Frugal Living - Bargain Shopping

Today is our last day of the Frugal Living event - 2 weeks of great frugal tips, book reviews, giveaways and FREEbies. We focus today on Bargain Shopping with lots of great online resources and tips. Be sure to enter today's giveaway.

24/7 MOMS wants to hear form you - Do you have a Frugal Living tip, resource, bargain shopping secret? email us at trisha@247moms.com and share it with us for a upcoming 24/7 MOMS publication.

Ready for more Frugal Living?



Shopping online can be done frugally, when you research what you’re buying and the discounts you can find to get a better deal.

Here is a list of websites designed to save you money!

Before you buy, register here to potentially receive a refund (in some cases you will read of combining the rebate with an additional discount offered from the retailer) on your online shopping:

Ebates.com, extrabux.com, and Upromise.com

Comparison Shopping and Shopper Reviews Sites:

Comparisonshop.com - Shops the Comparison Shopping sites, all at once!

Become.com – Comparison shopping – PLUS buyers guide and reviews of the online retailers selling the product you are interested in.

Shopping.msn.com, Bizrate.com, and Mysimon.com -Comparison shopping and reviews for products.

Shopping.com and Shopzilla.com – Comparison shopping and reviews of products

Yokel.com and shoplocal.com - Compare prices of brick-and-mortar stores in your area.

Comparison shopping, printable coupons and online coupon codes:


Retailmenot.com
Flamingoworld.com
Couponcabin.com
Currentcodes.com



Comparison Shop Prices in Your Area:

Groceryguide.com and mygrocerydeals.com : (Comparing grocery prices in your area)

Gasbuddy.com (Find the lowest price for gas in your community).
Note: Compare gas reward cards at pumpandsave.com

Websites which alert you to falling prices on the items you’re shopping for:

Pricedropalert.com and priceprotectr.com - You will get an email when that product is available at a cheaper price. Price Drop Alert™ also features online coupons, coupon code, promotional codes, deals and special saving offers from thousands of online stores.

Shopping at Amazon.com - Get your “Zlerts” (zlert.com) Shop smart, shop while you sleep. Let your personal shopping assistant, Zlert, do all the work. You tell Zlert what to look out for - price drops, new music, reminders etc. and it alerts you when a match is found.

Where to Post your Experience with Retailers and Products you’ve Purchased- Or to Learn from the Experiences of Others:

Better Business Bureau (BBB.org) Research businesses and charities, file a complaint, get consumer and identity theft information or be put in touch with your local BBB.

Eopinions.com – “Unbiased Reviews from Real People”. You can read and write opinions on millions of products and services. This site is related to Shopping.com so after you’ve researched reviews, you can then compare products and prices.

Planetfeedback.com – “The Voice of One, the Power of Many; Helping Consumers Express Their Voice, Helping Companies Prime Their Ears”. Use their letter writing system helper to write a letter of complaint or compliment to a company. Features also include blogs, consumer panels and information on consumer advocacy. Their mission is to encourage consumers to influence companies through the effective expression of their opinions and to encourage companies to respect and respond to consumer inquiries.

Associatedcontent.com – “The People’s Media Company”. Write and be paid for it – or read of others experiences, knowledge and insight. Real people write about news, hobbies, and parenting – information on any topic can be found – or published by you and read by others. Find out what others have bought and how it’s working for them.


Instead of Buying, Swap Items Here:

Paperbackswap.com, Swapacd.com, swaptree.com, swapthing.com, bookmooch.com, freepeats.org, freecycle.org, craigslist.org (there’s been a steep increase of people looking to swap and barter here),

Cut your phone (and other fixed-expense costs) fees here:
Lowermybills.com, Billshrink.com, myrateplan.com, and letstalk.com

Unite with other frugal shoppers at RefundCents.com. Join an online community of smart shoppers who have a wealth of valuable experience – and who are friendly enough to show you how you too, can save hundreds a month. Register at Refundcents.com for free “Michelle’s Updates”, an email which will connect you to on and off-line deals. Purchase a very worthwhile (and profitable) online-only subscription (or opt for the monthly mailed magazine). You’ll make your money, and then some within days. RefundCents.com also offers tutorials on shopping at Walgreens, tons of ideas for frugal meals (and weddings, travel, gifts, and more), previews of upcoming coupon inserts, coupon trading, “Off-Topic” Chat (where everyone talks about near everything – lots of good advice here!), and “Centsible Chat”, a real-time ongoing conversation which will immediately clue you into where everyone else is saving money. Be inspired, be mentored, and maximize your money – it’s the place to learn, save and share!

Frugal Quotes for Thought:
“The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”
-William James

“Debt is bad, saving is good, giving is fun and stuff is meaningless.”
-Angela Correll, Author

Frugal Book Review:
“Good Housekeeping’s Good Deals & Smart Deals; How to $ave Money on Everything.”
(From the Editors of Good Housekeeping)

229 Pages of frugal, consumer-wiser information, compiled to help you live well on less, without sacrificing quality. Spend smarter and save more – all you need to cut costs is here: quick tips, definitions, illustrations, and an extensive index. This purse-sized wonder of a book is your own advocate for getting the most from your hard-earned dollars. Buy a copy for you and for a friend (because if you lend it to her, you’ll never get it back!)



Today's Giveaway:


“Living Well On One Income, In a Two Income World”, by Cynthia Yates.

In her book, author Cynthia Yates emphasizes that frugal is not “cheap”; rather it is “smart”. Maintaining balance with all that a woman is called to do and making the most of your resources is well mentored, so that you can enjoy a life of “one-income living with flair”. Groceries, gift-giving, home décor, entertaining and organization are covered, as are subjects such as having a cheerful heart. New to frugality or not, Ms. Yates’s book will be one you’ll refer to regularly, like a good friend it will keep you going in your journey of living well.

24/7 MOMS giving away a copy of "Living Well On One Income, In a Two Income World". To enter for your chance to win, enter your name and email address in the box below you will be signed up for today's giveaway as well as be added to the 24/7 MOMS E-list (if you are not already a 24/7 MOMS subscriber).