My top 10 favorite bargain shopping/savings blogs

Many people have been asking me to post my favorite list of bargain shopping sites.

A few months back, I started learning more about bargain shopping, coupon stacking, using sale flyers to do my shopping, etc. It takes a lot of time, but to me it is like a game. I like to see how much I can save weekly and how many items I can get for free.

Since I started, I have found the following 10 sites to be very useful in helping me understand how to bargain shop as well as alerting me to deals and specials at the stores I shop. Some of these sites overlap in the offers they find and post, but all are valuable to subscribe to if you want to learn all there is to know about bargain shopping.

My Top 10 Favorite Bargain Shopping/Savings Blogs (in no particular order):

1. DealSeekingMom.com - This blog is written by Tara who is dedicated to helping other moms learn how to save money in order to stretch their budgets.
2. SavingQueen.com - Maria writes this blog and she offers coupons, daily deals and sales updated on a daily basis.
3. NeverPayRetailAgain.net - I love Jodi's advice at this site. She has found a way to live the good life while spending a lot less. She is a hip mom who loves fashion at a (steep) discount and saves a ton of money on the things her family needs, like food and toiletries, so she has the money to splurge on the things she wants - like vacations, clothing, and a healthy savings account. I feel my philosophy is similar to Jodi's.
4. ConsumerQueen.com - Melissa at ConsumerQueen.com is great. She is the money saving mom who helps you fight the rising costs of the economy by changing the way you shop, and giving you frugal tips.
5. CouponDivas.com - I also love Kitty's blog where you can find great tips and links to online coupons. She loves blogging, shopping, celebrity gossip, saving money, and of course, chocolate! In addition, she has a listing of restaurants where kids can eat for free.
6. Shop4Freebies.com - This is a great site for getting tons of freebies. So far, I have received samples for deodorant, Dunkin Donuts coffee, granola bars, snack packs, cologne for men and dozens of coupons for free products or savings.
7. Coupons.com - This site has hundreds of coupons that can be clicked on and printed. Their selection changes often.
8. MoneySavingMom.com - This blog, written by Crystal, is dedicated to helping you find great deals, stretch your hard-earned dollars, and live on less than you make so you can save more and give more.
9. DealFindingMom - This blog is written by Ronell who loves to find ways to save money and share tips.
10. TheCouponizer.com - I use and recommend this product for storing all of the coupons you clip. I desperately needed an organization system and found that this one worked well and was a manageable size. You can also find coupons and other offers at this site.

So there is my list. What have I missed. Are there any sites you use for finding coupons and bargains that is not listed above? Please leave a comment with the details and a link. Thanks

COUPON WORKSHOP: On July 25th from 10:00am - 11:30am, I will be teaching a course on how to use coupons and bargain shop at the Barrington Public Library in Barrington, NH. Space is limited to 30 people, call 664-9715 to register.

More tips on using coupons and finding bargains

I continue to cut coupons and look for sales at five different stores every week. It is amazing the discounts you can find if you look for sales, save coupons and then match coupons to sales items at different stores. This process for me has become a game. I enjoy seeing how much money I can save every week.

I wrote a post last week about using ebates.com for additional savings when purchasing online. I also listed a number of online coupon and freebie sites that I recommend.

This past weekend, I found an article at abcnews.com entitled "Coupon Parties Big on Fun and Savings". This has become a very big business. I tried to find someone who offers these parties in New Hampshire, but no luck yet. The article also had some great tips on layering savings and other tips.

After reading that article, you should also subscribe to the Never Pay Retail Again blog. Jodi runs this blog and she really knows her stuff. A few days ago, she gave a great explanation about how to shop CVS by using coupon layering and getting Extra Care Bucks back in order to get tons of items for free.

I will be giving more tips about the art of saving and using coupons over the next several weeks as I continue to experiment and learn about the process from many different experts.

I would love to hear your tips and resources for finding bargains and saving lots of money on retail goods.

Happy savings!

Tip for saving money on going out to eat

I wanted to share with you a great site I have been using to purchase gift certificates for local restaurants. Occasionally you can purchase $25 gift certificates from Restaurant.com for only $3.00 each. I have done this three times now and find the savings are great especially in this economy when you still would like to go out and eat every now and then.

Today, I found an even better way to buy gift certificates at Restaurant.com. I signed up at Ebates.com, then purchased my gift certificates at Restaurant.com through Ebates.com and earned 15% back on my purchase. That makes the certificates about $2.55 each. Great deal! In addition, I received a $5 sign up bonus at Ebates.com.

The $3 for every $25 Restaurant.com gift certificate promo ends March 31st. Use code SAVE at checkout to get your discount.

So here is what you do to save:

• Go to ebates.com using this link…> (sign up for free today - it only takes 15 seconds and you'll also get a $5 sign up bonus (I'll get one too!))
• Search for Restaurant.com in their list of stores
• When on the Restaurant.com site, enter your zip code to see what restaurants are in your area
• Purchase the $25 gift certificates you want (pay attention to any special restrictions)
• Enter code SAVE at check out
• Print out your gift certificates
• Pass along your Ebates.com savings idea to your network

If you have additional savings ideas, please share. I went to the grocery store today and saved $40 using coupon layering techniques that I have been learning. I was psyched.

For more savings ideas, I suggest subscribing to the following blogs: http://neverpayretailagain.blogspot.com/, www.consumerqueen.com, www.coupondivas.com/, http://www.shop4freebies.com (this one is great for freebies and samples – I have gotten dozens of great items in the past few weeks), and I recommend www.thecouponizer.com for storing all of you wonderful coupons!

Happy savings!