I've received a bunch of payments in the last few days for February shops!  So, I have a bunch to share.  But I'm going to go through them one by one. 

Today, I'm going to give the link to "Provantage."  I have received payment from them, and the shops I did for them were very easy.  There is not a lot on the boards right now, but I do keep checking back because jobs pop up every now and then.  Again, I can't reveal details of what company I shopped for or my p

I would recommend checking them out! 

Provantage New Shopper Sign-Up

In my opinion, the most overlooked source of savings in your local community is using the drugstores.  Especially if you have some of the larger chains.  My two favorite are CVS and Walgreens. 

They have a great thing called "CVS bucks" or "Walgreen bucks."  Here's how it works: you buy the advertised product, which promised $3.00 in CVS bucks.  Next time you're there, you can use the $3.00 off.  Grab a local circular and check it out.  Watch the circular for a few weeks and you'll start to notice stuff you buy on sale fairly often. 

My favorite things to buy:

Soda.   Almost every other week they have my soda on sale.  The sale price is usually 4 for $10.00.   Plus I get $3.00 bucks back. (the sale price and bucks back are almost always the same week to week or month to month).   The next trip I buy my soda again for $10.00.  I use my coupon and get it for $7.00.   And they print out and give me another $3.00 back. 

Make-up.  Clip Sunday coupons.  Sometimes they are literally giving the product away.  I got foundation the other day.  It was priced at 9.99 and I got $9.99 bucks back.  I also had a coupon for that foundation for $1.50.  Add it up.  I GOT PAID $1.50 to buy that foundation. 

Food items.  Cruise the sales.  Do NOT buy regularly priced food there.  The sales are often better than the local grocery store.  Use your coupons. 

Prescriptions.  I got a $25.00 gift card for switching my prescriptions from Wal-Mart to CVS.  I was a little worried, thinking they would cost more at CVS.  After all, everyone knows Wal-mart is the cheapest.  Not.  I get my three-months prescriptions for $30 less at CVS.  Plus I got that $25.00 gift card. 

OTC medicines.  BUT ONLY IF THEY ARE ON SALE.  You can usually find them cheaper someplace else.  But if they're on sale, the price is usually rock bottom.  I got three boxes of Tylenol cold and sinus the other day for $3.00.  It was on sale for 2 for $4.00.  I also had a manufacturer coupon for $3.00 off two boxes.  3 boxes x $2.00 apiece= $6.00 minus my $3.00 coupon= 3 boxes for $3.00. 

Hey everyone.  I"m updating my two other sites to "real" websites via free blogger sites.  Feel free to check them out.  I'll be back in two days with more ways to make and save money!  Thanks to everyone who voted.  Great choice!

I've been thinking about changing my logo to something different.  Vote on what my new design will be!  There are some sample pics below the poll. 

Does using Coupons Save Money?   YES!  But there are rules to follow. 

1) Don’t buy a more expensive product just because you have a coupon.  If X brand of cheese is normally 2.99 and Y brand is 3.99 and you have a coupon for .50 for brand Y, DON’T BUY IT.  You’re still paying more than you would for X brand.

2) Don’t use a coupon just because it’s about to expire.  There are always more coupons.  Don’t spend money on something you’re not going to use just because you have a coupon.

3) Organize your coupons.  You can get a cheap plastic organizer at Wal-Mart or a drug store for about 99 cents.  Sort them into categories you commonly use.  You’re more likely to be willing to dig through twenty coupons for freezer products than 200 misc. coupons in the middle of the store.  It’s also easier to look through your coupons as you scan the week’s circulars for sale items if they’re sorted.   


Is it safe to print coupons online?  Yes.  People do it all of the time.  It will require you downloading a small piece of software, but as long as you are on a reputable site, you should be fine.  I’ve printed from at least a dozen different sites and never had a problem. 


How much do you save using coupons?  For our household of two, I save a little over $100 per month on average using coupons.  No, I’m not kidding.  For just the two of us.  For larger households, you can save more (obviously). 


What are good things to use coupons for?   I have a basic rule.  NEVER PAY FULL PRICE for anything except fresh meat, produce, and (maybe) dairy.  If it comes in a box or can, find a sale or find a coupon.  If it’s in the cooler or freezer and is brand name (Kraft cheese, lunchmeat, Red Baron pizza), find a sale or use a coupon.  If it is for personal use- toilet paper, razors, OTC medicine, toothpaste, find a sale AND use a coupon.  (See the drugstore “game” for making money or paying $0 for stuff at drugstores). 


Doesn’t it take a long time to actually save money using coupons?   No.  I spend about an hour a week clipping, sorting, and going through circulars.  That hour a week saves me over a $100 a month.  It seems like a fair trade for me.  And if you have kids and spend time in the bleachers waiting for them at games/practice, this is a great time to clip and sort. 

Got my first paycheck from another mystery shopping site.  This would be my top recommended site for anyone.  There are a bunch of great places to shop for and the pay is good. 

Market Force.  Here is the link to the description and application page.  Market Force

I just got two more payments from companies for mystery shopping.  I'll be posting their links or application pages later this week.

I had a question e-mailed to me that I want to directly answer:

Yes, the mystery shopping companies ARE going to ask for your social security number.  Some allow you to enter it at a later point when you hit the $600 threshold for being required to claim income.  Some want it up front.  I've never had any trouble with this, and I also have lifelock.  But these are reputable companies that

I just received my February payment from Adgitize!  Again, even with spending $14 a month advertising, I made a profit.  WooHoo!  Plus, I got additional traffic to my blog. 

I can't say it enough times- you have to try out Adgitize!

When you first sign up at a mystery shopping company, they'll probably want you to do one of two things: either write a profile on why you would be a good mystery shopper and/or write about a recent shopping experience you had. 

Some simple rules to follow:

• Use complete sentences.  This sounds simple, but you would be amazed at the people who have profiles that read something like "30's, smart, detail oriented."  This is not likely to inspire confidence that you can write a complete "story" of a shopping trip that a company would want to pay for.
  
• Don't lie!  Claiming to have a master's degree isn't going to get you more jobs.  It's going to be regarded as suspicious (unless you can back it up).  If you lie on your profile, a company has every right to remove you from their list of sub-contractors. 
  
• Play up the positive.  Have three kids?  Brag up your knowledge of a variety of kid-friendly products.  Used to be a waitress- point out how familiar you are with the food service industry. 
  
• Spell check and grammar check.  And not just with the "auto" feature.  A sentence like "Customer service rep Mike didn't smiled or make eye contact" makes you look like an idiot.  (Sorry, no offense).  And spell check won't pick up that error.
  
• Use facts, not opinions.  "Sarah seemed rude" is all right, but "Sarah didn't greet me, make eye contact, or smile.  Her tone was also a bit rude throughout the visit" is great.  You're there to report the facts, not share your opinions. 
  

It's a good idea to write up a sample profile and shopping trip before you even start applying.  Read it through, tweak it to sound a bit better, and use those as your base when filling out applications or profiles.