There has been a lot of buzz in the past year about bloggers promoting printable coupons (and specifically printable grocery coupons) and there should be: these coupons help you stay within your budget while still getting the things you want and need.

Every successful blogger that I’ve seen who writes about couponing is not only extremely smart, but also extremely savvy. They know that there are a couple of things you can do to “cheat the system”, but they don’t promote them.

Why not? Well, beyond the legal issues (after all, fraud IS illegal), there are a few more:

1. Coupon Fraud hurts your local grocery store. I know you may be thinking that the grocery store you go to most frequently is a big chain, but even small instances of theft (because technically, that’s what this is) do add up. They lose money because the coupon providers won’t accept the coupon they’ve sent in… even though it may have scanned when you were at the register. And if you do shop at a locally-owned store, you’re hurting people you know and damaging their livelihood.

2. Coupon Fraud hurts your neighbors… and you! Sure, you’re getting a good deal, but the money that the grocery store just lost has to come from somewhere. So, prices go up, amenities go down and the overall environment will decrease in quality. Plus, jobs could be cut to make up for the loss in revenue. I know it sounds extreme to you – and that just your actions can’t do all this – but it adds up fast if we don’t all hold ourselves accountable.

3. The couponing community loses respect. I’ve heard some horror stories about shoppers getting berated by cashiers when they use coupons and, while I’ve never experienced it personally, a lot of the anger comes from people thinking that the couponer is “cheating” to save money. Those of us who aren’t doing anything wrong get punished for crimes they didn’t commit, making it harder and harder to convince people of the great benefits of coupons!

Ultimately, you need to come to your own decision on this one… after all, it’s your conscience and while it may be a short-term benefit to your wallet, the long-term effects can be extremely destructive. Don’t believe me? Here’s what Crystal over at MoneySavingMom.com said last year about copying coupons:

Unless a coupon is a PDF hosted on the manufacturer’s website, it is *ALWAYS* unethical and illegal to copy a coupon.

Each of these coupons has a unique barcode and the store will only be reimbursed for coupons with a unique barcode. So if you copy them, the store will not be reimbursed and you will also be committing coupon fraud.

Not only could this get you into serious trouble, but this also means that stores will be less likely to accept internet printed coupons–which is the last thing any of us want.

Happy Shopping!

I realized that while many of you use ShopAtHome.com, you probably don’t know about every part of the site… and you should! There are so many different and exciting things that we have to offer you, and you shouldn’t miss one.

These are the top five things every user must know about to truly be a smart shopper!

1. Toolbar!: This is my dirty little (not-so) secret when it comes to saving money. Let’s face it, we ALL forget to do the little things every now and then. With the ShopAtHome.com Free Shopping Toolbar, there’s nothing to forget. If you’ve got it on your browser, you’re getting cash back at many of your favorite sites! Head over to the Toolbar page, download yours and get ready to watch the Cash Back checks start flowing!

2. Tell-A-Friend: You shouldn’t be keeping all this great information to yourself, now should you? Plus, for every friend you tell about ShopAtHome.com, they get $5… and you get $5 after they make a qualifying purchase! Want to learn more? I wrote about our Tell-A-Friend program. Read it here.

3. Exclusive, Exclusive, Exclusive!: Whether you’re vying for an extra $500 for Christmas or just looking to grab the latest and greatest deals before anyone else, head over to our Facebook and Twitter pages and keep track of what we’re doing. Learn about everything first (and, if you’re part of Facebook, get your own special Facebook Exclusive page on ShopAtHome.com!) so that you can find out how to save (or win!) even more money.

4. Cash Back Rebates: This one is a huge, HUGE money saver, and I use it as much as possible. ShopAtHome.com has set up affiliate programs with thousands of merchants and instead of hogging of that referral money for ourselves, we share it with our users! In fact, in 2009 alone, we have given back over 1.8 MILLION dollars in Cash Back rewards to shoppers like you. What does this mean for you? Every time you think about heading to Diapers.com, ShopBop, Target or Victoria’s Secret you can get some of the money you spent back in your wallet. Plus, it makes those slightly frivolous purchases just seem so much more wonderful!

5. Coupons: Whether you love Printable Coupons (we currently have the largest selection of printable coupons available on the web… I just nabbed my $2/1 Nestle Candy Coupons!) or are a fan of using coupon codes for shopping online and getting a fabulous deal, there’s something for everyone.

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to start spending (and, of course, saving!) my money. With the holidays quickly approaching, there’s no better way to Spend and Save than with ShopAtHome.com!

Halloween is just around the corner, so it’s time to make some plans for what you’re going to do! Here are a couple of ShopAtHome.com’s favorite tips & tricks; for more fun Halloween ideas and safety tips, visit the Halloween Guide.

1. Buddy System: Always make sure that the kids go together when Trick-or-Treating and with an adult, if possible. If they are going out as a group without parents, make sure at least one child has a cell phone so you can stay in contact. It’s safer and less stressful when you know they’ll be together!

2. Keep the Party Home!: Whether you don’t want the kids wandering around the neighborhood, or think they’re too young to go out on their own, you can do an alternative: host a party! Decorate your basement or living room like a not-too-scary haunted house, have a bunch of snacks and candy, turn up the music and turn off the worry.

3. Candy Candy Candy!: When I was younger and Trick-or-Treating, I’d gorge myself on candy and I wouldn’t stop until I felt sick. Once the kids get back (and after they’re done counting and trading their candy bars!), limit the amount they can have. That way, they won’t feel sick and you won’t be exhausted because the little ones are on a never-ending sugar high.

4. Pumpkin Carving: A fun family tradition, pumpkin carving is a blast, but it can be dangerous for the little ones. Let them sketch their own designs, but do all the cutting yourself. And make sure to clean and bake the seeds for a yummy, healthy treat!

5. Cute Costuming: Let’s face it, Halloween costumes are EXPENSIVE. Keep the prices down by shopping during sales (check out the best days for Halloween Cash Back here on ShopAtHome.com) and getting the most from your money. Get creative and make a DIY costume!

It’s easy to have a safe and fun Halloween! Have any other tips that you’d add? Let us know in the comments!

So, you’ve found ShopAtHome.com (and YAY! for that), but you’re not too sure what to do. So, we’re here to help you figure out the best ways to use our online coupon codes, printable grocery coupons, Cash Back and more!

First thing’s first: you need to sign up for an account. Why do you need an account? ShopAtHome.com gives you Cash Back… but we can’t do that if we don’t know which account to credit it to. Don’t worry, it’s totally free and takes about five minutes. If you click here, you can find the registration page. Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you.

Alright, you’ve got your account. I really, REALLY recommend downloading the Free Shopping Toolbar. Sometimes, even I forget to head back to ShopAtHome.com (and I work here!) but the Free Shopping Toolbar makes sure that you’re getting cash back, even if you don’t go back to the site! It’s really helpful, especially for those foggy, forgetful Mondays. (In a future post, I’ll give you some of the tips and tricks needed to use the Free Shopping Toolbar to the best extent possible.)

Now that those two very important parts are taken care of… what do you want to look for? If you head to the main page, you’ll find the links to everything you ever need, from today’s Daily Deals (I’ll tell you more about those later this week!) to Free Samples, Grocery Coupons to Coupon Codes… and we offer Cash Back for many of our over 20,000 merchants!

Already know what you want? Go to the Search Bar at the top of the page. Punch in whatever brand you’re interested in (for example, if you want to snag something from Nordstrom.com, just type in Nordstrom!), and watch it come up! Click on the site’s page to find out how much Cash Back you can get, as well as some of the BEST coupons available to make sure your shopping experience is better than ever! Then head over to the website you want to shop at, and watch the cash back roll in!

Once your account hits $20, ShopAtHome.com will send you an email to remind you that you need to have your address listed. Don’t want your money to be delayed? Just click here to add it into your own personal address book. It’ll save you time, and the Rebate Check will be sent out on time! Need to learn more about how the Cash Back program works? The Frequently Asked Questions area really takes care of all the information you could need about it!

Consider this page your ShopAtHome.com cheat sheet! I’ve got all the links you could need, and all the information you could want. Think there’s something I missed? Leave a comment below, and I’ll make sure to add it in!

Love,
Jaime, ShopAtHome.com Staff Member