For a lot of what I'm going to share with you, if you want to take advantage of them, please click on the links here. Then, if you sign up for accounts & make a purchase with the different sites, we both might receive referral/signup credits. So, please go through the links!
I have found many blogging moms who list great deals daily for shopping, how to use coupons at various stores to save, codes for diaper rewards, and many other great tips. You can sign up to receive their new posts through email, google reader, facebook or just check online.
I recommend that you sign up for a new email address when you sign up for accounts on any of these sites or send off for samples. (like gmail, yahoo, etc) - That way possible email won't clog up your personal email address.
Some of my Favorite Blogs to Save:
On each of these sites, they post quite a few times a day with free samples, sweepstakes, coupons, store guides to coupons, diaper codes, alerts about markdowns at different sites, discount and free shipping codes to various sites, redbox codes for free rentals, etc. Most of them also host giveaways. Some of them also list info about meal planning, craft ideas, parenting and ideas about faith.I follow a few of these on facebook, so I can quickly see if I want to go to their site and take advantage of a deal. Sometimes they have the same deals posted, but other times they're different.
Hip2Save - Not Your Grandma's Coupon Site - This is my favorite site to check! She also believes in giving back to the community and others in need, which I love.
For the Mommas
Common Sense With Money
Crazy Coupon Mommy
Faithful Provisions
The Thrifty Mama
There are MANY other sites like these above that list some of the same deals, as well as others!:
Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, She Saved, Surviving the Stores, Fashion Sense for Mom, Hoosier Homemade, Penny Pinchin' Mom, I go BOGO, Keeping the Kingdom First, Moms Need to Know, Mrs. Moneysaver, Passion for Savings, Coupon Cravings, Sisterly Savings, Happy Clippings, etc.
There are always discounts and freebies to make photo gifts or print pictures! Don't ever pay full price. I've been able to stock up on future birthday and Christmas presents on many different items at a greatly reduced price.
Online Shopping:
Before shopping for anything online, check these sites to see where you can get a percentage of your purchase price back. They also have coupon codes where you can save even more. The % back that you receive changes, as they feature different stores each day & change the amount you will get back.
ShopatHome - I have received $105 since Sept 2010! They send you a check each month when you have at least $20 in your account. For example, recently they were giving 10% back at Gap, and Payless Shoes was 8%. We will each get $5 when you make your first purchase through their site within 30 days of signing up.
Ebates - I have received $395 since Aug 2010!!! They pay every quarter, as long as you have at least $5.01 in your account. For example, recently Gap online was giving 10% & Snapfish was giving 20%! We will each get $5 when you make your first purchase through their site within 30 days of signing up.
Upromise - This one saves $ for kid's college. I have saved $766 since 2002!! You enter your credit cards into your account. Then, when you shop through their site to other online sites you receive % back for college. You can also link your Albertson's & CVS cards to receive more savings. Another way to save $ through Upromise is to apply for one of their credit cards & a % of all purchases goes into your child's account. The great thing is anyone who will sign up can save for your child, like grandparents, etc. When you have enough $ saved, you can start a 529 plan for your child.
Discover Card - If you have a discover card, I would also recommend you check through their shop discover link on their site. It works the same way as ebates & shopathome, but you have to use your discover card when you check out & the % you get back goes into your cashback bonus amount, which is redeemable at any time. One of the best %s they have right now is for the Groupon site - 15%! (Ebates only gives 6%). My mom actually got a Discover Card just for her Groupon purchases :-) The positive about the % back from Discover Card is after your monthly bill is paid, you can redeem your % back immediately - credit your account balance, transfer to a bank account and other ways.
Websites Featuring Different Discounted Items:
I have found quite a few sites that showcase different products at a greatly reduced price, each product for a short period of time. Most of these have referral & signup bonuses too!
Here are some of my favorites:
Target - Target's website features around 5 daily deals that always ship for free.
Jasmere - on this site, they feature one thing each day or so. The price of the item goes down with each person who purchases. The final price is what everyone pays. I've gotten a few neat gifts with this site!
Zulily - this site features many different children's clothing, shoes, accessories, toys, and a few maternity and nursing mini-stores of different brands - at a discounted price. They have really, really cute items! If you are considering checking it out, please leave a comment or email so I can send you a referral email.The Mini Social - this site features different children's clothing & accessories at discounted prices.
Totsy - this site also features children's items. If you sign up, they will send you an email with the items they are showcasing for the day & at times they run free shipping.
Heartsy - this site features homemade items, like etsy.
My Habit - This is amazon's daily deal site. Their items always ship for free.
Living Social - sometimes they have local deals
HauteLook - This site features all different items for children & adults.
Rue La La - this site features mostly adult clothing & items.
Swirl by DailyCandy - this site features mostly adult clothing & accessories.
There are many, many more!!
Sites for Amarillo 1/2 off Gift Certificates to Restaurants & Retail
Groupon - They feature different local and internet businesses for usually 1/2 off. I've purchased deals for: Macaroni Joe's, Belmar Bakery, and much more! Like I mention above, go through ebates or shopdiscover before clicking on groupon to save even more!
Restaurants:
Amarillo.com Daily Deals - They post deals for local restaurants & retail businesses. They are usually available for a few days before changing. Recently, I've gotten a deal through this site for D'Vine Wines & for 575 Pizzeria!
These sites have been active in the past, but haven't run any specials lately: Thrifty Thursdays, Deals on Dining, Tasty Tuesdays,Half Off Gift Cards, Hometown Half Off
Sites That Feature 50+% off Gift Certificates - Items Change Daily
These sites feature businesses in various cities across the US. But hidden within some are online offers too! You just have to find them - sometimes some of the blogs to save I listed above will list all of the offers & where to find the online offers. You can set one city that closest to you as your city, but look through the other cities to find possible online deals.
Eversave - Similar to Groupon, with daily savings in different cities. I've purchased a few deals from them. The most recent is one I used to purchase our Christmas cards. It was $25 for $75 to picaboo.com. I had $24 in save rewards from referrals and sharing deals after purchasing. So, I got it for $1!!! After purchasing a deal, if you share it through email or facebook, etc they automatically put $2 in your save reward account to use on future deals.
Tippr - Similar to the others. I've purchased one deal from Tippr for 4 movie ticket vouchers, including IMAX or 3D movies - it was $20, redeemable through fandango ($56 value). You'll get a $5 credit for signing & I'll get $5 when you make your 1st purchase.
Buy With Me - Similar to the others.
Seize the Deal - Amarillo is listed for local daily deals. But you can also shop the other cities!
Coupons:
Using coupons can really save a lot of money. I get some coupons out of the Sunday newspaper, but there are also quite a few sites where you can just print the coupons that you want.Coupons.com Redplum
Health Esavers
Target - When I know I'm going to Target, I always check on the Blogs to Save to figure great deal scenarios before I go. This usually involves using quite a few coupons. At Target, they will accept one manufacturer coupon and one Target coupon on the same item! You can also sign up to get a weekly text with a link to more coupons. The checker just has to scan your phone at checkout. Recently, I purchased a jumbo pack of Huggies diapers, original price of $8.99- but I used a manufacturer coupon for $2.50 & a Target coupon for $2, so I only paid $4.49! You can also apply for a Target credit card that automatically gives you 5% off of every purchase.
Here's a deal I got recently: Curel lotion was on sale for $2.99. Target was running a promotion if you buy 2 of the various Curel lotions, you get a $5 Gift Card for use on a future transaction. I printed online 2 $1 off coupons, so I paid $4 and received a $5 Gift Card!
Mambo SproutsGreat sites to enter Giveaways & see Reviews for Children's Products:
Busy Working Mama (I won a giveaway on this site before!)
Classy Mommy
Real Moms Real Views
Natural Baby Goods
Songberries
Simple Mom Reviews
My 365 to Size 5
Mommy Mandy
Cool Baby Kid
Vanilla Joy (she also posts a lot of neat crafting ideas!)
Momma Told Me
HSUper Parents
Usually the blogs who do giveaways first review the product & then give one away. So, it's a great way to learn about new products for kids that some of our local stores don't carry.
A Few More Sites to Checkout:
Amazon.com is offering a program called Amazon Mom where anyone can get a free 3 month membership to Amazon Prime, which gives you free 2-day shipping. You can earn additional months by purchasing $25 of products from the amazon baby store. It also qualifies you for 30% off subscribe & save diapers. You do not have to be a mom to qualify, as you can choose family member (be an aunt, uncle, etc). This will really come in handy with Christmas coming!
I also shop the site 6pm.com for great deals on shoes. But make sure & go through ebates (2.5% back) or shopathome (4% back) before purchasing!
Before checking out of various online stores I search at Retail Me Not to see if I can find a coupon code for free shipping, or an additional amount off.
The Graveyard Mall is a site that has lots of discounted items.
The Plastic Jungle - a website where you can sell, buy, exchange or donate gift cards. You can purchase gift cards for up to 30% off of their value, and you can sell your unwanted gift cards for up to 92% of their value.
Reward Programs:
Huggies Diapers - There are codes in every huggies diaper and wipes package. You enter these online & then redeem them for prizes. On a lot of the blogs to save sites they list other codes you can enter along with your diaper codes. If you haven't joined this & would like to, please let me know & I'll send you an email referral so I can earn extra points!Pampers Diapers - The Gift to Grow program reward codes are found in every pampers diaper & wipes package. Enter them online & then redeem them for prizes. Extra codes are also shared on some of the blogs to save sites!
Disney Movie Rewards - The reward codes can be found in Disney dvds/blue-rays, as well as Disney movie theater ticket stubs. Also, the blogs to save sometimes have extra codes to enter. You can redeem your points for prizes. If you would like to join this & haven't already, please leave a comment or email so I can send you a referral email, as I'll get extra points for the referral!
The End
Wow - that's a lot of information! I hope you've enjoyed reading through this post. If you have any sites or ideas to add, please email me or leave a comment so I can add it to this post! As I said before, please click on the links from this post so I might get a referral bonus. Thanks!
Happy deal hunting!
