Thank you for visiting Coupon Cravings! Sign up to receive my free daily e-newsletter in your inbox or subscribe to my RSS feed for my daily deal and freebie updates. You can also become a Facebook Fan or follow me on Twitter at @couponcraving.

January 4, 2010 by Kate Sorensen
comments: 18 »

In 15 Minutes a Day, How Can You Save Money?

I was reading an article in the Florida Times-Union called “How to Save Money in 15 Minutes a Week,” which focused on spending 15 minutes a week to clip coupons to save on groceries. True, this is one great way to save money, but I wonder how much more I could save by devoting 15 minutes a day to money-saving activities. Here are a few ways to save (some of these I already do):

  • Make a bag lunch for my husband and daughter to take to work and to school.
  • Create a weekly meal plan. I know that on nights when I’m not sure what to make for dinner, that’s when the urge to call for take-out is so strong.
  • Write up a grocery list. Numerous studies have cited that those who create and stick to a shopping list save far more money on food each week than those who do not make lists.
  • Consolidate errands. Stop by CVS after I drop my middle daughter off at preschool. Or, pick up dry cleaning when I go to deposit a check at the bank next door. Grouping errands not only saves on gas, but gives you more time in your day.
  • Put on a sweater. I’ll be honest, I do not like to be cold. But I know that if I keep the thermostat where it should be (I often like to kick it up a notch or two), then put on an extra layer, I’ll keep more money in my pocket.
  • Don’t warm up the car. I have the tendency to turn on my car, then come back a few minutes later. Sure, it’s toasty warm, but from what I’ve read it’s not necessary, and I’ve only wasted gas.
  • Go online for a few minutes to find out which fruits and vegetables are in season. These are the only ones worth buying fresh. Everything else should be bought frozen or you’ll pay a premium.

How else can you spend 15 minutes a day to save money this year? I’d love to hear your tips and suggestions.

FIND MORE DEALS UNDER:
   
December 30, 2009 by Kate Sorensen
comments: 45 »

5 iPhone Apps for Post-Holiday Shopping Success

Have you been out shopping this week? Me, I’m pretty much exhausted from the pre-holiday shopping, even though I made many of my purchases online.

If you’re desperate to hit the post-holiday sales and your family has already gone home, iPhone moms take note. Here are five must-have apps to have on your iPhone or iPod Touch if you must hit the mall with the tots in tow.

  • CHECKout-Shopping Calculator: There are lots of signs touting savings of 60%-off, 70%-off and more, but it’s hard to tell the final markdown price with kids who want to get ice cream right now. This free app will tell you the final price in a flash, and even let you know if it falls within your budget.
  • 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.
  • ShopSavvy: If you’ve spied a great deal, just scan the product bar code to see if you can still find the item for less online or at another store. Sometimes all the big sale signs in stores can distract you from figuring out whether you’ve got a real bargain or not.
  • Point Inside: This app provides you with indoor maps for hundreds of shopping malls across the country, helping you plan out your trip before you load the kids into the car and before you park at the wrong end of the shopping center.
  • Snow Globe Maker: No doubt there will be times when you just need to distract your kids. This great app lets them make their own snow globes on your phone. Once finished just shake the phone to see the snow fall. This app is $.99 in the iTunes store, but the first 10 people with an iPhone or iPod Touch who leave me a comment will get a free promo code to get this app for themselves.

UPDATE (1/3): Here are the ten winners of the Snow Globe Maker promo code. Look out for the code in your inbox.

melissagist@
stretch418@
ssilverbullet19@
vpalmer01@
sara0711@
angeltuc@
angie.mobley@
zumbalisa@
kywildcat07@
drfour@

What about you? What are your favorite iPhone apps? Any must-haves to have installed when out and about with kids?

FIND MORE DEALS UNDER:
   
December 22, 2008 by Kate Sorensen
comments: Comments Off

7 Moves to Save on Make-at-Home Meals

It’s no secret that more and more of us are eating at home. AllRecipes.com, the #1 food site, recently posted its largest traffic month ever in November with 10.7 million people visiting the site in search of recipes.

The popular food site also found that 80 percent of participants in a recent survey said they’d be cooking at home more in 2009. Meanwhile, 59 percent expect to increase their coupon use in 2009, up from a 55 percent increase in 2008.

To help you save money on your at-home family meals, here are seven easy moves to make to keep money in your pocket this week.

1) Make a meal plan. The easiest way to save money is to plan your meals for each night of the week. When you know what to make at 5 p.m. (and you know you have all the ingredients!) it’s a lot less tempting to order a pizza.

2) Plan weekly menus around what’s on sale. Before you write up your weekly meal plan read through the grocery ads to see what’s on sale. Quick tip: visit Recipe Matcher, enter the on-sale foods and ingredients you have on hand to instantly generate recipes.

3) Choose recipes with a low price per serving. Build meals around less expensive meats like split chicken breasts, pork chops and stew meat. Check out $5 Dinners for meals that can be made for $5 or less (for a family of four), such as Chili Cornbread Cups and Chicken Noodle Soup.

4) Use coupons for your entire meal. Seek out coupons for every component of your meals, like Meal Deal coupons on Shortcuts.com. In one click you can load your store loyalty card with coupons for turkey breast, frozen vegetables, potatoes, crescent rolls, stuffing and holiday cookies. These coupons get scanned and redeemed at check-out.

5) Go vegetarian once a week. Save extra cash by going meatless once a week. Good choices include spaghetti, chili or even omelettes.

6) Opt for frozen foods. Don’t reach for frozen convenience foods, like TV dinners, but rather frozen vegetables and chicken that can be whipped up into a meal. Frozen side dishes, like potatoes, are another easy way to go to save money.

7) Be smart about private label items. In many cases you can save by opting for the private label over a brand name, but by being smart about coupons, you can often get the brand name for less than the private label. Here’s a post I did recently at Blissfully Domestic called Confessions of a Name Brand Shopper on how I save big by not buying private label at all.

How do you save by eating at home? I’d love to hear your tips and advice.

FIND MORE DEALS UNDER:
   
December 8, 2008 by Kate Sorensen
comments: Comments Off

6 Ways to Save Big on Magazine Subscriptions

There’s no question that magazine sales and subscriptions are on the decline. This is bad news for the major magazine publishers who rely on key ad dollars, but very good news for you and me. Here are 6 ways to save on magazines, and in many cases, get magazines for free.

1) Tap Your Rewards Programs. Do you have airline miles you won’t be using or do you have extra points on your rewards credit card? Cash them in for free magazines. With American Airlines, you can choose from over 30 magazine subscriptions that can be yours for as little as 300 frequent flyer miles.

2) Hunt for Free Subscriptions. It’s not hard to find free magazine subscriptions. I post about them regularly, and you can also find details on them at Hot Coupon World and A Full Cup. These go fast, so when you find one you want, jump on it quickly. I’ve gotten free subs to U.S. News & World Report, Shape, Self and more this way. Here are a few you can get for free now: Latina, Psychology Today, Scholastic Parent & Child and PINK.

3) Sign Up for Free Trade Magazines. Visit FreeBizMag.com or MercuryMagazines.com to sign up for free subscriptions to trade mags like eWeek and InformationWeek. Keep your eyes open because occasionally a national consumer magazine will be thrown into the mix in hopes you’ll sign up free trade magazines too.

4) Look Out for Promotions. Keep an eye out for free with purchase or deeply discounted magazine subscriptions. On Amazon.com, you can get a free subscription to Cookie magazine when you buy $25 in toys. I also posted recently on 15 magazines you can subscribe to for just $5 each, including Redbook and SmartMoney.

5) Use Coupons.
That’s right, there are coupons that be can be used to buy magazines. If you’re in the check-out line and you absolutely must have this month’s issue of Vogue or Glamour, head to Shortcuts.com to add $1/1 coupons right to your store loyalty card (select grocery stores). You can even get a $2/1 printable coupon for Real Simple too, so keep your eyes open.

6) Subscribe on Cash-Back Sites. There are some magazines that are so popular that you’ll never find them discounted or for free, like Sports Illustrated. So, make sure to buy them on cash-back sites, like Ebates or BigCrumbs. As I posted earlier today, I earned 26% back when I subscribed to ShopSmart through Ebates.

Do you have any other great ways to get free magazines? I’d love to hear them!

FIND MORE DEALS UNDER:
   
December 2, 2008 by Kate Sorensen
comments: Comments Off

7 Ways to Save on Holiday Decorating

Did you start your decorating over the long weekend? We did, and I am happy to say that we are done, thanks in large part to my in-laws. Thanks, Tim & Kay!

If you’ve yet to start, I hope you can benefit from the tips I pulled together below on how to save on holiday decorating. Enjoy!

1) Take Inventory of What You Have. Pull everything out of the boxes and assess what you have before heading out to Michael’s or A.C. Moore just because they’re having huge sales on decorations. It’s not a bargain when you buy something you already have.

2) Get an Artificial Christmas Tree. Sure, it doesn’t smell as good as a real tree, but according to the American Christmas Tree Association, an artificial tree will cost you about one-third that of a real tree over a ten year period. Don’t want to buy a new one? Try Craig’s List. I found 50 in my area posted in the last week, most under $50 too.

3) Buy LED Lights to Decorate Your Tree.
They’re twice the price but will last 10 times as long and use 90% less energy. A 50-count set of holiday LED lights can run $10 or more while standard lights can cost around $3. You can even get pre-lit artificial trees with LED lights.

4) Turn the Outdoor Twinkle Lights Off at Bedtime. Unplugging your lights when you go to sleep can cut your electricity costs in half. It will probably make your neighbors across the street a lot happier too!

5) Ask for Hand-Me-Downs. Does grandma still need all of those ornaments, red and green candles and holiday print tablecloths? Just ask and see what she’s willing to hand down to you. Thanks for this great tip, Beth at Green Stew!

6) Host a Swap Party. Invite your gal pals over for an evening of chit-chat and ornament swapping. Ask each friend to bring over those ornaments they want to swap and everyone goes home with new-to-them ornaments. You can even do a swap with other holiday décor, like bows, lights and tree toppers, even yard decorations.

7) Buy New Decorations Close to Christmas. The closer to Christmas, the cheaper the decorations will be so plan accordingly. And of course, use coupons when you can.

Do you have any great tips to save on decorating this holiday season? I’d love to hear them!

FIND MORE DEALS UNDER:
   
November 27, 2008 by Kate Sorensen
comments: 1 »

10 Ways to Avoid Overspending on Black Friday

You may not have even sat down for Thanksgiving Dinner yet but your mind may already be on tomorrow’s Black Friday shop-a-thon. While you’re getting your strategy together I hope you enjoy these ten tips to keep from overspending on holiday gifts!

1) Set a Budget. Decide how much you have to spend on holiday gifts and bring that budget with you to the shopping mall.

2) Make a Gift List. Write down everyone you plan to buy for this year and set an amount you plan to spend for each person.

3) Bring a Calculator. With each purchase, calculate how much you’ve spent on each person and jot it down next to each gift recipient. Cross of each person on your list as you max out on the budget expenditure.

4) Only Buy for Others. With so many deals it will be tempting to pick up gifts for yourself. One solution is to ask yourself if you’d really need or want the item if it wasn’t on super sale. A better solution is to pass it by and only shop for people on your list.

5) Look Your Best. Wear your favorite comfortable outfit, put on makeup and style your hair. When you look good you’ll be less likely to make extra purchases for yourself, like the latest sweater set or new flats.

6) Bring Your Kids. The easiest way to get in and out of the mall is to bring your kids. They definitely have an expiration date and will limit the amount of time you can spend in the mall.

7) Bring a Stroller.
Have you navigated stores in the mall lately? Some are definitely not stroller-friendly. Want to keep yourself from buying that skirt in the window that would look perfect on you? Bring a stroller (preferably a travel system stroller!) and you’ll think twice about going in.

8) Don’t Bring a Stroller. That’s right I have conflicting advice. The idea behind not bringing a stroller is this – a stroller with a basket gives you loads of room for bags. You’ll buy less (and hopefully spend less!) if you have less room to put your purchases.

9) Leave Credit Cards at Home. The same goes for your debit card and your checkbook. It’s easier to stay within your budget when you only have cash to spend.

10) Don’t Eat at the Mall. Eating at the shopping mall lets you re-fuel and re-energize for more shopping. Once you get hungry, head home.

Have any good tips or advice to help me and other readers spend less on gifts this holiday season? Please leave a comment with your best advice!

FIND MORE DEALS UNDER:
   
November 21, 2008 by Kate Sorensen
comments: Comments Off

10 Easy Ways to Save on Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is less than one week away and the time is now to start planning for the biggest meal you’ll make all year. While it may be the biggest, it doesn’t have to be the costliest, and hear ten tips to keep your Turkey Day budget in check, courtesy of Shortcuts.com.

1) Make a List. Over-shopping is the easiest way to break your budget, so make a list and stick to it to keep money in your pocket.

2) Seek Out Coupons. You’ll find more coupons than normal in the Sunday paper and online that can be used on the holiday dinner. Alone these can cut costs significantly, but pair sales with coupons to save major dollars.

3) Buy a Frozen Turkey. Believe it or not, you can save 30-40% by choosing a frozen turkey over a fresh turkey. Just be sure to give yourself 4-5 days for the turkey to thaw in your refrigerator.

4) Know How Much You Need… Take a headcount and visit AllRecipes.com to calculate a recipe based on the number of people you expect around the table.

5) …Then Make Less Than You Need. There are so many must-have side dishes – mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole – that guests won’t be taking their usual helpings. Make less of each dish and you should still have plenty of food.

6) Save on Side Dishes. It’s easy to modify traditional favorites to save money. For green bean casserole, mix frozen green beans with frozen corn. Once cooked, top with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. You can also see big savings by opting for brown-and-serve rolls over crescent rolls.

7) Cut Costs with Dinner Drinks. If you plan to serve wine with dinner, consider boxed wine that can cost about half as much as bottled wine. Ditch the box, serve in a nice carafe and no one will ever know.

8) Make Your Own Pies. Pumpkin pie is cheaper to make than to buy (and it’s so easy to make!). Plus, frozen pie crusts can be found on sale.

9) Look for “Loss Leader” Items. Grocery stores are advertising more holiday-related “loss leaders,” or deeply discounted items, on the front pages of their ads. Look out for major savings on stuffing, rolls, potatoes and pie crusts.

10) Know Price Matching Policies. Save yourself a trip to multiple stores if you can buy all that you need at a store that will match the advertised prices at other grocery retailers.

Do you have any great tips to save money on Thanksgiving dinner? Let me know!

FIND MORE DEALS UNDER:
   
August 12, 2008 by Kate Sorensen
comments: 1 »

3 Ways to Save on Back-to-School Clothes

My oldest two daughters will be headed to kindergarten and preschool in just a few weeks and I’m gearing up to buy new clothes. It’s no small expenditure even for little ones, so here are my tips for making the most of your back-to-school dollars.

1) Choose Quality over Cost: I’ve bought new school clothes at Target and at Gymboree. Sure, the clothes at Gymboree were a little more expensive, but they lasted two to three times longer than those I bought at Target. The colors stayed brighter and the overall quality of the Gymboree shirts and skirts kept them looking new.

2) Keep an Eye Out for Coupons: The current issue of Parenting magazine has a 20% off at Gymboree coupon inside. You can also find a 15% off coupon for The Children’s Place at RetailMeNot.com. Be sure to sign up on your favorite store’s web sites to get coupons in your mail and email. I just got a 20% off coupon for The Children’s Place in my mailbox over the weekend.

3) Stick it to Stains: While I don’t love to do laundry, I take it on as my household chore. My husband is content to throw lights and darks together with no regard to pre-treating stains, so if I want to keep my kids’ clothes looking newer longer I handle the wash each week. I also use a laundry stain remover like Shout or Zout.

Through October 31 you can get a full rebate on any Zout purchase. There was also a $.55/1 coupon in the 8/10 SS insert. I was able to find Zout at Target.

Do you have any tips for saving money on back-to-school clothes?

FIND MORE DEALS UNDER: