Use E-mail Filters to Save Money

Most of us avoid signing up for e-mail lists because we don't want a bunch of commercial advertising cluttering our inbox. Besides, we know how advertising works. The more we look at advertising, the more we're tempted to buy things we don't really need.

But avoiding e-mail subscriptions to the stores and restaurants we frequent also means we are missing out on exclusive deals and coupons -- ones that aren't available on RetailMeNot.

I think you can have your cake and eat it too. The solution is simple. Here's what you need to do:

• Sign up to receive e-mails from all of the places where you shop or dine (or might like to shop or dine if you had a decent coupon).
• Set up e-mail filters  to automatically "skip the inbox" and categorize these incoming e-mails as coupons. (Gmail users can learn how to use filters here.)
• Click on the label/folder to find new e-mails before you go out to eat or shop.

Here's an example from my inbox:

As more retailers offer mobile coupons (i.e. coupons you can just show on your phone instead of printing out), e-mail filtering will become even more helpful -- at least if you have a smart phone. You can just scroll through potential coupons on your phone once you're at the store -- no need to remember to print them before leaving home.

Hopefully this strategy will help a few of you save some money. If you have questions or other good ideas for saving money, please feel free to leave a comment.

Video: Money Saving Workshop

One of our plans for this blog was to share "money-saving tips" from time to time. We haven't been very good at doing that lately, but I think this video more than makes up for that.

Christina and two of her friends recently shared their shopping strategies and money saving tips with other ladies at church. Although she does talk about me a lot, I think she did a great job.

Here's the video so you can watch. If any of the tips don't make sense or you need more explanation, feel free to leave a comment below.

You can also find all of the videos, including the presentations by Doria and Margaret, here.

Alice.com

I have a new love. Seriously. Most of you know how much I hate shopping. If you don't know, I'll tell you now. I hate shopping. I would buy everything online, allowing me to just shop in quick spurts when the mood strikes (and the children are otherwise occupied), but that's not always practical. And I also don't like to get ripped off, so unless it's a larger item or a book, buying stuff online doesn't usually produce the best deal.

Until now... Of course, there's always an exception to every rule, but I have to tell ya'll about this new site, Alice.com. The premise of this site is warehouse prices without the bulk and without the warehouse. Basically, it's items that you would normally buy at Walmart or Target, at even better prices (of what I've noticed -- but of course, there's always exceptions, so certainly feel free to prove me wrong). I've compared prices to Amazon Grocery, and the deals at Alice.com are much better.

And get this: they clip the coupons for you. I hate clipping coupons. I hate trying to organize them and remember what I have. I hate it when they expire and you have to clear them out. At Alice.com, I don't have to worry. They search for manufacturer coupons and add it to my already good deals automatically. Sweet.

AND -- get ready for this, Sharon -- the shipping is always free. Okay. Now you're telling me, there's no way they can have great deals AND free shipping. There has to be a catch. Well, there is -- you have to buy at least six items at a time (though they gave me, and presumably you, a first time order of less than six items to check it out). But six items can be found pretty easily and pretty cheap. And when was the last time you went to Walmart and bought less than six items? Here's the purchase I made just a bit ago:

Old Spice Invisible Solid, Original Scent $2.87 - $1.00 =$1.87
Oral-B Bubblegum, Disney Princess $2.49 - $1.00 = $1.49
Oral-B Rocket Berry, Little Einstein's $2.49 - $1.00=$1.49
Oral-B Berry Bubble, Tigger & Pooh $2.49 - $1.00 =$1.49
Shout Wipes, Instant Stain Remover $2.59 - $0.55 = $2.04
Kotex Ultra Thin Pads, Regular, Unscented $3.31 - $1.00 = $2.31

Sub-Total $16.24
Coupons - $5.55
Tax $0.94
Shipping Always Free

Total $11.63

Six items. Free Shipping. Less than 12 bucks.

They also have a great set-up for organizing the products you commonly buy, and I love the ability to search through their best deals to see what items they have good coupons for at the time (hence the reason I stocked up on the kids' toothpaste in the purchase above!)

So try it out! And use this link to set up your account, please. We'll get a handy dandy referral bonus and YOU will get a $10 credit after you have spent at least $50 at Alice.com. (Don't worry - I would have blogged about it even if I didn't get a referral bonus. I like it that much. And all the embedded links lead to the same place, so feel free to click on any one!)

New Years Tips for Saving Money

Is one of your New Year's resolutions to trim your out-of-control spending and get your personal budget in order? Are you looking for ideas for how to get your finances in order with as little pain as possible?

Perhaps you already have a cash-back credit card and a high-interest savings account (which, unfortunately due to recent cuts by the Federal Reserve, isn't quite as high as they were a year ago). Perhaps you are already diligent to get cash back on your online purchases and "price protect" your purchases once you've made them.

Maybe you've even started recycling your cans and bottles and are at a loss to imagine how you could possibly save any more money.

Have you taken a look at your insurance policies lately? If you drive, you're required to have auto insurance and if you live in a house, you should have either a homeowners or renters insurance policy.

True, it's a bit of a hassle to change insurance companies just to save a few bucks, and you've probably fallen in love with the insurance company you've been with for the past decade, right? But if it only took a few minutes to make sure you're still getting a good deal, wouldn't it be worth it to check?

You might call a local insurance broker, but these days it seems like there's a web site for everything. Insweb.com is the best one out there for doing free comparison shopping of insurance policies. (For you locals, did you know that Insweb is based right here in Sacramento, just off Highway 50 near the Rancho Cordova area?)

So, take a few minutes and see what insurance rates Insweb can find for you. If you have kids, take a look at the term life insurance options, too.

Keep in mind that some insurance companies have a better reputation than others. Before you switch to a lower cost carrier, you should probably consult online ratings, like those at JD Power.

Get $10 Cash Back at Ebates

From now through September 15, Ebates is offering a $10 "double bonus offer." Use a link in this post to sign-up for Ebates, make at least one purchase, and you'll receive a $10 bonus in addition to the regular cash back you get by making purchases through Ebates. (We'll also get a matching $10 bonus if you use one of the links in this post.) This is a great deal! It effectively means you can buy something for $10 online and get all of your money back.

Ebates is one of several "share the wealth" web sites that have sprung up on the web recently. Here's how it works: Let's say you're going to make a purchase at Target.com. Before you actually make your purchase, go to the Ebates web site, register or log in and click on the Target.com link. Once you do this, you'll get 4% cash back on any purchase you make at Target.com on that visit.

No, this isn't a scam. Ebates is simply sharing a percentage of the kick-back it receives for referring you to an online merchant's web site. Most other web sites keep it all for themselves.

Other great cash back sites include:

BondRewards: Instead of giving you cash, Bond Rewards lets you collect points redeemable for U.S. Savings Bonds. To find the true "cash value" of the bond points you receives at Bond Rewards, simply divide them by two (since a $50 series EE savings bond costs $25 to purchase.) If you're interested in signing up for BondRewards, let me know so I can send you a referral e-mail.

FatWallet: This site is a lot like Ebates but it includes some different online retailers and offers higher cash back percentages at times.

Jellyfish.com: In addition to providing cash back on certain retailers, Jellyfish.com offers a unique reverse auction live shopping show called "Smack Shopping." Christina and I have used Smack shopping to get great deals on quite a few products, including an iPod and a KitchenAid. (Use the referral link on this post when you sign up and I'll get credit.)

Although none of these web sites provides cash back on Amazon.com purchases, you should always feel free to use the Amazon.com link on this blog to help out your favorite diaper fund. We receive cash back on any purchases you make when you use our Amazon.com link, which is always readily available in the list of links on the sidebar of our blog (under "Other").

$25 Sign-Up Bonus at Prosper.com

Perhaps the 5% return you're making in your high-yield savings account (See "Is Your Bank Robbing You?") is a wee bit too conservative for your taste. You'd prefer to try something a bit more aggressive for a chance at higher returns.

But let's say you don't want to tie your money up in a good long-term investment like a 401K or Roth IRA, since you might be working with a shorter time horizon before you need the money for something like a new car or a downpayment on a house.

You could lock your money up in CDs. Or you could throw it into the stock market and hope for the best. There are, of course, many, many options.

One option you might want to consider is Prosper.com. Here you can lend your money in $50 increments to borrowers for potential annual returns of anywhere from 8% to 12% to 15% to 18% -- you get to pick. Of course, there is some risk that the borrower won't pay you back. But if that happens, rest assured that Prosper at least will send a collection agency after them.

Christina and I have made quite a few loans on Prosper and so far have been very pleased with the way the web site works. Since the loans are 3 years in length, we won't know for some time what our final return will be, but we have a pretty good sense that we'll be doing much better than 5%.

If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, now might be a good time to check it out. Prosper is currently offering a $25 sign-up bonus for first-time lenders who register and fund a loan within 90 days.

The minimum bid to fund a loan is $50, so this could be an easy 50% return on that money plus whatever you make off the loan. (If you'd like us to get credit for referring you, please use the links in this post or the right sidebar when you sign up.)

Is your bank robbing you?

According to Bankrate.com, of the 39% of Americans who have an emergency savings account sufficient to cover at least three months of living expenses, only 44% are earning an interest rate of over 3% on their savings.

The goal of a savings account should be to grow your money, rather than see it eaten away by inflation. If you are getting anything less than 5% APY on your savings, your bank is robbing you.

Okay, the word "robbing" is probably a bit strong, but at least I've got your attention now. A quick survey of the interest rates on a basic savings account of $1000 at a few California banks is revealing:

Bank of America: 0.20% APY

Golden One: 0.85% APY

US Bank: 0.20% APY

Washington Mutual: 0.25% APY

Wells Fargo: 0.10% APY

If you are currently getting one of these pathetic interest rates on your savings, I suggest you open an additional savings account. Get one that is FDIC-insured and yields at least 5% APY. There are many options you can choose from. Research them by checking out Bankrate's rate list or the Bank Deals blog.

Two options you might want to consider:

Amboy Direct: 5.25% APY

HSBC: 6% APY on new deposits thru 4/30/07 (5.05% APY regularly)

Be sure to compare restrictions, minimum balances, etc. Also, look for special promotions, as some banks will give you money for opening a new account (if you jump through all the right hoops).

Once you set up a new account, there's no need to close your old savings account. You can simply move money between your existing accounts and your new account electronically. Just be sure not to make my mistake of violating those silly federal regulations that limit you to 6 transfers out of your savings account each month.

Tips for saving some serious dough

We are called to store up our treasures in heaven rather than earth (Matthew 6:19-21), but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do our best to be good stewards of the material blessings God has given us. Accordingly, from time to time, we'll be sharing money-saving tips on this blog to give you some ideas of how you might be able to do more with less.

Our hope is that for any of you who might find yourself on a tight budget our tips will help you free up a little more time or money for the things that matter most to you. Maybe you'll feel a little less pressure to take a job that will force you to spend more time away from your family. Maybe you'll just have more to share with your church, friends, or favorite charity.

With all that being said, check back soon for a tip or two that might save you some serious dough.

Big New Year's Pay Raise for Californian Cheapskates?

From Bottlesandcans.com:

Beginning January 1, Californians will get more cash back for their aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers. Assembly Bill 3056, signed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on September 30, raises the amount of California Refund Value (CRV) consumers receive at recycling centers to a nickel for containers less than 24 ounces and a dime for containers 24 ounces and larger. For at least six months, the amount of CRV consumers pay at the store will remain four cents on smaller containers and eight cents on larger ones.

If you're a California resident and not already taking your cans and bottles to a recycling center to get some money for them, make it your New Year's resolution to start doing so. Still too much hassle? You can always feel free to donate them to support your favorite local diaper fund.

Free Antivirus Software

Being the cheapskate that I am, I was bummed to see that AVG's free antivirus software updates are being discontinued as of January 2007. Upon further exploration, however, I'm pleased to report that AVG is continuing to offer a free edition of its antivirus software. But if you are currently running version 7.1 you'll need to download and install the new AVG anti-virus free version 7.5.

Don't like AVG? Other free antivirus software options include Active Virus Shield, Avast, and Avira.

Only care for the best and money is no object? Try Consumer Reports' top antivirus pick BitDefender.