FREEBIES, FREEBIES, FREEBIES!!!

I have gotten many requests and questions about freebies. The very first thing you need to know is NEVER click on some site that "claims" you will receive free items. If the site takes you through a dozen splash pages and asks you to choose a magazine subscription, free credit reports,or taking surveys online, it is a way for those sites to have get permission to spam and call you relentlessly. Through the next week I will be featuring sites where I have scored some great freebies, my favorite being a four pack of sugar free Red Bull and full size at that!

Check out this site http://www.iheartfreebies.com/
This is one of the first sites that I discovered and have gotten everything from free underware to an Atkins diet program candy bars (they where absolutely delish!) This site keeps all the freebies up to date, so hurry up and claim that free stuff, including free perfume and fast food treats! Please remember to NOT click on the ads in the side bars and top bars of the site...stay within the freebies of the actual site :)

Spreadsheets and Savings Tracker

If you are someone who watches Extreme Couponing on Wednesday on TLC, you may have noticed that most of the shoppers say they use a spreadsheet to keep track of their coupons, savings, rebates, and freebies. I just found this great site that has a 2011 savings spreadsheet. I know it's near the end of the year, but she does update her site and tools often.

Spreadsheets are one of the best ways to see your savings and keep track of your progress throughout the year. Yes, you can write it all down in your coupon binder, but what a great way to compare your couponing progress from month to month. This download is free so, start printing and keep on organizing...instead of becoming a Queen of Couponing, you can become a Coupon Diva before you know it!
http://thecouponproject.com/2010/12/savings-tracker-2011-for-excel-and-google-docs.html

Organization and Other Tid Bits I've Learned...

I have yet to embark on a serious extreme couponing venture. To tell you the truth, I really am scared to do it. The key to any couponers success as many of you may have guessed, is organization. Whether you are using the small accordian coupon holders, a binder or even a plain old envelope, being organized with your coupons, having your list, coupon policy, and map of the store are all great ways to keep your shoppin trip running smoothly. I cannot stress enough to check the store you are going to be shopping at, for changes in their coupon policies. Keep them them with you, because as shoppers are starting to coupon more, stores are changing their policies.

Another reason why I haven't done a huge couponing trip is that I have a huge stockpile of coupons and I am running out of room in my medium accordian enveloped. I just ordered a "pro" coupon binder with 100 sleeves on Ebay for $15. There are a lot of different styles of binders and sleeves to choose from on there, so shop around and find what's best for you.

One thing that I have run into with some of the internet store coupons is that sometimes they don't scan. I think I have found a solution...make sure your ink in your printer is fresh and dark. The scanners will not pick up the barcode if just one line is off, too light or smugged.

One of the neatest things I have discovered about using your smart phone scanner is, that some commercials have the barcode on the screen of the TV. If you have a DVR, you can paused the commerical and then scan the coupon code to your smart phone and there you have another way to save and in some cases another way to "stack" for even greater discounts. I haven't tried the scanning on my smart phone because I just got it, so when I do, I will be sure to let everyone know how it goes. the barcode looks like this

You can also find these barcodes on almost any insert coupon and on some merchandise. It can be like a game finding different places that they show up. So, keep your eye out for them and of course, find out for sure where this great piece of technology can be used. :)


The last thing many people don't think of are rainchecks. A raincheck is an assurance to a customer that an item on sale that is sold out or out of stock may be purchased later at the sale price. People seemed to have forgotten this long time practice of retailers. I can remember that my mother always asked for a raincheck when an item was out of stock. I very rarely see anyone asking for them, but the way to big savings is to cover all your bases.

Happy Couponing!!! And please feel free to leave comments and any questions you may have.

Family Dollar Match-ups and Deals Through 11/27/11

I found this great site while making my spreadsheet for a shopping trip to Family Dollar. I love it when these nice people do the work and all we have to do is print, clip and SAVE! http://theqtippingmom.com/category/family-dollar/

This site also shows how to "stack" your coupons at FD. Stacking is using a store coupon or internet coupon with a manufacturer coupon, which sometimes results in practically free items. FYI...do not try to photocopy or duplicate and internet coupons.

I know that in previous posts I stated to join as many coupon groups as possible on Facebook not thinking that there are some people who do not have a Facebook account. It's easier for me to post the links instead of trying to keep up with the ever changing deals and sales.

http://coupon-wizards.com/

http://www.supercouponlady.com/

http://www.couponcabin.com/?fromKey=coupon+cabin

Some of these sites are offering webinars where they will show you in real time how to use your coupons in the most effcient way. In case anyone misses them, there will be other ones out there and I will be posting them as well.

Load Up Your MVP Cards!

Did you know that you can load up you MVP cards with e-coupons? No clipping, no sorting, just load them onto you card from your computer, go to the store, buy the items, get savings right at the register!! How simple is that? Here is the site where you can load your card http://www.foodlion.com/Savings/Coupons

So many Questions!

I am amazed at the questions and the yearning about what people want to know about couponing, internet sales, and free or money maker items. It just goes to show how our slow economy has affected everyone and people are out looking for the best deals they can find.

One question I got on Facebook was "how did I find Amazon auctions?" Well, like I stated in an earlier post, if you have a Facebook account join every couponing page or group on there. If you don't have a Facebook account, then I will post a few so you can get an idea. There are so many coupon sites to mention, but just type in "coupon", "frugal" or "saving money" in your search engine bar and they will pop up. I have several adds here on my blog, also that you can click on to to help you out. I have to say that Super Coupon Lady is my favorite site right now.

http://www.supercouponlady.com/

http://coupon-wizards.com/

Let's Talk About Deals for the Holidays

There less than two months until Christmas....pretty scary, huh? In the past few years I have really done well finding deals on the internet. One of my favorite places to shop in www.amazon.com This week I bought a 15 inch Puppy Pillow Pet for my grandson for $1.99. They are originally around $18.00 in the stores. I not only saved by buying the gift at a great low price, I also saved by not using gas! Until recent years Black Friday was a huge tradition in our family, but with the price of gas skyrocketing and the complete desperation of people trying to save on the biggest shopping day of the year, the fun has been taken out of our tradition, so we have turned to the internet deals.

Cyber Monday is the Monday after Black Friday and that is our new family tradition. Sometimes they post their deals early and then lower them as the day approaches. I love to get on the net at midnight and try to beat everyone to the deals. The National Retail Federation reports that 100 million people shop on Cyber Monday and it projects that at least 10 million more shoppers will join the rising total. It's quickly catching up with Black Friday which the NRF reports that 128 million people shop on that day. Here is a link to the Cyber Mondays Deals http://www.cybermonday2011.com/

Super Coupon Lady is one of my favorite sites to find the best Christmas and everyday coupon "money makers" or items that you can get for free go to http://www.supercouponlady.com/ Make sure you check EVERYDAY as she does all the leg work for you, such as put up the links for coupons, free items and internet deals almost daily. I have my grandson's Christmas shopping almost all done by using the deals that she posts.