Couponing for the Rest of Us

Banks Remove $5 Debit Card Fees (Hip-Hip-Hooray!)

 

I went into the bank last week and while I was filling out my deposit slip I noticed a sign that said “Due to popular demand – no more Debit Card Fees!”  (Well, it basically said that :) )

I subscribe to LearnVest – which is how I found out that LOTS of banks are now revoking the fees they just rolled out last month.  I highly recommend getting the Learnvest newsletter – it’s FREE and it helps me keep up with just the most important/interesting topics in money.  You’ll get tidbits of info delivered in a daily newsletter – each one containing a few hot-button financial topics, in small easy-to-understand articles.


Filed Under: Helpful Tools
November 11, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Welcome Money Train Listeners: Join our Community!


Hi and Welcome!

If you just heard Time 2 $ave on Money Train with Chris Gaddis 91.3 FM  Roxbury, NJ or online www.wioxradio.org
If this is your first visit, we’d like to thank you for stopping by. We are excited to have the opportunity to serve you and hope the information we provide guide you as you enter the world of couponing.

Thank so much Chris for the opportunity to be a part of your show today Money Train on 91.3 Roxbury NJ.  For those of you who missed it, we’ll let you know as soon as we have a link to listen to the archived show.  Some of the topics we covered today are listed below along with links that will take you right to the post.

Some of the great resources that we talked about today are:

  1. Manilla
  2. Couponing Lingo for the truly nerdy
  3. Build Your Pantry - Buy Price List
  4. Troubleshooting Printer Problems  Here and HERE
  5. Rainchecks Don’t Pass them Up
  6. Don’t Miss this Post – Lots of great resources to get started!
  7. An archived playlist of our weekly morning TV segments on YouTube – we cover a new topic each week!

Detailed power point tutorials to walk step by step through the topics below HERE.

  • Getting Started
  • Don’t Pay Full Price – Get Rid of your List
  • Life Cycle of a Coupon
  • Getting Started Internet Printable Coupons

We’ve got tons of other great resources here to help you get started.  We understand that the world of couponing can be confusing at first and want to make the learning process as simple as possible while saving you time.

Thanks again Chris for inviting us to be a part of your show, Money Train.  We encourage you to follow Chris on his blog, facebook, twitter, and Linkedin.

Don’t miss a single deal!  Join our growing Time 2 $ave facebook Community, follow us on twitter, or subscribe to our daily email and You Tube Channel.

Filed Under: Getting Started, Media Coverage
October 19, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Manilla: FREE household organizer with great perks!

Do you occasionally feel buried by the amount of information you have to keep track of?  I know I do all the time – it’s like I’m juggling too many balls – and if I drop one, something awful will happen.   I just found out about an awesome web-based organizer called Manilla.   It’s a totally free service that helps you out BIG TIME by making it easy to manage things like:

  • Bank & Credit Card Accounts
  • Bills like Utilities, Dish or Cable, and Phone
  • Subscriptions to Netflix and magazines
  • Loyalty Programs (auto, hotel, airline, etc…)
  • Vouchers bought from Groupon or Living Social

So you can stop juggling all those balls – and just put them down sanely in one spot with *1* Password.  Manilla keeps your info secure under just ONE login (so you don’t have to remember all the other ones from all those other sites).  It presents everything in an organized way Look at the example below of a typical account.

Doesn’t that just make you feel more sane?

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If you were to click on the little orange “Reminders” tab on the top right hand of the above example – you would see something like this (See below):
.

That’s right – Manilla even sends you friendly reminders when it’s time to pay a bill, renew a subscription – or use a reward before it expires!  (I LOVE THAT)
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Oh yeah – Manilla has a Free mobile app too!

I almost forgot – they’ve just come out with a new mobile app for iPhone & Android – so you can easily check out your accounts on the go!

How is it Free?

So how is all this awesomeness free?  (You’re gonna like this!)  Companies are tired of spending all that money on paper bills and statements – and as a result, they’re willing to foot the bill for us to have this Free Bill manager!

Sign up for Manilla Today!

 

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*This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Manilla.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Filed Under: Family Life, Giveaways/Contests, Helpful Tools
October 13, 2011 by 1 Comment

Getting Started: Where to find Coupons

Coupons are everywhere! Like so many others, we just weren’t looking in the right places. Below you’ll see some of the common places to spot coupons. Remember even though you may not be purchasing the item at the time, you still want to get a couple (no more than 2) for when you do purchase the item. Goal: Store Sale + Coupon = Rock bottom prices!

  • Sunday Newspaper Inserts – most manufacturer’s coupons come out weekly in the Sunday paper. These coupons are regional, though so you’ll still want to use other sources. The key is to buy multiple copies of the newspaper. This will really help you with stockpiling and allow you to buy multiples of the products. We recommend buying one newspaper per member of your family. Each week we let you know what inserts to expect on Sunday.

Coupons.com

  • Internet – most manufacturers offer coupons on their website, facebook page and other medias. We help you sort through the madness by directing you to the reputable sites that offer the best deals.

  • Stores – you’ll always want to keep an eye out for tearpads, blinkies, booklets, special offers, and many other coupons are scattered throughout most grocery stores. Is this Coupon Lingo all greek to you? Check out our Lingo Decoder Page HERE!

  • Manufacturer – if there’s a particular brand that you buy regularly, but can’t seem to find coupons for the products, contact the manufacturer. A simple email Just for kicks, see our short movie here!

  • Magazines – the most popular is All You Magazine. It is a money saving magazine that also offers tips to save in all areas of your life. Monthly issues usually carry $50-$100 worth of coupons. You can subscribe on our website store.

  • Other Sources: When you’re looking for several of the same coupon, you might want to consider ordering coupons from coupon clipping services like CouponDede or Ebay. Sellers charge for the time spent to collect/cut/and ship coupons – not for the coupons themselves.

 

We’ve just added new step by step tutorials here.

Filed Under: Getting Started
October 1, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Fun Coupon Lingo (For the truly nerdy)

Well, after a long day of posting grocery deals and getting my kids backpacks fully stocked – it’s time for a little bit of fun!  You guys probably know already that we have a “Coupon Lingo” list to help you decipher the weird language we couponers use.

But I thought – you know, there are lots more terms I used amongst my couponing friends that we just make up on the spot.  Here are some that have snuck into my own coupon dictionary (or should be there) – what are some you think should join the list?  Do you have any silly lingo to describe part of the coupon world?  We wanna hear ‘em!

Un-Official Coupon Lingo:

“Coupon Fairy” – Those sweet souls who flit around leaving extra coupons on the shelves for others!

“Catalina Diving” – When you rifle through a trash can, pile of receipts, or inspect the cart corral for abandoned catalina coupons.

“Cashier Profiling” – Trying to decide which cashier looks like they’ll give you the least amount of deep sighs and dirty looks before advancing into a line.

“Stockpile Pride” - Getting a little secret joy as you put away the last of the extra groceries on into your stockpile shelving, glance at the results of your hard work, and note approvingly that not only do you have enough to last your family a good long while, but you have enough to give away!

“Beerpads” – Tearpads in the beer aisle involving a rebate or instant savings related to beer purchase (See more on this HERE, also about how you DON’T always need to buy the beer)

“Pealing” – Stealing a peelie from a package when you’re not buying it, leaving the sad shiny square that a coupon once called home :(

“Blinkie Bandit” – Couponer who holds a stake-out in front of a blinkie machine taking over and over and over (Shame on you!)

“A Raincheck Run” – When your well-planned grocery trip turns into an empty cart and a hand full of rainchecks – empty shelves are so often a fact of life!  But a raincheck makes it all more bearable :)

Filed Under: Learning the Lingo, Silly
August 2, 2011 by 5 Comments

Android Apps for Frugal Folks

If you have an Android, you’ll want to check out these great money-saving apps!  If you have an iPhone, see our post here instead. Know of any other good ones?  Please let us know!

1. Keyring App – for those serious couponers out there that have a million loyalty cards on your keyring, this is the app for you! Say, goodbye to those bulky tags and hello to technology! Enter all of your loyalty cards onto one app and have the cashier scan your phone!!

2. Barcode Scanner – this is a must have app! You’ll need it to scan any and everything! Many stores are now using barcodes to help you check in at their store. You can scan upc codes at stores to find the lowest prices (this requires a different app, but you need the scanner for it to work).

3. Redbox – did you know you can now reserve your movies on your phone and pick them up when you get there! No, more standing in front of the machine agonizing over what movie to get, because the one you wanted is already checked out. Just reserve it early and pick it up at your convenience!!

4. Gas Buddy – I can’t stand to pay more than I have to for gas! It’s already high enough as it is, so why pay a ton if you don’t have too? Just search for the location nearest you and it will pull up all of the gas prices in that area!

5. Amazon Kindle – for those of you who love to read, download the Kindle App from Amazon and read your favorite book on your phone!!

6. Google Voice – I like this app, because if you’re in a meeting and can’t check your voicemail, then Google Voice will transcribe your voicemail into text so you can read it!!

7. Zedge Ringtones and Wallpaper – I love this app! You can choose from thousands of wallpapers and ringtones. My husband has the Dixie horn (from Duke’s of Hazard) as his ringtone :) Your options are endless!

8. Google Maps - I absolutely love Google Apps! I don’t even have to use our TomTom anymore! This is just like it only it’s on my phone!

Thanks Stretching Your Budget!

Filed Under: Helpful Tools
July 30, 2011 by 1 Comment

Welcome: Join the Time 2 $ave Community

If you just heard Time 2 $ave on Living Wealthy Radio with Teresa KUHN
Talk Radio 1370am Hi and Welcome!

If this is your first visit, we’d like to thank you for stopping by. We are excited to have the opportunity to serve you and hope the information we provide guide you as you enter the world of couponing.

Like most, the effects of our nations economy hit our family’s hard. As a result, we attempted to save our family money by eliminating family vacations, taking our children out of extra curricular activities and buying only store brand foods. However, the savings didn’t add up.  Out of great skepticism we started couponing. After hundreds of hours of research, months of practice, and many trials and errors our tenacity paid off. We began to see our grocery bill dwindle each week as we learned how to use coupons effectively.

Now, to keep this in perspective we don’t LOVE COUPONS. We don’t wake up every morning excited to cut up coupons or jump on every deal that we can find. Simply put – couponing just happened to be the tool that brought hope to our family’s finances. Most importantly it has afforded us the incredible opportunity to give into the lives of others in ways we never imagined.

You’ll see quickly that we want to offer our community much more than just grocery/drug store savings. Only a small part of our life is spent at the grocery store. We want to speak encouragement to each of you, bring you content that is relative to your life, introduce you to thousands of others in our community and have FUN all at the same time!

 

Couponing has to FIT into YOUR LIFE  ~ NOT become YOUR LIFE.

If you have thought about using coupons, or attempted without success, don’t quit now. Learning an entire new mindset to shopping doesn’t happen overnight. It will take time to understand the process, take one step at a time. I (Kasey) remember the first time I saved $12.00 on my grocery bill, I floated out to the parking lot to my car. We encourage you to celebrate those moments, give yourself a pat on the back and enjoy how great it feels to save.

From our own experience, it’s important to keep couponing in perspective in our lives. We remind ourselves that couponing is a tool that helps our family’s finances not a tool that takes over our lives. For us that means that we don’t chase every deal and we don’t go to every store. Our goal is to shop one grocery store per week, and if time permits one quick drug store trip.

Below I have listed helpful tools to help you get started

Helpful Links:

  • How to use our site here.
  • Printable Grocery “Buy Price” List here
  • Learning the lingo short version here & detailed version here.
  • Links to Printable Coupon Sites here
  • Newest Printable Coupons here
  • Problems Printing Coupons here
  • 2011 Newspaper Insert Schedule here
  • Rainchecks – Don’t Pass them up! here
  • Catalina’s – What are they & what do I do if they don’t print here.
  • Freezer help printable list here.
  • How to work a Cataina here.

Don’t Miss These Hot Deals!

  • Photo Deals here
  • Freebies & More here
  • Hot Deals / Flutterbuys here
  • Two great ways to earn free gift cards and a quarterly check in the mail here.

Grocery and Drug Store Sale matched with Coupons
You can check out our grocery store and drug store match-ups – click here. You’ll see a list of grocery, drug and national retail stores – from here, click the store that you shop at and you’ll be directed to that stores weekly sale items matched with coupons. Don’t worry we walk you step by step through the process at a workshop.

Don’t Miss a Deal!
We update the blog all day long – you don’t want to miss out on the HOT deals we find. Some are very time sensitive – in that case twitter is a great way to be notified each time we update the site. Join our facebook community of over 20,900 and growing strong. It’s a great place to connect with other couponers, share your deals, ask each other questions, and of course see deals that we ONLY post on facebook. Of course you don’t want to miss our daily FREE newsletter that summarizes that days posting here.

 

 

Filed Under: Getting Started, Helpful Tools, Learning the Lingo Tagged With: , , , , ,
July 24, 2011 by 1 Comment

Where to Find Coupons

Coupons are everywhere! Like so many others, we just weren’t looking in the right places. Below you’ll see some of the common places to spot coupons. Remember even though you may not be purchasing the item at the time, you still want to get a couple (no more than 2) for when you do purchase the item. Goal: Store Sale + Coupon = Rock bottom prices!

  • Sunday Newspaper Inserts – most manufacturer’s coupons come out weekly in the Sunday paper. These coupons are regional, though so you’ll still want to use other sources. The key is to buy multiple copies of the newspaper. This will really help you with stockpiling and allow you to buy multiples of the products. We recommend buying one newspaper per member of your family. Each week we let you know what inserts to expect on Sunday.

Coupons.com

  • Internet – most manufacturers offer coupons on their website, facebook page and other medias. We help you sort through the madness by directing you to the reputable sites that offer the best deals.

  • Stores – you’ll always want to keep an eye out for tearpads, blinkies, booklets, special offers, and many other coupons are scattered throughout most grocery stores. Is this Coupon Lingo all greek to you? Check out our Lingo Decoder Page HERE!

  • Manufacturer – if there’s a particular brand that you buy regularly, but can’t seem to find coupons for the products, contact the manufacturer. A simple email Just for kicks, see our short movie here!
  • Magazines – the most popular is All You Magazine. It is a money saving magazine that also offers tips to save in all areas of your life. Monthly issues usually carry $50-$100 worth of coupons. You can subscribe on our website store.

  • Other Sources: When you’re looking for several of the same coupon, you might want to consider ordering coupons from coupon clipping services like CouponDede or Ebay. Sellers charge for the time spent to collect/cut/and ship coupons – not for the coupons themselves.
Filed Under: Getting Started, Helpful Tools
July 20, 2011 by Leave a Comment
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