At Engineer a Debt Free Life, we love to help everyone save money using cash back sites like ShopatHome.com, but we are also passionate about helping people earn extra money to stretch their budgets! One of the easiest ways to make a little bit of extra money online is by taking paid online surveys. You will not get rich by taking online surveys, but you can earn some extra money each month! I have been personally doing online surveys for over 10 years. If you are just starting out, I estimate that you can make $50 a month or more if you are willing to devote several hours a week to paid surveys. Most surveys will pay anywhere from $1 – $50 or more, with most averaging between $3 – 5 per survey.

There are lots of paid survey sites online – some are legitimate, and some are not. A legitimate paid survey site will NEVER make you pay to join the survey site. Legitimate sites are free to join and will pay YOU money to take their surveys! To help people navigate through the overwhelming number of paid survey sites, I have developed a list of recommended survey sites that I personally use. This list is a good place to start if you are new to the world of paid surveys.

How do you get started taking paid surveys online?

I recommend you start out by picking one or two paid survey companies. Two of my favorites are Surveyhead and Lightspeed Research. Both of these companies will pay you to take surveys and will even send you free products to try. In fact, Surveyhead will give you $5 free, just for signing up! Be sure to take a few minutes to complete your demographic profiles on the survey sites, as this is how companies match you to paid surveys!

Here are a few final tips for taking paid surveys online:

• Create a separate email address that you use just for paid surveys
• Try to check your email at least once a day – the highest paying surveys fill up quickly!
  
• Some low paying surveys will lead to higher paid product trials, where you get paid to try new products, so don’t overlook these!

This is just a very brief overview of paid online surveys. If you have more questions about paid online surveys, be sure to stop by our site and check out our guide to legitimate paid surveys! Good luck, and happy earning!

Yes I am aware it is May and yes I actually want to talk about Christmas!  Crazy?  Maybe.  But this is one of the little things that I do that saves me so much time and energy- not to mention money once the holiday season rolls around.

I shop year round for gifts.

It is simple.  I usually make a list in January with all the events I have throughout the year- birthdays, anniversary’s and of course the entire list of people I purchase holiday gifts for.

Then as I see great deals that crop up throughout the year, I am always thinking of whom that might be a perfect item for.  I typically try to purchase things at a minimum of 50% off. Once I find something, I just cross that person and event off my list to indicate I am done shopping for them.

I keep everything in boxes in the closet and as I need the gift, I can simply pull it out of the box, wrap it up and I am done!

By planning ahead you can save yourself a lot of stress and avoid scrambling last minute to find a perfect gift.  Not to mention really stretching your budget by purchasing items at significant discounts.

One example of a gift item I will buy ahead are toys for my two girls.  I shop the post Christmas sales and can easily find things for 75-90%.  I typically buy several toys and keep them tucked away for any birthday parties we are invited to throughout the year.

So get started now on your own gift list and once December rolls around, you will really be able to enjoy the holiday season without breaking the bank.

Hi everyone! My name is Jaime, and I blog as Money Savin’ Momma on Engineer a Debt Free Life (EADFL). The site was created by my husband (surprise, he’s an engineer!) in 2008, and I started blogging on the site with him about 6 months later. I grew up on a farm in rural Kansas, so the value of a dollar was instilled in me at a young age. My parents are true bargain shoppers, and I was raised to think that something is not really a deal unless it’s at least 75% off… and preferably 90% off or more!

I have a master’s degree in library & information science, and I quit my job about 1.5 years ago to stay at home with our kids. We have two young boys who keep us on our toes! Now I have the best of both worlds – I get to use my research skills to find the best legitimate deals online and share them with others, plus I get to be at home with my children! By finding freebies, deals, using coupons, and tracking our spending, we’ve been able to pay off about 150K of our original 200K debt in just 5 years. Our goal at EADFL is to help others save money, find freebies / deals, and make extra money online!

On EADFL, we use ShopAtHome.com to show our readers how to save even more money when shopping online. We find a hot bargain at an online store and then show our readers how to increase their savings by combining the sale with cash back from ShopAtHome. Some of our readers are new to cash back shopping sites, and they are amazed to learn how much money you can save by using cash back sites like ShopAtHome on all your purchases. We almost never purchase anything online without checking to see how much cash back we can get from ShopAtHome first!

So please stop in and visit us at EADFL! We’ll show YOU how to get free stuff, save money, & make extra money online! You can get free daily updates for our site via RSS, email, Facebook, & Twitter!

Last week, we were lucky enough to spend time with four absolutely amazing bloggers (and one very wonderful baby to boot!) for a few days here in beautiful Denver, CO.

We spent some quality time working (and playing, of course!), and took a picture on our last night to share with you all:

L to R: Erin (CouponCravings.com), Krista (ShopAtHome.com), Jaime (EngineerADebtFreeLife.com), Tara (DealSeekingMom.com), Charlene (MyFrugalAdventures.com), Jaime (ShopAtHome.com)

We had an amazing time and learned so much from these four fabulous women… not only about blogging, but ways that we can work together to make ShopAtHome.com an even better site for all of you!

There are some huge things coming soon on the site, and we’ll be teaming up with each one of these fantastic women as a part of our new programs!

Haven’t been to their sites? Check each one out now:

Tara: DealSeekingMom.com
Charlene: MyFrugalAdventures.com
Jaime: EngineerADebtFreeLife.com
Erin: CouponCravings.com

My name is Erin Gifford of Coupon Cravings and I am so excited to be a part of the newest ShopAtHome.com Blogger Advisory Board. I started Coupon Cravings nearly two years ago and it’s been quite a journey. In that time, I’ve met so many amazing bloggers and have learned so much about the wide world of blogging.

Everyone has their reasons for starting their blogs, and my inspiration came from my former role as a Communications Director at AOL. I was in charge of public relations for their electronic coupon service, Shortcuts.com, as was reaching out to mom bloggers as part of my job. I loved engaging with these deal-focused women and one day decided I wanted to join the fun and have my own blog too!

Since then I’ve been sharing free samples, coupons, grocery deals and online shopping bargains with readers nationwide at Coupon Cravings. I also work part-time handling marketing and public relations for a new start-up called ZipList that recently launched an online shopping list and recipe search service.  I have four small children too (my oldest is six), so life is pretty busy these days!

I’ve been a big fan of cash-back shopping for some time now and first learned of ShopAtHome.com about six months ago. It’s a no-brainer to shop through this site to get back a percentage of your purchase. One of my favorite sites to shop is Endless.com, and of course I shop through ShopAtHome.com to get back 6% of my purchase. I just bought three pairs of Crocs for my girls and soccer cleats for my six-year-old.

Around major holidays, like Christmas and Mother’s Day, I love to share cash-back shopping deals with my readers. They really enjoy all the double cash-back deals – as do I! Online shopping has become such a part of everyday life that it’s nice to be able to have a resource like ShopAtHome.com to only shop, but to make money on every purchase.

I am very excited to be on the latest Blogger Advisory Panel for ShopAtHome.com!  I have been using ShopAtHome.com for several months now and before I share how I personally use the web site, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself.

My name is Charlene Haugsven and I spend most days juggling writing my blog, My Frugal Adventures, and chasing two toddlers around the house.  I have always been a bargain shopper and I have a less is more philosophy.  I prefer to find the highest quality products at the best possible prices so we can stick to a tight budget without feeling deprived.

If you have ever tried to get through a shopping trip with two very active toddlers than you know it can be pretty exhausting, which I why I love to do as much shopping as possible online.  I find Shop at Home to be a very simple way to really stretch those dollars when you shop online.  It is very easy to do and you can earn cash back on purchases you probably would have made anyway!  Once your account hits $20 in cash back balances, Shop at Home will mail you a rebate check.  Now there is nothing better than opening your mailbox and finding a little extra money tucked away with all those bills!

To use ShopAtHome.com is very simple.  When you decide to make an online purchase, you simply log onto the site and type in the name of the retailer.  ShopAtHome features over 3,000 retailers that offer a percentage back on any purchases.  So for example, if I wanted to purchase a camera from Target.com, I would simply head over to ShopAtHome.com first.  I would type “Target” into the search bar and see what coupon codes and the cash back amount is that is available.

Currently, the cash back on Target is 5% so if I spend $100 on a camera and use ShopAtHome.com- I will get $5 placed into my Cash Back account!  Now some retailers offer as much as 30% back so this money can add up very quickly.  And to make it even better yet, they also offer various coupon codes for extra discounts at online retailers or possibly free shipping.

So this is really one stop shopping and you know you will get a great deal.  Once you enter the retailer’s name and check for available promotional codes, you can simply click through and go directly to the retailer’s web site.  Do your shopping as usual and then sit back and wait to get free money in your mail box!

Once you try ShopAtHome.com, be sure to tell you friends all about it – they will also give you a $5 bonus when you refer a friend!

Just slightly under two years ago, a good friend of mine suggested that I start a blog. My response — “Um, what’s a blog?” Lucky for me, she took a few minutes to explain it to me, planting the seed which would eventually grow into Deal Seeking Mom. Little did I know then that my lowly little deals blog would quickly gain a substantial following and afford me the opportunity to work with major brands I admire like ShopAtHome.com.

Behind the scenes though, I’m just a mom to five beautiful, passionate, and very active kids ranging from 8 to 2 years. My husband is a union pipefitter by trade but has been laid off for the past year-and-a-half due to the slow economy, so saving money is as important to us as ever.

However, I was a deal seeker long before I ever met my husband. Though my mom worked in a grocery store when I was growing up, coupons weren’t something she used regularly. I, on the other hand, would scour the newspaper inserts for savings on treats that I enjoyed and would attach them to her weekly grocery list.

In high school I worked in the juniors department of a department store. I loved to challenge myself to see how little I could spend on fashionable outfits by pairing my employee discount with the huge clearance sales and coupons. I regularly purchased trendy designer pieces at 90% off the retail price.

After becoming a mom, I became slightly obsessed with looking for fantastic deals online on kids clothing. I would regularly send my friends instant messages sharing my latest finds and encouraging them to sign up for freebies that I stumbled across, all of which paved the way for Deal Seeking Mom.

I feel very blessed to be able to share my finds with a much wider and more varied audience these days. The power of the world wide web is amazing to behold, and I love that I can interact with so many people and that we can share and learn from each other.

ShopAtHome.com has been a tool that I’ve talked about many times on Deal Seeking Mom prior to becoming a part of the Blogger Advisory Board. Their cash back program is the perfect way to turn a good deal into a great one, and I’m looking forward to having the opportunity to showcase their savings over the next few months.

We’ve had the most amazing six months with Crystal (of MoneySavingMom.com), Kate (of TheShoppingMama.com), Karen (of KouponKaren.com) and Carrie (of MoneySavingMethods.com) but sadly, our time with them has come to an end. We’ve spent the last month talking with a number of amazing men and women, and it was so, SO hard to narrow it down to the four who will be a part of ShopAtHome.com for the next six months.

But, we did it, and we wanted to introduce you to them! In no particular order, here is the newest ShopAtHome.com Blogger Advisory Board:

Erin – CouponCravings.com: After spending time working in PR and Marketing, this D.C.-based blogger extrordinaire joined the world of blogging in 2008 and has grown her site with a sense of community and quality. Erin’s unique ability to blend information with fun and creativity makes her a fantastic addition to our new Board.

Jaime – EngineerADebtFreeLife.com: Jaime and her husband began EADFL to help their friends, family and now tens of thousands of readers take control of their finances and make the most of their lives. With a background in Library & Informational Science, this Kansas blogger researches the best deals and makes it easy – and fun – to save big! Her unique insights will be an asset to the Board.

Tara – DealSeekingMom.com: This Ohio mother of five doesn’t only offer great deals to her readers; Tara is a new kind of “coupon clipper” who shows you that saving money doesn’t just have to be something you do… it’s a way of life! While she may not have set out to become one of the biggest deal bloggers on the web, she’s done a fantastic job offering the best deals to her fans, and we’re lucky to have her on the team.

Charlene – MyFrugalAdventures.com: It’s not easy trying to save money when you live on the West Coast, but Cali-based Charlene wants to change all that! She’s focused on bringing her readers a better quality of life, serving up deals on your dream items (Dyson vacuums on sale, anybody?) and showing you how to stretch a dollar. Her exciting challenge of bringing West Coast prices down to Midwest levels and adding her own flare is what makes us so thrilled to be working with her.

So, are you guys excited? Our in-person Blogger Advisory Board meeting will be happening in May, so stay tuned… and make sure to check out each site to learn more about the amazing women behind them!

We’ve talked about a lot of things in this series, from menu-planning, to using coupons, to planning your menu based upon what you have on hand and what is on sale at the store.

Today were going to talk about one of my biggest secrets for grocery saving success: practicing the Buy Ahead Principle. What’s that, you ask?

Well, basically, other than dairy products and produce, I aim to never pay full price for anything. Instead, I try to buy enough of a product when an item is on sale at its lowest price to tide me over until the next sale.

Photo Source

For instance, in this shopping trip picture, you’ll see that I mainly stocked up on cereal. In fact, I bought 16 boxes of cereal–enough to last us for at least 6 weeks, likely longer. Did we only eat cereal that week? No way! We actually only ate a few boxes of cereal that week and the rest of what we ate mostly came from items I’d stocked up on during previous sales.

Because I stock up on items when they are on sale at my target price (providing I can afford it in our $40 per week grocery budget), my grocery shopping trips will usually look quite strange and will certainly not be the basis for a balanced menu. But you can check out some of our menus here to see that we do eat a fairly balanced diet. Well, at least we’re certainly not subsisting on Easy Mac and Jell-O every meal!

How do we have varied menus when I buy such an odd assortment of groceries each week? It’s because the majority of our meals are based upon what we already have in our refrigerator, pantry, and freezer–our stockpile of items which I’ve purchased in bulk at 60-100% off the retail price.

For many people who are used to buying only what groceries you’ll use in the next few days, practicing the Buy-Ahead Principle can seem mind-boggling. However, I highly recommend you at least give it a try as it can save you a great deal of money. In fact, I would estimate that we routinely save at least $30-$50 each week by doing so.

However, if this is a new concept for you, don’t go out and spend $500 tomorrow trying to build up a stockpile. Instead, just designate a small percentage of your grocery budget each week to buying extra of those heavily-discounted items which you know you will use sometime in the next few months.

For instance, if toothpaste is on sale for $1.50 and you have 5 $1 off coupons, go ahead and buy 5 at $0.50 each. It will likely take you a few months to use all that toothpaste and, by then, there will have been another sale you can take advantage of. Instead of paying $2.50 per tube of toothpaste every time you need it, you’ll pay $2.50 for five tubes of toothpaste.

These little $1 and $2 savings really start to add up. And once youve built up a good stockpile of items, you’ll find that you rarely ever will pay full price for anything again. Plus, you wont have to run to the store every time you run out of toilet paper. Instead, you can just run to your storage closet and get a package from your stockpile that you got on a great sale!

Hello!  It’s Karen from Frugal RI Mama again here to talk about more drug store deals.   Last month I talked about how to get things for FREE or next to FREE at CVS with their awesome ECB’s (Extra Care Bucks) program.  This month I’m going to talk about doing the same thing with Walgreens Coupons.   I also get so much FREE or next to FREE at Walgreen’s.  Believe me when I tell you I have so much shampoo in my closet, that I give some to my friends all the time!!!  It’s one thing that is always on sale at all of the drug stores!

Walgreen’s program works a little like the CVS ECB’s program in the way that you’ll receive instant rebates when you buy certain products during a certain time period called Register Rewards (RR).  I will refer to them as an RR which is what you’ll see on most blogs.  RR’s (Register Rewards) will print out at the end of your transaction from a machine called a Catalina.   You do not need any kind of reward card at Walgreen’s, it’s automatic when you make your purchase, which means there really are no limits on how many times you can go back into the store to buy the items, however, it’s nice to leave product on the shelves for other people.  Just a common courtesy!

Each week in the sales ad you’ll find all the deals that will print out RR’s.  These are always a limit of one per transaction.  You can use coupons when buying these products which means if the RR is for the full value of the item, you not only get it for FREE, but you’ll make money on it.  Here’s an example:

Robitussin To Go 2pk, On Sale $2.99 Get $2.99 RR
Use $1.00 coupon from Sunday paper or printable coupon (what ever it happens to be)
Total Out of Pocket = $1.99
Get $2.99 RR for your next transaction

Now you can go and buy another Robitussion To Go 2pk with that $2.99 RR you just received BUT if you do, you will not receive another RR.  Reason being is they will not print since you received the RR for the same item you are purchasing.  But if you want another FREE one, then go right ahead!

Walgreen’s also has store coupons that you can combine with manufacturer’s coupons to maximize your savings.  These Walgreens store coupons can be found in the store, usually right next to the weekly ad.  Each month, they print a booklet with store coupons that are good all month.  Grab one at the beginning of the month and keep an eye on these items going on sale because if so, you’ll save even more.  Use a manufacturer’s coupons and possibly get it for FREE.  Here’s an example:

Kleenex Tissue, On Sale $1.19
Use $.55/3 coupon from Sunday paper or printable coupon
Use $1.00 Walgreen’s coupon from monthly booklet (this will take $1.00 off for each one you buy so if you buy 4, the register will deduct $4.00)
Buy 4 (you’ll need one extra to eat up the overage because the register will not give you money back)
Total Out of Pocket = $.21 for 4 boxes of Kleenex

One thing you have to watch out for when using the RR’s on your next purchase.  The register reads them as manufacturer’s coupons and for each item you purchase you can have 1 manufactures coupon and 1 store coupon.   If you are buying 1 item and using 2 coupons, you won’t be able to use your RR because you are already using a manufactures coupon, as far as the register is concerned.  When this happens, all you have to do is toss in a small item as a filler and then you’ll have no problems.  Here is an example using the $2.99 RR from the first example above:

Charmin 9pk, On Sale $5.99
Use $1.00 coupon from Sunday paper or printable coupon
Use $.50 Walgreen’s coupon from monthly booklet
Use $2.99 RR from first transaction above
Pencil, On sale 2/$1.00 – Buy 1 (filler item)
Total Out of Pocket = $1.75

If you did all 3 transactions above you’d have the following items for only $3.95 out of pocket with a regular price of at least $13.99.
(1) Robitussin To Go 2pk
(4) Kleenex
(1) Charmin 9pk
(1) Pencil

And make sure when looking through the weekly sale ad check to see if milk, bread, eggs or even snacks for the kids lunches are on sale.  You can use your register rewards to get them for FREE or next to FREE.  That stuff doesn’t all have to be bought at the Food Store.  It may also save you a trip!

Each Sunday, I list the best Walgreen’s deals and what you can get for FREE on my blog.  You can see them here.