December 2, 2010
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Saving Money: Coupons, Groupons, & Ebates
Like most families, my family is on a budget. Since I do most of the shopping, I’m constantly looking for ways to save money. I was excited to get a subscription to our local paper, not because I enjoy reading it (I don’t usually read any of it), but because I love the coupons. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy clipping coupons. In a way, it’s relaxing. It’s one of the few household chores (if you can call it a chore) that I can do sitting down in front of the TV. It’s exciting to see my total savings with each trip to the grocery store. By combining my coupons with the store’s weekly specials and shopping on “double coupon” days, I save even more.
In addition to clipping coupons from the local paper, I’ve signed up for some great money-saving sites online. Groupon.com and Ebates.com are both completely free and can save you a bundle…especially if you plan on doing any online Christmas shopping. When you sign up at Groupon.com, you get a daily email notification of a deal for your area. Deals typically include 50%-80% off at local restaurants, salons, movie theaters, dental offices (including teeth whitening), etc. Awesome ideas for date nights…
Ebates.com is the newest money-saving site I’ve discovered. When you start your online shopping at Ebates.com, you earn cash back on your purchase. The site also gives you access to coupon codes for special deals ($25 off, free shipping, etc.) at stores such as DSW, JCPenney, and A Pea in the Pod. If you plan on doing any of your Christmas shopping online, why not start at Ebates.com and get cash back on everything you were going to buy anyway?
Big savings = happy shopping, happy shopping = happy wife, and, as my husband says, happy wife = happy life.
Comments (3)
I love this entry! Probably I’m a crazy saver myself. Do you have a Costco or BJ’s or Sam’s Club in your area? If you do, you might want to consider signing up with them. I forget how it is for the rest of the state, but in NYC if I buy something at Costco it’s almost a guaranteed 50% off than if I were to buy it at a grocery store. We need to keep in touch and swap saving ideas!!!
Besides Groupon I also use Buy with me.com, KGBdeals.com, homerun.com, jasmere.com is good for home stuff (like knitting and photo frames), and bloomspot.com (although that’s more pricey and high end stuff). Let me know if you want to join any of those and I’ll send you a referral link.
And thanks for your message, it is very comforting. I know a lot of people care and support me.
Oh yea and livingsocial.com.
@geniusbarb - I use livingsocial.com, too. Yes, we’ll definitely have to keep in touch to swap saving ideas! We don’t have a membership to Costco or Sam’s…there’s a Costco right by our house and I’ve debated getting a membership, but I feel like I can get better deals by pairing coupons with weekly sales at the grocery store. Maybe I’m wrong…who knows…I might have to do some price comparisons.
I’ll check out the other sites you mentioned and let you know if I’d like to join any of them.