How to Earn Money with ShopatHome

Woohoo!  Today I got a check from ShopatHome, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share with you all the benefits ShopatHome offers.

1. Get $5 for signing up!  Just head over here.

2.  Get paid to shop!

When shopping online, simply login to ShopatHome, search for the store you want to shop, and you'll earn a percentage back of what you spend, anywhere from 1-30% at over 3,000 stores!  Percentages may vary from day to day.  For example, usually you'll get 2% cash back on Kohls.com purchases, but ShopatHome is currently offering 8%!  Checks are sent monthly, as long as you've earned a minimum of $20.  If you haven't hit $20, don't worry, it'll just roll into the next month!

Tip: Don't worry if you're shopping online and forgot about ShopatHome.  I often close the window I'm shopping, login to ShopatHome, and go to the store where my items are still in my cart.

3.  Earn money for referring friends! 

Share your referral link and you'll earn $5 for every person who signs up and shops through it!  Your friend also gets $5 for signing up! 

4.  Take advantage of their daily WILD deals and maybe even score some freebies! 

WILD stands for Web's Incredible Limited Deals.  I scored the above above Band-Aids and Triple Antibiotic Cream for free (no longer available).  I posted about them here and here.

You can sign up for ShopatHome here.  You may also be interested in joining ebates, a similar program.  I usually compare the percentage back being offered by these 2 sites when doing my online shopping.

How to Prepare for a Roadtrip, Bargain-Style!

I'm headed out on a roadrip with my brother and sister-in-law soon, so I thought I'd share with you some of my ideas for doing it Bargain Barton-Style! ;)

1.  Raid your stock pile for snacks!
As you can see from my shopping trips, I have tons of granola bars and pop.  I've also been picking up cheap candy, nuts, and other snacks.  This should help cut back on gas station purchases.

2.  Sign up for restaurant e-clubs ahead of time and print coupons.
We don't have the fine dining establishments of Cici's, Jack in the Box, and The Waffle House near us, but I know those will be staples in our road trip.  I'm signing up for their e-mail clubs about a week before heading out in hopes of scoring some new sign up coupons!

3.  Get certificates from Restaurant.com
Look up restaurants in the cities you'll be staying in on restaurant.com.  You can check out reviews on yelp.  Go through shopathome.com to earn 24% cash back and check retailmenot.com for coupon codes.  (There's always a code for anywhere between 40-80% off.)  You'll save tons on dining out and might discover something you would not have otherwise found.

4.Keep your eye out for gas station coupons and print them before you leave.  Some places to look include:
AM/PM's Facebook Page-see "coupons & offers"
Murphy USA-sign up for e-offers here
Pilot Travel Centers' Facebook page-posts coupons
Thornton's Facebook page-posts coupons

Have any other tips to share?

How to Extreme Coupon: Target Shopping, $1.22

4 Gillette Deodorants, $4.24 each
4 Gillette Body Washes, $3.49 each
Used:
4 Buy 1 Gillette Body Wash, Get 1 Gillette Deodorant Free from 5/1 P&G
4 $2/1 Gillette Deodorant 5/15 RP
TIP: When using a BOGO coupon, you can also use a coupon on the item you are not getting for free.  In this case, I was able to use a $2/1 coupon on the deodarant, since I was still "paying for it." 

...and:
4 $1/1 Gillette Body Wash TARGET Coupon from 5/1 Target P&G Insert
4 $1/1 Gillette Dedorant TARGET Coupon from 5/1 Target P&G Insert
TIP: Most stores allow you to use one manufacturer and one store coupon on each item.  This is referred to as "stacking" coupons.  When stacking coupons, hand over all your manufacturer coupons first, then your store coupons.  It helps avoid "beeps" from the registers and may result in "overage."  Overage is excess money that can be used towards other items in your order.

2 KC MasterPiece BBQ Sauces, $1.42 each
Used 2 $1/1 from 5/15 SS

Wishbone Italian Dressing, $1.89
Wishbone Western Dressing, $1.09
Used $1/2 from 5/22 RP

2 Revlon Nail Files, $1.27 each
1 Revlon Clipper, $2.24
Used:
$5/2 Revlon Beauty Tools Catalina from Previous Purchase
$2/1 Revlon Beauty Tools Catalina from Previous Purchase
$2/1 Revlon Beauty Tools TARGET STORE Catalina from Previous Purchase 

Women's T-Shirt, $2.00 on clearance
Used: $2 off Women's Top Target Web Coupon (previously available) 

Baby Shorts, $1.12 on clearance
Grabbed these thinking they'd eat up any overage I had left.  Wasn't enough...

*I didn't calculate how much I'd be getting in overage correctly so my total was actually negative.  Usually you're not allowed to go into tax, but somehow I did.
Subtotal: -$.99, Tax: $2.11, Total: $1.22

So as you can see, I had a lot of overage from my Gillette and Revlon purchases/coupons.  If I had more of those coupons, I would have had more money in overage to apply to other things I was buying.  This is how people on shows like "Extreme Couponing" end up with such large stockpiles and very little spending.

On a personal note, I do keep a stockpile of things for myself.  I also like to share my bargains with others.  My brother will be getting the body wash and deodorant.  If he can't use it all, he can pass it on to friends or donate it.  The baby shorts will go to my friend's newborn.  I'll use the Revlon products to make some gift baskets or as stocking stuffers.  The rest I'll use myself.  While I didn't need the Gillette or Revlon, it helped pay for other things I did need.  Personally, I try to pass on the things I don't need to others who do need them or can use them. :)

How to Get Newspaper Coupon Inserts

 Subscribe to the Sunday Paper:

Newspapers, such as the Chicago Tribune, will have coupon inserts with more coupons that are of higher value than "smaller" newspapers such as the Rockford Register Star.  If you are in the Chicago-land area, I suggest getting a subscription to the Sunday Chicago Tribune.

The Chicago Tribune always has a code out to get the Sunday paper for $.50 a week.  You can call 1-800-311-8500 or visit chicagotribune.com/savenow to subscribe.  The current valid offer codes (as of 5/14/11) are X502 or X503.

Stock Up On Extra Papers:

You can view what coupons will be in the upcoming paper at Sunday Coupon Preview.

If there are a lot of coupons that you know you will use, you may want to pick up some extra papers.
For example, this week (5/14/11), since there is a coupon for a FREE 12 oz. McDonalds Frozen Strawberry lemonade, buying additional papers for $1 will pay for themselves.

Dollar Tree is one of the cheapest places to get extra papers.  For only $1, you can pick up the early edition on Saturday or the Sunday paper on Sunday.

Buy Coupon Inserts or Coupons Online

Ebay is an option for buying multiples of individual coupons or entire coupon inserts!

How to Shop Dominick's Using "Just 4 U"

The first thing you want to do, if you haven't already, is to register for their Just 4 U program.  You'll get a free dozen eggs for doing so!

When you login to your Just 4 U account, you will need to load coupons at the "Coupon Center" and "Personalized Deals."  The first time you do this, there will be many to load.  After that, you'll just want to login before you go to Dominick's each time to see if there is anything new.  Typically there will be some new things to add for sales starting on Thursdays and Sundays.

The "Coupon Center" is mostly manufacturer coupons that load directly onto your card.  The manufacturer coupons will come directly off your card when you buy that item.  They are one time use only and have an expiration date.  You can not use a paper manufacturer coupon in addition to the loaded one, unless you are buying more than one product.  (For example, if you're buying 2 boxes of cereal and you have a $1/1 manufacturer coupon loaded on your card, that will apply to your first box.  You can use a paper coupon for your other box.)

Your "Personalized Deals" are just that, personalized prices for you.  They are store prices that apply to your purchases when you use your card.  Most are "unlimited" use until the expiration date.  Each coupon will say if it is "one-time use" or "unlimited."

Personalized Deals can be really great when you have the right products for the following types of sales:

1.  When Dominick's does a deal like buy X-number of Y and get $Z off.
For example, Dominick's is having a deal to buy select cereals for $2.99, but if you buy 4, you save $4, taking the price down to $1.99 each.  Well, I have a "Personalized Deal" price of $2.31 for that cereal.  So after the $4 savings I'll only pay $1.31 per box.  Remember, I can add coupons to this.  I'll use $.55 coupon on each box, taking the cost per box down to $.76.

2.  When Dominick's is having BOGO (buy one get one free) sales.
For example, let's say that a bag of chips retails for $4 a bag and Dominick's is having a BOGO sale.  Well, that would come out to $4 for 2 bags, but if I have a personalized deal of $2.80, I'll get my 2 bags for $2.80!  Again, if I have coupons, I can use ONE on a BOGO.  (While some stores allow you to use 2 coupons on a BOGO sale, Dominick's coupon policy prohibits it.  You can only use a coupon on the one you are not getting free.)

ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS double (or triple) check your receipt.  Just 4 U is relatively new and there have been many instances that coupons do not come off.  Go to customer service if you discover an error.  If you have any problems there, I suggest posting on Dominick's Facebook wall.  That tends to get results. ;)

For coupon match-ups for Dominick's, I suggest visiting the following blogs:
ChiTownCheapskate
Jill Cataldo  Scroll down until you find "Deal for <date>" under "Deals of the Week" on the right side
Mashupmom

Happy Dominick's shopping!

How to Translate Coupon Abbreviations

Below are some of the more common coupon abbreviations you may come across in your couponing adventures!

B1G1 or BOGO = Buy One, Get One Free
ECB = Extra Care Bucks (Issued at CVS)
GM = General Mills (newspaper insert)
IP = Internet Printable
MC or MQ or Mfr. = Manufacturer’s Coupon
MIR = Mail in Rebate
OOP = Out of Pocket
OYNO = On Your Next Order
PG or P&G = Procter and Gamble (newspaper insert)
Q = Coupon
RP = Red Plum (newspaper insert)
RR = Register Reward (Issued at Walgreens)
SS = SmartSource (newspaper insert)
UPC = Universal Product Code
WYB = When You Buy
YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

How to Make the Most of Online Shopping

I'm super excited!  The gift cards I ordered from Plastic Jungle (blogged about here) arrived today.  This inspired me to write this piece.

There are three things you can do to make the most of your online shopping!
1.  Buy discounted gift cards for stores your regularly shop at online or in-store.  (Plastic Jungle is a great place to start!)
2.  Search for promotion codes for percentages off your order and/or free shipping. (Or you can wait for me to post them!) :)
3.  Go through ebates or ShopatHome for additional money back.

Let's look at a Scenario.  Hypothetically, let's say I'm shopping at Kohls.com.
1.  Let's pretend I have a Kohl's gift card I bought on Plastic Jungle at a 14% discount (the current rate offered). 
2.  Now let's say I want to buy an item at Kohls.com that costs $100.  Pretend I have a promotion code for 20% off and free shipping (as we saw last week.)  That means my item will only cost $80.
3.  If I go through ebates or ShopatHome, I'll earn 4% back, which is $3.20 cents.
4.  Since I bought my gift card at a 14% discount, I only paid $68.80 for $80 Kohls credit.  Subtract the $3.20 I'll get back from ebates or ShopatHome and the net cost of my "$100 item" is $65.60!  Those small percentages do add up!

HAPPY (ONLINE) SHOPPING! :)

How to Shop Walgreens

Ready to make the most of your shopping at Walgreens?

I highly recommend that you read Walgreens Coupon Policy located here.

You can stack Walgreens store coupons (as seen in Walgreens ads or in their monthly coupon booklets located by the ads in store) with a manufacturer coupon for the same item.

Walgreens offers a variety of deals that offer Register Rewards when you purchase a product.  Register Rewards look like this:

Some things to know about Register Rewards:
-You can use them like cash on your next purchase at Walgreens.
-Because they are manufacturer coupons, Jewel-Osco also accepts them.
-You'll only earn 1 register reward per each product in each transaction.
For example, this week there is a $3 Register Reward offered on Stayfree Maxi Pads.  If I buy 2, I will only get 1 $3 Register Reward.  This week there is also a $4 Register Rewards offer if you buy Luster toothpaste.  If I buy Stayfree and Luster, I will get a $3 Register Rewards and a $4 Register Rewards because they are different products.
-Register Rewards do not roll on products made by the same company.
That means I can not use my $3 Register Reward from Stayfree to buy more Stayfree.  It will not print another Register Reward.  Because Luster is made by a different company, I can use my $3 Stayfree Register Reward toward my purchase of Luster and I will still get my $4 Luster Register Reward.
-Per Walgreens Coupon Policy, you can not use more manufacturer coupons than items you're purchasing.
So, if I'm going to buy the Luster toothpaste and want to use both a coupon for Luster and my $3 Register Rewards (which remember is a manufacturer coupon), I need to throw in a "filler" item (something cheap like a pencil).  Now I have 2 items in order to use my 2 manufacturer coupons.

Ready for an example?

This week's ad shows that if you buy Stayfree Maxi Pads (14, 16, or 24 pack) for $2.99, you'll get a $2.99 Register Rewards good on your next purchase which is like getting it free.  What's better than free?  Getting "paid" to buy it!

There are a couple places you can find $1 off any Stayfree product coupons.  You can print the coupon here or find it in 3/27RP (March 27 Redplum newspaper insert).

Now you're paying $1.99 and getting a $3 Register Rewards back.

It's like "making" $1.  Because Jewel accepts Register Rewards, I'll often use them towards my grocery purchase.

How to Shop CVS

CVS is a lot of fun!  You can score a lot of free products and spend very little out of pocket.  I'm going to share what you need to know for scoring deals at CVS!

1. If you haven't already, sign up for their Extra Care Bucks Program.  This is their loyalty program.  They'll give you a loyalty card that you scan before every purchase to earn Extra Care Bucks.  Extra Care Bucks, also known as ECBs, print at the bottom of your receipt.  They work like cash for your next visit to CVS.  Here's what one looks like:

2. Buy a Green Bag Tag for 99 cents.  Attach it to a reusable shopping bag of your choice.  For every fourth use, you earn a $1 ECB (Extra Care Buck).  I've more than made that 99 cents back AND helped the environment by using a reusable bag.

3.  Every time you shop at CVS, scan your Extra Care Card at the coupon center.  Every CVS has one.  It is usually at the front of the store.  It will print out CVS store coupons which can be stacked with manufacturer coupons (example at bottom).  Keep scanning your card until it says "no more coupons available today."

4. Sign up for their ExtraCare Beauty Club.  For every $50 beauty purchase, you'll earn a $5 ECB.   It's easier than you think to get to that $50.  I joined a few months ago and already have $41.01 towards the $50, but trust me, I haven't SPENT anywhere near that.  It's all been free to near-free beauty products that I've picked up.

Now you're ready to do some major shopping!  I won't be posting all of the coupon match ups each week for stores.  There are a lot of people who already do, so I recommend checking their sites.  I will post match ups for the shopping trips I blog about.  Here are my favorite sites to find coupon match ups for CVS.

Hip2Save
MashupMom
iheartcvs

OK, ready for an example?  Here's a picture of today's purchase:

I actually came out AHEAD 7 cents.

Here's how:

As you can see from today's ad, "Blink Tears" are $7.99 with $7.99 ECB back.  I had a $1 off coupon from 4/3SS (meaning April 3rd Smart Source newspaper insert...if you haven't yet, subscribe to a paper and date your coupon inserts.  Then just cut out the coupons as needed when you read coupon match ups.)  That's like they're PAYING ME $1 to buy this.

Also in today's ad was Buy 2, get 1 free Mars Singles.  They were 99 cents each.  I had a a Buy 2, get 1 free coupon from the 3/13RP (March 13 Red Plum newspaper insert).  Now I'm paying for 1 and getting two for free, but it gets better!  Remember that coupon center I told you about?  It gave me this coupon for $.25 off 2 Mars Singles.

Because its a CVS store coupon, it can be stacked with manufacturer coupons.  That brought my price down to 74 cents for all 3 candy bars (or about 25 cents each).

So my total was $6.99 for the Blink Tears and 74 cents for the 3 candy bars for a total of 7.73 +tax, and getting back a $7.99 ECB to use on my next CVS visit.

Because I already had $4.99 in ECBS from previous visits, I "rolled" them (used these ECBs to earn new ECBs).  I paid with $4.99 ECBs and $2.93 in cash.  I got back a $7.99 ECB, making my net cost NEGATIVE 7 cents.  Don't forget I also got 1 of my 4 credits towards a $1 ECB for using my Green Bag Tag.

Your CVS Receipt has a lot of useful information on it.  It will show you your Beauty Club Spending, Your Green Bag Tag uses (amount toward the reward and quantity needed), list any limits you have on ECB deals (for example, there is a limit of 1 on the Blink Tears ECB), and most importantly, will have your ECBS at the bottom.

Happy CVS shopping!  Please leave any questions, comments, or CVS shopping experiences below!