How to Save on Utilities
By Tracie @ Penny Pinchin’ Mama

“It is simple enough to find ways to save on the items you purchase at retailers such as grocery stores and drug stores.  Did you know you can even save on your utilities?  By making a few changes to your lifestyle, you can easily reign in some extra money at the end of the month.

TELEPHONE

The next time you get your telephone bill, take a look at the services you are paying for vs. what you are using.  If you pay for items such as call forwarding, voice mail, 3 way calling, analyze if you are using them or not.  If not, cut that from your bill.  Many times, these services are already included in your basic, plan, but some companies still charge extra.

You can also eliminate your telephone bill by shutting down your land line.  This is becoming more and more common place for families.  You are already paying for the cell phone service, so why pay for two different phone numbers?  This may not be an option for your and your family, but one you might want to seriously consider if you need to shave some money out of your budget.

AIR CONDITIONING / ELECTRICITY

As summer is knocking on our doors (and actually already here for many), the air conditioning units are going to get a work-out.  There are a few ways to save on your energy bill this summer.

Did you know that appliances still draw electricity when they are not in use?  If you unplug that lamp or TV when you are not using them you can cut down on your utility bill.  We actually have a power strip that shuts down our TV, satellite dish and Bly-ray player when the TV is off.  So none of those draws juice when not in use.   Something as simple as leaving the television on when you are not in the room is wasting you (and the environment) precious electricity, which equals money.  Just get into the habit of shutting everything of when you leave the room, you can begin to save money.

Adjust your thermostat.  When you are not home, turn your thermostat up.  The easiest way to do this is through a through the use of a programmable thermostat.  These can be set to increase the temperature inside of your home during the day and then can be lowered around the time you will be getting home at night.  In addition, when your thermostat is adjusted so it is not requiring as much electricity, your other appliances do not work as hard to get the juice they need in order to run.  Be sure to start your unit’s cool down earlier in the afternoon so as to not compete with others around 5:00 p.m., which is when usage is normally hitting it’s peak.

HEATING

I realize that it is nearly summer, but you can save on your heating bill this coming winter.

Once again, adjust your thermostat.  Just as we do in the summertime, lowering your thermostat to be 5 – 10 degrees cooler at night can save as much as 5 – 10% off of your utility bill.  Once again, a programmable thermostat can help you easily accomplish this.  Just change your settings once  fall/winter comes.  Oh – and to keep warm -  throw on a sweater or toss an extra blanket on the bed to help keep yourself nice and warm.

WATER

It is amazing how much money can be lost through the use of water.  There are some easy ways you can save here as well.

When summer brings it’s sweltering heat, we all see our plants and yard suffering.  While having a gorgeous green lawn is wonderful (I love mine too), a little brown won’t hurt.  So, don’t spend hours watering your yard.  If you have a sprinkler system, be sure that it first of all has a rain sensor and doesn’t kick on when you’ve recently received moisture.  Secondly, be sure you do not water more than once or twice  week and for a short period of time – if not at all.

The most important thing to keep in mind about watering is do NOT water in the heat of the sun.  Water in the very early morning (5:00 am if you can) as your precious water will not evaporate away.   I’ll admit that by mid-July, a lot of my plants start to look a little wilted, so I will put some water on them from time to time, but it is certainly NOT a daily occurrence.

Turn off the water when not in use.  This may sound simple, but do you leave the water running when you brush your teeth?  Why not shut it off when you are brushing and not actually rinsing?  Do you need to spend 10 minutes taking a shower?  Why not try to shave off 5 minutes from your shower time and see how much water you can save.

Be sure to check for any leaky faucets or toilets in your home.  It may not seem like much water loss, but it doesn’t take much to create a gallon of wasted water, which is money your are pouring down your drain (literally).  The cost for a new faucet will outweigh the cost of your wasted water.

CABLE / SATTELLITE

It is really good to compare your current plant to a competitor’s plan.  Many times,  you can get some great sign-on rebates when you switch, which is nice.  However, you need to take a look at company reviews and the plans they offer.

Sure, it would be great to have every channel the company offers or most of your channels in Hi-def — but check the prices. Do you watch enough of those channels to warrant the additional cost?  One way to check this is to see if you could rent the movie through on-demand or another rental service vs. the cost of what you pay/watch.  Just by dropping to a lower tier of television channels, you can knock some money off of your bill.  Does watching the evening news in Hi-Def really matter?  Maybe you can live without Hi-Def broadcasting as well, which can save you cash as well.

I am absolutely not advising everyone to follow every step I listed here.  Just take a look through this list and make the changes that work for your family.  If there isn’t anything I can’t stand it is the rising cost of utilities, so I just do what I need to do, in order to try to stay ahead of the game.”

Tracie has helped her family eradicate over $37,000 in debt in 27 months.
She shares her money saving tips and deals at Penny Pinchin Mom. She lives
in Missouri with her husband and 3 young children.

How to Make Liquid Soap Out of Bar Soap

By Mary @ Couponers United

Supplies needed: 1 bar of soap, pan, grater, 2 cups of water

Grate the bar of soap into pan

Add 2 cups of water and melt over medium heat

allow to cool..you can fill two to three handsoap dispensers

The Key to Stocking Up

By Sara @ A Thrifty Mama

“I always tell people that when you coupon, you need to re-learn how to shop.  Most of us make a list of things we need, go to the store and buy what is on the list.  When you shop like this you are forced to pay the price the store has them marked.   If you need that item,  you do not really have much choice but to pay what the store is asking for that item.

One of the keys to being a successful coupon shopper is to learn to stock up on items your family needs at there lowest price point. Stock up when you  find the perfect sale, that pairs with a great coupon, many times you are able to get that item free or pennies on the dollar.

Instead of buying one jar of peanut butter, go ahead and buy 6. You can now take those 6 jars of peanut butter home, put them in your pantry.  Your pantry will soon be filled with items that you bought at their lowest price point.  You now have the freedom to not buy peanut butter again till it is at a price you are willing to pay.

This is why having multiple coupons is such an import key to saving money.  If peanut butter comes on sale for $1.00 a jar and you have a .75 cent off coupon, you are able to get that jar for only .25 cents.  But that one jar will not last very long, so in a few weeks you will need to buy it again at regular price.  If you have 6 coupons them you are able to buy 6 jars, at their lowest price point.  For the same price it will cost you for one jar at regular retail price.

I am very busy and I do not have time to run to the store for one jar at a good price, but if I can get 6 jars at a good price then it is worth my time.“

What the Bible Says About Couponing

By Jennie @ Bargain Blessings

“In response to some great e-mails that we’ve received from some of our readers, we are starting a Couponing 101 post series. You will be able to reference back to these posts in the Couponing 101 in the Information Center.

The Bible talks a lot about money and how we are to view and use it. Here are some of my favorites:

• Matthew 6:31-32 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat’ or ‘What will we drink ‘ or ‘What will we wear for clothing ‘ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
• Philippians 4:11-13 For I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances may be. I know now how to live when things are difficult and I know how to live when things are prosperous. In general and in particular I have learned the secret of eating well or going hungry of facing either plenty of poverty. I am ready for anything through the strength of the One who lives within me.
• Proverbs 27:12 A sensible man watches for problems ahead and prepares to meet them. The simpleton never looks, and suffers the consequences.
• Proverbs 24:3-4 Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms shall be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
• Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have.
• 2 Corinthians 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything; you may have an abundance for every good deed”

“When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, I started making all these elaborate plans about a fantastic trip to Disney World when she was old enough to enjoy it. Then I saw the price tag of a Disney vacation and compared our finances and those dreams diminished. There was no way we could afford a Disney vacation with our current budget.

It wasn’t long after my daughter was born that I discovered coupon shopping. But I only used a coupon here or there. I had no idea the amount I could of saved. In January 2008 my New Years resolution was to become more adamant about using coupons. I started learning everything I could about saving money. I learned how to combine coupons and sales, how to stockpile and how to save my family thousands of dollars a year.

I was a smart shopper for over a year before I realized we could now afford a Disney vacation. So I started planning and by May 2009, we were at Disney World. We had 8 wonderful, magical days at the parks and it was everything I had dreamed of and more.

When we returned home, we decided we wanted to do it again but we have other things we need to spend our budget on. So we had to find another source for the funds. It was going to be tricky because I was already saving thousands of dollars a year with coupons. If we didn’t want to feel the pinch, I was going to have to get resourceful.

So I started looking around online trying to figure out how I could save this money without designating any of our budget towards our trip. I had a little less then a year to save.

The first and most obvious way to me was to start saving all our loose change. I designate $150 a week for groceries, out to eat, entertainment, etc etc. (that $150 covers everything that is not gas or monthly bills). So instead of using that amount out of our checking account, I decided to withdraw it in cash instead. So when I  shop, I use cash and I always break my dollars. The change goes into the Disney fund. It usually averages out
to about $10 a week. That’s $520 a year! That’s 1/5th of the cost of our trip and we don’t miss that money at all.

Out of that money, I also save anything that is left over at the end of the week. This inspires us to eat out less and not buy items we don’t need. Also, if we were planning to spend money and we were able to resist, that money goes into the fund as well because it would of been spent otherwise.

Another great way I found to add to our Disney fund was to save all found money. Found money can be anything from $1 in the dryer to an unexpected gift from a relative. It could also be money earned off a yard sale or by selling your Aunt Irma’s spoons on Ebay. If we weren’t planning on receiving the funds, they get applied to our trip.

The next way I started to save was by using rebates. Prior to saving for the fund, I was not very diligent about using every rebate available to me and there were times that I would forget to mail in my receipt and I would lose out on the rebate. So I became more dedicated and organized and in three months I earned approximately $400 in rebates.

I also found ways to earn money online. I participate in surveys and various rewards programs. It adds up over time.

I started saving for our trip on June 1st. At the end of January, our Disney fund is $2400! And not one cent has come out of our paychecks. We don’t miss the money at all. A Disney trip is not out of your reach if you just become resourceful. As the great Walt said “If you can dream it, you can do it.””

Kristin started her blog Couponing to Disney to keep track of her savings for Disney. She also teaches others how to save on their household expenses and earn extra money on the side so they too can afford something they previously thought was out of their reach.

Tracie has helped her family eradicate over $37,000 in debt in 27 months.
She shares her money saving tips and deals at Penny Pinchin Mom. She lives
in Missouri with her husband and 3 young children.

How to Make a Pinata

by Natasha Scott from Saving A Bundle.

“Have you ever wondered how to make a piñata? Let me assure you, making a piñata is really quite simple, and with a little time you can create a masterpiece! Piñatas are always a hit, and a fun activity for all ages at any party or gathering.  Follow the steps below to make your own piñata.

Before You Begin

What you will need:

• Balloon
• String
• Scissors
• Newspaper
• Flour
• Water
• Bowl to make your paste
• Hanger
• Strong Tape
• Somewhere to hang the piñata
• Decorating items of your choice (paint, crepe paper, cardboard, etc.)
• Candy, toys to fill the piñata

1. Determine how big and what kind of piñata you want to make. This will help you determine the size of balloon, how many balloons to use, how many layers you’ll need, how much candy/toys you will need to purchase, and how long it will take to make the piñata.

When I made the pumpkin piñata (see below) it was for a very large gathering of neighbors. It weighed over 40 lbs with all the candy inside! I was able to purchase a gigantic balloon, which was $0.39, from the floral department at my local grocery store.  Unless you are making a gigantic piñata a large balloon from any balloon package will work. Depending on the shape you might need two balloons to make your piñata-for example, the Hawaiian Girl.

Keep in mind each layer will take 24 hours or more to dry. If you need a very strong and sturdy piñata it could take nearly two weeks to make.

2. Collect newspapers and cut them into 2 inch by 10 inch strips. It’s a good idea to lay newspapers under the piñata-it can become messy. You can also use a plastic table cover from the dollar store, or your own vinyl picnic table cover that can wipe easily.

3. Find somewhere you can hang your piñata when you break it and make it. I use a tripod when I’m making it The tripod has a hook on the bottom and is very sturdy. You can make it on the floor but it’s very messy. If you don’t have a place to hang it use a vinyl table cloth so it didn’t stick to the newspapers. To break the piñata we use our play house, just move the swings aside. You can also use two ladders, or a clothesline.

4. Purchase candy and toys for the piñata. I like to purchase party favors as well as candy. This keeps the kiddos from eating too much candy. Using party favors also helps keep the piñata from being too heavy, if that’s a concern for you. Keep in mind if you use chocolate don’t let it get to hot or you’ll have a huge mess on your hands!

Now you’re ready to get your fingers dirty!

Make the Pinata

1. Blow up the balloon, tie a string to the top, and hang it up. Keep in mind, the shape the balloon is when you begin is the shape it will turn out to be. If you want a round pinata more than a tear shaped piñata don’t blow the balloon up so much.

2. Mix the paste. For medium sized balloons I usually use 1 1/2 cups flour. I then add water and stir, until the consistency is a medium to thick paste.

3. Take a clipped newspaper, dip it in the paste, wipe off the excess paste, then lay it on the balloon. You will want to lay them the same direction all the way around the balloon. After it dries, it takes about 24 hours, lay a second layer of newspaper clippings, this time lay them in the opposite direction. This will strengthen the piñata. If the piñata is for small children up to 6 years old, you only need to lay four layers. The more layers you add the harder it’s going to be!

4. After you have laid a minimum of two layers of newspapers, make a hook using a hanger. **If you are making a large piñata I would lay at least 3 layers before applying the hanger. It’s going to need to be extra strong to hold all the candy!**

Cut the balloon.  Cut the wire hanger in the middle of the bottom of the triangle. Using pliers bend the hanger hook down and around to make a loop as shown in the picture. This is so you can tie a string to it and it’s not going to slide off. Decide where you want the top of the piñata to be and wrap the cut hanger around the sides. You may need to clip the hanger sides shorter if you are making a small piñata. Tape the sides down with a strong tape. I have used packing tape before and it worked just find. My husband decided he wanted to use duct tape this time around.

If you are making a piñata with two balloons together this is the time to attach them together. Follow steps 1 and 2 first, then take some strong tape to attach them just enough so they will stay together as you add more layers.

5. Lay at least one more layer of newspaper. Once again, it all depends on how large you are making the piñata. If you have a double balloon piñata you will need to apply at least three more layers to hold the balloons together.

6. After the piñata is dry cut a flap near the top to fill the piñata. Cut the flap in a U shape, leaving the top uncut. When you’re finished tape it up and you’re ready to decorate!

Decorate the Piñata

Decide how you want to decorate your piñata. A few of the piñatas I’ve made are a smiley face, bowling pin, pumpkin, rainbow, Hawaiian girl, and a power ranger. You can make anything you want to, use your imagination and go for it.

Paint. The smiley face was probably the easiest. I painted two coats of yellow acrylic paint then painted the black eyes and mouth after that was dry. Very simple and cute. The bowling pin was mostly white paint with a little crepe paper around the neck. Paint is my favorite tool because it’s fast and easy!

Crepe paper. When I made the pumpkin piñata I used crepe paper sheets that I cut and then fringed. I then used Elmers glue to paste it all on. The green stem is made of cardboard and covered with green crepe paper. The eyes are also made of crepe paper. Black trash bags work really well for black too when making piñatas too.

Another way to use the crepe paper is to cut 2 by 2 inch squares, and use a pencil to wrap the squares around, dip in Elmers glue and paste on the piñata. This is what I did for the rainbow piñata. This takes a lot of time!

Cardboard. If you wanted to make a piñata with corners you can cut up a cardboard box and tape it right on. If you’ll notice on the Hawaiian Girl I used paper towel rolls for her arms.Be creative and you’ll be surprised what you can come up with.

Now you can enjoy watching your creation be demolished!”

Natasha is a busy stay-at-home mom of three boys. She enjoys educating and encouraging others to live frugally on her blog, Saving A Bundle.

Prolong the Life of Your Carpet

By Natasha @ Saving A Bundle

“Replacing carpet can be an expensive repair, luckily there are things you can do to prolong the life of your carpet. I honestly didn’t care too much when we were renting but when we moved into our house things changed. Here are a few things we do to keep our carpet around for a few more years.

Stop the Dirt from Coming In

Use Door Mats. Door mats catch a lot of dirt and grime from dirty shoes and feet. I have one at each door inside and out. I am reminded every time I sweep under the mats and shake them out how much dirt is staying off the carpet.  Be sure to clean the mats regularly.

Remove Shoes. I cannot even begin to tell you how much of a difference this makes. Our boys know that there are no shoes on the carpet, it’s been this way from day one so it’s a habit now. Occasionally they will forget but once they are reminded they go off and on the shelf. One thing you can do to help remind the family and guest is to place shoe racks by the doors. I place all dirty, often worn, shoes in our laundry room. Church shoes and those not worn very much are put in closets.

Change Air Filters. The more dust caught in the heating and air conditioning filters the less that will land on your carpet. Change them frequently so they’re ready to catch the dust!

Sweep often around the doors to keep the dirt from entering the house-this includes under the mats and rugs too!  If you have non-carpeted floors keep them swept clean too.

Carpet Care

Vacuum frequently. I love having a freshly vacuumed carpet. I also have boys that like to make messes and get dirty, so I vacuum just about daily in high traffic areas. Did you know that frequent and proper vaccuming can preserve the cushiness of carpet, it also keeps the air you breath cleaner. Don’t forget to change the bag or container when it is 1/2 to 3/4 full, and use repetitive front-to-back motions, overlapping as you vacuum.

Clean Spills Quickly. When there’s a spill at our house we like to use Resolve to clean it up. I’ve tried several other things and this just seems to work the best. I have also used Spot Shot on tough stains that have been around awhile.

Believe it or not there’s a right way to clean up a spill. Never use a brush or scrubber to clean carpet it will ruin the texture and look of the carpet. All you need it a white (other colors could bleed) paper towel or rag. Try water first, no need to use carpet cleaner if water will clean it up. Once your towel is wet start from the outside and work in so the spill won’t spread.

Steam Clean Carpets. You can hire a professional or do-it-yourself. If you do hire a professional do some investigating to know that they are certified and experienced. We choose to by a Hoover Steam Cleaner which I feel has been a very smart investment for our family.  We’ve had a few spills that were just hard to get out, the cleaner has the proper brushes and cleaned in one minute what could have taken me 10.

I usually clean my carpets 3 times a year and spot treat as needed.  It’s recommend by professionals to steam clean carpets at least once a year. Keep in mind that too much detergent can harm the carpet I clean with detergent one time and the next time I clean I just use water to keep any excess detergent off the carpet.

Too much water for a long period of time will ruin the carpet. Carpet should not be wet for longer than 12 hours anything kept wet past than 24 hours will damage the carpet. If your carpet is wet help it dry by opening window, turning on fans, using and air conditioner, and don’t walk on it until it’s completely dry.

Repair Your Carpet. While I have not had any experience with this, I have heard of people doing this and not being able to find the spot repaired afterwards.  This is a great option for those who have a few bad spots or areas. Replacing a small portion of carpet would certainly cost far less than replacing the whole carpet.

According to carpet professionals carpets last from 5 to 15 years. Our carpet is 8 years old right now and doing fairly well. I’m hoping that it will last a few more years by following the steps above.”

Natasha is a busy stay-at-home mom of three boys. She enjoys educating and encouraging others to live frugally on her blog, Saving A Bundle.

Plan Shopping Trips

By Natasha @ Saving A Bundle

“One of the best things you can do to maximize savings is plan out your shopping trip before you get to the store. Writing a Shopping Plan will help you to stay within your budget, get you out of the store faster, and you will maximize your savings.

This is especially important when you plan on completing multiple transactions or if you’re shopping a Kroger Mega Event. Here are some suggested steps to writing a shopping plan:

Menu Plan
I first start by writing out a basic menu plan for the week. I DO NOT find a recipe and put all the ingredients on my list. I check what’s in my pantry, review any sales, and then decide what items I need to buy. I typically only need to buy a few items, the rest comes from the stockpile in my pantry.

Write a Ruff draft
I view the weekly ads, ad-matchups for each store(blog), and e-coupons and write down everything I would like to get and the price.  Those things that are most important get a star next to it.

Check Your Budget In order to stick to my food/household budget of $350.00 I have to be sure I’m keeping it as I shop. As I prepare for my final list I eliminate things that really aren’t necessary so that I do stay withing my budget.

•

•Write your Final List
Now it’s time to write the final list(s). As I write the list I pull out any coupons I plan on using and stick them in the stores folder, that way they are ready to whip out at checkout.

I usually shop at more than one store in each week so each store gets it’s own shopping list. Those shopping trips that require a little more planning  would be: Kroger Mega Event Sales, Multiple Transactions, CVS ECB deals, and Walgreens Register Reward deals. These trips require that I have the exact amount of items needed and if I’m using a $/$$ coupon I need to be sure I reach the maximum amount so I can use that coupon.  Here is an example of a CVS Shopping Trip List.

Transaction 1

1 Aussie 2.99 – $1, = $1.99  * earn $2 ECB

2 Nutrashield SS $13.98 -$5= $3.99

1 Schick Slim $6.99 – $3.00, = $3.99 * earn $ ECB

Subtotal $9.96

Use $4/$20

Use $5.96 ECB *adjusted down from $6

Pay Only Taxes! (about $1.50)

Transaction 2

2 Schick Quattro BOGO –  $8 = $1.99

2 Covergirl products BOGO-$1, earn $2 ECB =$3.99

Subtotal $5.98

Use $4/$20

Use $1.00 ECB

Pay $0.98 plus taxes about $1.20

I ended up paying a total of $3.50 for both Transactions, I was about $0.18 over.

I find that without a shopping list I go bananas in the store. I can’t think very well and get distracted easily, by my boys or other sales in the store. With a shopping list I can get in, get out, keep my budget, and maximize my savings-things I would have a hard time with, with no plan.”

Natasha is a busy stay-at-home mom of three boys. She enjoys educating and encouraging others to live frugally on her blog, Saving A Bundle.

Thanks to Jennie over at Bargain Blessings for explaining the ethical side of couponing!

“A very important aspect of using coupons is making sure you are using them ethically. Manufacturers provide us with the privilege (yes, privilege) of using coupons to save money on their products. When these coupons are not used as they were intended not only do the stores suffer (because they will not be reimbursed for the coupon), but the manufacturer and the consumers suffer as well. The more fraudulent coupon use there is the less coupons we will see. There are a few important items I want to highlight that relate to ethical coupon use:

1. Only use a coupon on the product it was intended for. This not only includes just the product type, but also the size and specific type of product. If the coupon says it is good on Huggies diapers, it is not ok to use it on Pampers diapers. If the coupon says it is good for a 24oz bottle of ketchup, it is not ok to use it on a 16oz bottle of ketchup. If a coupon says it is good on Honey Nut Cheerios, it is not ok to use it on Regular Cheerios. If a coupon says it is good on 2 products it is not ok to use it on just one product. Manufacturers issue coupons for products to attract consumers to those specific products. Just because a coupon will scan for an item, that does not mean it is ok to use it on anything other than what it was intended for.

2. Expired coupons are just that, expired. Just as coupons are issued for specific products, they are also issued for specific ranges of time. When you use a coupon outside of its expiration date, it is considered fraudulent coupon use. Remember, you can always donate your expired coupons to overseas military families!

3. Follow store coupon policies. Yes, I know some of them do not make much sense, but the store has the prerogative to make their policy whatever they want. Keep in mind that items one and two above play a strong roll in stores cracking down on coupon use! I would also like to mention that I am a big advocate of communicating with your store manager. For example, some King Soopers stores have a policy against using more than three of the same coupons in one transaction. I was able to talk to my store manager and get approval to use more than the three coupon limit. Also, I am not talking about “cashier coupon policies” here. If you run in to a cashier that seems to be making up their own policy as they go, that is a much different story. Always go by the store’s printed coupon policy.

4. Know what a fraudulent coupon looks like. A few of you have recently e-mailed me the PDF coupon pictured above. It is fraudulent, so don’t use it. You can read more about this specific coupon over on Frito Lay’s website. The bottom line is that if something seems too good to be true, it usually is. PDF coupons for FREE items are almost always fraudulent. If you ever have a question on a coupon’s legitimacy, feel free to e-mail me.

5. Making copies of internet printable coupons is illegal. This is one of the most frequent newbie couponer mistakes out there. You printed it out in black and white on normal printer paper, so you should be able to make a few copies…right? Nope! Most printable coupons are available in limited quantities. If a manufacturer only releases 10,000 coupons, but they get 30,000 turned in from stores, guess what…those stores are out that money for those extra 20,000 coupons. If that is not enough to stop you from copying coupons, you might like to know that printable coupons contain unique identifying information that can track that coupon right back to your computer. There have been cases of people getting arrested and prosecuted for making copies of coupons. I don’t say that to scare you, but to make you aware of the potential consequences participating in this illegal practice. It isn’t worth it. Enough said.

As couponers, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are participating in honest coupon use. I hope that this post has helped to shed some light on some areas that you may have been confused about. Also, I want to add that I was confused about some of these items when I first started to coupon, so if you’ve made one of these mistakes don’t be too hard on yourself!”

Jennie and her husband live in the beautiful state of Colorado with their three pups. She shares all about the latest deals and her couponing antics over on Bargain Blessings!

“The Origins and Life of a Coupon

This is an article I’ve been wanting to write for a long time and finally sat down to do it!
When I first began couponing, I was really curious as to what happened to my coupon was the cashier put it in her drawer. How and when did it get sent… and where exactly did it get sent to? Was there someone at each store in charge of counting all the coupons and matching them up with the transactions in which they were used? What if I returned a product? Does the store still get reimbursed for that coupon? And what about when I put a product back on the shelf but forgot to take the coupon out of my pile- was the store going to lose money from my mistake?
So, I began doing some research, and I was actually really fascinated by what I learned (I’ll warn you- this may not fascinate you, but… well, I really dig coupons, so it did me!)

History of the coupon:

Did you know that the first coupon was actually created by Asa Chandler, one of the partners of the Coca-Cola company back in 1887? He began handing out handwritten tickets for a free Coca-Cola. Then his coupons began appearing in the mail and in magazines. By 1931, it is estimated that 1 in 9 Americans had received one of these free Coca-Colas! His ingenuity worked– by 1895 Coca-Cola was being served in every state!
The next big coupon to hit the public came in 1909 when C.W. Post offered a 1 cent savings on his Grape Nuts Cereal! In the 1930′s, many American clipped coupons out of necessity; they couldn’t afford groceries without them! By 1965, half of all American households were clipping coupons!
In 1957, the Nielson Coupon Clearing House was started to maintain coupon redemption (more about that later!)
Nowadays, with the availability of Internet coupons, many new “couponers” are emerging. However, we still are not taking advantage of coupons like we ought to! In 2009 there were $528.5 billion dollars worth of coupons available; only $3 billion dollars worth of coupons were redeemed.

The Life Cycle of a Coupon:

So, how is a coupon “born” and when does it “die”?
First, manufacturers decide what coupons they want to produce and usually has a design agency who creates the coupon.
Next, the coupon is sent to the public= either in the Sunday inserts, direct mail, or Internet.
Then, Savvy Shoppers (like yourself) clip the coupons and redeem them at the store.
Lucky for us, that is the end of the road for us and that coupon; now the hard work begins! The store will tally up the coupons at the end of the night and make sure their drawer balances by treating coupons like cash. The coupons are then all put together- usually in a pouch or bag- and sent to the corporate office. This is sometimes done once a week or once a month.
When the corporate office gets the coupons from all the different stores, they ship them to a third-party clearinghouse. The clearninghouse then has the job of separating coupons by manufacturer and between scannable coupons and damaged or torn coupons. Coupons that can be scanned are placed on a conveyor belt that scans the UPC codes and tallies the amounts. The total value of each manufacturers’ coupons is tallied (the damaged coupons are tallied by hand) and then the coupons and an invoice are sent to the manufacturer.
Now, either the manufacturer will reimburse the clearninghouse and the clearinghouse will reimburse the store, OR the manufacturer will send a check directly to the store and then pay the clearninghouse. The stores get an addictional $0.08 per coupon for shipping and the clearinghouse is paid a certain fee by the store.
Whew!! A lot of work goes on behind the “coupon scene”, doesn’t it?

Does the store lose money?

In most cases, No. They will get reimbursed for each coupon- even the damaged ones. The store doesn’t have to send in any receipts or lists of what was purchased with the coupons- they just send back the coupons. So, unless the store is submitting more coupons for a product than the number of product they ordered, they will most likely be reimbursed. So, even those times when you used a coupon for Tide but you accidentally bought ALL (and Yes, sometimes the coupon will scan and not beep even though you didn’t buy the product), the store will still get reimbursed.
Same situation if you return a product. You never get the coupon back, right? And the store isn’t going to go through all their coupons to find the one you used for the item you returned. They will still get reimbursed for it, even though you returned the product. (which is why you should get the full amount back). You should never make a habit of using coupons for products you didn’t buy or buying things with coupons and returning them at full value, because that is considered coupon fraud and is punishable by law. But you shouldn’t fret that the store will lose money.
The only times a store will “lose” money is when they choose to double your coupons. For example, my Meijer store doubles $0.50 and under coupons everyday. They choose to do that to get your business, but the manufacturer isn’t paying for that extra $0.50– Meijer is. The same thing is true with “store” coupons- no one is reimbursing the store for coupons they put out– but they do it in the hopes that you’ll spend your money at their store, rather than somewhere else. However, remember that the stores are getting the product at a very deeply discounted price and should they decide to pass some of those savings onto you (through a coupon), they are still making money on the sale!

I hope that was fascinating to you and didn’t put you to sleep! Now you know the origins and life cycle of a coupon! Don’t you feel better?”

Meghan is the blogger at “Savvy Spending“. She is a part time teacher and stay-at-home Mom of 2 little girls who believes in working just as hard to SAVE their money as she and her husband work to EARN the money.

“Since some of you might be WAGing (shopping at Walgreens) for the first time ever,  I thought I’d give you a quick Walgreens 101 Class! If you have taken our Couponing 201 class you should be well prepared, so go ahead and jump on in to the WAGing business!!!

Register Rewards (RR)

Register Rewards are Catalina coupons that print out at the register when you purchase the specified products. So using the example of the Huggies, you will get a $3 Register Reward for purchasing one package. Here are a few things you need to understand about register rewards:

1. Register Rewards are manufacturer coupons that can then be used to purchase anything in any Walgreens store. So, if you are purchasing an item for $5 and you are using a $3 RR to pay for it, it will then only be $2 that you pay out of pocket. They expire in about two weeks after they are issued, so make sure to keep an eye on those expiration dates.
2. Your total has to be over the amount of the RR. So, you cannot use a $3 RR to buy three times that are .99 each, because your total would go negative. In this case, your RR would beep at the register and the cashier will not accept it. A good solution to this is to purchase a filler item. Filler items are very inexpensive items (.01-.25) that can be used to make sure your total doesn’t go negative. Make sure to check out the clearance section for fillers and the seasonal section for things like pencils. So now, you could by your three .99 items, plus one .05 filler and pay for all these with a $3RR and your total will be .02 plus tax.
3. You can only earn one of the same RR in a transaction. So, you cannot purchase five packs of Huggies and expect to get five RRs back. You will only get one. To get around this, you can do five separate transactions. Make sure to be courteous and go to the end of the line for each transaction.
4. You cannot use a Register Reward earned from an item to purchase that same item and expect to get another RR. For example, if you had already done the Huggies transaction once, you cannot use the $3 RR you earned to pay for your next transaction. If you were to do that, your new $3 RR would not print. You can however, use a RR from another product to purchase a different product that will produce a RR. So, for example this week Dove Men’s Body Wash is $5.99 with a $6 RR making it FREE after the RR. You could purchase the Huggies first, and then purchase the Dove and use the Huggies RR to pay for the dove, so your out of pocket cost for the Dove would only be $2.99 before any other coupons and tax, and you would earn a $6 RR back. This concept is called rolling Register Rewards.
5. You can use multiple RRs in one transaction. For example, if you are buying a $25 item, you could purchase that with five $5 RRs as long as you added four filler items to satisfy the coupon to item ratio which I discuss below.

Coupon to Item Ratio

At Walgreens you cannot have more manufacturer coupons than you have items. Keep in mind that RRs are manufacturer coupons so they count towards this ratio.

Walgreens store coupons (IVCs) are not manufacturer coupons, so they do not count towards this ratio.  Again use filler items to satisfy this coupon to item ratio. For the example that I used in #4 above, if you did the Huggies transaction first and then you wanted to use the Huggies RR to pay for the Dove (which you are also using a manufacturer coupon on), you would need to add a filler item, because right now you would have one product (the Dove) and two coupons (the $3RR and the $1 MQ). Add one small filler item, and you will be good to go!

Jennie is a Christian blooger who shares all about her couponing antics over at Bargain Blessings. Her and her husband live in the beautiful state of Colordo with their three pups.

“So many people automatically think “scam” when they hear mystery shopping. Not true! There are many reputable and legitimate companies out there. I have been mystery shopping for 2 years now and enjoy supplementing my income by $100-$500 per month. I tend to concentrate now only on fine dining restaurants so I can easily get reimbursement of $200 in 1 assignment!

First of all, mystery shopping companies have you sign Independent Contractor Agreements when you register. These agreements say that you will not discuss what stores and restaurants they have as their clients. You don’t want to break this rule. I get a lot of emails from people asking me which companies have which stores and I can’t answer them. I recommend signing up for as many companies as possible since you never know when they may get a great new client in your area! I am signed up with over 100 companies but only regularly shop for 10-15 of them.

I find the companies I sign up with on bulletin boards such as Volition or through the Mystery Shoppers Providers Association. I only post on my blog, Nicole’s Nickels, about companies I have personally shopped with and been timely paid by. I recommend signing up with 5-10 companies to start. Some companies will email you when they have assignments, others post their assignments once a month and still others post throughout the month. There are some sites I check every day for new assignments.
You won’t get rich mystery shopping but it does let me go out to nice dinners and movies, getting reimbursed for meals, tickets, concessions, etc. To be a successful mystery shopper you’ll need a computer and scanner and organization! Please note that many shops are reimbursement only, meaning you purchase goods or food and are then reimbursed after successful submission of your shop report. Be sure to read each assignment very carefully and ask questions before you go!

5 companies that you should sign up for are:

1. A Closer Look
2. Focus on Service
3. Marketforce
4. Feedback Plus
5. Shoppers Critique

For more information on mystery shopping as well as to see the companies I am signed up with, please visit Nicole’s Nickels.”