Coupon Mom Helping out in Recession-Like Times

Thanks to the recession-like conditions, rising oil, food and commodity prices have made bargain hunting and coupon savings very relevant today. CouponMom.com is a great site for money saving deals - they have tons of up-to-date grocery coupons, drugstore coupons, restaurant coupons and links to free magazine subscriptions and discount deals on DVDs, health-care products, books, etc. Many coupons can be printed and used in your local stores. You can update your shopping list on their site and they send you email alerts when what you are looking for goes on sale. The site also educates you on how to be a savvy coupon user and save money.

Definitely browse through CouponMom.com for smart saving tips. And here are some more tips for the frugal shopper.

* Look for coupons in Sunday newspapers, store-coupon books, magazines, weekly mailings, etc. Keep a list of items you buy regularly and catalog useful coupons for use at your next purchase. Use the store-savings card for additional savings.

* Search the Internet for coupon codes. The Internet has tons of sites carrying latest coupon codes for a million items. My favorites are fatwallet.com, slickdeals.net and coolsavings.com. Many times you can even get free items here. From groceries to daily use items to computer and electronics, I have saved about 25-30% from the coupon codes and deals from these sites. In fact site members regularly post their one-time use coupons to popular stores that they do not plan to use; if you are an early-bird, you can get these coupons and save money. Sites like fatwallet.com are affiliate partners of many shopping sites and give you 1-8% cash back on your qualifying purchases.

* Look for coupons for special offers on amazon.com. Internet stores frequently offer better deals than local retailers. Amazon is a great place to find great deals- they frequently offer 10-15% discount coupons on their clearance groceries. They recently started an automatic reorder plan for groceries and regular use items. Subscribe to this plan and get another 15% discount off your first purchase. You can choose to unsubscribe at any time without penalty. Their shipping is often free and most states do not pay a sales tax.

* Coupons from your credit card company can save a lot of money. Some credit cards have partnership with merchants, restaurants and airlines. They may offer coupons if you register for their discount programs and shop with their card. In the past, I have received coupons offering 50% off on hotel stays and discount airfares from my visa card.

* Use your coupons in a competitor's store. For example, Home Depot accepts Lowes discount coupons. If you find an item on sale in one store but have coupons for the store's competitor, you might be able to use it and get a great deal!