Living in Ohio, the winter was bitter cold and seemed extremely long.  So, in the last week as temperatures warm up and trees and flowers begin to bloom, I find myself smiling and almost giddy.  I love spring!  It makes me happy, plain and simple.

As you can imagine, since I love spring I also love flower gardens.  In the five years I have lived at my current residence, I have planted many, many flowers, shrubs and trees.  My backyard has a huge perennial garden that I have spent years cultivating.  In fact, I can tell you exactly which week of the year it will be in full bloom with all the varieties at their peak.  That would be the third week of June.

If you are someone who is trying to build up your own garden or just add a few plants here and there, I have found one of my favorite methods for getting great deals on many garden varieties is online via garden nurseries.

First of all, I can usually snag deals that would be much more expensive at my local stores and garden centers.  Online shops have monthly deals on plants and often sell them in bulk at ridiculously low prices per plant.  Some even have penny sales.

What is the catch?

These plants often come and are very young, small and often don’t, frankly, look that great.  Sometimes they even look dead already.  They are not like buying plants directly from your local store where they are larger and look healthy.

But, don’t be fooled.  These plants are often hearty.  I have planted flowers from Spring Hill Nursery for years now, and the plants I now have growing in my backyard have grown so large, I have had to split them and even share them with neighbors.

Why else do I love these sites?  Most of them guarantee your purchase ( check the specific site for details ).  So, if after you plant them they then die, don’t fret.  They will send you new ones.  I have had this happen a few times, and the ease of getting my new products was very easy.

On top of that, these companies will usually tell you which plants grow well in your area of the United States and will send them to you and the appropriate time of planting.  So if you order something today, but the specific flower should not be planted until the end of May your shipment will not arrive until then.

Finally, my favorite aspect is that they have plants I just canNOT find locally.  I find I visit stores in my area and they all have the same types of flowers and plants.  But, the online nurseries have items I could never find around here.

So as spring planting time approaches, I would like to share some online nurseries Shop at Home offers.  When you go to their sites, make sure to register to receive their catalogs.  Most of them are sending out coupons with their books for $25 off $50 purchases.  That means, you will get approx 50% off already low prices.  And, when you hit their sites always check out what is on clearance or sale.  That is where you will find the best deals.

- Spring Hill Nurseries – 12% back
- White Flower Farm – 2% back
- Dutch Gardens – 9% back
- Direct Gardening – $3 Back
- Blooming Bulb – 11% Back

Have a beautiful spring!!

I am assuming since you are reading this blog, you are a fan of Shop at Home.  One of my favorite aspects is the online shopping.  If I am going to be buying something online anyway, why not get a percentage of it back for myself?

But, I must say, the piece of ShopAtHome that has benefited my family the most is their Refer a Friend program.  And, thankfully, not only has the program benefited me but also the friends I told.  For every friend referred, the referrer gets $5 when your friend shops and they also get $5 free to shop their first time.  It is wonderful to know I have financially benefited my family but also am helping others save a little bit extra when they shop, too.

For those of you who have not utilized the Refer a Friend program of Shop at Home or any other company, I hope these helpful tips can help you see the many different ways you can benefit yourself.

First of all, although ShopAtHome’s Refer a Friend might be the one we are most familiar with, there are many others.  Whenever you are a member of any online website, always check to see if they have a Refer a Friend program.  What type of sites and companies have I found that may have Refer a Friend programs?

-          Banks

-          Cable/Satellite

-          Survey Sites

-          Photo Sites

-          Credit Cards

-         Market Research Companies

-          Mystery Shopping Sites

-          Web Search Sites

-          Shopping Sites

So, how can you benefit from these programs yourself?  Here are some of the easy methods that can help you tell others about them yourself thus earning your family extra money.

-          Use an Email Signature

• This is something that will automatically attach itself to the bottom of every email you send to friends, family or anyone.  They are easy to set up you just never know when someone might click on the link.

For example, if you use Yahoo Mail, you would go under Options – Mail Options in the upper right side of your screen.  Then choose the option for Signature.  You can then select Signature and type whatever you want and save it.

Here is an example of what mine would look like if referring Shop at Home.  This signature would automatically appear at the bottom of every email I send out.

Carrie

I earn money when I shop at my favorite online stores.

Here is $5 Free so you can try it, too.

-          Utilize Social Media

• If you have a Facebook, Twitter or other social media account, you have an advantage allowing you to share your Refer a Friend programs with many people at once.

Many of the Refer a Friend sites offer Facebook Connect options where they will automatically share via your wall thus referring people.  But if they do not, it is very easy to log in and quickly leave a quick comment on your wall.

Did you recently shop via Shop at Home and earned 6% back?  Leave a comment stating what happened and linking with your refer a friend embedded link.  Here is an example of something I might leave on my wall:

Did you earn for a survey you just took?  Let everyone know and attach your Refer a Friend link.  You just don’t know!  Maybe someone will register.

-          Create ONE page where you list all your Refer a Friend programs.

• Blogger is free to set up and quick.  You can create one page and only update it when you find a new Refer a Friend program you like.

Go to Blogger.com and click on the Create a Blog button.  You can pick a name, a web address and set it up in minutes.  They even have basic designs to pick from on their site.  Then, just add your links and you have another great resource to share your Refer a Friend links with everyone.  In fact, you may want your Email Signature to point directly to this new site you created.

-          Business Cards

• If you do decide to quickly set up a spot for all your Refer a Friend links, consider ordering Free Business Cards that link to your blogspot address.

Why would you do this?  If you go out to eat, pay bills via the mail or any other number of activites, you have use of business cards for your Refer a Friend programs.  Everytime you pay your bill and leave your tip, stick a card in.  Paying a bill?  Drop a card in the envelope.  It is quick and easy.

Want to know where to get Free Business Cards?  Log into your Shop at Home account and search either VistaPrint or Overnight Prints.  Both companies offer this option.

And, don’t forget about the good old fashioned Word of Mouth technique.  If you are talking to someone and sharing about the programs you use, make sure to let them know you will send them an email with the details.

I hope this post encourages you to utilize Shop at Home’s Refer a Friend program and begin sharing all the wonderful programs you use with others!

It seems like one Holiday is over, and another is right around the corner. I can hardly believe that I am already thinking about Valentine’s Day and my children’s cards.

Every year, the kids get to take Valentine Cards into their class and Sunday school class and give them to their friends. My children just love this and especially enjoy coming home and going through their own cards that they received from friends at school.

It is a special and fun day for them!

And, I am sure you have spent the money before to buy the traditional Valentine cards at your local grocery or drugstore. They are quick and easy to pick up. But, on average can cost $6.99 to $9.99 a box or more. If you have multiple children in multiple classes ( school, church class, mommy and me preschool ), this can add up.

So, the last few years I have gotten my children their cards for free and they have been personalized photo Valentine cards. The comments they get each year are numerous!

Here is how you can take advantage of personalized photo Valentine’s, too!

Many and most photo sites offer Free Prints to new members. In addition, it is usually one account per person (please read their terms/conditions to verify per company). This means that you and another adult in the home can each have an account.

Upon opening your account, take advantage of your free prints to print Personalized Photo Valentine Cards.

Since most prints are 4X6, the key is to create a 4X6 Valentine image/photo on your computer and upload that creation as your photo. Then, print it as many times as you need it. 24 kids in the class? Print it 24 times. If there are still extra free prints as part of your intro, then upload actual photos you need printed to utilize all your freebies.

Here are some ideas that I have used or am using this year for my children. Feel free to copy mine or create your own! You aren’t that creative? Do a generic search on google titled, Valentine Card ideas. See what comes back! Then, let those give you inspiration.

And, don’t use this idea strictly for Valentine’s Day. I was able to send over 70 Birth Announcements out for nothing when my youngest son was born. I created a 4X6 Birth Announcement and the printed them with my intro offer. I finally bought some blue ribbon from a local fabric store, punched holes in the top and tied bows on the top of each one to really dress it up.

Finally, the great news is that ShopAtHome offers cash back bonuses on your orders with these companies. Since you get your prints free, this cash from ShopAtHome helps cover the shipping charges thus making these Valentine cards $0 or even money makers, depending on the company and shipping charges incurred!

• 50 Free Prints – Snapfish – 10%
• 25 Free Prints – Shutterfly – 10%
• 40 Free Prints – Clark Color – $7 Back
• 50 Free Prints – See Here – 9%
• 16 Free Prints – Ritz Pix – 18%
• 50 Free Prints – Kodak Gallery – 13%

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The fabulous Carrie at MoneySavingMethods.com is hosting TWO giveaways sponsored by ShopAtHome.com! The first is a chance to win one of two $25 Gift Cards from Home Depot and the second offers you one of two $25 Kohl’s Gift Cards!

To enter these giveaways, head over to MoneySavingMethods.com: the Home Depot Giveaway or the Kohl’s Giveaway… or, better yet, enter both!

Good luck, and keep reading the ShopAtHome.com blog to get information on all ShopAtHome-sponsored Giveaways!

So many times as we shop around the Holidays ( or any time of year ), we find ourselves being drawn to sale and clearance prices on items. If you see something you need or want and all of a sudden can save while buying it, it is financially beneficial to you to get it at the lower price.

I think we are all very familiar with this concept of saving on merchandise. But, did you also know you can save on gift cards?

Gift cards make up a large amount of the gifts given around the Holidays. In fact, I have bought a few myself for presents this year. So, if I can get them discounted, it is a wonderful advantage to me!

Recently, ShopAtHome had Barnes and Noble at 16% off as a Daily Double. Their gift cards are always great for teacher gifts around the Holidays. $10 is the minimum you can buy from Barnes & Noble, so if you purchased that you would get $1.60 back. If you were a new member to Shop at Home and also got the $5 sign on bonus, you then got a $10 gift card for $3.40.

In addition, Barnes & Noble was running a special. If you bought $100 of gift cards, they gave you $10 free. So, if you would have bought $100, you would have gotten $16 back, plus as extra $10. For $84, you would get $110 in gift cards.

But, don’t just think of them as gift giving ideas. You can also use them for yourself to pay for items at your favorite store. You can combine or stack them with already discounted merchandise, use a coupon and add on a discounted gift card to get an even larger savings. If you have stores you shop regularly, it is beneficial to have a supply of discounted gift cards on hand for upcoming purchases.

Do you know of an upcoming sale or item you are going to buy and would like a discounted gift card? Many sites now offer eCards that you will be issued the same day. Check the retailers specific terms to make sure it is good in store, but many are.

Recently, Kohl’s was running their $10 Back in Kohl’s Cash for every $50 spent. On top of that, they had mailed coupons out to many shoppers for their store. I was lucky to receive a $10 off coupon ( credit card not required ). Now, I already knew I would be spending $50, so I could order $50 eCards online.

I went into the store and shopped for sale/clearance items. By doing this, and stacking with the coupon, promotion and adding on a discounted gift card, I could get deep discounts.

So, now the question is, where do you get discounted gift cards?

Retailers

This is especially common around this time of year with the Holidays fast approaching. You will see the stores themselves offering discounted gift cards. The Barnes & Noble is a great example above. You spend $100, but get $110.

Restaurants, home improvement stores, clothing stores, etc will come up with their own design of discounting their gift cards.

On top of that, grocery stores get in on the game, too. Many establishments now offer Gift Card stops in their stores. In my area of the United States, we have Kroger. At their Gift Card Center, I can find various gift cards to many merchants. And, they also give me points towards discounted gas if I buy at their store.

This past week, they were offering $5 back on my groceries if I bought $50 is gift cards to a specific restaurant. Add in my gas savings, and I was saving more. This restaurant also has great coupons that come out often, so I will be saving quite a bit when my family goes out to dinner.

Online Listing & Auctions

If you go shop eBay or Craigslist, you will be able to pull up a lot of gift cards being sold. Whether the person didn’t shop that specific store or simply needs cash in their pocket, they will discount their gift cards substantially to sell them to you. I have gotten them up to 20% off before.

How do you stay safe? Well, there is never a guarantee someone won’t try and scam you, but there are some precautions you can follow.

If bidding on eBay, look at their seller rating. I would never buy a gift card from someone who has a low rating or hasn’t sold many products yet. I want to see a strong history of sales to others.

Pay with your credit card through Paypal. Although paypal has steps in place to protect you and file a complaint, credit cards give you extra protection. You can also call your credit card company to say the item was never delivered and the charges will be reversed while they confirm the issue. If it is found to be true, then you will never pay the charges. The money will never leave your bank account.

For Craigslist, always meet the person at the store location to have the balance checked. After the retailer confirms the balance, you can pay the seller.

Trading & Discounted Selling Sites

Plastic Jungle is a website allowing others to trade and sell their unwanted gift cards. Did you get a gift card to Target as a present but you prefer Walmart?

You can set up a free account at Plastic Jungle and offer to trade with another user. Or, you also have the option to simply buy gift cards discounted on their site.

What safety measures do they have in place? They have a 100% guarantee which takes the worry out of it for you.

Don’t want to miss when the gift card you need becomes available? You can set up alerts so you know when to log in and shop.

Giftcards.com is another site that sells discounted gift cards. They have locations where they buy back the cards for cash at a discounted price. They then turn around and sell it with a portion of that discount being passed on to you.

Their site will also list current online coupon codes for that merchant, so you can save even more when you go to shop.

ShopAtHome.com

Our very own ShopAtHome.com offers discounted gift cards! Did you know that?

Since you get a portion of your purchase price back at merchants, that money back is then a discount to the price of that gift card.

Not all merchants give cash back on gift card purchases, so the team at ShopAtHome has created this wonderful page for you to see where you can get your great gift card deals. Click here to access the merchants you will earn cash back on while shopping.

But, don’t just assume the discount they give you is the best rate. Do they have a Double Cash back day on that merchant coming up? If so, you can save even more. That is what happened at Barnes & Noble. Their usual cash back rate is 8%, but jumped to 16% for one day only! That is the day to grab the gift cards you need.

I would like to begin by introducing myself, since this is my first Shop at Home blog post.

My name is Carrie and I a wife and stay at home mother of my three children. I have a 7 year old son, 5 years old daughter and 2 year old boy. They keep me busy! Besides being a mommy, I also have been writing at my own blog, Money Saving Methods, for over a year and a half. And, I am absolutely thrilled to have been invited to write for the Shop at Home blog.

From the time I was young, I always found ways to save and make extra money. And, when I quit my job to stay home, I began looking into new and legitimate ways to make and save a little bit extra. And, that is how I began Mystery Shopping four years ago.

Since you are a Shop At Home reader, I think it is safe to admit you enjoy saving and/or earning a little extra money when you shop. There is nothing quite like receiving something in return for doing something you were going to do anyway…shop online!

And, Mystery Shopping is another fun and exciting way just to do that! You can earn or receive items/services for free when visiting establishments in your area.

Do you enjoy going out to eat with your family? What about shopping at retail stores? Do you need your taxes done? Would you like an evening out at the movies?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you will enjoy the benefits of Mystery Shopping.

So, let me share some quick tips/tricks to get you started:

-Never pay for a list of Mystery Shopping companies! This information is available for free online.

- Signing up with more companies will allow you to have more opportunities. Each company has their own specialty and establishments that they work with daily. If you want a wider variety of “shops”, you want to be working with as many as possible.

- Open a free email account specifically for Mystery Shops. This allows all your daily opportunities to come into one location and not interfere with your personal email account. You can then check it multiple times daily to find out what companies have openings.

Now, when you begin, you will notice that you will receive multiple emails from many companies each day. This does not mean you have been assigned a shop. You will need to open each email, see if it interests you, and then click to apply for the shop. Within a few days, you will then be notified if they accepted you as the shopper for that specific job or not. So, just because you sign up as with the Mystery Shopping companies does not mean you are required to shop for them. You can apply for as many jobs within that company as you want or as few.

You will also notice that there are shops that will not allow you to bring children and some that will. But, they are available either way. Don’t let the fact that you may have young children at home deter you from signing up with companies. My family loves joining me on my shops, especially when we get a nice dinner out.

What else should you pay attention to when applying for shops? Each job will have their specific guidelines on payment. For many shops, you will need to pay upfront and you will then be reimbursed and paid later. This is often the case with restaurant shops. But, with other establishments, you won’t need to spend any money and will simply be compensated for your work after your report is completed. Always make sure to read all instructions before starting, so you know what to expect monetarily.

Finally, what skills do you need to be a successful secret shopper?

You must be able to follow directions specifically, be detail-oriented and observant.

If you are interested in registering for Mystery Shopping companies, I do have a database of legit companies I personally am registered with and/or have worked for in the past. You can go here to access over 25 companies.

Have fun shopping and earning!