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Keep Track of Your Daily Deals With CityPockets

Emily Co — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 05:00:58 PDT

If you're always scrambling to figure out what coupons you haven't used up or which ones are about to expire, you ought to check out CityPockets, an online organizer that tracks your buys from daily deal sites.

The free website currently syncs with 28 daily deal sites including the ever popular Groupon and LivingSocial. I found the site pretty easy to use - all you have to do is sign up for an account, pick a couple of coupon sites that you subscribe to, enter in the requisite email and password for each site, and wait for CityPockets to start accessing your various daily deal accounts. Your deals will show up all on one place, neatly organized in categories, so all you need to do is quickly log in to CityPockets to print out your coupon when you're dashing out of the house. Using this web tool is so much more convenient than logging into various daily deal sites, trying to figure out where you bought the coupon.

One of the best services the site provides is to send alerts when your coupon is going to expire. And if you're not planning on using the coupon, you can even resell it in the marketplace.

Ways to Save on Health Food: Website Coupons

Jenny Sugar — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:55:27 PDT

Every time I step foot into my local health food store, I instantly drop at least $20. I feel good knowing the food I pick up is all natural, often organic, and fresh, but jeez - why does it have to be so expensive? If you're looking to save money on your favorite healthy brands, many companies post coupons on their websites you can print out. You may need to install a program, sign up for a newsletter, or answer a short survey, but if you're looking to save some dough, it's worth the time and effort. Here's a list of some pretty good deals that are available now. If these coupons have expired, click on the website's link anyway since companies are always updating their coupons.

Food Should Taste Good: Go to the top of the website where it says "Special Offers" and click on "coupons." Join their fan club by giving some simple info and get a coupon for $1 off a bag of chips. Expires: 8/31/11
Stonyfield Farms: Once you fill out a little form including your name, birthday, and email address, you'll come upon a whole page of coupons for all of Stoneyfield Farm products. Just click on the ones you want and print. I got a coupon for $.50 off two 5.3 ounce containers of Oikos Greek Yogurt and $.50 off a half gallon of Stonyfield Organic Milk (expires: 7/1/11).
Silk: Fill out a little form including your name, email address, and a few questions, and receive coupons. Today I printed out a coupon for $.75 off a half gallon of Silk. Expires: 7/20/11

For more coupons keep reading.

Top 5 Coupon Sites You Should Check Out

Emily Co — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:00:00 PDT

Although bargain hunting on the Internet is fun, there seems to be too many junk coupon websites popping up which can make things a little frustrating. To save yourself some time, SmartMoney listed the best coupons sites that are worth clicking through. Here are my top five picks from the list.

RetailMeNot: "RetailMeNot is still hands down the best place to look," Kathryn Finney, the founder of The Budget Fashionista tells SmartMoney. You can even set alerts, which will notify you if your favorite retailer releases a new coupon code. I've used this site for everything from hotel discounts to online department store coupons.
Coupons.com: For those looking to save on groceries, Coupon.com will fit your needs perfectly. The site provides printable grocery coupons, and you can even load some onto your supermarket loyalty card with no printing required.
Coupon Network by Catalina: You know the little coupons you get on your receipt after shopping at a grocery store or pharmacy? Apparently they are called "catalinas" and the company behind the product has a site with more deals that you can print out and a loyalty program. I looked through the site and it seems pretty user-friendly. Although the drawback is that not every supermarket and pharmacy participates in the Catalina program, most of the major chains do.
Coupon Cabin: This site has a team that tests out the coupons and even guarantees some of them. If the coupons from some handpicked retailers don't work, the company will offer a $25 Restaurant.com voucher. The firm is working to provide the guarantee on all offers.
DropDownDeals: This is a coupon toolbar you can download to your computer. When you're doing some shopping online, DropDownDeals will send a pop-up that will show you deals on the site that you're on. The toolbar seems like a no-brainer, because you don't need to do any extra searching for a coupon. The drawback to this tech tool is, not all the available coupons pop up.

Is the Insane World of Extreme Couponing For You?

LearnVest — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 00:15:41 PDT

We're thrilled to present this smart LearnVest story here on Savvy!

Oh reality TV. We love you because after a crazy day at work, you make our own problems seem manageable . . . at least compared to Real Housewives drama-fests.

But when it comes to the new TLC show Extreme Couponing, we watch the participants with a mixture of interest and - dare we say it - envy.

The new show features coupon clipping professionals who pull off feats like bringing $1,900 of merchandise to the grocery store checkout and paying only $103. That’s a 95 percent discount!

And they do this normally-frumpy coupon clipping with panache. There’s the sassy and adorable “Double Saving Diva” twins, who do their grocery store shopping with matching pink and purple sweaters. There’s the “super mom,” who feeds her brood of seven on $160 a month while sporting heels and a pair of size two jeans. And there’s the 24-year-old who paid off her $10,000 credit card bill with the savings.

This isn’t just for grandmas anymore.

But, could this work for a normal person? Ask yourself whether you have:

A Lot Of Time.

Six hours clipping and sorting, five hours at the checkout counter, and midnight trips to the store . . . say goodbye to free time.

Instead: Make it a party. Six hours is a bit much, but we loved that the 24-year-old threw a party for 20 of her friends on $26. If there is one time when a few hours of preparation might be worth it, this is it. (It also helps to budget for your party.)

To see if the extreme couponing lifestyle suits you, read on.

Food Freebies and Deals For Tax Day and Beyond

Susannah Chen — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 04:41:45 PDT

Federal and state income tax deadline - the season's most dreaded day - is almost here, and this year, it's doesn't fall on the date April 15, thanks to a Washington, DC holiday. Whether you got a big fat paycheck or have to pay Uncle Sam a little extra this time around, the one sure bet to look forward to is a bevy of bargains on food and drink (and many of them available on both Friday and Monday). Want to get your deal on? Check out Springtime's top restaurant tax relief.

Source: Flickr User hapinachu

Who Is Clipping Coupons?

Emily Co — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 12:28:12 PDT

We might not all qualify for the TLC show Extreme Couponing, but a lot of us (to an extent) use coupons to cut costs. As food prices keep on rising, many will employ new strategies to cope with the ding on their wallets. So who exactly is couponing? A recent survey by Harris Interactive and Coupons.com shows that clipping coupons is fast becoming picked up by Americans looking to save. In fact, 95 percent of respondents say they are actively employing some sort of saving strategy at the supermarket, and coupons are the most popular choice. Here is an interesting breakdown of the statistics:

Women use coupons more than men.
Those with incomes over $50,000 use coupons more than those with incomes below $50,000.
People with college degrees are more likely to use coupons than those with high school degrees.

The results are pretty surprising because you would think those who need to save more money would rely on coupons more.

4 Signs You Might Be Addicted to Extreme Couponing

Emily Co — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 13:05:56 PDT

Last night I watched the premiere of this season's Extreme Couponing (as well as a few reruns) on TLC, and boy was my mind blown. I knew there were coupon addicts around, but not to that extent.

J'aime Kirlew, a mother of three, spent $103 on $1,750 worth of groceries! It's pretty amazing how she did that just by using coupons. These couponers will bring in over a 1,000 or even 2,000 coupons, which the poor clerk will swipe, swipe, and swipe . . . until it's down to about more than a 90 percent savings off the retail price.

The savings are incredible, but I can't help wondering if some of these people are going too far. They spend hours poring over and clipping coupons, and some of them seem to dedicate their lives to it. One woman on a previous episode spends two hours daily taking a seven-mile walk through the neighborhood to pick up coupons from friends and family. When something seems to consume so much of your life, I'm wondering if it's healthy. Read on to find out if your coupon habit has crossed the line into obsession.

5 Tips to Clipping Coupons Like an Expert

Emily Co — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 12:12:33 PST

We all hear of miracle stories of coupon mavens feeding their families on $10 a week, and although it's impressive, it's not always realistic for the rest of us. If you aren’t able to clip coupons like it’s your job, read some of these tips by Nancy Cook, one of the vice presidents of coupon provider Valpak:

Decide what you need to buy. Nancy says that she looks "for specific deals on something that I’m going to go specifically buy . . . The coupons very much have to fit into my lifestyle." Don't clip coupons just because you think it's a good deal or it'll be harder to organize. Figure out what you need, and pick coupons based on that.
Store it. Pick a spot in the house to put your coupons, whether it be a kitchen drawer or a special accordion folder designated to coupons. Don't get overwhelmed with a pile of growing coupons.
Stick it in your wallet. When Nancy goes shopping, she leaves the coupons in her wallet so that she'll remember to use it. If you leave it in your purse or a in a separate envelope, it might get lost and forgotten among your things so try to stick it in your wallet. You'll be reminded to use it right before you're about to pay for a purchase, which is perfect timing!
Go online. Before a shopping trip at a store, Nancy goes on the web to scour for coupons from the retail shops. There are plenty of coupon sites like retailmenot.com that have a large directory of coupons to make finding coupons a breeze.
Stay loyal to brands. If you stay loyal to a brand, it will make it easier to follow up with special deals they are having. You will more likely be able to remember what specials are going on and when they end if you have a few key stores that you're following. You'll also probably receive paper mail and email from the stores, which will help you to keep track of sales. Being loyal to a few stores will also cut down on your web search time online.

10 Most Coupon-Loving Cities in America

Emily Co — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 11:55:04 PST

With the downturn in the economy, saving and scrimping has become the norm, and lavish spending almost frowned upon. Recent statistics by Coupon.com, show the most frugal cities in America with cities in the South leading the pack. The website measures frugality of the cities through their use of coupons, and on average an Atlanta user cashed in more than $1,000 in 2010. Now that's a lot of coupon savings. See the list below.

Atlanta
Tampa
Cincinnati
Saint Louis
Minneapolis
Charlotte
Nashville
Cleveland
Pittsburgh
Raleigh

How do you measure up to Atlanta residents - did you save a lot using coupons last year?

Love a good deal? Join our The Freebie Suite group, created by a Savvy reader, to share and learn about coupons, great deals, and fabulous freebies. It's a win win.

Extreme Couponing Makes Saving Money an Obsession

LearnVest — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 10:30:01 PST

We're thrilled to present this smart Learnvest story here on Savvy!

Would you rifle through a dumpster for other people’s discarded coupons? Chances are, it has never occurred to you. But on the new TLC show Extreme Couponing, obsessive coupon-collecting is the norm.

Saving Money Is A Full-Time Job.

Thank goodness for TLC, which has not only found people driven to use methods from online coupon clipping services to dumpster-diving, but dubbed them “extreme couponers.” This is no quick Google search for free shipping coupons before an online order-the people featured on this show (and there are apparently enough of them to sustain a show) collect hundreds of coupons per week and stockpile enough goods to hibernate through the winter.

ABC News spoke with some of the extreme couponers profiled on the show and gave us a peek at their valued stockpiles-an admirable storage feat when viewed from a New York City apartment. Check it out.