE HELPFUL not hurtful to the companies!

NOW THAT WE KNOW WHY, lets work on how we can CHANGE THAT!

HERE is a recent article about coupon usage and the GROWING USE OF INTERNET COUPONS! "COUPON CLICKERS" THIS IS ENCOURAGING! http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1003631

There are MANY STORES (MOST OF THEM) that have their own WEBSITES (why? because they know that the internet is powerful and helpful to the consumers, CONSUMERS are what keeps them in business!)

MY LOCAL GROCERY AND PROBABLY YOURS TOO...... At FOOD LION (my local) there is ADS on their RADIO in the store that tells the consumers to go to SMARTSOURCE.COM for coupons, in addition they send out THEIR OWN internet coupons! NOW if your store participates in these practices (advertising on the net, online newsletter, ads about online coupons coming from speakers in their stores etc etc) HOW CAN THEY NOT ACCEPT WHAT THEY ARE PART OF?

KROGER & FRIENDS also have internet sites, and they also participate in UPONS (internet coupons) www.upons.com ALL of their stores are listed here, and SHOULD ACCEPT THE FORM OF ADVERTISING THAT THEY, THEMSELVES pay to promote!

MOST of the larger companies utilize the growing internet coupon resources to cut their own expenses! AFTER ALL they are providing the savings, but NOT PAYING for printing, paper and distribution! THIS IS A GREAT SAVINGS TO THEM when we print out our own coupons and seek them on the net, so this is the WAVE OF THE FUTURE, WHY SHOULDNT IT BE, same results , same savings to the consumer, LESS COST to the manufacturer! NOW..................

HERE IS A STORE NOT IN MY AREA THAT IS ROCKING WITH COUPONS ON THE CUTTING EDGE! YEA BABY!

http://www.morningnewsbeat.com/archives/2002/10/25.html

PublixDirect To Begin Accepting Coupons PublixDirect, the online arm of Publix Super Markets, announced that it will begin accepting manufacturer coupons from consumers shopping over the Internet.

The service, which launched in 2001 and says it has now made 200,000 deliveries, said it was responding to consumer demand in making the change. It had hoped to wait to accept coupons until online coupons became a currency of choice, but consumers forced the retailer's hand.

PublixDirect personnel collect the coupons while making deliveries, with the value credited to their account for their next online purchase.

KC's View: Granted, taking paper coupons at this point in the development of e-grocery services can be cumbersome. Let's call it what it is: a pain in the…neck.

But it seems to us that to not accept coupons is to make a strategic error, because it creates a differential disadvantage for such services. The whole point of online grocery shopping, it seems to us, is not to separate it from the brick-and-mortar experience, but rather to make it just another avenue through which to do regular shopping. It works when it is considered mainstream and integrated, not when it is separated by different policies.

DO A SEARCH for your local store (use one of the contest search engines when you do, who knows maybe you will win something while doing your research, check out the WINNING section of our FORUM and you will see that I have won LOTZ from using this method! YESTERDAY I won $35 in Gift Certificates doing this!)

put in your store name that does not accept internet coupons if you chose WALMART you will see that they do not run weekly ads on the internet for groceries that I can find and have a policy NOT to take internet coupons, I am not sure there is anything we can do about WALMART (it is non-union and appears to have pull in many ways, including the ability to be successful JUST BECAUSE and not because it offers excellent customer service or the best prices) the best thing that walmart does is MEET COMPETITORS PRICING so that you can get all of the sale prices in one place, but the aggrevation of dealing with walmart is not worth it to me. IF THIS IS THE ONLY LOCAL STORE YOU HAVE GO FOR IT....... otherwise my suggestion is CHOOSE ANOTHER STORE!

NOW that you have found your store ONLINE and their weekly ads etc, find out their WRITTEN POLICY ABOUT COUPONS, does it specifically say NO INTERNET COUPONS? DO THEY SEND OUT INTERNET COUPONS THEMSELVES? DO they allow advertisers to talk about their internet coupons ? BETTY CROCKER, PILLSBURY, SMARTSOURCE, UPONS etc.......... if they do this needs to be brought to their attention! NOW!

I have included all of my stores that accept internet coupons without question and a copy of the inquiry I sent the ONLY time I have had issue with internet coupons and the POSITIVE response I rec'vd as well. I have also written and included a more updated FORM LETTER that you can feel free to use below it............please change the XXXXXX'S to reflect your own personal information when using this letter..........hopefully this letter will be effective and will help change the companies mind about their current policies......if not, what did it hurt to try? FEEL FREE to use any of the resources I have mentioned ANYWHERE in this letter in your own letter as well..... my form letter is just an EXAMPLE .......... YOU CAN WRITE YOUR OWN!

HERE ARE THE STORES IN MY LOCAL AREA THAT HAVE ACCEPTED INTERNET COUPONS from me:

Dollar General
IGA
Food Lion
Walgreens
CVS
Kroger
Rite Aid
Eckerds
Ukrops

I have had one issue with denial of a coupon at DOLLAR GENERAL, a quick note to the company confirms they DO accept the coupons and they would "fix" the issue. Here is the corrospondance:

MY LETTER TO DOLLAR GENERAL CUSTOMER SERVICE was sent through PLANET FEEDBACK http://www.planetfeedback.com

I sent my daughter to the store with $1.00 coupon that was sent to me by GENERAL MILLS via email for their LUCKY CHARMS cereal... she attempted to use it at your store and was told that they could not accept coupons that were printed out as it appeared "copied" this coupon was completely valid and SCANNED just fine on your register. My daughter was HORRIFIED and EMBARRASSED by this experience. We frequently shop at your store because ofconvenience (area wise) even though we would prefer a credit card accepting store which is just a few minutes down the road that I redeemed this VERY SAME COUPON with the same day , with a SMILE AND A THANK YOU! with the growing use of internet service around the globe you would think that most stores would rise to the growing technology and accept VALID MANUFACTURER COUPONS from the internet. If this is not rectified my family will not mind a bit going 2 more minutes away from home to spend our dollars.

THEIR RESPONSE:
Thank you for your e-mail.

At Dollar General, we place a premium on customer service. Please be assured that the situation in Powhatan will be immediately investigated and addressed. Your e-mail has provided us with an opportunity to adhere to our mission - serving others - and we sincerely appreciate that. We apologize for how this experience made you feel and welcome any opportunity we have to serve you in the future. You are a valued customer here at Dollar General.

WE DO ACCEPT COUPONS, INCLUDING INTERNET COUPONS and the problem will be addressed immediately

Kind regards,
Crystal Cantrell
Customer Correspondence Representative,
Customer Relations

FORM LETTER
***I have had success using www.planetfeedback.com and do suggest you use that venue to make sure that the letter goes to the RIGHT PERSON and is getting viewed PUBLICLY ......

TO: XYZ GROCERY OR DRUGSTORE
FROM: YOU THE CONSUMER

I have been a customer of yours for (XXXX amount of time) and like your store for the following reasons
XXXXX
YYYYY
ZZZZZZ

I have recently visited your store, to buy several items and this included XXXXXX product. I presented the cashier with a coupon for this proudct from XXXXX manufacturor who in good faith is promoting their products on the internet and offering a savings to their loyal internet consumers. THIS WAS MY EXPERIENCE: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

THE INTERNET and PROMOTIONS on the internet are the wave of the present and the future. It is shocking that a company such as yours, believes in the power of the internet, which is evident in your own use of this tool, yet does not allow me to take advantage of its resources! here is your own internet site www.XXXXX.com (example www.foodlion.com)

here is your own use of internet coupons www.XXXXX.com (example: www.upons.com )

here is an example of a product you promote that offers online coupons www.XXXXX.com (example bettycrocker.com)

With the growing use of the internet (almost everyone these days has online access) it is surprising and disappointing that I was denied this right to use these savings in your store from LEGITIMATE RESOURCES!

I understand that you may be concerned about "fraud" with this type of coupon, but did you know that there is fraud with all types of coupons, not just the internet coupon? Are you aware that fraud occurs in every company and that you can deduct your losses from your gains on your taxes? AND I BELIEVE that if you accept ALL coupons your gains will INCREASE because you will have more customers ! READ THIS ARTICLE FOR REFERENCE http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?1003631

THANK YOU for reading my letter, it is my hope that you will DISCONTINUE this practice which is both ARCHAIC and DISAPPOINTING to the TECHY SAVVY SHOPPERS That would love to continue being your customer if this change occurs!

PLEASE KEEP MY INFORMATION and LET ME KNOW when and if you are changing your policy to reflect the wave of the FUTURE and ENCOURAGING internet customers to frequent your stores.

SINCERELY
XXXXXXX (your name)
XXXXX@EMAIL.com (your email address)

XXXXX *PHONE #

XXXXXXXXXX (ADDRESS)
XXXXXXXXXXXXX
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Learn to Live Lavishly For Less without compromising your Lifestyle with SAVINGS SPECIALIST, ANGELA HRESAN-HENLEY featured on the TODAY SHOW and Many National Publications http://www.freelancebyu.com