Save Your End-of-the-Month Budget with Coupons

 (Photo credit: rose3694)

We may go freely and a little bit arrogant at the beginning of the month. The wallet is still thick and the card is still fully filled. We go to buy some things and spoil ourselves by other things. However, this joy is only temporary, if we can’t control our financial flow. At the end of the month, you cannot hear louder voice than your wallet’s cry. 

If only you were a little bit diligent and organized, you might save lots of money while also having fun at the same time. How can it even possible? Thanks to shopping coupons, everything is sold at so much cheaper price than your budget affords to buy.

Hunting for coupon for some people is troublesome. Some people even don’t care about the coupon. Well, not until they reach the end of the month. You may underestimate 10% of something, however, 10% of many things can possibly equal to hundred dollars! 

Imagine if you combine all your coupons, you can get lots of price cut, which if they are summed up, they can save you from the atrocity of late month. Is coupon hunting troublesome and time consuming? It depends on your perspective and on how you do it. Fortunately, here are some tips you can adopt:

• Think about how coupons can save your budget until the last day of the month. Don’t give up from the very beginning or in the middle of way. Since you will go through the entire month, so start it by planning the spending for the entire month as well. Learn your spending habit and things you would always buy every month.
• Everyone has their own special spending target. Girls, for example, will spend some money for skin care every month. So, were you that girl, your target would be to look for skin care’s coupon. If you can’t find the coupon for your special need, then you can cover it with other coupons. Groceries’ store coupon is the most common coupon you can get.
• What? You don’t have time? Then you can gather the coupon side by side with doing your daily activities. When you are searching for news in the virtual world, spend some minutes to open some stores’ website. 
• Don’t forget to get their email. Some stores allow you to get coupon upon your request. You now can also save with coupons from the mail. Some large stores would ask you to register to their database and they will send you coupon through mail! Whenever you are reading a newspaper, mind to pay attention on advertisement page to search for the coupon. Is it time consuming? No.
• The amount of coupons in the mall is so much. Whenever you go to the mall, spare some times to take their flyer, especially from your favorite store. Learn their discount schedule as well. Normally, a store have different and specific discount schedule.
• Last, don’t forget the expired time. Normally, coupons have deadline, so don’t enjoy collecting the coupons too much to the extent you forget when they end.

Why SelectAware.com is a Website You Shouldn't Pass Up as a Parent

Guest post by Lynn D

With the way the economy is, you need to pinch every penny that you can in order to survive. Most people can afford the bare necessities, but not always. Imagine how much easier it would be to live your life with a little extra cash in your pocket, simply because you didn't have to spend so much on the same products that you always get.

In other words, imagine if you had a one-stop place for coupons, savings and discounts on the products you already purchase. Imagine if there were a place where you could get together with everyone trying to make their pennies go a little bit further.

Imagine if you had a place online where you could share discounts and deals you've found with other people while simultaneously reaping the benefits of what other people have shared.

It would not only make your life easier, but it would make it possible to hello your family afford the things that they regularly sacrifice because money is simply too tight for luxuries.

Here's the good news: There's an online community where people share deals, discounts, coupons, promo codes and tips for saving money in everyday life. It's a place called SelectAware.com, and there's quite a number of people already using it.

There's a large number of things that you need to survive each day. Things like baby diapers, clothing, doggy kibble and anything else that you need to simply live. With SelectAware.com, it's pretty simple to find all of these things. It's even easier to find time-sensitive discounts and clearances that you otherwise would miss.

That's only the tip of the iceberg as to what makes it good.

You know all those things that you have to give up so that you can afford the bare necessities? You can have some of them, because you're able to save money and then save more on the few luxuries you can manage to treat yourself to. You'll find coupons for things like perfume, automotive services and even travel discounts there..

You'd be amazed at how much you can save with one little promotional code in your shopping cart at the online checkout of a store like Sears. You can purchase those new bed sheets that you've simply given up on for years because you needed to purchase uniforms for your children.

Simply put, SelectAware.com is a great place to save money. The community is friendly, the discounts are useful to almost everything that you could want, and you'll find deals that you would often times miss there. If you're someone who needs to save a little bit of money, then you should give the website a try.

5 Easy, Fun Ways to Save Money on Groceries

Vegetables in a grocery store, Paris, France. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When trying to find ways to save money, you may feel intimidated or unsure of what you should do. However, if you find easy and fun ways to save money on your groceries, you are more likely to follow through on your intentions. Below you will find simple and entertaining ways to save money on groceries that your family needs. 

#1 Grow a Garden

Growing a garden is a fun hobby for many families. In fact, a backyard garden is a task everyone, even little kids, can take part in. It is also a great way to save money on groceries. When you are planning your backyard garden, think about the type of produce you commonly buy from the grocery store, and plant the most common produce your family consumes in your garden. Doing this will ensure nothing in your garden goes to waste, and you will not have to spend money at the grocery store on these items either.

#2 Cook from Scratch

It is much cheaper to buy ingredients than it is to buy processed or prepared meals. To cut down on your grocery bill, learn to cook from scratch. Often times when you buy ingredients, the item will last for a long time. This means that the next time you need a particular item, you will already have it. Before you know it, you will have a pantry full of ingredients that will make cooking from scratch simple. It will also help you save a great deal of money on your grocery bill.

#3 Use Coupons and Store Cards

When you are planning your weekly or bi-weekly shopping trip, make sure to look over all local store flyers, and to use coupons whenever possible. Make sure you only use coupons to buy items that your family will actually use. In addition to coupons and shopping sales, it is also helpful to get a loyalty card at your favorite grocery store or stores. Loyalty cards often give shoppers access to special deals and promotions that aren't accessible to shoppers without a loyalty card.

#4 Shop the Perimeter of the Grocery Store

The least expensive, and the healthiest, food in the grocery store is located along the perimeter of the center aisles. To save the most money, do the majority of your grocery shopping from the perimeter of the store. When you do venture into the center aisles, make sure it is only to buy items that you need, items that are on sale or items that you have coupons for. 

#5 Trade Brand Names in For Generics

If you have a favorite brand name product, you may not have to give it up completely in order to save money. However, it may be in your best interest to trade your more expensive brand name product for a similar, more affordable, product. For example, if you always buy your kids expensive brand name cereal, consider buying a store brand cereal that offers the same flavors. If you would like a healthier option, you can opt for oatmeal or a less expensive cereal substitute as well.


Following the above tips will allow you to save money at the grocery store, and have fun doing it. Think of every trip to the grocery store as a personal challenge to save as much money as possible without sacrificing the things your family needs or wants.

Kara Fielder is a working mom with two kids who understands the importance of frugal living. She enjoys sharing her tips and tricks on how to save money by blogging regularly for a variety of websites. Click for money-saving codes and coupons at http://www.cheapsally.com.

Save Money Simply: Tips on Finding the Best Online Coupon Codes Fast

Amy's Kitchen Freebie Coupons (Photo credit: iateapie)

As you probably know by now, taking a little time to get organized can save you a lot of money. At first, activities like coupon cutting or searching for coupons online, may seem like a waste of time; but the truth is, coupons can actually cut your expenses by at least 25%, and who doesn't want to save 25% or more. That could be lunch! Haven't you seen the reality TV shows where the coupon lady ends up spending $0 amount of dollars for hundreds of dollars worth of groceries? I'm sure most of us don't want to go to that much trouble when collecting coupons, but we do want to save some money, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to use easy-to-find online coupon codes.

What Are Online Promo Codes?

These are coupons, just like the ones you find in the newspaper, but virtual. Meaning you don't have to cut them out and take them to the store. You just copy the code and place it in the coupon code box offered by the retailer where you shop. Retail businesses use these codes to promote their business and bring in more traffic.

Where Do I Find the Best Promo Codes?

According to a report offered by Good Morning America, all it takes to find substantial savings for online retail stores is a search on any of the search engines. Visit websites like Google, Yahoo, Bing or any other search engine you prefer and type in the term coupons to get a list of sites with thousands of different coupon codes.

Specific Searches

Conducting generalized searches for coupons is fun, but probably not the most practical way to search for coupon codes for a particular store. In this case, you want to be more specific in your search. For example, you might type in the name of the retailer, followed by the term coupon or promo code. So if you were looking for a discount for Target, you would search for the term, "Target promo codes," or "Target coupon codes." A large list of promo code websites will appear. Then you would click on any of these and browse through the available codes for that retailer to find the one you want.

Specific Websites

Once you realize coupon codes save you a lot of money, and don't require a lot of effort to find, you'll want to keep a few of the best coupon code websites in mind when you make future purchases. Select a few good coupon websites and bookmark them so you can access them quickly the next time you shop online.

Bottom Line

Before placing an order, make it a habit to look for a good coupon code. You may not always find one, but when available, you can save on shipping or on the overall cost of your purchase. All you have to do is find the code, copy it and paste it in the coupon box located at the retailer's website, usually on one of the checkout pages.

Jeremy S is a personal finance consultant. He shares his tips on saving money by blogging for a wide range of money and lifestyle sites. Click the link to save with Upromise.com.

6 Rules for Coupon Etiquette

Coupons (Photo credit: iateapie)

The growth of online shopping has offered many new opportunities for buyers to get even better deals. They are able to get much better deals because competition by online retailers has driven down the costs of the goods we need. Not only from direct competition but also because retailers are using coupons as incentives to get buyers to their websites.

When using your online coupons with retail websites it is a straight forward approach of entering the your coupon code in the inappropriate place. It is very simple. Other coupons that you print for use at local businesses has a different approach. Retailers appreciate your business and are happy to take your coupons because it mean more business for them and maybe they will get you to return again.

Recently many stores have changed or updated their coupon rules to clear up any questions of how the coupons are to be used. Our local supermarket has published a new use of coupon rules in each store because things have gotten out of hand. The problem is some shoppers are abusing the use of coupons and this may make it harder for the average couponer to shop.

If you are an avid coupon user there are a few simple rules to follow to make the whole experience a little less stressful for the cashier and the people in line behind you.

Rule #1 Check out coupon websites before shopping. Before you begin your shopping it's important to check out coupon websites like Fat Wallet, Retailmenot, and Couponraja. When you check for coupons you not only find good deals for what you need but also discover new shopping destinations that you can visit. Every year new websites pop up to serve the needs of shoppers. Also it adds a little fun to the process of finding these good deals.

Rule #2. Be organized. When checking out have all your coupons organized and not just in a messy pile facing all different ways. It shows respect for the cashier and the people waiting in line behind you. Also make sure the coupons are not expired and that you are following the rules of the store in their use.

Rule #3. Try to plan your shopping at a slow time of the day. Holding up the line with coupon redemption at the peak shopping times shows bad form and is inconsiderate of other people. It irritates other customers when you are trying to use so many coupons, so go when you know its the slowest time of the day. 

Rule #4. Be polite to the cashier and other customers. You may know more about coupons than the cashier but it's no excuse to be rude or impatient. Use your manners and stay calm if there is a problem. Ask to speak to the head cashier if extra help is needed. Also alert customers behind you that you have coupons and that there may be a delay. Let people behind you in line go ahead if they only have a couple of items.

Rule #5. Don't clear off the shelves when you make purchases. It's bad form for you and keeps other shoppers from cashing in on the great deals. Also the store may not know the shelves are emptied out, so its better to only purchase a small amount. If you must make a large purchase either call ahead to the store so they can arrange to put aside enough items for your purchase and not have bare shelves. Also make your large purchase not just in one store, but spread it over a couple of stores.

Rule #6. Follow the rules. Know the rules of the store your shopping at. Don't be pushy with your coupons. If you are having a problem with the use of the coupon just skip that particular one. It's not worth arguing over something like that, it's better to not be known as the neighborhood coupon freak. It's better to build a friendship with the store and the cashiers that work there. Also make sure you have the correct item for that coupon and that the coupon is not expired.

Shopping with coupons will save you a lot of money. Following these few rules will make the experience pleasant for all.

Thrifty Tips For Those 50 Plus

Time and money seem to become more valuable as we mature. Many learn with age and experience that it’s never too late to try something new. With that in mind, enjoy these thrifty tips intended to help those of you who are 50 plus to shop smarter and save more money:

It doesn’t hurt to ask for a discount. While you are shopping in a store or placing an order over the phone, inquire about whether a senior discount is offered and ask what the age requirement is. Because there are so many definitions for “senior,” the threshold for receiving a discount can be as young as 50. 

It’s up to stores and companies to decide whether or not and what age they offer senior discounts to, but it can only benefit you to ask. Keep in mind that some chain retail stores’ and restaurants’ senior discounts can vary by region. You may be asked to provide identification to verify your age or show that you belong to a group such as AARP.

• Embrace online shopping. Sure, some say that computers should be left to the younger generations, but if you are ready this blog post, chances are you are pretty tech-savvy. For anyone who feels computer challenged, iPads and other similar devices make it very easy to use the Internet these days.
• Shopping online offers many big benefits over going to the store:

• Coupons. Search online to find them for free. You can get coupon codes online in just a few clicks.

• Cash Back. Shop through a savings website to earn a percentage of your purchase in a free account. You can often get this in addition to using a coupon. If you want even more savings, use a rewards credit card to accumulate points or earn more cash back.

• Convenience. For anyone experiencing difficulty with mobility or in need of assistance to go to drive, read labels or carry shopping bags, online shopping makes life easier. Even those who are perfectly spry can appreciate not needing to leave your home, lug your purchases to and from the store or be limited to a store’s location and hours, which may not necessarily work for you.

• Even if you do not plan to make your purchases online, you can still use the Internet to shop smarter. In addition to researching senior discounts, try:

• Looking at the weekly ads of stores near you to identify sales on what you need to buy. You can find ads online anytime, without needing the Sunday newspaper.

• Searching online for free printable coupons for retail, grocery and restaurants. You can print them out and leave them in your car so you are prepared.

By Jon Lal, founder of coupons & Cash Back website BeFrugal.com, which offers online coupons in addition to free Cash Back at 2000+ online stores. When you sign up for a free Cash Back account for a limited time you can get a $10 bonus in addition to great savings offers. Join now!