Krista and Jaime from ShopAtHome.com were lucky enough to spend the last weekend (August 5-8, 2010) in the heart of New York City for the fantastic BlogHer Conference! There were almost 2,000 bloggers in attendance at the Hilton New York, and we were able to meet some amazing people and learn more about their blogs and themselves.

The biggest highlight? The ShopAtHome.com Bloggers on a Budget Exclusive Shopping Spree in the Garment District, of course!

ShopAtHome.com is all about bringing our customers the best deals online, whether it be grocery coupons, restaurant coupons, online coupons, free samples, or Cash Back savings. We wanted to develop an event in NYC that would be a special memory for our bloggers who were selected to participate. We also wanted to bring ShopAtHome’s personality into the event so we were challenged with doing something that helped our bloggers save money and/or shop on a budget – just like our site does every day for millions of users!

Our shopping tour did just that. We took 35 amazing bloggers with us on a trip to remember – a guided tour by the Elegant Tightwad – Pamela Parisi and her team around the Garment District of NYC! We armed each blogger with $150 in spending money, and then it was up to each blogger to power through the somewhat disorganized private showrooms to find their unique personal treasures amongst all of the deeply discounted clothing and accessories. Oh, what a fun challenge it was!

We had an amazing time at the event connecting with all of the bloggers in NYC and got some great deals ourselves (after all, that’s what ShopAtHome.com is ALL about!)

We have enjoyed hearing all of the fabulous and funny stories from the bloggers about their unique adventures on our bargain shopping trip in NYC. Thanks for a fun time and here’s to next year in San Diego!

Fantabulously Frugal
Steals and Deals
Simply Being Mommy

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!

Meet Kaley, a once self-professed “Coupon Hater” who now runs Cha-Ching on a Shoestring, a blog that is centered on helping you save money on your everyday purchases so you can get the things you want (right now, Kaley and her husband are saving up for a cruise… talk about fun!). Learn a little more about the site and Kaley in her own words, then go check out Cha-Ching on a Shoestring!

How did you start Cha-Ching on a Shoestring?

It all began in April of 2008 when my husband was laid off from his job at a small college. At the same time, I was expecting our second son and was about to give up my part time job. I began seeking out ways to save money creatively, not knowing how long we would be without a paycheck. It was then that I was introduced to money saving blogs by a friend. Little did I know how much it would change our lives.

A former self-professed hater of coupons, I suddenly discovered that when armed with the right information, coupons can be FUN. It wasn’t long before I was sharing my new-found love of couponing with friends and anyone who would listen. Several months later, I mentioned the idea to my husband of starting a blog that was dedicated to chronicling our own money-saving journey.

And thus, Cha-Ching on a Shoestring was born!

What has been the most rewarding part of writing on Cha-Ching on a Shoestring?

My husband and I knew when we started the blog that we were not alone–the economy has not been kind to so many of us.  But I have been amazed to discover how many people are really hungry for the information that we share.  Let’s face it.  Money is at the heart of so many issues.   I’ve had people comment that their marriage has improved or they’ve been able to give more or they are experiencing less fear after a lay-off because of what they are learning from the blog.  It’s crazy to me that this blog that started less than a year ago can impact people across the nation.  I love that.

Do you have a funny or interesting story about something that has happened because of your blog?

We moved about 6 months ago and were in the midst of packing up the house and getting ready to move in two days when I got a call from our local TV station.  They wondered if they could come interview us THAT DAY.  I was partly mortified that they were going to show up to a house that was filled with packing boxes and lacked furniture…but partly delighted that I didn’t have to feel like my house had to be spotless!

How have you used ShopAtHome.com to save money, and what is your favorite store to shop from when you use ShopAtHome.com?

Of course! Just last week I scored a hot deal at The Children’s Place using a 15% coupon code, a free shipping code, AND 5% back from ShopAtHome.  I got three pairs of pants and two shirts for my son for less than $12!

What do you think is the best deal you’ve ever found?

Every week it’s something new.  I guess my personal favorite was the week I challenged myself to see how much I could score for only $10.  (You can see my loot here.)

If you could only give one piece of advice to someone who is just starting to coupon and save their money, what would it be?

Don’t feel like you have to score every deal!  There will be 10 more deals tomorrow!  (And I’ll be sure to post them!)

Thanks so much to Kaley for taking time out of her very busy life to talk with us here at ShopAtHome.com! If you’d like to be interviewed in ShopAtHome.com’s Thrifty Chatter, email me at blog@shopathome.com for more details!

Today, we’re interviewing the fabulous Saidah Washington, owner and writer of AProverbsWife.com. A mom of four who is passionate about living her life in the words of the Proverbs, Saidah offers great tips about saving money, being frugal and ways to organize your home!

How did you start Proverbs Wife?

I started A Proverbs Wife as an accountability partner. I wanted to keep track of how I was spending my time as a stay at home mom and how I was spending my money. It helped me become organized with my daily tasks. It also helped me implement new ways of managing my finances, such as shopping with coupons and discount sites. I began tracking my savings online and my readers jumped on board with me.

What has been the most rewarding part of writing on Proverbs Wife?

The biggest reward for starting writing my blog has been the great people I have met and the many improvements in my personal life. What I post on my blog is non-fiction. I am living out each struggle and accomplishment day by day. Being able to connect with my readers through their stories and emails is great. I can relate to the joy they get when they save big or overcome a homemaking hurdle.

Do you have a funny or interesting story about something that has happened because of your blog?

My husband tends to be a very private person, so when people began approaching us in our local grocery stores asking about coupons and such, he was very uncomfortable. They would dub him the ‘Coupon King’, but little did they know is he hated coupons at the time. When I would let them in on it later they’d think he was crazy. After all of the FREE stuff he’s gotten he has a fondness of coupon but says he’d never use more than one or two per transaction.

How have you used ShopAtHome.com to save money, and what is your favorite store to shop from when you use ShopAtHome.com?

I check ShopAtHome.com before I make any online purchases. ShopAtHome is the first site I check with out of all the online rebate sites I use. ShopAtHome is easy to use and most often has the higher cash back returns on purchases.

I’ve always been a fan of Nine West shoes, but cut back on shoe purchases in lieu of being frugal. With a little investigating I’ve been able to match clearance sales at Nine West with my 6% ShopAtHome cash back rebate to score some really great deals.

What do you think is the best deal you’ve ever found?

The best deal was my first purchase. I bought a 3 pieces travel bag from OneStopPlus.com for $4.99 and shortly after making my first purchase I received my $5 Shop At Home invite bonus plus 7% cash back rebate for using Shop At Home. Wow! My first purchase was virtually FREE!

If you could only give one piece of advice to someone who is just starting to coupon and save their money, what would it be?

Sign up for FREE accounts that offer a chance to save you money. Whether it be paper coupon, printable coupons, e-coupons or coupon codes. Take advantage of the deals that are available to the consumers. There are tons of ways to save money if you are looking.

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!

I’m excited to introduce you all to our newest series here at the ShopAtHome.com blog: Thrifty Chatter! Each week, I’ll be interviewing one deal blogger and letting them tell you a little more about their site and themselves!

This week, meet Katie. She’s the owner of FrugalFemina.com, and she has some amazing stories to share with you! If you’d like your blog to be featured on the ShopAtHome.com Blog, email Jaime at blog@shopathome.com. And now, onto the interview!

How did you start Frugal Femina?

I’ve been blogging in one form or another since 2005. I started Frugal Femina about a year ago, because I wanted to learn how to use my resources wisely and connect with other like-minded folks. It’s extremely rewarding to get things I use every day at a bargain and be able to pass some of it on to those in need. Have you ever seen the look on someone’s face when you donate a box of brand-new items? It’s priceless—and doesn’t take that much effort on your part. And…by getting the best deal, you can enjoy some retail therapy without breaking the budget. Bonus!

What has been the most rewarding part of writing on Frugal Femina?

Meeting the people, hands down! If I just want to chat, find a deal, or get advice, I have tons of friends from all over the world right at my fingertips. I am inspired daily by my readers and fellow bloggers. LOVE them!

Do you have a funny or interesting story about something that has happened because of your blog?

Well, I had read this blog called Mommin’ It Up! for a little while when all of the sudden I got a strange feeling that I knew one of the writers. I wrote her, and sure enough, it was a girl I had gone to college with. I hadn’t seen her picture yet, so I didn’t know it was her. So now she knows I genuinely liked her blog before I knew it was her.

I’ve also gotten to chat with people like Kelsey Grammer on Twitter. Crazy!

How have you used ShopAtHome.com to save money, and what is your favorite store to shop from when you use ShopAtHome.com?

Several people I know have signed up for free at ShopAtHome.com after hearing about it on Frugal Femina. I try to promote ShopAtHome.com whenever I can! If you’re going to be shopping anyway, why not get some cash back in the process? I am currently saving up money so I can buy a KitchenAid mixer at Target when I graduate from nursing school in May. I’ll definitely be going through ShopAtHome.com so I can get an even better deal!

What do you think is the best deal you’ve ever found?

My hubby appreciates the free meals out, of course! But the most fun deal was when I retweeted a random message on Twitter one day. I completely forgot about it, and then I got a message that I had won a $100 Home Depot gift card from ShopAtHome because of that tweet. That totally made my day, because we are building a house right now {as money allows, of course!}. I can definitely use that gift card. It was a great surprise.

If you could only give one piece of advice to someone who is just starting to coupon and save their money, what would it be?

Please don’t give up! My first month of couponing was the hardest. It took a bunch of time, and I just didn’t have a good system going. Once you learn what works best for you and how your local stores run sales, it will come much easier. It is totally worth it. Especially being able to help others learn how to coupon or to donate from your awesome stockpile! Using a service like The Frugal Map to find deals specific to your area helps, too.

Anything I’m forgetting? Let our readers know!

Well, since you mentioned it, I have to give myself a shameless plug! I’d love for everyone to go vote for me at www.mamavation.com. Just click on @FrugalFemina in the right-hand sidebar. I made it to the top 5, and they announce the final 2 on Thursday night, 1/21/10. You can vote daily, and I hope you will!

As a few of you may know (and all of you who follow us on Twitter!), Monday marked the day where we had four power bloggers come out to the ShopAtHome.com offices for an official “Day with ShopAtHome.com”, filled with lots of chatter, new friendships, way too much candy, fun presentations, and many great ideas that we can’t wait to start working on!

The day was packed full with different activities: everything from presentations by our employees to give them a sneak peek on what goes on at ShopAtHome.com, sessions on social media and website usability, to even a fun shopping experience on the site! Much time was spent picking their brains (and they ours) to figure out ways to make ShopAtHome an even better destination for shoppers to find the best deals on the web. From testing out brand new technology to trying (and loving!) the toolbar, we tried to make sure they learned everything they could about what we do here at ShopAtHome.com.

At the same time, we learned so much about the blogging community overall and, more specifically, about how these amazing women have managed to make blogging a career and still succeed at  finding a balance between family, kids, household chores, their career as a blogger, and a million other things. They were sharp, witty, funny, and extremely informed. It quickly became clear to us that blogging is not really a hobby for these women – it is both a passion and a job that actually helps pay the bills!

I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce the bloggers to you and to provide a little background on what they do. If you aren’t already reading their blogs, I highly recommend that you start today! I have already learned so many new tips on saving money, finding the best deals, shopping efficiently and being smart about my spending from their daily posts.

Crystal runs MoneySavingMom.com, the biggest personal home finance site on the Internet, where she strives to make each reader a better home economist. We are convinced she succeeds hugely at what she does! She has three little ones (we met the youngest, her son Silas, and he was one of the most adorable, well-behaved babies I’ve ever seen!) whom she provides homeschooling for, a busy blog and a gift for bargain shopping.

Kate of TheShoppingMama.com is a fab, fashionable mother of two. She started her blog after the experiences she had while living in Germany (since they don’t have any Babies ‘R’ Us out there!) as a way to share her shopping savings. Plus, she looks like a model and features some of the coolest giveaways on her site.

Karen of FrugalRIMama.com is a feisty New England mother of two adorable girls with a gift for finding the absolute best Drugstore Deals! She has amazing insight on how to be an intelligent couponer, and even explains to you the ten (yes, TEN!!!) different kinds of coupons out there and how to get the biggest bang for your buck.

Carrie, who writes MoneySavingMethods.com, is a fun and fabulous woman who really knows how to save you money. She graduated with an Accounting degree in college, and totally puts that to use on her blog (and in her home, where she’s raising three kids!) Her shopping and saving smarts have saved her over $41,000 just this year!

These are four strong, assertive and intelligent women, and all of us here were honored to have them come (and I’m honored to have them be a part of this blog, too!) and visit us. You’ll see a lot more about them (and from them) in the future!

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