Money Saving

I think it was last year (good grief, has it been that long?) that I blogged about wanting to save money. One place where I have gone crazy is the Internet. There are tons of sites devoted to telling you the good deals, where and when to find them, and coupons to make your savings even better. I couldn't believe it when I first read that none of these ladies spend money on things like toothpastes, medicines, hygiene products, etc. I had a hard time believing it until I started following their advice. It's amazing! I can't believe I waited this long to jump on the band wagon. I started avoiding some of this when they had the backlash over Internet coupons, you know, no one would take them and anyone who tried to use them would be accused of fraud at the checkout stand. Well, that no longer happens. Not to mention quite a few will take their store coupons and another manufacturer's coupon for the same item!
Another way to get stuff free is through online emailings or search engines. I found a new one recently called Swagbucks. I have made $20 in amazon.com gift codes in the last couple of months. I can't believe how quickly I made it. If I something to look up on the Internet, I have to remind myself to go there and look it up first. I am hoping to pay for most of Christmas on amazon.com with all of the codes I earn through the year, that would be amazing. If you want to sign up, I have a referral code.
I also do Mypoints. I have done them forever. I have gotten quite a few gift cards. They just send you emails and you click on the link and get points. You can also shop through their website and get more points. I started our Netflix through them and also got my contacts at 1-800contacts through them and got extra points. I wish they had a referral code, I have to send emails out through them. I use these points to get restaurant gift cards when we go on vacation or get a Barnes and Noble gift card to take the girls to buy a book.
I figure, these things are out there, why not take advantage of them. They are fairly easy things to do and I love surprising the girls with the extras.