Mom Loves Deals

The Secret to Being an Extreme Couponer

Do you watch TLC’s Extreme Couponing show? Do you wonder how you can do the same type of saving for your own family? Then get into the savings game by learning the big secret to being an extreme couponer.

If you want to be able to save the greatest amount of money, then you must buy things when they are at their lowest prices. That means you need to keep track of grocery store prices on things. Alternatively, you can learn to use a couponing website to help keep track of sale prices on items that you like to buy.

Another big thing to know when it comes to extreme couponing is stacking various coupons and deals. Sure, saving $2 on Tide detergent with a manufacturer coupon is great. However, if you can find a $1 store coupon for Tide detergent to stack with it, that is even better. Combining two such coupons together will be able to save you $3 on your Tide detergent. If you are able to find such discounts on all of your groceries and cleaning supplies, you will be able to save an enormous amount of money. If you do this for all of your shopping trips, you can start proclaiming yourself as an extreme couponer.

What if you don’t have time to figure out which coupons to stack together? Can you still be an extreme couponer if you do not have a lot of free time? You can, if you subscribe to a couponing website.

Simple Way to Organize Coupons

If you are a mom who loves deals, then chances are good that you have a lot of coupons hanging around your house. As the collection of coupons start to build, it will inevitably begin to take up a lot of space in your purse—or perhaps even your whole house. That can cause things to look a little chaotic for you. So how do you stop the coupon collection from spilling all over the place? You find a way to organize them efficiently.

What is a good way to organize coupons? For people who are still new to couponing, simplicity is best. That is because at this stage in your couponing career, you are still in need of devoting time and energy to getting the hang of things. A couponing system that is too complicated might overwhelm you to the point where you might just give up on couponing altogether—and we definitely don’t want that to happen.

At the earlier stage of your couponing, you are still trying to build up your coupon collection. That means your stockpile probably is not so large that it requires a big coupon organizer. You can still get away with using compact ones.

Many stores have coupon wallets for sale. These coupon wallets look like an accordion when you open them up. The different slots are there for you to easily separate your different types of coupons. And do you know what is really great about these coupon wallets? You can usually get one for just a few bucks!

Lose Weight for Less

"Everyone knows the way to weight loss. It is eating less and moving more."

As a nation, we are all getting fatter. That is why losing weight is a priority for many of us. However, losing weight can be costly at times. Therefore, it can feel challenging for those on a budget to drop a few pounds. Luckily, there are ways around it.

So how do you lose weight without spending a lot of money in the process? The solution is actually pretty simple. Just look for workouts that cost next to nothing.

Everyone knows the way to weight loss. It is eating less and moving more. Exercise does not have to be in the form of a gym membership. Even the most basic gym membership cost at least $10 a month. That totals to $120 a year. That might not be an extremely large sum of money, but when you are trying to stick to a budget, every bit counts.

So can you really get in shape for less than $120 a year? Of course you can. Walking, jogging, and running are all great for losing weight. You can burn plenty of calories when participating in such activities. Plus you can just go outside to do those things. No need to pay for the usage of any facility. Just buy the proper pair of shoes, and you are all set to go.

What about rainy days? Should you skip your walk, jog, or run because of the weather? No, there isn’t a reason to skip. Just move your workout indoors by going for a brisk walk at the mall. Try going in the morning, when there is not a lot of people.

Save Money At The Grocery Store

Loss Leaders, Stocking up, Coupons, and Meal Plans all do their part to save you money.

With prices rising everyday, it can be a challenge to feed your family nutritious food without breaking the bank. Going to the grocery stores can be expensive, but there are many ways to find good deals and save a lot of money. Next time you go to the store try using some of these tips in order to fill your cart without emptying your wallet.

Buy Loss Leaders

Each week grocery stores offer several items at a steep discount. They are usually advertised on the front page of the store's weekly circular, and are often staple items that many people need on a regular basis.

Use Coupons Effectively

To harness the true savings power of coupons they must be used properly. A product should never be bought just because a coupon is available. The best method for using coupons is to combine coupons with items that are on sale for the greatest savings.

Stock Up

When chicken is at a rock-bottom price, or you have coupons making it possible to purchase shampoo for pennies on the dollar, stock up on those items. Buying multiples of items that you use regularly will prevent you from having to purchase that item next week when the item is no longer on sale.

Meal Plan

Making a list of all the meals you plan to serve saves you time, and money. Look at the weekly ads from your grocery store and plan meals based on what is on sale. Make a list of items that you need to buy, and stick to the list while shopping. Having a list will prevent you from buying unnecessary items, and with all of the ingredients you need at home you won't have to make any stops at the grocery store throughout the week.

Where to Find the Best Printable Coupons

Some people do not know how many great printable coupons can be found on the Internet. It is best to look at these coupon websites at least once a month, as most of them change their available coupons every month. Once you print off any Internet coupon, it normally expires in about a month, so do not print one off until you know that you will be using it soon. This also keeps you from wasting printer ink and computer paper. Here are some of my favorite websites for finding great printable coupons:

1. Coupons.com. This website has coupons for everything from groceries to cleaning supplies. Offers rotate monthly. There is a limit of two prints per coupon.

2. Thecouponnetwork.com. This site has not only printable coupons, but it also informs you of the upcoming Catalina deals at your local grocery stores and drugstores. For those who do not know what a Catalina deal is, here is a quick description: Basically, a Catalina deal requires you to purchase a certain number of a specific item. They must all be purchased in a single transaction. If you purchase the specified number of the particular item, the cash register Catalina machine will spit out a coupon for a certain dollar amount off your next order. Therefore, a Catalina is a coupon reward that you receive after you purchase an item or several items.

3. Printablecouponspot.com. The owner of this website scours the internet for any and all printable coupons. This site often has links to coupons that are found directly on a product's website. This website makes coupon hunting much more convenient than actually having to go to a product's website to see if there is currently a coupon available.

Start perusing these websites on a regular basis, and you are bound to become a printable coupon addict like me! Be sure to print in black-and-white, so that you do not waste your colored ink. You are trying to save money, after all!

Save Money On Clothes For Your Family

Clothing can be a large part of a family's budget, but there are ways to cut the costs. Whether its clothes for yourself, or clothes for your husband and kids, there is no reason to pay retail! Incorporating a few methods into your clothing shopping can add up to huge savings.

1.) Shop 'end of season' sales- Most stores mark down clothes toward the end of a shopping season to make room for next season's styles. In some cases winter clothes can go on sale in January (when there is still a lot of cold weather to endure), and summer clothes can be clearanced in July- these sales usually equal big discounts. Buy clothes for the second half of a season, or purchase clothes a size bigger so your kids have the clothes they need for the following year.

2.) Check out second hand stores in your area- do not count out thrift stores for quality clothing at a low price. It may take some time to comb through all the racks, but great clothes can be found at a huge discount compared to new clothing. In many cases the clothes are gently used, and it is not uncommon to find brand new clothes every once in a while.

3.) Use coupons and promo codes- Check your mailbox and the Sunday newspapers; department stores often offer coupons that can be used for either a percentage or dollar amount off of your purchase. In some cases these coupons can be used on sale items for an even better deal. When shopping online, also search for a promo code which can yield you extra savings.

Don't Forget Dollar Stores for Great Savings

Many of us spend so much time stalking the weekly sales ads and the latest coupons that we forget about the deals that are there when we need them with no sale required. There have been so many times when I visited the local dollar store and saw many items that I had recently purchased for a higher price elsewhere. I just simply forget to look at the dollar store first and end up literally paying the price for it! Here are some items that you can find great savings on at local dollar stores:

1. Holiday Decorations. This is one type of item that dollar stores stock in great abundance. No matter what the next holiday may be, dollar stores seem to start stocking items for that holiday months in advance. I saved at least $50 or not more this past Christmas by purchasing all of my decorations at the dollar store. My local store also had great Halloween items and is now already stocking Valentine's Day items. Many even carry $1 birthday cards that compare to the cards that you find for 3 or 4 dollars elsewhere.

2. Toiletries. The dollar store near me has more body washes, shampoos and lotions than you could ever imagine. They often have knock-offs of popular brands that compare greatly to the original brand and also discontinued name brand items. They also carry hairbrushes, cosmetics that were mislabeled, toothpaste, deodorant and many other toiletry items.

3. OTC Medications and Vitamins. My best recent find at my local dollar store was a package of 14 generic Zyrtec for $1! Zyrtec is very expensive and even the local Wal-mart sold the generic version for $5 for 14 pills. They also sell generic versions of Tylenol and other pain relievers, antacids and many other health products. Check out their selection before you visit even the other discount stores.

How To Save Money on Diapers

One of the greatest ongoing expenses the first few years of a child's life are disposable diapers. Cloth diapers can be a less expensive option in the long run, but many parents do not want to deal with the mess and the extra laundry that come with them. The retail price of a pack of diapers is high, but there is no reason to ever have to pay full price. With a little bit of effort it is easy to reduce the amount of money you spend each month on diapers.

Coupons can be one of the greatest money savers when it comes to saving money on diapers. Diaper coupons can be found in many different places- they come in the Sunday newspaper, they can be printed online, and if you register with different diaper companies they will often mail high value diaper coupons to your house. For the greatest savings, coupons should be used to make a purchase when the diapers are on sale.

Buying store brand diapers can greatly cut your diaper expenses. Some moms are loyal to one type of brand-name diapers, but there are a number of quality store brand diapers on the market that cost a fraction of what is charged for the brand-names. If you are wary of buying store brand diapers, just try out one pack (bought on sale!) for day time use.

The internet has changed the way that we shop, and it is a great place to look for diaper deals. There are many online retailers that sell diapers at a low price, and they will deliver them right to your door. When making a purchase at an online site always do a quick internet search to see if there are any promotional codes available that you can use to lower your diaper costs even more.

Tips for Obtaining More Great Coupons Than You Ever Imagined

If you are using coupons to obtain great deals at the supermarkets and drugstores, then you know that it is best to purchase more than one of an item that you use regularly and is at a great price. Many people take the one coupon that is included in their Sunday newspaper or that they find in their mailbox and only purchase one item at a bargain price. Although this is better than nothing, why not purchase 20 very low-priced items instead? Here are some tips for obtaining additional coupons to help you get more mileage out of those rock-bottom deals:

1. Tell all of your friends, family and neighbors to send coupons your way. You may be surprised at how many of these people do not even look at their Sunday coupons. They may be tossed directly into the trash. Ask for these coupons and you may be surprised at how many end up on your doorstep.

2. Think about the bottom line before you purchase an extra newspaper just for the coupons. Many people purchase extra newspapers so that they can have double or triple the Sunday coupons, but this may be counterproductive if the cost of the newspaper is over the cost of the savings of the coupons in it that you will actually use. If you purchase one newspaper and there are many great coupons that will result in saving at least five or six dollars off the items that you regularly purchase, then go ahead and buy extra newspapers. Do not purchase ten newspapers before you even look at the coupons, though. It may end up being a slow coupon week and you may have just spent more than you will end up saving.

3. Use coupon clipping websites or purchase coupons on eBay. Just do an Internet search for "coupon clippers" and you will find many websites that clip coupons and sell them to you for 8 or 10 cents a piece. You can also find coupons for auction on eBay that are typically sold in lots of 10 or 20. If you pay 8 cents for a coupon that saves you a dollar or more, you still end up with a great deal.

How to Use CVS and Walgreens Rewards for the Best Deals

Here are some tips for taking advantage of these deals.

You may have noticed that both CVS and Walgreens drugstores have their own versions of a "reward dollars" program. CVS calls theirs "Extra Bucks" and Walgreens calls their reward dollars "Register Rewards." Many see the extra buck and register reward deals in the ads for the stores, and are a little confused about how they work. Others know how they work, but would like to know how to utilize them properly to get the most savings on an advertised item. Here are some tips for taking advantage of these deals:

1. Register rewards from Walgreens can be used to purchase another item that produces more register rewards. The only problem is if you use the reward from the first deal on a product that is made by the same company that issued the original reward. In this case, you the cash register would not produce another reward credit for you. If you would like to keep recycling your rewards credit, you need to use your original reward to help pay for a product from a completely different company that also offers a reward. You can then use the reward produced by the second item to purchase another of the first, if you would like to. It is a bit confusing at first, but you will get the hang of it in no time.

2. CVS does not have this restriction, so you can keep "rolling" your extra bucks repeatedly on the same product if you find a product that you would like several of. The only thing to watch out for is the limits imposed on these items. CVS often limits extra buck deals to one or two per CVS loyalty card, although sometimes the limit is higher. Check the sales ad for the limit per card for each extra buck deal.

3. You can use a register reward or extra buck reward and a coupon on the same product. This can result in a wonderful deal on a product. Just make sure that what you purchase with your rewards exceeds the reward dollars, because you will not get cash back.

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