Smart phones are the latest technology boom taking over the consumer market. You can’t turn on the TV without seeing a few ads for the latest smart phone. The demand for them is huge and it doesn’t look like this trend will be ending anytime soon. Especially when people waited in line for well over 6 hours to receive their new iPhone 4. Smart phones may be expensive, but the potential savings they could allow you to harness can easily make up for the cost. This latest technology boom has brought about app marketplaces where developers can write custom software to run on smart phones. I will be sharing the apps that I use on my iPhone, though many will have versions to run on different smart phones, that I use everyday to make my income go further.

Google: Google is an incredible tool that is available on any smart phone with internet access. Before I buy anything online I always do a quick search for coupon codes if the store has a field for one in checkout. A good portion of the time I can find something that will at least save me 5%. Usually it is more in the range of 10-20% off my purchase.

Almost all of the big retailers offer competitor price match on advertised offers. While your standing in the checkout line hit up the competitor websites. You might find that product your buying is being offered at a lower price. Show them at the register for them to mark down the price. Sometimes they will only offer the price match on printed advertisements, in these cases you can threaten to go to the competitor and they might beat the price. If this doesn’t work you can simply just go to the competitor and get the product for cheaper.

A quick Google search can also save you from making a wasted trip to a store that may be closed. I know I have wasted a bunch of gas driving to a store on a holiday, on a sunday, or at a moderately late time just to find that it is closed.

If you haven’t already, check out my recent post on how to use Google Voice to send free text messages.

Mint: I’ve been using Mint for a while to track my finances and their phone app is a must for anyone looking to budget effectively. The Mint app automatically synchronizes with your online bank account  to categorize purchases. You can create budgets from these categories and monitor your spending habits over time. I use it to identify areas that I need to cut back on and to check to see how purchases will fit into my budget. Having this app on your phone allows you to monitor your finances and spending on the go.

Coupon Sherpa: This app features a coupon database that is continually being updated. They allow you to bring up the coupon on your phone at checkout where the cashier can scan the barcode straight off of your phone. A quick search with this app during checkout lines can rack up in big savings real fast. Did I mention that the app is free?

Gas Buddy: For $2.99 you can search for the cheapest gas prices in your area. This allows you to recover the cost of the app in just one fill up. The prices are based on what other users in the community report. I live in a mid sized city and have yet to find an incorrect price. The only difficulties I encounter with this app are related to internet connection. Sometimes it doesn’t want to allow you to use the 3G connection for the app. A couple quick retries usually allow you to use the app just fine. They also have an On Fumes option which will show you the closest gas station.

Pandora: You don’t need to shell out a bunch of money to build up your music library. You can use Pandora, a free internet radio station, to stream music to your phone. You can create personalized radio stations based on a band or song you like. Pandora will stream you songs that match your entry based on certain criteria. The new music you can discover is really quite humbling. The only time I’ve experienced issues streaming music is driving through the backwoods of Virginia. Everywhere else the service worked perfectly on the 3G network.

Those were only the apps that I have used to save myself a some dough on more than one ocassion. The iPhone app store is constantly increasing and the Driod marketplace is increasing at an even faster rate. There are much more apps out there that you can use to save some serious money.

Photo Credit: bump

Do you have a money saving app that you would like to share?

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I used to always grocery shop with a list. It helped me remember everything I needed at the grocery store. But I still found myself navigating almost every aisle of the grocery store. Except those 2 or 3 in the middle that are always empty, who uses those? By the time I ended up in the checkout line my cart looked like it belonged to a contestant in a shopping spree. It was chock full of stuff that I didn’t need. If you don’t believe me, open up your fridge and take a look at the inside door. How many different salad dressings do you have? Way more than you could ever possibly need. I was wasting valuable money on unplanned purchases. I finally decided to try something I have been putting off for a while: grocery shopping with a menu.

A grocery menu is an explicit list of ingredients that are used in a planned menu of meals. I planned out meals for two weeks, and only included a few healthy snacks (with appropriate portions). By having everything I need for the next 2 weeks completely mapped out, I no longer needed to swim through each aisle. I went straight to the items I needed and didn’t end up with a single product that I didn’t plan to buy. Grocery stores are meticulously laid out to get the customers to buy stuff they don’t need. Don’t grocery shop hungry, and stick to the aisles where the items you need are located.

Cheaper Grocery Bills

Grocery shopping with a menu is not just cheaper because you buy less items. Have you ever had something go bad because you let it sit too long before you went to eat it? I know it has happened to me almost every time I grocery shopped. By planning your meals ahead of time, you can cook the meals that use fresh/time sensitive ingredients first. This allows you to avoid wasting money on produce that goes bad before you use it.

Grocery shopping with a menu is also a great way to make sure you stick to your budget. You can get a good estimate of your grocery bill before you go to the store and make sure it is within your budget. You can also coordinate your menu with items that are on sale or couponed. This allows you to fully take advantage of the grocery store’s weekly deals, instead of buying the same old groceries and hoping something is discounted.

Healthier Meals

The number one expense I hear people wanting to cut back on is eating out. Eating out is expensive and unhealthy. What happens when you go to make dinner and you open the pantry door only to find that is full of random items that don’t come close to qualifying as a meal? You go out to eat. This will never happen if you prepare a menu of meals ahead of time. You will know when you don’t have any meals left beforehand. Save your wallet and waistline at the same time, and don’t eat out.

The only way to know a 100%  that you are eating healthy and losing weight, is to actively monitor your calorie intake. Its simple logic: eat less than you burn and you will lose weight. When you plan out your meals, make note of the nutrition facts. Plan healthy meals that are low in calories and fat. Combine this with a simple exercise routine and you can guarantee yourself that you will lose those pounds, or continue a healthy lifestyle. Be sure to include snacks and drinks in your calculations. Buy healthy snacks and portion them out ahead of time. Make Ziploc bags or Tupperware containers with the appropriate servings.

I challenge everyone to stop grocery shopping with a list, and start grocery shopping with a menu. Compare your receipts before and after. It saved me upwards of 30% on my grocery bill and helped me keep on track with my fitness. Over the next few weeks I will be sharing meals from my menu that I enjoyed, stay tuned!

Photo Credit: R.B. Boyer

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Have you ever been standing in line at a non-grocery store waiting to pay and someone in front of you has had a printed coupon they are using?  Chances are they received the coupon signing up for that store’s eClub.

If I know I am making a trip to a specific store, I will visit their website to see if they have an eClub to sign up for.  When you sign up for a retailer’s eClub, you will periodically receive emails with sale notifications, coupons, and special offers.

Below is a list I have composed of retailers that send you a welcome discount coupon email almost immediately after signing up.  Most of the links send you directly to the sign up page.  If you are directed to the home page, scroll down to the bottom of the page and you should see the box to enter your email address.

AMF Bowling – One free game for everyone in your group up to 10 people

Bath and Body Works – Free travel item with any purchase

Dave and Busters – $10 free game play

Express Clothing Store- 15% off next purchase

Godiva Chocolate – Free piece of chocolate every month

Gordmans -15% off one item

Gordon’s Jewelers – $50 off $300

Kirkland’s – 20% off any single item

Kmart - $5 off $50 in store and $5 online

Kohl’s-$5 off purchase in store or 10% online

Michaels Arts and Crafts- 40% or 50% off one regular priced item

New York and Company- $25 off $75 online and instore

Victoria’s Secret Pink Nation – $10 off $50 plus a free tank top with any purchase

World Market – 10% first purchase

Online Orders:

Banana Republic - Free shipping

GNC – 15% off entire order

Petsmart - $5 off $30

Shutterfly – 50 free 4×6 prints

Snapfish – 20 free 4×6 prints

Ulta Beauty Store - 20% off one item

Photo Credit: Don Hankins

Feel free to comment and add any retailers that will send you a welcome discount email.

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Looking for free food on your birthday?  Look no further!  Below is a compilation of restaurants that will send you a birthday gift just for signing up for their e-club at their website.

Baskin Robbins – Free scoop of ice cream

Beef O’ Brady’s – Free appetizer

Benihana’s Japanese Restaurant – $30 Birthday dinner certificate

Ben & Jerry’s – Free single scoop

Cold Stone Creamery – Free Love It creation

Dairy Queen – Free blizzard

Firehouse Subs – Free sub

Fuddruckers – Free burger

Johnny Rockets – Free burger

Houlihan’s - Free entrée

Maggiano’s – $10 off your meal

Melting Pot – Free fondue for two

Moe’s Southwest Grill– Free burrito

PF Chang’s– Free dessert

Qdoba – Buy 1 Get 1 Free burrito

Red Robin – Free burger

Romano’s Macaroni Grill – Free dessert

Ruby Tuesday – Free handcrafted burger

Souper Salad – Free meal

Smoothie King – Buy 1 Get 1 Free smoothie

TGI Fridays – Free dessert

Tony Roma’s – Free entrée

Wingstop – Free wings

Zaxby’s - Free meal

There are many restaurants that offer free food on birthdays, you just have to sign up.  Try going to your favorite restaurant’s website to see if they have an eclub you can sign up for.

Allow yourself plenty of time to sign up in advance.  I’ve also noticed that many of the restaurants also send you a coupon for something free within a week of signing up.

You should receive the free offer email a week before your birthday and it is usually valid for up to two weeks after your birthday.  So no, you don’t have to eat all of this food on the day of your birthday!

Happy Birthday and Happy Eating!

Photo Credit: Sharon D Pruitt

Do you know of any birthday deals?

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I will never forget the day that I saved $203 using grocery coupons and taking advantage of store specials.  Although it was four years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.  I was on a mission -I walked into the store prepared with the week’s grocery ad and matching coupons for the items on sale already clipped and separated.  I went up and down the aisles, buying the items I had matched with my clipped coupons.   (This particular store also had several Buy One Get One Free specials and doubled coupon face values, which added to the savings).  The total for a cart full of food was…

…$63, even the clerk was surprised.  She handed me my receipt with my savings circled at the bottom I literally got goose bumps.   Some people may think getting goose bumps over coupon savings may be a bit silly but it is such an exhilarating feeling to know you are saving money!

This was also the day that I decided to do something creative with the money I was saving from every grocery shopping trip.  At the end of every month, I transfer the amount I have saved in coupons for that month into a savings account that I opened for this purpose only.  Coupon and store specials savings are usually totaled at the bottom of the receipt so it is really easy to add up the savings.

Once a year, I withdraw the money in the account and use it as spending money on my annual vacation trip.  I have been doing this for four years and to date I have saved over $2,300.   When I have children, I plan to replace the vacation account with a college savings account.

Photo Credit: bredgur

I am anxious to see what other people are doing with their coupons savings so please feel free to share your ideas!

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During our first Target Gift Card Giveaway, we asked our readers to share a money saving tip they planned to implement during the new year. We had a very strong response that resulted in a bunch of great ideas from our readers. There were some truly innovative tips as well as some practical ones that are equally as useful. Here is a round-up of all the great tips we received.

Coupons

An overwhelming amount of readers are in love with coupons. They offer excellent advice from finding to using coupons properly.

A lot of readers like to combine coupons with other offers to maximize their savings:

Tanya Ramirez: “The best money saving tip I know is to use coupons properly. By this I mean if the store is doing a buy one get one free, and you have a coupon to save $1.00 when you buy 2, use the coupon then, you only pay for 1 item, get the other item free and still save an extra dollar.”

Jenn B: “Coupons! I have saved so much over the last few months since I started clipping these every Sunday and paying attention to all the different grocery stores sales.”

DanV: “My tip is to try to find more sales/coupons/rebate combos.”

LisaH: “I use coupons for sale items and save. Its a lot of work but worth it. I organize my coupons and watch the weekly grocery sale papers then make my list.”

denyse: “Read your flyers and use coupons. Watch for double coupon and on BOGO items you can use 2 coupons.”

I think Mommy Kennedy might have them all beat though:

“My favorite tip is to stockpile food and necessities! You know, buy at the lowest cost possible and buy a lot!

I did that transaction twice! What my family doesn’t use I will give to the church’s food bank.” Check out more coupon tips from Mommy Kennedy.

Our readers did more than just combining coupons; they found creative ways to use them:

Hey Hey: “For coupons or money off stores: If you use an iphone, try the money saving app sherpa coupons, you don’t need to clip, you just have it on your phone!”

Cynthia: “My tip is to keep coupons in the car – I always cut them out and leave them on my desk so I don’t have them when I make an unexpected stop to eat or shop.”

Mickie: “This year we received a local Citipass book & we are keeping it in the car we use most. I’ve been checking it as we decide where to eat (which we never do until we’re already in the car for some reason).”

livingtheloa: “I look for printable online coupons good for in-store use for all of the popular retailers i shop before I leave the house. There’s always more than one option for any item I need, so whoever has the best coupon gets my business. This has been a huge money saver with regard to buying sports equipment, shoes, and outdoor gear.”

AnnF: “I’m and avid coupon clipper. I swap my unwanted coupons with some of my friends and mother.”

Going Green

Our readers are also very environmentally conscience. Not only do they promote going green, but they have realized it as a way to save money as well:

Bethany: “I bought an indoor retractable clothes line and I dry my clothes for 20 min and let them line dry the rest of the way.” Bethany’s Giveaway Blog

Joanne: “Changed the setting on my washer to cold water to save – Also have a Fisher-Paykel washer that spins so much water out it cuts down to 1/2 of the drying time.”

Sonya: “We took a close look at our electric bill and have cracked down on unnecessary usage!” Sonya’s Blog

Terri Dell: “We are switching to all energy saving light bulbs. they cost more initially but they last longer and use less electricity.”

Laura L: “I recycle all of my aluminum cans. They really do add up and this year I vow to start using coupons.”

Piggy Banks

Some readers are stealing pages from their childhood by reliving the piggy bank:

Dee: “My favorite financial tip is to keep all loose change in a piggy bank and make a rule not to open it for 6 months. Really good spontaneous savings one rainy day “

Angela: “My family drops whatever spare change we have into a glass jar. We don’t touch it until it gets full and then we take to get it counted so see how much we saved!”

Susan Varney: “Save all loose change daily by the end of the year you’ll be surprised how much you have.”

Online Shopping

Online shopping seems to be in full swing. Our readers like to take advantage of not only the convenience of online shopping, but also its savings possibilities:

Margaret Smith: “My best money savings tip besides using coupons, is whenever shopping online, search out if there are any discount codes available for that store. Quite often, I find discounts that have saved me much money. Thanks so much for this giveaway.”

Hey Hey: “Also another great one is http://www.retailmenot.com for coupon codes when shopping online. You can usually find discounts or free shipping. I check this site before I pay online for my shopping. (Sorry if this was posted already, I didn’t have time to read all the posts.)”

Maja Meza: “i shop on sale and online, when they have free shipping.”

Cash Money

A lot of the readers realize the importance of using cash for purchases:

Jennifer M: “I plan to take out more cash at a time–but leave it home in my lockbox. That way I’m not tempted to run to an ATM that’s not my bank/charges fees, but I also won’t spend too much.”

Carol: “I made a resolution to pay cash for everything under $500. Since I almost never have $500 cash on me, it’s working. It’s simple to implement. I banned credit cards, in effect.”

Only What You Need

Money Funk: “My favorite financial tip for the New Year – I love saving money at my grocery store – so my tip(s): to shop the parameter of the store (its where the whole foods are placed (aka – nonconvienent items) and two shop with a list/menu. Saves tons of money to cook your own meals and know what is planned for the week.” Check out more frugal living tips from Money Funk.

Nadine L: “My favorite tip is one my Mom always told me. Go to the store with a list in hand, stick to that list, no extras, no impulse buys. If you stick to it, you will save.”

Brenda Hegelson: “make a list of the items you use regularly. when it’s on sale, stock up on them. you’d be surprised how much you save annually.”

Sharon Seneker: “To avoid impulse buying (I am tempted by the Shopping Chanels!) I will write down the item name, number and cost and wait a week to see if I am still interested in buying this item. I have found most of the time the answer is NO! This is saving me money! Thanks!”

Marilyn Wons: “A money planning tip I plan on implementing this year is to only buy what my family needs (not wants) and to buy it on sale!”

Angie P: “One tip is to make a list when you need to go shopping. When I have a list and I stick to it, I spend so much less money(& time) than when I don’t have one.”

SANDY: “decide between need and want, and will I reallly use this or that. Just because I have a coupon or a code its not saving me money if I will never use it or donate it”

Amanda Baird: “Make a list and stick to it!!!”

Photo Credit: Mike Licht, steve_p2008, Ken Wilcox, schizoform, Amagill, St. Boniface

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I have been a grocery coupon clipper from the time my little hands were able to hold up a pair of scissors and cut with them.  Every week, my mother would religiously go through the coupon book inserts in the Sunday paper and mark the coupons she wanted me to cut for her.  I would then meticulously cut the marked coupons, one by one, while we talked about our week.  As I got into my teenage years, of course I had better things to do with my time so I stopped coupon clipping with her.

During my college years is when I started to realize the advantages of coupon clipping and the money it saved.  After all, I had to pay for all my food with my hard earned money from a part time job.  Throughout my college years, I was one of the few students that used coupons for groceries – it was a rare sight to see another student holding up the line with a pile of clipped coupons.

Today I have become more coupon conscious then ever with the steady rising prices of groceries.  My coupon organizer is in my purse at all times, which has so many coupons in it that I would not blink if I found out that it weighed more than a pound.

I have found that the internet is a great source for grocery coupons.  There are endless printable coupon sites on the web but my favorite site is www.coupons.com.  As you go through the pages and select your desired coupons, your coupon savings are displayed in the upper right hand corner of the page.  Once you hit the ‘Print’ button the coupons you selected are printed directly on the paper in your printer.  You do not need any special paper or ink for the coupons; they can be printed directly onto white copy paper in black ink.

Printable coupons can also be found directly on retailer’s websites.  Not as many retailers are shelling out the money for their coupons to be printed in the Sunday newspaper coupon inserts.  Instead they are posting coupons for their products directly on their website.  Ocean Spray has a $1 juice coupon for their juice if you sign up for their ‘Cranberry Club’ and Pillsbury has coupons for all of their branded products on their website.

Online printable coupons usually expire within two weeks of printing so make sure you use them quickly!

Photo Credit: eschipul

Do you have any coupon collecting tips? Share them below!

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