Money Saving Apps and Programs

Here is a summary of the apps and programs I use to get cash back on my purchases I am already making. Please click on each programs name to either be taken to my blog post about that program for a more in depth look or the websites page.

Swagbucks: Earn points towards gift cards or merchandise by searching the web, shopping online, taking surveys, etc.

Ebates: Cash back program for online shopping at select retailers. Cash out with Paypal

iBotta: Smart phone app that gives you a cash rebate for purchasing select products at select locations. Cash out with PayPal or gift cards

Checkout 51: Cash back rebates for select items purchased at any grocery store. Cash out with PayPal. Smartphone not required, but does have an app for easy use.

Shopkick: Earn rewards for walking into stores, scanning select items, completing tasks. Also has frequent discounts at select retailers. Cash out with gift cards. 

Target's Cartwheel: Mobile app (accessible by internet) that gives discounts on select items at Target. Can be stacked with other coupons for more savings in store. Simply have the cashier scan your smartphone at checkout for instant discounts.

iBotta Step by Step

I love iBotta! I have earned over $200 back from my groceries! Here is a step by step guide (as of the latest update!) You can combine iBotta offers with coupons and sales! I have earned free cereal and other foods and even got $10 back on my new TV! The offers change and "sell out," so best redeem them once you get home!

Home screen.

Select offers from the top menu. Select grocery.

I selected Wal-Mart, but 90% of the time, I shop Winco.

Select your offer. I chose the Plum Organics.

Do the activities required to earn the bonuses. 

It may ask you to do several different things: take a poll, learn a fact, post to Twitter, etc.

At the bottom, select the pink "Redeem" check mark.

It will prompt you to verify items.

Select item to verify. 

Scan.

When prompted, alight receipt and take picture. You may have to add a section or two as the entire receipt needs to be included. Submit!

Here are my earnings!! Isn't it awesome? All of the money is deposited into PayPal once you cash out!

There are bonuses for completing certain offers. For example, this time around with the milk, if you redeem two more offers, you get an additional $.50 off milk. There is a specific tab on the menu for finding these special offers.

Sign up for FREE here! (And they usually have $$$ bonuses for new sign ups!!)

 Comment for questions! :)

Store Loyalty Progrmas and Email Lists

Some people can't stand using a store rewards card. And heaven forbid you receive emails from yet another company/person. 

But for me, I find some of my best deals from using loyalty programs and emails. If you don't want to be bored with my latest loyalty card story, here are the main points of why I love these programs and tips for using them.

• Some products can only be bought at the sale price if you are a loyalty member. 
• Most grocery stores like Albertson's and Fred Meyer have these. Some may argue it's stupid or its just cooperate's way of spying on you, if it gets me the sale price, AWESOME. Your other option is to go to Walmart. (Which I have no problem doing...)
  .
• Emails are easily deleted. Worried about your information? Most major retailers are very careful with your email address. Still worried? See next point.

• Create a separate email for receiving money saving deals. 
• If you use gmail, you don't even have to put your full name so if you send emails or insert info on a website, you don't have to use your real identity.
  
• Glance through emails before deleting.
• The best deals may not be the subject of the email...
  
• Read fine print on deal information. 
• You never know when you can print multiple coupons!

Here is my most recent experience from PetSmart:

First off, my husband had been reminding me to buy cat litter for a few days... But I just can't bring myself to pay full price for litter. Seriously. I love my cats, but their bathroom habits are expensive. 

After a few days of his hounding, I received an email with the subject line "This Weekend Only! Save up to $10 with the enclosed coupon." Normally, it would be for some product I would never use and it would be easy to delete. But I decided to check. There were three coupons enclosed in the email, the $10 off being $10 off $40. Well, boo, right? Until I looked at the online ad (linked through the email) and saw that with my PetPerks card, cat litter was on sale... $2 off the regular price. Not usually enough to make me run in, but at least it was a deal. 

I read the fine print. I could print and use two of these coupons. Sweet.

After I crunched some numbers, this is what I found out. If I bought 3 42lb bags of litter, it would put me over the $40 mark to get my $10 off. Combine that with the sale, and it was like buy 2, get 1 free. It also was cheaper per lb than most sale prices I had found. I bought three bags. 

I crunched the numbers in my spreadsheet after I got home and saw what a good deal it was. So I went back the next day to get more. Well, I had nearly cleared the shelf the day before... So I got a bag and the next thing cats go through like mad. Cat food. Which -TA-DA- was on sale too! 

So, lesson learned. Check your emails. Join programs like PetPerks. It took 10 seconds to look through the email to save a total of $39!

Food on the Table

My friend had described this website to me... but I hadn't actually seen it until today. From what I understand, this website will create a weekly meal plan for you based on the sales at your local stores. Typically, a free membership will allow you to plan for 3 meals a week. But according to Fabulously Frugal (link here), they are currently offering a FREE LIFETIME membership with the code: MARFREE This is good through the end of March. 

http://www.foodonthetable.com/partners/marfree?promo_code=marfree&banid=integrate_26296

Be on the look out for a guest post on this! :) She will do a much better job than I will!

Meal Planning on a Budget

I gave this idea a trial run in the month of February, but I intend to really REALLY stick to it this time. :)

I have been using a monthly meal calendar for a few months now. I find it really useful and solves some of the "What do I want to make" blues. However, some nights, what is on my calendar may not strike my fancy. So, as long as I have the ingredients at home, I am ok to change it.

Last month, I added a grocery booklet to go along with my calendar. I wrote down by week what I needed. This served as an excellent shopping list! Also, if there was a sale on an item I needed later in the month that was nonperishable, I knew I could pick it up early and cross if off my list. It worked fabulously!

Beginning of the month, can you tell?! I also have been making bread more often so I am going through my baking supplies faster than normal. And would you believe it if I said there isn't any salt in my house right now!?!

I have a couple of coupons I would like to use because they are rare and of high value. So, I have the final page dedicated to items I am looking to stock up on. These coupons expire this month. If I was smart, I would write down the coupon expiration date!

Let me know if this helps you out!!

Finding Coupons in the Randomest of Places!

It is amazing to me where manufactures will tuck their coupons. Yesterday morning I opened up a new thing of deodorant and BAM! More coupons! I also was collapsing a toothpaste box last week and found coupons for deodorant, make up and even pet food! Considering I only paid maybe 50cents a box for toothpaste, I am ok with finding a $1 off coupon for the same toothpaste again! :)  Oh, and the best part is... the manufacture doesn't expect you to use them right away. Many of these do not expire until January or July of 2013!!!

 I have even found coupons for cereal inside the box I just finished and frequently there is a coupon inside of my Challenger Butter box. It's the gift that keeps on giving!

So be on the look out for coupons inside the products you buy! You may be getting a better deal than you think!

All You Magazine

I have heard nothing but good things about the All You Magazine. I have heard that you get high value coupons in every issue along with other money saving tips. I saw on Amazon today that their 1 year subscription is currently on sale for $12. That makes it $1/issues. If you use more than 1 $1 coupon per issues, this will have paid for itself. I figure I would give it a shot. I will let you know if I like it. But, the deal ends soon. So if you would like to give it a try along with me, here is the link:

LINK TO AMAZON ALL YOU DEAL

Using Google Reader to Manage Coupon Blogs

I owe my coupon organization to Google Reader. It is FANTASTIC! I am going to take you through the process of using Google Reader. There are other RSS feeds you can use but I am a huge Google fan.

1. Get a Google Account. (www.gmail.com)

2. Visit reader.google.com. For those that already have a Google account, this feature is already available to you. On your Google tool bar on your eamil, select "More" & "Reader"

3. After logging in, you will be brought to a welcome screen. On the left hand side of the screen is your navigation bar. Click on "Subscribe"

4. Here you will be typing in the web address of the blog or site that you are following. Most sites have a RSS feed button that will automatically subscribe you or give you the correct address. This is an example of a  link banner: (Facebook, Twitter, RSS, and Youtube)

5. Next, insert the web address in the subscribe box and click "Add."

6. Your website will now be under your subscriptions tab on your navigation bar. Feeds in bold have new items. The number in parenthesis is the number of new items. Most feeds when you are a new subscriber will show (10). 

7. There are two views. I prefer the second or list view.

(Left most button is picture view, right next to it is list. Arrows scroll. Gear is Settings.)

Picture view shows lists of blog posts as pictures.

 List View shows as a list of read and unread items. Click to open. Use arrows or shortcut keys to scroll.

*Shortcut keys: J to scroll down to next post. K to scroll up to previous post.

8. Items that you find important or that you would like in a separate place can be starred by simply clicking the star. On the navigation bar, there is a Starred Items icon. Select that and it will only pull your starred items out of your different feeds.

9. You are ready to go!

Use this to follow your family and friend's personal blogs as well! Or, do as I do, and use it for comics, too!! (Click Brows for Stuff and type in your favorite comic strip)

Swag Bucks

Have you tried Swag Bucks yet? I didn't for the longest time but I am so glad I did. I have earned $50 over $100!!! in Amazon Gift Certificates for basically just doing what I do.

This is Swag Buck's explanation of how it works:
http://www.swagbucks.com/g/how-it-works

Basically you search the internet, take surveys, polls, watch video clips and get paid to do it. **NEW! ONLINE & OFFLINE SHOPPING REWARDS!** Get paid to shop online at your favorite stores. My main stores are Amazon, Kohls, Walmart, and Target, but the list is long!! Usually works as a get X sb per dollar spent.

I am not a major Swagger. I will stop by and take the daily poll most every day and complete a survey or two, but mostly I get my points from searching the internet. I have downloaded the search engine tool bar and use that. It is integrated with Google, which is a plus for me. For example, today I was searching for "Souper Salad coupons" and I was awarded 28 Swag Bucks. Now, this is more Bucks than normal, but it was a pleasant surprise.

They also have codes that are good for a certain amount of points. They are sometimes very tricky and require some thinking, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes very easy to do. I find it convenient to follow them on Facebook and have their blog hand in my RSS feeder. I also have their swidget on my personal blog that will alert you to when there is a code and will give clues on how to find them!

Click HERE to get started!

Coupons You Don't Want to Miss

My coupons reset again today. I don't know why. These are all from coupons.com. But here are the coupons I think will produce the best deals:

 My FAVORITE coupon EVER!

 Not the best every day coupon... but I can't wait to get me some Teddy Grahams!

 Kraft cheese usually goes on sale. I would look out for a good deal. Not high value, but good.

 These are only $2.58/box at Wal-Mart. 

 Money Maker at Wal-Mart... if you can find it in stock. I did last week and had quite the story....

For those with babies... I know this stuff is expensive. If you need this coupon, PRINT FAST!

Savings Spreadsheet

I was curious how much money I was saving by using coupons. I had BJ cook up this amazing Excel file to track my savings. I have found that tracking my savings has encouraged me to want to save more. I even had him put in two columns that showed coupons that I used from the newspaper to see if using coupons would more than pay for my newspaper subscription. It has. By a lot. And it's only been 3 months.

I have put together a sample of my spreadsheet and how I use it. If you are good with Excel and can figure thigns out, you may want to just jump to the bottom of this post. If you still can't figure it out, come back and read this.



Click here :Coupon Savings Example

Line 2: Doubler Transaction

Simply put, I bought 5 cans at .60 a piece and I had a $1/5 coupon. Insert "=1/5" or ".2" in the coupon column, not $1. The savings in the columns is for each individual item. So, $1/5=$.20/can. This was a coupon I printed off the internet so that is where I put it. Since I doubled it, I put an "x" in the doubler column. Then shows final price, savings, and %.

Line 3:  2 Types of Coupons

Rite Aid had Dove Shampoo on sale for 2/$7 so I put this sale price in as a store coupon to begin. I then saw on the shelf that they were $4.99 regularly so I put that in as the regular price. I had a BOGO coupon, which would save me $3.50 on one (or $1.75 on two) and it was from the newspaper so I put it in the coupon insert column. I then had an Up Rewards Video coupon (off the internet) and that saved me more. Bada-bing, the spreadsheet works its magic.

Line 4:  Catalina

Pretty self explanatory. Received a $1 catalina from Albertson's and used it on a non-sale item.

Line 5: Store Coupon, Manufacture Coupon, and doubler

Entered regular price of pizza at that store (because that is what I would have paid there), priced matched it to another store for $4 and entered as store coupon, used $1 internet coupon and doubled.

Line 6 and 7: Kohl's coupons

This one was tricky. I had bought these 4 items and used 2 $10 off coupons but I couldn't just enter it in. So I got creative. Two items were normally $19.99 but were on clearance... and then took off the 1st $10 coupon to make my store coupon make them $2.99. Same for second. Then I combined the two together to get my final price of $4.22. It helped that I had my receipt handy so if the numbers didn't work out I could move them some more. Probably too complicated for most people to bother with.

Line 8: Negative Balance

Any number in (  ) is overage... Or money the store paid me to buy the item! :) Great way to keep track of free items!


For your personal use!! Share it with your friends!

Click to download here: Coupon Savings Spreadsheet


******After opening the link, click on the Download Original button to save it to your computer. Do not modify on Google Docs unless that is how you plan on using it!******


Totals from my personal spreadsheet:

Total saved just from newspaper subscription:

All sales and coupons:

I include coupons stuck to the front of the paper (like from Kohl's), restaurant, craft store, and coupons found in the Parade, etc as newspaper coupons. I wouldn't have them without the paper. (But this only includes Kohl's coupons so far ontop of coupon inserts!)

Sorting Through Sales

Just because it is on sale or on a promotion doesn't mean it is a great price. For example, take a look at a snippet from this week's Smith's ad:

(Source)

I have told you about the chili, soup, and butter deal and how coupons make this deal even better. This means everything on the promotion is a good deal, right? Not necessarily. Take the cereal in the corner for example. Even with a Kellogg's coupon, this is not a very good deal. The store wants you to think, "Hmm... I'm here and I need cereal so I will buy the one that is on the buy ten promotion because that has to be a good deal." This particular cereal goes on sale frequently for around $2. Or, there may be a promotion for another type of cereal that is actually less expensive than the advertised promotion.

Alright, Stephanie. So how do I know which deals are good and which ones aren't? Honestly, the best advice I can give is to pay attention to the price of items you frequently buy. I keep a mental note of what a "good price" is. During the summer I bought a lot of chili without coupons and I knew it was $1.50+ per can. When I saw it on sale for $.99, I knew that was a better price and that I should stock up on a few more cans. Then, when I saw the coupons to go along with it, I knew I had better really stock up! For another example, I will not pay more than $1.00/box on cereal because I know I can always get it for that price. I may have to wait awhile, but there will always be a cereal promotion.

Retail and spending in general is all about what you are willing to pay. You have to decide what that amount is.

Knowing Where to Look for Coupons

These are just a list of my favorites. There are many coupon sites!! But make sure to check these out!

Coupons.com: Coupons are updated, taken away, or changed periodically throughout the month however they are "reset" on the first. Coupons are on first come, first serve basis. They can be printed twice. May see a link for these coupons from other websites with "bricks.coupons.com". This is from the same site yet you may not find them on coupons.com. To print these coupons twice, hit the back button on your browser (twice if a message pops up saying data needs to be resent.

coupons.com

Red Plum and Smart Source: A few more coupons not found in their newspaper inserts. (I check Smart Source more frequently than Red Plum.)

redplum.com
smartsource.com


Better Crocker or Pillsbury: Often has slightly higher coupon values than other sites. These are reset on the first business day of the month and are on a first come, first serve basis.  These sites have the same generator so if you reach your print limit on one, you reach your print limit on the other. Not sure there is an advantage to joining both, but I have.

http://www.bettycrocker.com/
http://www.pillsbury.com/

Kellogg's: Average value coupons off Kellogg's cereal and products. This is usually the only place other than inserts where you can find these coupons.

www.kelloggs.com

Procter and Gamble: often has free samples and coupons. Can only be used quarterly so look for things you will use. They update their site periodically so keep checking back. This website will also tell you when the next P&G insert will be coming out. They also have a Home Made Simple coupon mailer. I recommend getting this! Check to see if they are available. (I have already requested mine so I don't know if this link will work.)

http://pgeverydaysolutions.com/
Home Made Simple

*** Worried about giving away your email? I created an email address for the soul purpose of signing up for these promotions and coupons. If you use gmail, you do not have to give your real or full name. For things that need to be mailed, you will need to provide your address but I have never had problems with giving this out on these sites. Always check the privacy policies.***

Catalinas

You know those coupons that mysteriously print out at the register after you have completed a transaction? These are called catalinas. These are perhaps the most confusing types of coupons to use. I am still not an expert at using them. I think I have only effectively used them once. (here) Some catalinas are for a specific product (ex: save $2 on 5 boxes of General Mills cereal) and some are good to spend as store cash (ex: save $7.00 on your next Albertson's purchase).

Because I am not an expert at these, I will refer you to someone who is!

Fabulously Frugal: Catalinas

Coupon Reset

Did you know the first business day of the month is when most websites reset their coupons? Websites such as coupons.com, pillsbury.com, bettycrocker.com, and kelloggs.com usually have higher value coupons that are only available for a short period of time. Today is the day to put your printer to work!

Remember you can print each coupon twice. Can't find it after printing it once? Try looking on the last page of coupons. Often times the high demand coupons will reset to the back page. This page also tells you when you've reached your print limit of a specified coupon!

Coupon Lingo

SS? P&G? RP? BOGO? What does that all mean? Let me tell you!

The following is a deal listed on  Fabulously Frugal's website:
★Dr. Pepper Ten $1.69
Free Dr. Pepper Ten 10/9/2011 SS Insert (exp 11/21/2011)
Final price: FREE! (source)
They have listed the date the insert came out, the insert it came from, and the coupon's expiration date. Most websites will do this for you to make it easy!

List of inserts:
General Mills (GM)
Proctor and Gamble (P&G or PG)
Red Plum (RP)
Smart Source (SS)

Deal abbreviations.:
Buy one, get one (BOGO)
Buy one, get one (B1G1)
Buy x, get x ex:(B2G1)
Dollar off / # of product ($3/2, $1/1)

Other terms:
Catalina: Coupon printed from machine at register based on purchase. Good for future purchase. (Sometimes these are store specific.)
UP Rewards: Rite Aid's reward program. Spends like cash on next Rite Aid purchase
Register Rewards: Walgreen's reward program. Spends like cash on next Walgreen's purchase.
Instant Rebate: Rebate is deducted at time of purchase.
Mail-in Rebate: Customer must submit rebate form. (or electronically where applicable)



For a more in depth look at coupon lingo and for others not listed here:
http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/lingo
http://thekrazycouponlady.com/beginners/

Price Matching

You've looked through all of your ads for the week and you are getting overwhelmed at the number of stores you have to visit to get all of your good deals. For those who are all for the "one-stop-shopping" shoppers, Walmart and Shopko will price match other stores with their ad.

There are few restrictions to price matching so make sure to check out these policies.

Walmart's price matching policy.
Shopko's price matching policy.

For example, at Walmart you can price match "Buy one at $2.99 get one 50% off", but you cannot price match "Buy one get one 50%off" without a specified price.

A price matching scenario I did was for Past Roni. It was $.79 a box at Fred Meyer. I had already planned my trip to Walmart and didn't want to run to Freddies. Walmart is pretty good about the customer saying "Product X is on sale at store A." The cashiers are supposed to have a copy of competitors ads at the register, but they don't always. Thus, I usually carry a copy of the ads. Anyway, so I showed my ad to the cashier and I got FM's price at Walmart. Then, I was able to use my coupons there.

Any questions about price matching, please leave a comment!

Please feel free to list others in the comments. I will research them, find the links, and repost.

Places that price match appliances:
Sears
Lowe's
RC Willey

The Almighty Coupon Binder

Organization is essential in couponing! I used to have all of my coupons just tucked in a pocket-folder-thingy and had them sorted by month. When I was only getting one paper, this worked ok but I often found I would overlook coupons I had had for several months and forgot about.

My new coupon binder was assembled at the beginning of this month. It is just a 3 ring binder with pocket inserts. I sorted all of my coupons on the floor and typed up what categories they fell under and then made a few extra labels for coupons I didn't have, but sometimes receive. Amazon has a good deal on coupon sleeves! But you need to hurry! You never know how long their prices will last!

When I put my coupons in my binder, I am a little OCD about their order. Most people put them in order of expiration date. I put them in order of best value (for like products) for the products I am most likely to use, by expiration date. EX: Yoplait has several coupons out right now. $1/10, $.40/6, and $.50/8. I am most likely to use the $1/10 coupons first so I put all of those in order of expiraction date, then the $.40/6 by expiration, and so on. 

I try and take my coupon binder to the store with me every time I go. Sometimes I regret not taking it. Like today... when Trident gum was on clearance at Target and I left my coupon binder in the car. It may have been a good thing, though. I have 4 packs of gum at home already!

When I plan a shopping trip, I clip all of those coupons together and put them in a front pocket in my binder by store. I haven't made a label for my stores yet, but it is in the works. That way, I know I will be using coupon "X" at store "A" later on in the week so I don't accidentally use it somewhere else or misplace it!

Other things I keep in my coupon binder:

*Store ads when I want to price match at Wal-Mart.
*Pair of scissors.
*Lined paper so I can write out my shopping trips.

Shopping at Albertson's

For those that live with an Albertson's near, they often put out Twice the Value coupons. These are also called "doublers." Essentially, they double your coupon up to $1.00. (So any coupon $1.01+ cannot be doubled.) I signed up for the five Sunday Newspaper Deal, suggested by Fabulessly Frugal, because of these coupons. In one week, I can save up to $15 extra dollars on top of my coupons. (3 doublers x 5 papers) Assuming I use 15 $1 coupons, that is a savings of $30 in one week! Awesome, huh?

Using these at Albertson's takes some practice. The company policy is that you can use 3 doublers in one transaction, but you can do 3 transactions in a row before you are required to get back in line. You can repeat this as many times as you have coupons for! :) Or, the Walmart on Overland and Fairview in Boise will honor these doublers. (Apparently this is a regional decision, not a company wide policy.) They will allow you to use as many doublers as you would like in one transaction. Typically, I can find better deals and get more overage with my coupons at Walmart. However...

I try to make it a point to use at least some of my doublers at Albertson's. Fabulously Frugal made a great point about The Hand that Feeds You found here. Your choice. Up to you. As for me and my money, we shop at both! :)

**** FOR THOSE WITHOUT ALBERTSON'S******
Check the store that replaced Albies, Market Fresh, (I think.) They tend to run similar deals. While they lack the doublers, they often have great deals as well that you can use your coupons with!

Coupon Database

If there is a specific product I need that I know there are sometimes I coupon for, I always check the online printable database. I have found many obscure product coupons on here. My favorite is the first on the list. I think it is the most user friendly. I always come here to see if there are Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners! (Best deal at Walmart!)

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/print-coupons/
http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/database
http://coupondatabase.dealseekingmom.com/main-database/

Another place to look while shopping at retail stores and restaurants:

www.retailmenot.com
*I have found that sometimes it is easier to Google "Office Depot coupons" and then find the Retail Me Not link. Just FYI.