March 15, 2012 by Kate Sorensen
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Synovate Survey Company Open For New Members

Here’s yet another survey site that will offer you points programs and money to take surveys and give your opinions on products and services.

Synovate is known in the industry as one of the best with more than 60 years experience in testing and surveying products.  By using Synovate you’ll earn reward points redeemable for checks or vouchers that give you online or store credit to one of the many top retailers offered in the Synovate online store.

Plus, each survey invitation you receive tells you exactly how many points that survey is worth once you complete it, so you know if it’s worth your time.

Go here to find out more.

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March 14, 2012 by Kate Sorensen
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Ipsos I-Say Accepting New Members

I said earlier this week I would be mentioning and offering some great, trusting companies that you can choose to sign up with that will offer you points programs and money to take surveys and give your opinions on products and services.

I know I have commented on Ipsos i-Say before here on Coupon Cravings, but I thought they were worth mentioning again as they are really easy to use and work with. Currently, they are accepting young adults ages 18-30. As part of the Ipsos i-Say Community, you get to see new products and ideas before anyone else. It’s easy to understand why businesses don’t want their new ideas to leak out and this is exactly what you’d do as a member, is give your feedback.

Go here to find out more.

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March 13, 2012 by Kate Sorensen
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Nielsen Home Scan Consumer Panel Accepting New Members

Yesterday I mentioned that this week I would be offering some legit companies that you can choose to sign up with that will offer you rewards programs and money to take surveys and give your opinions.

Today, I am bringing to you the Nielsen Home Scan Consumer Panel.  Through Nielsen Home Scan Consumer Panel you can earn valuable points, which are redeemable forelectronics, household items, jewelry, toy, gift cards, and more.  The great part is that there is no landline required with this homescan signup, like was previously required.

Head here to see if you qualify.

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March 12, 2012 by Kate Sorensen
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Valued Opinions: Get Paid For Your Opinion

Do you have interest in earning money and points by just giving your opinion?  This week I’ll be offering a few different options for you of survey companies that do just that.  As with any program, I encourage you to do a little looking around to see which company(s) you feel are a good fit for you and align with your goals.

Today’s survey company is called Valued Opinons.  You can find out more here.

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March 10, 2012 by Kate Sorensen
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Daylight-Savings Time Reminder – Change Your Clocks Forward!

Reminder: Don’t forget to “spring forward” an hour at 2 a.m. in honor of daylight-savings time!  I’ll be doing mine tonight so I don’t forget tomorrow!

Hooray for spring!!!

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January 8, 2011 by Kate Sorensen
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Extreme Couponing: Not So Much, But Great Tips to Save with Grocery Coupons

Did you watch the Extreme Couponing special on TLC last week? Well, according to Entertainment Weekly, TLC now plans to air 12 half-hour episodes in the spring. Very interesting.

Whether you’re brand new to couponing or looking for a few extra tips, you may want to check out a few short videos I shot in 2009 on how to save money using grocery coupons. Enjoy!

Let me know what you think, and if you’ve got some more great tips, please send them my way!

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April 13, 2010 by Kate Sorensen
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6 Places to Find Mobile Coupons

I imagine you love coupons as much as I do or you probably would not be stopping by this site! While paper coupons maintain the highest redemption rate, the number of mobile coupons redeemed is expected to increase more than tenfold this year (up from just 4% in 2009), according to Harris Interactive.

If you want to start using mobile coupons, here are a few sites and apps to check out:

A&P: A&P launched a new program to offer Club Card shoppers mobile coupons by text message. Shoppers go online to opt in and input their Club Card number. Shoppers will then receive texts with coupon codes. Users simply respond and the coupon will be added to their Club Card account, and the value will be deducted when they purchase the item and swipe their Club Card.

Shoppers at sister stores Waldbaums, SuperFresh and The Food Emporium can also access mobile coupons by using a mobile web browser to add coupons while on-the-go to their loyalty cards. These special savings are part of the Red Tag Online Savings program.

Cellfire: Cellfire offers two options. Not only can you access Cellfire.com from your cell phone to add grocery coupons to your loyalty card for stores in the Kroger, ShopRite and Safeway chains, but you can also access mobile coupons to be used at restaurants and local retailers.

Just show your cell phone at check-out to redeem your coupon. I’ll be honest, though, the number of non-grocery coupons on Cellfire is pretty limited. I tried several zip codes and could find little more than coupons for Sears Portrait Studio and 1-800-Flowers.

Coupon Sherpa: The Coupon Sherpa application is available for free to iPhone and iPod Touch users. Just search for coupons and show the mobile coupon to the cashier at check-out to receive your discount.

MobiQpons: MobiQpons is a free app available for the iPhone, Android and Blackberry. Using geo-location technology, MobiQpons will pull up coupons for stores near you wherever you are. Or, sort coupons alphabetically or even by a list of your favorite stores.

Target: Target launched a new mobile coupon program last month. Just text the word COUPONS to 827438. Once registered, you’ll receive up to five text messages per month. Offers can be accessed at check-out by way of a single bar code on your phone. You can also sign up to receive a text when your local ad goes online.

Yowza: It’s impossible to have coupons on hand for every store or restaurant you may be near. Half the time when I go shopping I end up going different places than originally planned. If this is you too, grab this free app to get mobile coupons tailored to your exact location. Yowza is for iPhones and Android phones.

Do you use mobile coupons? Are there any services I haven’t mentioned that you’ve found especially useful? I’d love to hear about your experiences.

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April 9, 2010 by Kate Sorensen
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Twitter: 5 Ways to Find Coupons

Have you signed up for Twitter yet? If not, you may be missing out on coupons and discounts on everything from travel to electronics to shoes and even to groceries! Here are my top-five ways to find money-saving coupons using Twitter. You can also follow me on Twitter at @ErinGifford for daily money-saving tweets.

  • Follow Your Favorite Retailers. Where do you like to shop? Jot down a quick list, then head to Google. Type in the name of the retailer and then the word “Twitter.” For example, you might type Kohl’s Twitter into the search box. The very first search result is the link to @Kohls, the Twitter page for Kohl’s.
  • Create Twitter Lists. Build separate lists within your Twitter profile so you can see on one screen tweets from all your favorite retailers and be the first to find out about coupons and special deals. Check out my blog post from December called For Holiday Deals, 15 to Follow on Twitter for a bunch of retailers, deal forums and cash-back shopping sites to follow for big-time bargains and coupons.
  • Search for the Most Popular Deal Tweets. Head to Summize.com and type in the name of your favorite store along with the word “coupon” to see what pops up. I typed in Gap and Coupon and found a few online coupons and promotions. I also found a few more people to follow who clearly know their way around the deals! Check out CheapTweet or TweetMeSavings for the most popular deal tweets in various categories.
  • Use a Money-Saving Twitter Coupon Bot. Try out CouponBot. Send a tweet to @CouponBot with just the name of the store you plan to shop, then wait to receive links to coupons tweeted back to you.
  • Track Hashtags. Follow key money-saving hashtags to find great deals, coupons and freebies. A few to follow include #coupon, #coupons, #bargains, #freebie and #freebies, according to Fried Beef’s Tech. You can also enter the hashtags into the search box on your profile to see the most recent tweets.

Do you use Twitter to track down coupons and deals? I’d love to hear how it’s worked out for you.

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February 22, 2010 by Kate Sorensen
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Tip Sheet: 6 Ways to Save on Your Cell Phone Bill

A few weeks ago, I asked Coupon Cravings readers what more they wanted to see here and I got a great response for more tips, so starting today I’m going to offer money-saving tips at least once or twice a week by way of a “Tip Sheet” post.

This first post is on six ways to trim your cell phone bill. I take mine everywhere, and get a little panicky if it’s not with me, so these tips are perfect for me. If you have any more to add, please let me know.

  • Go easy on the minutes. Take the time to figure out how many voice minutes you’ve used in the past six months and how many minutes were either left over or went over your limit. This quick calculation can help you figure out if you’re on the right plan.
  • Use carrier freebies. If your carrier offers unlimited free minutes to designated calling-list phone numbers, register your most-called numbers but be sure to make the most of this money-saving feature by limiting your list to landlines and cell numbers outside your network.
  • Bundle up those texts. The cost of text messaging adds up quickly if you’re paying 15 to 20 cents per text. If you’re a busy texter, opt for a package of 200 to 1,500 messages per month for $5 to $15.
  • Don’t be afraid to complain. If you’ve got an unusually high bill in your hands, call customer service before you fork over hundreds of dollars in extra fees. Your carrier might cut you a break.
  • Shop around or hire someone to do it for you. You can “hire” a service like those at www.billshrink.com or www.myvalidas.com to sift through the major plans for you then recommend available phones with various plans and costs.
  • Avoid big termination fees. Make sure that you’re going to be happy with your cell plan because early termination fees can run as high as $350 per phone line. If you do choose to switch to a new carrier, be sure to give the phone and service a good test drive during the 15- to 30-day trial period, when you can quit and move your number to another carrier without penalty.

These tips and more can be found in the March 2010 issue of ShopSmart.

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January 5, 2010 by Kate Sorensen
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Keep Food Out of the Trash & Put $600 in Your Pocket

A 2004 study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that the average American family throws away 14 percent of their food – that’s almost $600 a year!

I’ll be honest, this has been me from time to time. In the not too distant past, I’ve had to throw away cookie dough, sweet potatoes and asparagus because they spoiled or passed their expiration date before I got to them.

So, here are a few quick tips to save money by keeping food from going to waste:

  • Take stock of the produce, breads, cheese and deli meats you have in your home so you don’t double up on these foods.
  • Create meal plans around perishable foods to use them up before they spoil.
  • Separate the club packs of meat and freeze them the day you go shopping to keep the meat from passing its “sell by” date.

What do you do to keep from wasting money by throwing away food? Do you have any good second-day recipes? I can’t wait to hear your suggestions!

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