Saving Money Part 1 "Websites"

I am a savvy shopper. I have lots of tips and tricks to save money. I am also good at spending the money I save! But with a family of 6, it's important to save money anywhere you can. I use coupons, and definitely search online for good deals before making any purchase. I will never just walk into Walmart and purchase an item I need without researching it out and finding where to get the best deal at. I almost never get groceries at Walmart either, not when my local Kroger will double my coupons! I get all my paper goods, and cleaning supplies at either the drug stores or Sams. I have learned that it's cheaper that way. I have several resources I use to help me. I also buy the Atlanta Journal newspaper every Sunday for coupons. But in my first money saving blog installment, I will simply go over the websites I use. Here are the top websites I find the most helpful in saving money and what each site will help you do.

1. Southernsavers.com This site is amazing. If you only use one site to save money, this is it. Most of you know about this website, but I'm sure you don't take full advantage of it. It has the sales for most local stores each week with coupons available to use on each sale item. This is called "coupon match-ups " Every week, you will find coupon match-ups for CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, Publix and Kroger. Plus several more. I check this website every day. Not only will you find the sales and coupon match-ups, but you will find many other money saving opportunities. Free magazine subscriptions, hot printable coupons, cheap toys, free shipping... you name it, she finds it and posts it. So I check this website every night. I also use the coupon database on this website. If I need an item at the grocery store, I search for it in the coupon database and find it. It will quickly tell me if a coupon is available either online to print, in a coupon insert from the newspaper, or if an e-coupon is available. This site really is amazing!

2. Coupons.com This site has lots of printable coupons to use. Most of them can be printed 2 times each per computer. New coupons are released all the time, so check every week.

3. E-coupons: Cellfire.com , Shortcuts.com , Kroger.com/digitalcoupons , ibotta.com , savingstar.com ... to name a few of the best. These are coupons that can be loaded digitally to a stores card to save you money. The only negative thing about these coupons is that they can't be doubled. And I save a lot of money at Kroger with double paper coupons, so load wisely. I usually use the e-coupons for Rite-Aid and CVS.

4. Amazon.com - This website is a huge money saver. For all your electronic needs, your Christmas shopping, and even baby deals. I always look here first. Not only do that have incredibly cheap prices, but usually free shipping! And if you join Amazon Prime (which has a host of other benefits) you get free 2 day shipping! Many people look over there used items as well. Especially for video games, DVD's and other electronics. There are no auctions to wait on, you simply pick out the used item you want and one click order it. I have saved hundreds using amazon for Christmas shopping over the years. Most items on Amazon are 20% cheaper than Wal-mart, etc.  and you don't even have to leave your house to get it! You save even more with free shipping. And even MORE not paying tax on the item! We purchased our 50 inch TV from Amazon, got free shipping, a cheaper price than any other store, AND saved $35 in sales tax. So next time you are purchasing an item other than clothes/groceries, etc. check Amazon first!

5. Coupon Codes-  Retailmenot.com , Couponmountain.com , Couponcabin.com. These websites will help you find any and all coupon codes for almost ever retail store online. I never pay shipping on my online purchases, and almost always save 20% or more with codes. Before every online purchase, make sure you search for a coupon code to cut down on your cost.

6. I Heart____.com - iheartriteaid.com , iheartcvs.com , iheartwags.com . These sites will allow you to look at ads way before they are released to the public. This will assist you in beating other couponers to printable coupons that sometimes reach their limit before you even know about them! I will also help you decide whether or not you are getting the best deal, or if you should hold out another week or two. This site usually has comments under the sales flyers with coupon matchups, which will help you get ahead in the game!

7. Facebook pages- Bluegrass Savers , Smart Couponing , and Saving Centsably are just a few of my favorites that I follow on Facebook. These type of pages post deals, coupons and savings everyday! Ask your friends for their favorites and follow those too. The more saving pages you follow, the more you can save!

8. Groupon - This is a really neat website. It offers a wide variety of discounted goods, trips, activities and restaurants. They will email you deals often, but I usually just check in once a week to see what they have to offer. You can save quite a bit of money on activities using there site! Just watch and wait.

9. Swagbucks - This is THE best way to search the internet. When all else fails, just search for a deal. And there is NO better way to search than with Swagbucks. It's like any other search engine. Use it every single time you search. When you sign up will you get "swagbucks". They are like points. You save your points and get free stuff!! The best thing to use your swagbucks for are Amazon card. For 450 swagbucks, you can get a free $5.00 amazon card. I have searched my way to over $200 in FREE Amazon cards! That's a LOT of money. Just search and earn. 

Okay, so those are my top websites that I use to save money. I plan on having several other blog posts about money saving tips, so don't forget to check back! Please feel free to ask any questions and I will do my best to answer!