Earning "extras" for the family

As we near the holidays, I know a lot of people begin looking for ways they can help earn a little "extra".  I have been a member of the National Consumer Panel, a division of Neilsen Research, for several years now. They provided me with a scanner and each time I go shopping, I scan the UPCs on the items I bought and enter the total into the scanner. Once a week, I hook the scanner up to my computer and submit the information, earning me points. The whole process is super easy. In fact, my kids usually do the scanning for me. They also have surveys, fairly regularly, that allow me to earn additional points. The points are redeemable for gifts that they offer in their gift catalog. It is a bit late in the year to really earn much in time for the holidays, but I can typically get 2-3 gifts each year for doing this. This is a great way to start earning those extras for next year.  There is no cost to sign up and they provide all the materials you need.  It is easy to install and use the scanner and software, but they have great support if you ever have any trouble or need help. 

I have heard that some people find it tedious to scan each week and that the points are not worth it.  To answer that, I can say that they have improved greatly over the years.  For almost every store I shop at, it is as simple as scanning the item, inputting the quantity and saying whether it was on sale and/or I used a coupon.  After everything is scanned, I enter the grand total.  There are still a handful of stores where you also have to enter the price of each item, and I agree it is a bit tedious, but like I said, it is only a small number of stores that work that way.  Also, they are offering tons of ways to earn extra points, such as the surveys, as well as random point giveaways, special panels you may be invited to join, and extra points for submitting once a week.  I try to only participate in activities that are worth my time and would not recommend something I did not see the value in and this is one of them.  Also, like I said above, this is something my kids like to help with, so I let them scan and put the items away.  That makes it less tedious and takes a chore off MY list :)

Disclaimer
I am an ambassador for National Consumer Panel and receive incentives when someone applies for the program and again once they start scanning and submitting.  However, my opinion is my own and I would not recommend something I did not believe in.

Money Monday: Coupons

Ahhhh, coupons. If you are like most people, you are either fanatical about them or you never use them. For me, I have gone through periods of having a very organized coupon system and I have gone through periods of only using the occasional coupon that I found attached to a product I was buying. I recently returned to having an organized couponing system and I am applying lessons I have learned from previous attempts and from my couponing down times.

First, coupons can save a LOT of money, especially on new products. Often manufacturer's print high value coupons when they are releasing a new product or version of a product. It is also not uncommon for the new items to initially be sold at a reduced price. It is even possible to get some of these items for free when you combine the sale price with the coupon. Add in rebates, and you can actually make money. Click here for an example of how I bought $97.55+ worth of products for only $3.13 a few weeks ago by combining sales, coupons and rebates. I find drug stores are the best places to find these deals, but grocery stores and other stores (like K-Mart, Target, Wal-Mart) also offer great, even free, deals. A great place to learn exaclty how to make the most of your coupons, sales, and rebates is Money Saving Mom. She has several sections to check out, but I recommend starting with CVS 101 and Walgreens 101. Each week she posts the best deals based on that week's ads and coupons, so be sure to check her site regularly.

Now, coupons can also be dangerous and can actually cause a person to spend more money than they would have otherwise. Do not allow yourself to get caught in the trap of needing to use EVERY coupon you have. You will end up buying stuff you don't really need with money you could have used elsewhere. Having a coupon and getting a sale are great, but if it does not come out to being free, you should avoid getting those items you cannot or will not use.

As for keeping your coupons organized, this is an area that is best accomplished when you keep up with it weekly. I have a plastic shoe box with several envelopes in it. Each envelope has a different type of item written on it (cereal, dish soap, hair care, etc) and those are the types of coupons you will find inside the envelope. The envelopes are then arranged alphabetically. I also have several envelopes in the front that have store names that I go to frequently (Rite Aid, CVS, Walgreens, etc). Every Sunday I make out my shopping list and gather the coupons I know I will need and put them in the respective store envelopes. Then I cut out the remainder of the coupons from the coupon packets and file them into their proper product category envelope. If I come across coupons online or in other ways, I am sure to file them right away. This is one of those areas that if you procrastinate, it becomes too much to handle. As for cleaning out expired coupons, I just look for them as I file new ones or when looking for a certain coupon. When I find myself with nothing to do, I may grab an envelope or two and go throught them just looking for expired coupons, and many people will go therough their entire coupon system on a regualr basis, but do what works for you.

Coupons may not seem like they are a huge savings, especially when they are only for $0.25 off, but they add up quickly. I challenge you to actively seek out good sales and combine them with coupons for a few weeks and see just how much you can save. It only takes a handful of coupons to save enough money for a small treat to reward yourself with;)