Tips & Tricks #3: Online Rebates

Online rebate websites are a free and easy way to get cash back for your online purchases. I use Ebates. Here's how it works: Register for an account, and go to the Ebates website first before making an online purchase. If Ebates is partnered with the site you want to purchase from, follow the link to the store from the Ebates page, and your rebate is automatic once you make the purchase. Cash back rates vary based on the store you buy from - there are hundreds of stores to choose from. They will often have periods of double cash back, too! You can choose to get your cash back via a check in the mail or through paypal. They send the checks (or credit your paypal account) 4 times a year. Diapers.com and Babies R Us are both partners with Ebates. I use Diapers.com for almost everything for my daughter, and I get cash back now for every purchase I make there, just by going through the Ebates website first! I just discovered Ebates in October, and I've already accrued $20!

Deal Alert: Groupon for Karen's Kleaning in SB

Groupon is offering a great deal for Karen's Kleaning - $39 for $80 worth of cleaning services. I have personally used Karen's Kleaning and found them to be excellent, so I recommend this deal! Depending on the size of your house, $80 probably won't cover the entire cost of the job, but it will certainly help. Last time I used them we lived in a small house on the westside and the total cost was $110. Tell your partner to buy you this for you to make up for any Christmas presents they forgot to buy!

Deal Alert: Old Navy Groupon

Groupon has an Old Navy deal right now - $10 for $20 worth of merchandise! You can buy 1 and get 1 additional as a gift. Valid in-store Only.

Tips + Tricks #2: Store Rewards

Another way to get the best deals for you dollars is make us of store rewards programs. Yes, this means you will have a LOT of plastic cards in your wallet, but it's worth it!

Here are some of the must-have reward programs.

CVS: Extra Care (extra bucks). I friggin love extra bucks. These things are like cash to be used on anything in the store. Certain items trigger extra bucks rewards, as well as total purchases over time. For example, for every $50 you spend on beauty products, you get $5 extra bucks. You can sign up for Extra Bucks emails and receive even MORE coupons that can be sent directly to your card. I've gotten several 25% off coupons this way. Most of the time extra bucks will be printed on your receipt so CHECK YOUR RECEIPT and do not throw away extra bucks!! There is also an Extra care coupon machine in each store where you can swipe your EC card and get random coupons.
CVS Extra Care Page

Rite Aid: Wellness Plus (+UP rewards). These are similar to CVS extra bucks, but no online bonuses.

Walgreens: Register Rewards. Walgreens does not have a rewards card, but gives register rewards (similar to extra bucks or +UP rewards) for certain items each week.

Items that trigger Extra Bucks, +UP Rewards or Register Rewards will be listed in the store circulars. CVS and Rite Aid will also have a sign next to the item in the store saying how many extra bucks are generated from that purchase. Walgreens, however, is sneaky and does not put any signs next to the items that generate register rewards. You have to look at their store circular to find this out, and match carefully to make sure you get the exact item they have listed.

Grocery store rewards cards usually don't give you any extra deals other than the best prices for that store, but they are definitely necessary to make sure you are paying the lowest price possible!

Tips + Tricks #1: Coupon Match-Ups 101

The basic idea of "extreme" couponing is matching up coupons with in-store sales to get the best prices possible.

How does one do this?

1. Get coupons.
Where does one find coupons?

• The Sunday Paper (the LA Times has the best coupons - you can subscribe to the Sunday edition or just buy them weekly)The coupon inserts are usually "smartsource" or "red plum", and occasionally there are additional inserts.


• In your mail on Tuesdays.


• In the "free sample" of the SB News-Press left on your driveway once a week.


• ONLINE. There are so many coupons available to print online. I check the following websites weekly:
  We Use Coupons Online Database
  Coupons.com
  Smartsource
  Red Plum

2. Research store sales to find the best match-ups with existing coupons
There are tons of blogs out there that make this easy. You can use these blogs to find the best match-up deals (some will even let you print out a shopping list of the best match-ups on their blog), or do the research yourself by looking at the store circulars that come in your mail and in the newspaper.

I usually do both. I look at my usual blogs for the best deals that they've found, and then I also browse the store circulars to see if my local store is offering any additional sales or if there are certain items on sale that I need. If you don't want to look through paper circulars, you can go to your store's website and browse the circulars online.

My favorite coupon match-up blogs:
Southern Cali Saver
Save at Home Mommy
Krazy Koupon Lady

couponing for good.

I have been wanting to start this blog for awhile now, and my experiences over the last week have motivated me to finally do it! I started what I call "moderately extreme" couponing this Summer in an attempt to save some money for my newly expanded family. It quickly turned into something much greater than that. I am a therapist and one day a week I work at the Santa Barbara Mental Health Assocation Fellowship Club with adults with severe mental illness, many of whom are homeless. We have a wonderful "Care Closet" that provides clothing, shoes, etc. for free or $1 to our clients. I recognized a need for hygiene items such as deodorant, soap, shampoo, etc. Items like this can make a huge difference to someone who is homeless and trying to find housing or employment. Our clients are always asking for simple things like this and we just never have any to give out. I realized that I could use my couponing "skills" to acquire toiletry items for our clients for free or minimal cost. And so, my couponing passion really began!

I have been collecting hygiene items for a couple of months now in anticipation of the MHA Holiday Party. On Monday I brought everything I had collected, and this is what I got in just 2 short months:

• 15 bottles of shampoo


• 6 tubes of toothpaste


• 12 deodorants


• 4 bottles of body wash


• 1 toothbrush


• 3 rolls of dental floss


• a few miscellaneous items

All together, these items are worth over $200, and in total I paid about $20 for them by matching up coupons with store sales (I'll tell you more about my process later).

This is not to the same level as some of the extreme couponers you see on the TLC show, but I feel really good about it. The best part is that these items will be put into holiday gift bags for our clients who really need them. I may not be able to change the world, but this is a way for me to use my abilities to help others in the small way I am able.