I signed up for SavingStar about a month ago on the advice of a friend. As always, I personally use any site I recommend on here (no, I am NOT getting paid to write this post). I definitely give it an "A" rating.

How does it work?

• Sign up at SavingStar.com
• Link to your store's loyalty cards. They have a wide variety of stores. All you have to do is type in your store customer # (no other personal information, just that).
• Click to "Load" coupons.
• When you buy the item, you get credited the amount on SavingStar (NOT cash-back at the store).
• When you reach $5.00, you can cash out.

I reached my $5.00 through two purchases, one at Rite-Aid and one at Albertsons. I got credited for both without any problem. The day after I bought the items, my account got credited without me having to do anything.
After I cashed out, the money showed up in my PayPal account within a day. Best of all, since this doesn't "count" as a coupon, you can still use a manufacturer's coupon on the item!

Coupons- Part 2

In Part 1 (located here: http://www.thehousewifemodern.com/1/post/2011/12/coupons-part-1.html as well as in the “Coupons and Savings” section of the website), we discussed very basic rules for using coupons and how a beginner could spend less than 10 minutes a week and still use coupons.
 
Today’s article will cover basic organization for someone who wants to spend a bit more time and energy and save more money.

Finally, our next part, Part 3 will be an “expert” post for someone who is willing to put in about two hours start-up and one to two hours per week.  This is the level I am at, and I save about $2,000 a year.   

If you are already saving money just using the tips in Part 1 -or- if you’re just starting out and want to actually organize your coupons, this is the place to start. The first step is to buy a coupon organizer. I know, sounds so….old-fashioned, I guess…but it is important. You have two options: a full zip binder (used by most serious couponers) or a smaller expandable plastic organizer about the size of a large wallet. I would recommend the smaller one to start with unless you KNOW you are going to stick with using coupons. The small ones can be found at any office store, with cheap versions being available at Wal-Mart. Get one with AT LEAST 8 dividers.

Before you even look at coupons, think about common things you buy for the household, and label your sections. Some people have more detailed sections, some broader. My first, small coupon organizer had the following sections:
•    Cooler (Refrigerated)
•    Freezer
•    Jars & Cans on shelves- such as spaghetti sauce, soup, and olives.
•    Boxes & other packages on shelves- such as Hamburger Helper and packets of taco mix.
•    Misc. Food-I put candy and other odds and ends in this one.
•    Personal Care- make-up, shaving gel, shampoos, etc.
•    Medicine (OTC)- aspirin, cold medicine, cough drops, etc.
•    Household- such as paper towels and cleaners
•    Laundry
•    Pet
•    Specific Stores- such as coupon that can only be used at Food Lion or Applebee's.  (You'll be surprised how many of these you'll find).

Feel free to customize for your household's needs.  Baby stuff would be a great category for someone with a baby- there are a ton of baby coupons, but I don't clip them as I don't have kids.
(Hint/Tip: Sort by expiration date into the different categories.  This allows you to easily throw away expired coupons, and notice when a coupon is close to expiring.)

Now, clip and print away! Clip coupons on items you already use, but also don't be afraid to try a different brand if it is going to be cheaper.  I fell in love with Prego spaghetti sauce after trying it when I had a coupon.  When I don't have time to make scratch, I buy Prego now.  (Hint, hint: this is why manufacturer’s offer coupons!)

Take your coupon organizer with you to the grocery store!   Do NOT pull out the coupons you think you'll need and leave the rest at home.  If you're not scanning ads in advance, you'll notice them in the store.  If ketchup is BOGO (buy one, get one free), and you have a coupon, you don't want to discover you didn't bring it because you weren't planning on buying ketchup.

Yes, this post was long…but the process really isn’t. A couple of hours of initial time invested plus about 30 min. a week can save some serious money. Good luck!

For those of you who have heard about how Adgitize is a great source of (a little) blog income and traffic, I'm sorry to say that Adgitize has closed. It used to be one of my favorite sites also....
I HAVE received the outstanding balance that Adgitize owed me. If you have not received your money yet, I suggest contacting Adgitize directly.

IM report card is a free site that attempts "to catalog, review and discuss every single popular Internet marketing related product, service, person or "guru", and biz-opp."  I've only used the site rarely, but when I have considered an advertising or marketing site- even free ones- I stop by.  I go to check for a few reasons: to see what experience and ratings other people have given it, to make sure that I'm not wasting my time, and to verify that my information isn't going to be stolen/used inappropriately. 

The reviews are compiled from hundreds of people who have actually used the site.  They not only show a "grade" for each site/service/offer, but offer specific reviews with good points and bad points.  The reviews are unbiased.  No one gets paid to promote a site. 

If you are considering advertising or marketing, I would suggest this site.  If you absolutely must consider paid surveys or other "internet money opportunities," I would doubly recommend this site from what I've heard from other people.
Link: http://www.imreportcard.com/
p.s. I did not get paid or reimbursed in any way for this review.
p.p.s. Like my high-tech cartoon?

I ran across this while browsing the other day, and couldn't resist sharing it with you.  It is fascinating, informative, and humorous.  Whether a casual reader or a writer with a degree in English, I think you should take a few moments, pop over, and check it out. 

Here is the web address (I know some people don't like clicking on links):
http://computersherpa.deviantart.com/art/Periodic-Table-of-Storytelling-203548951

The house the military has recently given us to live in is all right in most aspects.  However, the cheap countertops have already started to annoy me.  I have a little scale for weighing foods.  It has little rubber sticky things on the bottom so it doesn't....ha-ha....mark up the counter.  Well, in this case, the little rubber sticky things themselves left black scuff marks on my countertops.  Cleaning them has been a saga of epic proportions. 

First, I spritzed on my normal cleaner and did a little scrub with a washcloth.  Swish, flick, wipe.  Looked and there those black marks still were. 

Hmmm.  I rubbed harder, added more cleaner.  Rubbed again.  Broke out the hard bristled brush.  I stepped back and narrowed my eyes.  I've gotten stains out you wouldn't imagine.  I am a master.  I would not be defeated. 

I went to back-ups a, b, & c (which are vinegar & water, baking soda, and bleach & water, respectively).  One by one they fell.  Defeated.  Dead in the dust...well, dead on the laminated kitchen floor. 

I lifted my chin, still strong.  I then scrubbed with straight bleach.  My hang-nails disappeared (yeah, I know, you're supposed to wear rubber gloves), but the black marks remained.  I sat down on the kitchen floor, the countertop above me.  Slowly, the determination which had bled out during the previous 20 scrubbings trickled back into my veins.  I'm a military wife.  I can clean anything; I can fix anything; I can deal with a house fire, a missing cat, and a stolen credit card- at the same time- without any spousal support and without crying. 

An internet search yielded up a new solution.  I marched up the stairs, retrieved my non-gel toothpaste, and applied a thick coat to one of the marks.  I waited the required 30 minutes.  I then scrubbed- just for a moment- with a soft-bristle brush.  The white of the toothpaste obscured the countertop.  I was breathless, unable to see if it had worked, wondering if I had finally succeeded.  The final step.  I wiped the countertop clean with a damp washcloth..... (are you holding your breath?)

The countertop was clean!  Toothpaste had defeated the evil black marks, and shown up expensive store-bought cleaners, vinegar, baking soda, and straight bleach.  I nodded my head slightly at the toothpaste, showing my respect, one veteran cleaning warrior to a new champion. 

_First, what is an Alexa Traffic Ranking? 
    It is a ranking based on traffic to your site compared with traffic to other sites.  That is the simple explanation.  They use data from people who have an Alexa toolbar and “other, diverse traffic data sources” to come up with the ranking for your page.  (For a more detailed and technical explanation, please visit the Alexa page directly: http://www.alexa.com/help/traffic-learn-more)

Alexa rankings are a bit counter-intuitive.  Unlike Google page rank, where you want a higher number, with Alexa you want a LOWER number.  For example, a site with a rank of 89,887 is receiving a lot more quality traffic than a site with a rank of 2,345,678.  Alexa says a site with a rank of less than 100,000 is reliable.  You can find different numbers and opinions all over the internet. 

For those just starting out, DO NOT PANIC if your rank is horrible.  For a new website with all new content and no links in, your ranking is going to be horrible.  It will improve, provided you do the things that make a good site.  Publish often.  Publish accurate information.  Keep your site organized (aka- delete junk links people may leave).  Find and use reputable blog directories.  Do what you can to increase traffic to your site. 
Most importantly,though,  remember that an Alexa ranking is just a tool.  It is not the definitive answer on whether your site has good content or not. 

_First of all, before you even consider clipping (or printing) your first coupon, there are a few basic rules to follow:

1) Don’t buy a more expensive product just because you have a coupon.  If X brand of cheese is normally $2.99 and Y brand is $3.99 and you have a coupon for $.50 for brand Y, DON’T BUY IT.  You’re still paying more than you would for X brand.

2) Don’t use a coupon just because it’s about to expire.  A product costing $2.99 after using a coupon & never used is $2.99 thrown in the trash.  Letting the coupon expire and not using it is just a piece of paper thrown in the trash. 

Okay, now on to the interesting stuff.  Where does the beginner- someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot of time or energy on coupons- start?  Very simply. 

• Pick out ten to twenty grocery items that your family buys often.
• Start keeping your eye out for those coupons in particular.  Check the Sunday paper or online. 
• Clip them when you see them, and put them next to your checkbook or credit card (if the coupons are right next to your payment method, you are more likely to remember to use them at the checkout). 

That’s all there is to it.  Even if you only use five coupons a week with a 50 cent average, that’s $10 a month or $120 a year saved.

Another easy way to save money is to check the prices at various grocery stores.  The easiest way to do this is to pick 15 products-that your family uses- from different categories (meat, produce, cooler, shelves, etc.), and scribble them down on a piece of paper.  Go to a few stores, hunt down those items, and write down the prices.  You might be surprised to find out that a grocery store you’ve previously ignored actually has good prices. 

There will be two more posts in this “series” of articles.  Part 2 will cover basic organization for someone who wants to spend a bit more time and energy to save more money.  Part 3 will be an “expert” post for someone who is willing to put in about two hours start-up and one to hours a week.  This is the level I am at, and I save about $2,000 a year.  

_I save over $2,000 a year between coupons and other savings.  In light of this, I have dedicated a small section of this website to information relating to that subject.  We’ll start out with some of the questions I’m most commonly asked.  Feel free to ask your own questions- you can leave a comment on any post, e-mail me, or use the contact form. 

Invariably (and inevitably), the first question I always get is-
Question: Doesn’t it take a long time to actually save money using coupons?  
Answer: No.  I spend about an hour a week clipping, sorting, and going through circulars.  That hour a week saves me over a $100 a month.  It seems like a fair trade for me.  And if you have kids and spend time in the bleachers waiting for them at games/practice, this is a great time to clip and sort.

And the second question is-
Q: I have a job and don’t have time to clip coupons.  How do you find the time to do it? 
A: Yet once again, I usually don’t spend more than an hour a week clipping coupons and flipping through circulars.  I can do this while the news is running in the background or during breaks between writing. 

Q: Does using coupons save money?  
A: Yes.  But be sensible.  Read the Coupons 101 section below for more details. 

Q: Is it safe to print coupons online? 
A: Yes.  People do it all the time.  It will require you downloading a small piece of software, but as long as you are on a reputable site, you should be fine.  I’ve printed from at least a dozen different sites and have never had a problem.

Q: How much do you save using coupons? 
A: For our household of two, I save a little over $100 per month on average using coupons.  No, I’m not kidding.  For just the two of us.  (The other $800 saved a year is through other means…see the rest of this section of the website for more details.) 

Q: What are good things to use coupons for?  
A: I have a basic rule.  NEVER PAY FULL PRICE for anything except fresh meat, produce, and (maybe) dairy.  If it comes in a box or can, find a sale or find a coupon.  If it’s in the cooler or freezer and is brand name (Kraft cheese, lunchmeat, Red Baron pizza), find a sale or use a coupon.  If it is for personal use- such as toilet paper, razors, OTC medicine, toothpaste- find a sale AND use a coupon.