I went to Rite Aid and CVS today. About a month ago we lost our remote and have not replaced it yet. The Universal Remote is free after Rite Aid rebate, but of course it was gone. I asked the store manager if he had anymore and he said no but he would give me the more expensive one for free! How excited was I???

Also I needed to by contact solution but it is free after Extra Bucks so I got a bottle. I was pleasantly surprised to see the bottle was very large (will last me at least 2 months) and came with a free contact case. I also had Extra Bucks from last week so I didn’t even have to pay for it out of pocket, again very exciting.

I didn't buy a lot but I feel like I got some great deals for things I needed. Here is a detail of my two trips.

CVS

Complete Multi-Purpose Solution (12 oz)
$8.99, Get $8.99 Extra Bucks (regular price $9.99)
FREE after Extra Bucks
$2 off printable coupon
EARNED $2 after coupon and Extra Bucks

Maybelline Mineral Liquid Foundation
$8.99, Get $8.99 Extra Bucks (regular price $9.99)
FREE after Extra Bucks
$3 off coupon from 10/26 Red Plum OR
EARNED $3 after coupon and Extra Bucks

EARNED $5 for $19.98 worth of items

Rite Aid

Ground Power Strip (regular price $8.99)
FREE after Rite Aid Rebate

Philips Universal Remote Control (regular price $12.99)
FREE after Rite Aid Rebate

Duracell Batteries (AA, AAA 8-pk., C, D 4-pk., 9V 2-pk.)
$5.99 (regular price $8.99)
Buy $20, Get $10 Rebate
$2 in ad coupon (use 4) OR
$1.50 off coupon from 10/26 Red Plum (Use 4) or
$.75 off coupon from 11/16 Red Plum
$5.96 for 4 packs after 4 $2 in ad coupons or $1.49 each
(stocked up on Batteries for Christmas)

Paid $5.96 for $57.94 worth of items

TOTAL: Paid 96 cents for $77.92 worth of items!

10. Everyone knows my name.

9. Where else can you only pay a 10 cent late fee?

8. Discounted Museum passes

7. A room full of toys my kids can play with anytime

6. Tons of free programs like story time and movies on the big screen

5. Book Sales

4. A place to meet people

3. You can find books that will teach you to do anything

2. A coupon swap box

And the #1 Reason I LOVE the Library is . . . . . .

1. EVERYTHING IS FREE!!!!

Why do you love the library?

Credit Cards are not for everyone. In fact the majority of money saving websites advises you to pay in cash instead of using credit cards. However, if you pay your balance in full every month, you can earn a lot of money from credit cards. Last year alone I earned over $700 cash back by purchasing items I would buy whether or not I had a credit card such as groceries and gas. I have used credit cards for 20 years and during this time, I never paid an interest or late payment. The key factor in earning money is to understand that credit cards are not "free money". Here are some tips for earning money by using credit cards:

1. Know your Bank Account Balance I check my bank account balance on a weekly if not daily basis. I never charge more money than I can afford. You also should consider having a budget in order know the amount you can afford to charge to your card. You can download a free budget worksheet here. http://www.swapsavers.com/

2.Compare Rewards Programs Finding the right credit card is similar to purchasing a car. You need to find a card that will offer you the most rewards based on your spending habits. There are hundreds of rewards programs to choose from.

3. Understand the Rewards Exchange Rate Understanding rewards exchange rates can sometimes feel like understanding the currency exchange rate in different countries. A credit card may offer you 10 points for every dollar spent but when you try to redeem the points you may need 100,000 just to get a $5 gift card. In general most cards offer 1% back of your purchases. Some credit cards will offer as much as 5% back for certain purchases such as gas, grocery and drugstore.

4. Never Pay an Annual Fee Most rewards cards do not charge an annual fee. In my opinion it is not worth it to pay an annual fee when you can chose from a variety of programs without paying a fee.

5. Never Pay Late or Interest Fees In order to earn money from credit cards you need to pay your balance in full every month. The interest and late fees charged by credit cards are obscene. Paying your bills on time requires both money and organization. If you are even 1 day late with your payment you will be charged late and interest fees.

6. Reassess your Card Even after you chose a credit card, you should continue to search for credit card reward programs. Credit cards are always changing their programs or offering new deals. You want to find the card that will offer you the maximum amount of rewards based on your purchases.

7. Charge Everything (again only what you can afford of course) I charge everything from $1 to $100 on my card. The way I view it is every dollar I charge I am earning money.

If you do use credit cards and end up charging more then you can afford, ask for help. Either contact the credit card to negotiate a new interest rate or consult with a financial advisor to figure out how to get out of debt.

Places to Find Coupons

1. Sunday Paper The paper has coupon inserts called Red Plum (RP), Smart Source (SS) and Proctor and Gamble (P&G)
2. Printable coupons The following websites have printable coupons: Coupons.com, SmartSource.com, Red Plum.com, You can also find printable coupons on your local newspaper's websites.
3. Manufacturers Coupons Go to the website of the product you plan to buy, often you will find printable coupons.
4. Coupon Swap Box See if you library has a coupon swap box. If they don't have a box ask if you can put out a box with a sign saying, "Take or Leave coupons". You could also put a box out at your place of work.
5. Friends or Family Ask friends or family to save coupons for you.
6. Coupon Train Join a coupon train which usually consists of 4-5 members who mail each other approximately 40-50 coupons.
7. Coupon Dispensers You can find in stores next to the product which often don't expire right away.
8. Magazines Many magazines have coupons for a variety of products.
9. Email Companies Ask for a coupon for the products you like and tell them you love their product, usually they will send you a coupon.
10. Weekly Circulars You can find store coupons ($5 off $25 purchase) or manufacturers coupons in the weekly circulars sent to your house. Be sure to look through even stores you don’t shop at since most grocery stores will accept competitor coupons and a manufacturers coupon can be used anywhere.

How to Use Coupons:

1. Combine Coupon Combine coupons with sales, in-ad coupons (from the store), and rebates. You can use an in-ad store coupon, a manufacturer's coupon and a rebate (Walgreens or Rite Aid which has their own rebate programs or a mail-in rebate through the manufacturers) all for one product. When you do these you can get items for free or almost free or even earn money if the store allows.
2. Buy One Get One Coupons (BOGO If you combine a BOGO coupon with a BOGO sale you can get two products for free since it is actually two different sales, one from the manufacturer and one from the store.
3. Save Coupon Inserts First clip coupons you need and then file all your coupon inserts with the date on top. If you see deals (posted on my site http://www.swapsavers.com/ or other sites) with the coupon insert name (such as Red Plum) along with the date of the insert you can then easily refer back to the insert and get the great deal.
4. Use Coupons with BOGO Sale If you use 2 coupons during a BOGO sale you will can get items for a great deal or free. For example if a product is $3 and it is BOGO and you have 2 coupons for $1.50 off each product you can get both items free.
5. Double or Triple Coupons Some grocery stores will double or triple your coupons. The rules for this vary with stores so check your grocery store to find out the rules regarding double or triple coupons.
6. Buy the smallest size Some coupons do not have a size requirement so if you buy the smallest size with the coupon you usually get the best deal. You should do the math first to figure out the best deal per unit.
7. Coupon Organizer In order to see all your coupons and use the coupon before it expires, you should organize the coupons any way which works for you. You can read my blog post about purchasing a coupons organizer.