Tips for Savings

The best way to start saving money, is start looking for ways to save.  I know that sounds obvious, but I really believe that some people just don't know what to do.  I'm here to help.  I'm not an expert.  I'm just an average person just starting to get good at this savings thing.

So... here are some good tips.

• Clip Coupons.  Tell all you friends, family, coworkers and anyone who will help you with collecting coupons on anything.  Clip every coupon, even if you don't think you will use it.  Then sign up to do coupon trains, have coupon parties, or just trade with friends and family.  Make sure you make a wishlist of coupons or items that you use, so that everyone will be able to give you the ones you want. You can print good ones on the internet.  Watch my posts for some good Internet Printouts (IPs) and also check out www.Coupons.com and www.Smartsource.com to print out some.  You can find great coupons on products that you already purchase.  So keep your eyes open for coupons, and I'll give you more tips on coupons in the future.
• Yard Sales, Garage Sales.... You will not believe the stuff you can find at these sales.  Some things that I like to look out for are clothing, furniture, and stuff that I can resell either on ebay or at my own yard sale that I'll have later in the year.  You can get things extremely cheap, so watch for signs while driving, or ads in the newspaper.  Now that spring is almost here, they will be popping up everywhere.
• Freecycle is awesome.  Go to www.freecycle.org to find out if you have a freecycle group in your area.  You can post things on there that you want to give away, or want.  Others will reply and will pick up the item from you.  It's a great way to find items that you might need, but don't really care if it's used or not.  It will also help someone in need, so please find you a  group.
• Contact your utility companies.  Sometimes we get our home phone with all kinds of features that we don't use, but we are paying for.  Or your cable company might have a bundle package which will bundle your phone, cable, and internet into one payment.  That means savings.  Call your Insurance company too.  They might have ways to save you a few dollars on your policies.
• Go to the library.  Check out movies ( sometimes they are new releases) and books for free as long as you bring them back on time.
• Stockpile.  This is where your coupons will be great lifesavers.  You know that you are going to need shampoo, soap, and toothpaste for the rest of your life, so... stock up.  Find a product on sale somewhere, use a coupon, and get it for a few cents or sometimes free.  Even if you don't need it right now, you will, so get it.  AND... if you get too much, and don't have a place to store it all, you can sell it at your yard sale, or donate it.  Can't pass up freebies.
• Speaking of freebies.  Get freebies.  If you don't have a pet, but you see a pet freebie, grab it.  I bet you know someone that has a pet that would really appreciate it.  Get free magazines.  There might be coupons you can use, or articles that are interesting to read in it.  You can always pass them on to your family and friends if you don't want them.  Most free samples do come with coupons in them also.  :)
• Also, don't be afraid to contact a company that you like, or that you have a problem with.  You never know what they might send you.  I've contacted several companies, and have received coupons for free products.
• Join websites that give you a bonus to join.  There are lots of scam sites, so don't be fooled.  No one is going to give you a free TV to join.  But there are several great sites out there.  Mypoints is a great one.  They give you points for shopping online, using coupons that you print from their site, playing games, and just by clicking on links in their emails that they send you.  You can use the points to get free gift cards.  I'll post more sites like this soon.
• Also check out sites that give you free stuff.  Some great ones are HouseParty, BzzAgent, and ExpoTV. House Party lets you apply to have a party.  If you get approved to host a party, they will mail you free stuff for your party and for your guests to take home with them.  BzzAgent is a site that will give you samples and coupons for you to try, and give away to others.  Then after you tell someone about the product you just tried, you go back to the website turn in a report on what was said or done.  They give you Mypoints, so make sure you join both sites for this one.  ExpoTV is great if you have a digital camera.  You have to submit a video about a product that you want to review.  They do send you things for this one also, and you can get points to be redeemed for gift cards also.  
• Rebates.  Sometimes rebates are great, especially if it is for a product that you buy on a regular basis. Buy the product, mail in the stuff, get a check in the mail.  It's that simple. :)

Well, There is so much to talk about.  I don't think I can cover it all at once, but I will post good info from time to time.  If you have any comments or questions, please let me know.  I am willing to help if you need to know more information about anything that was discussed in this post. Just let me know.