Tips
- Make a list of everyone you buy for each year, Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries, baby showers, etc.
- Find a space in your home, closet, table in the basement, etc, to store gifts.
- Add to the list of names, gifts each person might like.
- When you are clearance or sales shopping, look for gifts for that person.
- Be sure to remember online sales for gift ideas too, such as Amazon has frequent diaper sales and toy clearance in the summer.
- Stock up on gifts and wrapping paper to go with your gifts!
FREE STUFF!
- Send away for freebies!
- When filling out information for freebies, only give out the minimum amount of information. If you have a po box, that's another way to protect your privacy.
- Never give out your social security number, mother's maiden name or any information you are not comfortable divulging.
- If something is truly free, the offer should not ask for a credit card number. If they do, that's a warning sign!
SAVE ON GASOLINE
- Drive less and combine errands into one trip.
- Consider car pooling or taking public transportation
- You'll get more for your dollar when you pump your gasoline at night.
- When you see a good price on gasoline jump on it! Prices seem to change once a day.
- Check Gasbuddy.com for the cheapest gasoline near you.
- Giant Eagle offers fuel perks. Besides buying food and prescriptions, you can buy gift cards and that counts towards your fuel perks balance.
- Costco is normally cheaper than other gasoline stations, at least 10¢ less.
- Meijer also offers Fuel Rewards
MONEY BACK OFFERS
- I suggest making a list of the offers you are interested in and then purchase 1 per grocery trip or use the self scanner and separate items into different orders, so they each have their own receipt.
- Even if a product doesn't have a money back guarantee, if you aren't happy with it, you can still contact the company and get a refund or high value coupons. Contact information, such as a phone number or web site, should be on the package.
- Many new products offer a "try me free" offer. Keep an eye on your Sunday coupon circulars and this web site!
- I keep track of money back offers in Excel, or any word processing software would work. Include the date you sent it, the company, the item, when it's supossed to arrive and a phone number or email address to follow-up. This is definitely essential when it comes to tracking rebates as well.
CLIP THOSE COUPONS!
- Buy or subscribe to the Sunday paper.
- Match up coupons with loss leaders and stock up! For example, when Aunt Jemima frozen pancakes are $1.50 a box, with 50¢ coupons (doubled @ double coupon stores), they are 50¢ per box!
- Check out what coupons are coming up in this sneak peak.
- Pick up a copy of the Entertainment book!
- Save on all the things you love to do!
EARN SOME EXTRA CASH FAST!
- Sell items on Ebay and half.com. Newer books tend to be more in demand on half.com
- Resell baby clothing and toys at consignment shops.
- Take surveys to earn cash and gift cards.