My Cash Back & Online Coupon Shopping Secret

In my twenties, I had dreams of becoming a millionaire by the time I was 30 years old. In my thirties, I had dreams of being a millionaire by the time I was 40. I'm sure I will have many more dreams as I grow older, but reality has set in and I've realized that my destiny lies in other pursuits. To compensate for this, I have found ways to make the money I do have last longer and travel further. One of those ways is through the use of "online coupons."

Over the last 10 years, shoppers have figured out that they can avoid lines and traffic and get better prices on the internet than in the shopping malls. Since most online purchases are made across state lines, the cost for shipping is usually offset by not having to pay sales tax. When you drive to a brick and mortar store, park in the parking lot, and walk into the store, you are now trapped since there is no way you are leaving to visit other stores to comparison shop. On the other hand, the internet is located in your living room where thousands, if not millions, of stores compete against each other driving prices as low as possible. In addition, online stores pay much lower rent for warehousing their products compared to retail lease prices for brick and mortar stores. This allows them to lower their prices even further and keep much larger inventories on hand. Obtaining better prices online is quickly outweighing the impulsive need to have your purchase immediately upon checkout from a brick and mortar store. This is increasing the number of online shoppers every year as people across the country catch on to what others have already figured out.

Now I'm not saying that the great prices found on the internet are anything to sneeze at, but that wasn't enough for me. Since my first online purchase in the late 90's, I have become addicted to saving even more money by utilizing online coupons, coupon codes / promo codes, and cash back shopping.

Online coupons are just like normal coupons that you would use at the grocery store, but they are only for purchases made on the internet. Instead of cutting them out and providing them at the checkout counter, online coupons are redeemed during the online checkout process. There are two types of online coupons. The first is a "coupon code" which I've also seen called a promo code, promotion code, promotional code, and a discount code. The shopper just needs to enter the coupon code in the appropriate place during checkout and the discount is reflected immediately. The other online coupon I have encountered is usually provided by online coupon websites. Once you click on the coupon-embedded link displayed on the online coupon website, you're directed to the retailer's website in a new browser window to shop as you normally would. The coupon discount is automatically factored into the price at checkout. I find this method easier than tracking down coupon codes (but maybe not as much fun).

But when I discovered another method of saving money called Cash Back Shopping, online coupons alone weren't enough for me. I'm going to share a secret with you that took me a number of years to uncover about how online shopping works. In order to generate sales, online stores use a method of marketing called Affiliate Network Marketing. The online store signs up with an affiliate network for a fee. The network then displays links to the retailer's website for coupons, deals, promotions, and sales. Website owners copy these links and display them on their own websites in the hopes that their visitors will click on them and place an order. The website owner is paid a commission for each visitor who goes to an affiliate's site and makes a purchase. Commissions on sales range from 3% to 10%. Hence, the birth of the online coupon website to earn commissions by bringing traffic to online retailers signed up with affiliate networks.

Soon after, cash-back shopping sites began to appear. These sites give back a percentage of the commission they earn, in the form of cash-back, to the actual online shopper making the purchase. So now online shoppers could redeem valuable coupons, such as 15% off your entire order from the retailer and then earn another 2- 5% cash-back from the online coupon website. On most cash-back shopping websites, money accumulates in an account and is then paid quarterly by check to the shopper. The fact that you can combine online coupons with cash-back shopping makes cash-back shopping websites that offer coupons a much better option than the plain old online coupon websites of the past.

Now that we have a brief history of online shopping under our belts, let's move onto my latest discovery. I recently found a website that has taken online coupons and cash-back shopping to another level. Until now it was only possible for website owners to make commissions from affiliate networks by displaying coupon links on their websites. However, the site I found, http://www.CouponCactus.com, allows shoppers to earn money as well as save money.

Coupon Cactus developed a program so its members can automatically display a link to their own "Cactus Page" in the signature line at the bottom of all of their emails. If a person reading your email clicks the link in your signature line and makes a purchase through your Cactus Page, you will earn a commission. Nearly every area of the online arena has been utilized for major profit, except for the real estate in our own personal emails. To demonstrate the power of marketing in personal e-mails, here's an example. Let's assume the average person sends 10 emails per day, including both original emails and forwarded emails. If you send an email of interest to 10 friends, such as a funny joke or story, by tomorrow it will be in 100 inboxes and it will be in 1,000 inboxes by the day after. In the span of just two days, your one email with a link to your Cactus Page could reach 1,100 potential online shoppers. That's not to mention the other nine emails you wrote that day. I personally send about 100 emails per day and have already begun to reap the benefits of Coupon Cactus membership. I've actually earned more than I've spent over the holidays! It was then that I was driven to seek out the owner of Coupon Cactus to find out more about how they came up with this idea and what was on the horizon.

I had the chance to interview David Fitterman, President & CEO of Coupon Cactus, LLC, which hosts the http://www.CouponCactus.com website, an online coupon, coupon code, and cash-back shopping website with a commission program for the average shopper.

John: David, first I'd like to thank you for giving me the tools to make some cash this holiday season on top of some very cool coupons I used to buy presents.

David: It's our pleasure! You know, it's not just a holiday thing though. Our members are pretty smart and they'll be earning money year-round. I knew the idea made sense, but I'm surprised at how fast it's taken off.

John: So how many members do you have, and what are the different ways the website is being used?

David: Sorry John, I can't reveal any specific details about our membership since privacy is of the utmost importance. But I can say that we're very pleased and much further along than we'd imagined at this point. We already have some great success stories about the ingenious ways our members are using the website.

John: That works for me.

David: Well, you already know that each member gets their own Cactus Page but we are currently beta testing functionality where they can personalize the top banner with a welcome message and display a picture or a logo. We have one beta tester who placed a picture of his two-year old son on his banner. His son is suffering from an illness and he's raising money in his son's name by sending out links to his Cactus Page explaining that all commissions on purchases will be used for his son's medical treatment.

John: Wow, that's a great story.

David: Yeah, we're pretty proud of that one. I'm just glad that we're able to offer him the tools to earn money for such a good cause. We have another member who's using her Cactus Page so she gets commissions on all of the gifts purchased for her baby shower next month. There's actually one other member doing the same thing, but for her wedding. It's a cool idea. If their friends and relatives are going to be buying them presents anyway, they might as well earn cash-back on all of the purchases to buy something extra for the baby or to use on their honeymoon.

John: Man, I wish you guys were around when I got married!

David: Sorry about that! At least you know about us now and can use Coupon Cactus for all the other events and ideas you come up with. We also have a few beta testing companies who are using corporate Cactus Pages as an employee benefit. It's a win-win situation. The employees use the coupons on the website to save money, and the company earns commissions on all the sales. One of the companies is using the earned commissions to pay for the annual holiday party for their employees. It turns out that the company is ending up using the coupons, more than the employees, to lower their business expenses and get cash back on top of the discounts.

John: That sounds like a pretty smart company. Now I know you're busy and I really appreciate the time you're taking to talk with me, but can you tell me anything more about future plans for the website?

David: Well, you know I can't be too specific, but we do have a number of plans in the works. I can tell you that we recently implemented a new feature where if you refer someone to Coupon Cactus and they become a member, you'll receive 25% of whatever they earn for as long as both of you are members. There are a number of sites out there that only give you just $5 for telling a friend. We looked at that model and it just didn't work for us. This is the age of Web 2.0 and we figured our members should share in all of the profits. For example, if you refer a friend to Coupon Cactus and he earns $100 this quarter, he'll receive a check for $100 and you'll receive a check for an additional $25. Let's say that the next quarter you refer nine more friends who each earn $50 and your first friend makes another $100... Hang on, let me get out my calculator... You'll get a check for $137.50 for that quarter, just on the commissions made on your referral members. Not a bad deal for just referring some friends, and we have absolutely no limit to the number of referrals you can make.

John: This feature was the reason I had to track you down and talk to you. It's brilliant, and like I mentioned earlier, it paid for all the presents I bought this year and then some.

David: You know, when this article comes out you should include your membership number so you can get referral commissions on anyone who signs up after reading it.

John: In this case I am one step ahead of you. Thank you again for sitting down to talk with me, and I wish you great success with Coupon Cactus.

David: Thanks for having me.

Now that I have disclosed my secrets on how shopping can actually be profitable I will shamelessly ask that you return the favor by entering my Cactus membership number 100033 as the member who referred you to Coupon Cactus when you sign up for free membership at http://www.CouponCactus.com. Who knows, maybe my dreams will come true and I'll get to be a millionaire one day.

John Goldberg has written many articles on saving money, online coupons, cash back shopping, and the internet and has a Cactus Page on http://www.CouponCactus.com.

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My Cash Back & Online Coupon Shopping Secret

In my twenties, I had dreams of becoming a millionaire by the time I was 30 years old. In my thirties, I had dreams of being a millionaire by the time I was 40. I'm sure I will have many more dreams as I grow older, but reality has set in and I've realized that my destiny lies in other pursuits. To compensate for this, I have found ways to make the money I do have last longer and travel further. One of those ways is through the use of "online coupons."

Over the last 10 years, shoppers have figured out that they can avoid lines and traffic and get better prices on the internet than in the shopping malls. Since most online purchases are made across state lines, the cost for shipping is usually offset by not having to pay sales tax. When you drive to a brick and mortar store, park in the parking lot, and walk into the store, you are now trapped since there is no way you are leaving to visit other stores to comparison shop. On the other hand, the internet is located in your living room where thousands, if not millions, of stores compete against each other driving prices as low as possible. In addition, online stores pay much lower rent for warehousing their products compared to retail lease prices for brick and mortar stores. This allows them to lower their prices even further and keep much larger inventories on hand. Obtaining better prices online is quickly outweighing the impulsive need to have your purchase immediately upon checkout from a brick and mortar store. This is increasing the number of online shoppers every year as people across the country catch on to what others have already figured out.

Now I'm not saying that the great prices found on the internet are anything to sneeze at, but that wasn't enough for me. Since my first online purchase in the late 90's, I have become addicted to saving even more money by utilizing online coupons, coupon codes / promo codes, and cash back shopping.

Online coupons are just like normal coupons that you would use at the grocery store, but they are only for purchases made on the internet. Instead of cutting them out and providing them at the checkout counter, online coupons are redeemed during the online checkout process. There are two types of online coupons. The first is a "coupon code" which I've also seen called a promo code, promotion code, promotional code, and a discount code. The shopper just needs to enter the coupon code in the appropriate place during checkout and the discount is reflected immediately. The other online coupon I have encountered is usually provided by online coupon websites. Once you click on the coupon-embedded link displayed on the online coupon website, you're directed to the retailer's website in a new browser window to shop as you normally would. The coupon discount is automatically factored into the price at checkout. I find this method easier than tracking down coupon codes (but maybe not as much fun).

But when I discovered another method of saving money called Cash Back Shopping, online coupons alone weren't enough for me. I'm going to share a secret with you that took me a number of years to uncover about how online shopping works. In order to generate sales, online stores use a method of marketing called Affiliate Network Marketing. The online store signs up with an affiliate network for a fee. The network then displays links to the retailer's website for coupons, deals, promotions, and sales. Website owners copy these links and display them on their own websites in the hopes that their visitors will click on them and place an order. The website owner is paid a commission for each visitor who goes to an affiliate's site and makes a purchase. Commissions on sales range from 3% to 10%. Hence, the birth of the online coupon website to earn commissions by bringing traffic to online retailers signed up with affiliate networks.

Soon after, cash-back shopping sites began to appear. These sites give back a percentage of the commission they earn, in the form of cash-back, to the actual online shopper making the purchase. So now online shoppers could redeem valuable coupons, such as 15% off your entire order from the retailer and then earn another 2- 5% cash-back from the online coupon website. On most cash-back shopping websites, money accumulates in an account and is then paid quarterly by check to the shopper. The fact that you can combine online coupons with cash-back shopping makes cash-back shopping websites that offer coupons a much better option than the plain old online coupon websites of the past.

Now that we have a brief history of online shopping under our belts, let's move onto my latest discovery. I recently found a website that has taken online coupons and cash-back shopping to another level. Until now it was only possible for website owners to make commissions from affiliate networks by displaying coupon links on their websites. However, the site I found, http://www.CouponCactus.com, allows shoppers to earn money as well as save money.

Coupon Cactus developed a program so its members can automatically display a link to their own "Cactus Page" in the signature line at the bottom of all of their emails. If a person reading your email clicks the link in your signature line and makes a purchase through your Cactus Page, you will earn a commission. Nearly every area of the online arena has been utilized for major profit, except for the real estate in our own personal emails. To demonstrate the power of marketing in personal e-mails, here's an example. Let's assume the average person sends 10 emails per day, including both original emails and forwarded emails. If you send an email of interest to 10 friends, such as a funny joke or story, by tomorrow it will be in 100 inboxes and it will be in 1,000 inboxes by the day after. In the span of just two days, your one email with a link to your Cactus Page could reach 1,100 potential online shoppers. That's not to mention the other nine emails you wrote that day. I personally send about 100 emails per day and have already begun to reap the benefits of Coupon Cactus membership. I've actually earned more than I've spent over the holidays! It was then that I was driven to seek out the owner of Coupon Cactus to find out more about how they came up with this idea and what was on the horizon.

I had the chance to interview David Fitterman, President & CEO of Coupon Cactus, LLC, which hosts the http://www.CouponCactus.com website, an online coupon, coupon code, and cash-back shopping website with a commission program for the average shopper.

John: David, first I'd like to thank you for giving me the tools to make some cash this holiday season on top of some very cool coupons I used to buy presents.

David: It's our pleasure! You know, it's not just a holiday thing though. Our members are pretty smart and they'll be earning money year-round. I knew the idea made sense, but I'm surprised at how fast it's taken off.

John: So how many members do you have, and what are the different ways the website is being used?

David: Sorry John, I can't reveal any specific details about our membership since privacy is of the utmost importance. But I can say that we're very pleased and much further along than we'd imagined at this point. We already have some great success stories about the ingenious ways our members are using the website.

John: That works for me.

David: Well, you already know that each member gets their own Cactus Page but we are currently beta testing functionality where they can personalize the top banner with a welcome message and display a picture or a logo. We have one beta tester who placed a picture of his two-year old son on his banner. His son is suffering from an illness and he's raising money in his son's name by sending out links to his Cactus Page explaining that all commissions on purchases will be used for his son's medical treatment.

John: Wow, that's a great story.

David: Yeah, we're pretty proud of that one. I'm just glad that we're able to offer him the tools to earn money for such a good cause. We have another member who's using her Cactus Page so she gets commissions on all of the gifts purchased for her baby shower next month. There's actually one other member doing the same thing, but for her wedding. It's a cool idea. If their friends and relatives are going to be buying them presents anyway, they might as well earn cash-back on all of the purchases to buy something extra for the baby or to use on their honeymoon.

John: Man, I wish you guys were around when I got married!

David: Sorry about that! At least you know about us now and can use Coupon Cactus for all the other events and ideas you come up with. We also have a few beta testing companies who are using corporate Cactus Pages as an employee benefit. It's a win-win situation. The employees use the coupons on the website to save money, and the company earns commissions on all the sales. One of the companies is using the earned commissions to pay for the annual holiday party for their employees. It turns out that the company is ending up using the coupons, more than the employees, to lower their business expenses and get cash back on top of the discounts.

John: That sounds like a pretty smart company. Now I know you're busy and I really appreciate the time you're taking to talk with me, but can you tell me anything more about future plans for the website?

David: Well, you know I can't be too specific, but we do have a number of plans in the works. I can tell you that we recently implemented a new feature where if you refer someone to Coupon Cactus and they become a member, you'll receive 25% of whatever they earn for as long as both of you are members. There are a number of sites out there that only give you just $5 for telling a friend. We looked at that model and it just didn't work for us. This is the age of Web 2.0 and we figured our members should share in all of the profits. For example, if you refer a friend to Coupon Cactus and he earns $100 this quarter, he'll receive a check for $100 and you'll receive a check for an additional $25. Let's say that the next quarter you refer nine more friends who each earn $50 and your first friend makes another $100... Hang on, let me get out my calculator... You'll get a check for $137.50 for that quarter, just on the commissions made on your referral members. Not a bad deal for just referring some friends, and we have absolutely no limit to the number of referrals you can make.

John: This feature was the reason I had to track you down and talk to you. It's brilliant, and like I mentioned earlier, it paid for all the presents I bought this year and then some.

David: You know, when this article comes out you should include your membership number so you can get referral commissions on anyone who signs up after reading it.

John: In this case I am one step ahead of you. Thank you again for sitting down to talk with me, and I wish you great success with Coupon Cactus.

David: Thanks for having me.

Now that I have disclosed my secrets on how shopping can actually be profitable I will shamelessly ask that you return the favor by entering my Cactus membership number 100033 as the member who referred you to Coupon Cactus when you sign up for free membership at http://www.CouponCactus.com. Who knows, maybe my dreams will come true and I'll get to be a millionaire one day.

John Goldberg has written many articles on saving money, online coupons, cash back shopping, and the internet and has a Cactus Page on http://www.CouponCactus.com.

Coupon Savings - Is it Worth My Time?

O.K. let's face it; few people want to sit around clipping coupons in order to save a few bucks at the grocery store. I mean, if I manage to save $5 this week through my efforts, is this worth my time? The true answer should be no!

But if by going through those coupons you could save $100 a month or more, then would it be worth your time? The purpose of this article is to show you how taking the effort of using coupons can be worth your time.

I will show you this through vital time saving techniques. You will also learn how to avoid the number one mistake almost all people make when using coupons.

Try Not to do This!

The mistake that most grocery shoppers make when it comes to coupons is a very common 3 step process:

* Step 1: You receive your new coupons on Sunday and clip all the ones you think you will want to use.

* Step 2: You go shopping, and then you purchase the items with the coupons you clipped.

* Step 3: You throw out the other 50 or 60 coupons that you did not clip because you don't think you will want or need them anytime soon.

Why is this the Biggest Mistake?

Some people wonder how this can be the biggest couponing mistake. The truth is that there are many reasons why this couponing "norm" is the absolute biggest mistake you can make while using coupons.

Reason number 1

The first reason this is the biggest mistake is because of the concept of bad timing. Don't get me wrong, the grocery stores that carry these products will think that your timing is perfect.

Why is this? This is because the stores want you to use these coupons as soon as you get them. The grocery stores plan on you using your coupons within the first 10 days of receiving them. The store may even plan part of their weekly ad according to which coupons have come out.

A lot of work goes in to the weekly ads that the grocery stores create. They are constantly changing prices and thinking of new ways to catch your attention and get you in the door. Once they get you in the door, then there goal is to make as much money as they can.

The Items not on Sale

The grocery stores will rarely offer really great sales on the coupons that you just received on Sunday. Don't get me wrong, occasionally you will find a sale on for an item that just had a coupon come out, but it is usually just an average sale. Maybe this is what got you into the door!

As a power shopper, you will want to wait until an even better sale. I believe that many stores make sure that they do not offer great sales on certain items because they know you are probably going to use your coupon anyway.

They know that the average shopper uses their coupons within 10 days of receiving them in the local newspaper, and they will use this information to try to make as much money as possible.

So, you are drawn in to a store on let's say Thursday or Friday, maybe even Saturday because these are big grocery shopping days. Maybe you chose your store because of a few great deals they had in their ad.

You buy the good deals and then you go to use your coupons. You have a coupon for $1.00 off 2 boxes of Quaker granola bars for example. There doesn't happen to be a sale, but you still think that $2.99 a box is a reasonable price for granola bars. So you then buy them and with your coupon you buy 2 for $2.49 each. At the end of this transaction, the grocery store is making a very nice profit for two reasons.

* The first reason is because they sold you 2 boxes of granola bars that usually sell for only $2.50 per box at many stores

* The second reason is that they will be reimbursed from Quaker the $1.00 for the coupon plus a handling fee for accepting that coupon. In the end, the grocery store has received more than $3.00 for each box of those granola bars that usually only sell of $2.50 each.

Learn Timing

About once in every 12 weeks period is when you will find one of the lowest prices you can get for any given grocery item. When this happens you will be able to combine the coupons you receive with the absolute lowest prices for items that you normally buy.

How can I easily find the best deals? Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough. That is what we are here for, to teach you these almost "unfair" shopping techniques, techniques that many stores probably wish you didn't know about! These are the technique that you will be able to use in order to at times almost effortlessly save more than 70% off of your grocery bill!

For right now, just remember that timing is everything with coupons. Almost everyone uses their coupons immediately, and you will very rarely see a great sale for an item the week that the coupon comes out.

Reason number 2

The second reason why the couponing "norm" is the biggest mistake you can make is because when you throw out any coupons that you do not think you will need anytime soon, you are basically throwing away money.

An example of this throwing away of money is when you throw out, for example, that $1.00 off Aquafresh toothpaste. You may easily think "I have 2 tubes of toothpaste, which is plenty to last me a while". But, with many items, like toothpaste, you will begin to learn as a power shopper that you can get these items absolutely free, but only when you decide to save your coupons.

The Time for Door Busters

It is usually about 1 month after the coupon comes out that a grocery store may decide to have a "door buster" sale on that item. Last time I used my $1.00 of Aquafresh toothpaste I was able to purchase about 8 tubes of the expensive type (the "teeth whitening" type that usually sells for $3.49) all for free! Why would you ever want to pay for certain items ever again if you could constantly get them for free?

If you want the freebies, do not throw away your coupons! I would hold on to your newest coupons for 8 months. I've seen coupons that have been good for that long. I was able to purchase yogurt for free for almost a whole year because the coupons did not expire for many months after they were issued.

Reason Number 3

There is a third reason why using the normal method of couponing is not a good idea. The reason is that you will consistently find yourself using coupons right away for brand-new items that have just hit the stores.

At times, the manufactures will offer a coupon to try the item absolutely free, and in this case, you are obviously good to go. My favorite is when Hershey's came out with the Hershey's Cacao Reserve chocolate and they gave coupons to receive this item absolutely free!

This rarely happens; the truth of the matter is that most companies will not let you try the item absolutely free at first. They will usually send out a really great coupon just when a new product hits the market. They trust that with a good coupon and a new product to try, that there is a high probability of you purchasing that product.

The Patterns with New Products

The companies usually follow a set pattern and this is where most people make a couponing mistake:

First: The company releases the new item simultaneously with a coupon. They request that the grocery stores keep the new item at retail pricing for a while, then after a couple of months, they will let the grocery stores put the new item on sale.

They request that the item is kept at retail price because of the simple fact that most people are willing to pay a slightly higher price with the introduction of an intriguing new product.

Second: After the "wave" of people that are willing to pay the introductory price has passed, the manufacturer then lowers the price or has it put on sale to allow for a second "wave" of people to try the new product. This second wave of people is the type of people that are willing to try the new product if the price is right. Almost nobody at this point still has the coupon that was issued months ago, almost everyone except you: the power shopper!

The manufacturers will continue to follow this same pattern so that they can get as many people to try their new product as possible. All you need to do is be patient and use your coupons when the price is low. The beauty of this whole system is that you will probably be able to try the new product for 1/4th of the cost or, at times, absolutely free!

Multiple Newspaper Subscriptions

Having multiple newspaper subscriptions is the easiest way of getting lots of free items from the grocery stores. When I receive free items, I do not get really excited if I only receive one of that item for free. When was the last time you jumped up and down for joy because you received a free can of soda at a community party? Exactly, you didn't.

But, if at the end of the party there are cases of sodas left over and you learn that they are free for the taking, then you get a lot more excited because you just scored $10 worth of free sodas!

That is the same idea when it comes to getting free items at your local grocery store: you should try to get as many as you can!

Every newspaper subscription you have gives you access to tons of grocery savings. We suggest having access to at least 3 sets of coupons every week. The easiest way to obtain 3 sets of coupons every week is through purchasing multiple newspaper subscriptions. These newspaper subscriptions are relatively cheap and are well worth the investment.

In our eBook we give you access to two great websites that will let you subscribe to almost all newspapers across the United States at 50% to 75% off, costing you usually around $1 per Sunday paper delivered to your door. We suggest purchasing the Sunday only editions of the newspaper because this is the day of the week where you will receive your coupons. Through comparing the prices on these two websites, you will be able to get the best deal on newspaper subscriptions!

Also in our eBook, "Saving Money through Power Shopping" we show you have to receive free access to a website that will show you where all of the current coupons are located, by category! This valuable resource perfectly implements the concept of timing. As an example, if you find a good deal on shampoo at a local store, all you need to do is type in shampoo and it shows you all of the current coupons to match that sale!

This valuable resource makes it so that you never again have to spend hours clipping and organizing your coupons! This program will always tell you which date, page, and publication to find the right coupon! This information along with other resources in our eBook make it so that you can start power shopping today!

Until next time!
Daniel Pereira
http://www.CouponstoFreeGroceries.com

Daniel Pereira is author of the book "Saving Money through Power Shopping: How to Immediately Save 40-70% on Your Grocery Bill." To learn about more grocery savings tools and techniques, visit his website at: http://www.CouponsToFreeGroceries.com

How to Use a Coupon and Tips - Coupons 101

First of all, what is "couponing"?

A lot of people don't understand how you can take a $0.50 off coupon and save so much money, get things for free, or even make money! It's possible, I do it all the time, and you can do it too. Here is the basic concept that has to be applied when using coupons: Only use a coupon when paired up with a sale! Here's an example of what this means:

If you have a coupon for $0.50 off Libby's Green beans and you take that to the store and pick up a can that is priced normally at $1.00, then you are going to pay $0.50 and therefore you will have only saved $0.50. NOW, lets say that you wait until you see those green beans go on sale for $0.50 (and they most likely will) then after your $0.50 coupon, you will get these for FREE! Also, if your stores double coupons, you will have just made $0.50 to go towards the rest of your order! So really, that's the secret to using coupons. I help make this easier for you by providing you with free lists of sales matched with coupons and post any good deals I find at stores with coupons.

You will find that you won't have to pay for many different necessities again! Such as, toothpaste, razors (even the nice ones), toothbrushes, deodorants, soaps and more! I remember when I first heard this and thought to myself "say what"?! Yes, this is very true and the stores you will be getting them for free from are Rite Aid, Walgreen's, & CVS!

Where do I get my coupons you ask? Well, there are MANY different places to get coupons...

? Sunday Newspaper - These are the mega coupon papers! You will want to get one (or more) every Sunday. They will have coupon inserts in them including Red Plum (RP), Smart Source (SS), Proctor & Gamble (P&G). Occasionally you will get bonus inserts including, General Mills (GM), Target and more.
? Printable Coupons (from the Internet) - My favorite sites to print coupons from are Coupons.com, Red Plum, Smart Source, and Target (yes, they have coupons)!
? Magazines - All You Magazine is a great one to get. You can find these at Walmart or you can get a subscription here. It is full of manufacturer coupons. Also, the Parents magazine is a great one that has good coupons for parents such as, Gymboree, Amazon diapers and more.
? Products you purchase - Keep in mind that on a lot of boxes of items you buy, there are coupons! For example, my box of Tide Laundry Detergent had $4 in coupons in the inside cardboard.
? Tear Pad or Blinkie - these are found in the Grocery stores and have coupons on them that you can take.
? Peelie - Coupon sticker found on the outside of a product.
? Catalina - These will print on the back of your receipt or with your receipt and usually for an item similar to something you purchased.
? Coupon Trains - Consider circulating and trading coupons via mail with family & friends.

Tips before hitting up the stores!

? Start out slowly and don't plan on getting in on every single deal or it will all feel overwhelming! When I first started, I would find a good deal and go out and get it but I found I was doing this way too often and really just using a lot of gas. Understand that you don't need to get every deal.
? Be organized! I shop one day a week and the night before my shopping day, I get my lists ready and coupons together. I choose Sunday because you will see that on Saturday I post the coupon matched lists and Sunday is when the new ads start (for drugstores where you will find a ton of great deals).
? Figure out a way that best suites you to organize your coupons. This is so important because if your coupons are not organized, you are going to get stressed out when you can't find certain coupons and using coupons to save money is going to take a lot more time. You can go to my Organizing section here to watch my video and read about the way I organize my coupons.
? Print out Store Coupon Policies, (which you can do here) and I highly recommend this in case you have a problem with a cashier honoring your coupons. If you have your store policy with you, you can just pull it out and it will make things a lot easier for you. Not saying you will have problems, but sometimes there are cashiers out there that feel like they are doing something wrong when you are getting items for free or close to it.
? Get your store's weekly ad circular. You can also view it online or it will come in the mail so that way you can match the items on sale with your coupons.
? Only purchase the items on your list!! Doing this alone will always save you money....unless of course you find a freebie!
? Here's an important one...Sometimes a smaller sized item is a better deal! Some coupons don't have a size restriction (these are my favorite) so therefore you may be able to get that item in the travel section for FREE and if you have several coupons, you can stock up!
? Brand Loyalty is a no-no! Be willing to try out new products that you have coupons for. I use to never do this before using coupons and now that I do, I have actually found a lot of things I really like that I normally wouldn't have tried.
? Overage = AWESOME! Understand what overage is and that it can dramatically lower your grocery bill. Lets say a product is on sale for $1 and you have a coupon for $2/1 for that item. After using your coupon, you will get $1 in overage, which will then be applied to the balance of your order! Do you see how that can really lower your balance...it's like getting paid to shop! Note: Some stores don't allow for overage.

Online Coupon Codes & Printable Grocery Coupons - Online Shopping Tips

Are Mommies shopping smarter with online coupons and printable grocery coupons ?

Some of us search endlessly for bargains online and easy ways to save money while some of us are content with just a small discount or deal .

Whether we are shopping online for clothes , auto parts , gifts , electronics , or computers , We all share one thing in common , we all want a great bargain , or some sort of reasonable discount .

We all know that discount coupons are great ways to save money , and IM sure all the mommies out there can agree with me .

10 years ago many of us would wait for those Sunday newspapers , catalogs or magazines in order to clip some discount coupons , I call them coupon mommy savers because 90% of consumers who use coupons are mommies . (lol)

Today mommies are shopping smarter , with the Internet the old days of clipping coupons are soon fading away , they are noticing that there are great coupon savings online .

There are also great online coupon sites that spend their entire days searching for printable grocery coupons and online coupon codes , they provide consumers with a list of free discount coupons that are very much appreciated , however you must take precautions .

Here are some online coupon shopping safety tips for beginners :

1) Stay away from online coupon sites that ask you for your personal information in order for you to print your discount coupon , You will get 100s of spam emails for every discount coupon they give you . Is it Really worth it ?

2) Distance yourself from online coupon sites that have too many pop-ups , they are extremely annoying and can download viruses or freeze your computer .

3) Online printable coupons and coupon codes are free , don't pay any online coupon sites to give you coupons ,you can get most of them for free on the Internet .

4) Many online coupon sites offer many freebies or irresistible deals , there is nothing wrong with freebies but please be vigilant and don't be naive . Don't get yourself into their idiotic scams that waist your precious time .

5) And last ...Never complete online surveys to get free stuff , discount coupon codes or printable grocery coupons unless they are from reputable companies like huggies , target , pampers ....etc. ..You will be wasting your time , take it from me ,I've tried them all (lol)

There are many great online coupon sites - heres one i found that has valid online coupon codes http://www.mommysavesbig.com/

You can also try this site for printable grocery coupons http://printable-coupons.blogspot.com/

My Cash Back & Online Coupon Shopping Secret

In my twenties, I had dreams of becoming a millionaire by the time I was 30 years old. In my thirties, I had dreams of being a millionaire by the time I was 40. I'm sure I will have many more dreams as I grow older, but reality has set in and I've realized that my destiny lies in other pursuits. To compensate for this, I have found ways to make the money I do have last longer and travel further. One of those ways is through the use of "online coupons."

Over the last 10 years, shoppers have figured out that they can avoid lines and traffic and get better prices on the internet than in the shopping malls. Since most online purchases are made across state lines, the cost for shipping is usually offset by not having to pay sales tax. When you drive to a brick and mortar store, park in the parking lot, and walk into the store, you are now trapped since there is no way you are leaving to visit other stores to comparison shop. On the other hand, the internet is located in your living room where thousands, if not millions, of stores compete against each other driving prices as low as possible. In addition, online stores pay much lower rent for warehousing their products compared to retail lease prices for brick and mortar stores. This allows them to lower their prices even further and keep much larger inventories on hand. Obtaining better prices online is quickly outweighing the impulsive need to have your purchase immediately upon checkout from a brick and mortar store. This is increasing the number of online shoppers every year as people across the country catch on to what others have already figured out.

Now I'm not saying that the great prices found on the internet are anything to sneeze at, but that wasn't enough for me. Since my first online purchase in the late 90's, I have become addicted to saving even more money by utilizing online coupons, coupon codes / promo codes, and cash back shopping.

Online coupons are just like normal coupons that you would use at the grocery store, but they are only for purchases made on the internet. Instead of cutting them out and providing them at the checkout counter, online coupons are redeemed during the online checkout process. There are two types of online coupons. The first is a "coupon code" which I've also seen called a promo code, promotion code, promotional code, and a discount code. The shopper just needs to enter the coupon code in the appropriate place during checkout and the discount is reflected immediately. The other online coupon I have encountered is usually provided by online coupon websites. Once you click on the coupon-embedded link displayed on the online coupon website, you're directed to the retailer's website in a new browser window to shop as you normally would. The coupon discount is automatically factored into the price at checkout. I find this method easier than tracking down coupon codes (but maybe not as much fun).

But when I discovered another method of saving money called Cash Back Shopping, online coupons alone weren't enough for me. I'm going to share a secret with you that took me a number of years to uncover about how online shopping works. In order to generate sales, online stores use a method of marketing called Affiliate Network Marketing. The online store signs up with an affiliate network for a fee. The network then displays links to the retailer's website for coupons, deals, promotions, and sales. Website owners copy these links and display them on their own websites in the hopes that their visitors will click on them and place an order. The website owner is paid a commission for each visitor who goes to an affiliate's site and makes a purchase. Commissions on sales range from 3% to 10%. Hence, the birth of the online coupon website to earn commissions by bringing traffic to online retailers signed up with affiliate networks.

Soon after, cash-back shopping sites began to appear. These sites give back a percentage of the commission they earn, in the form of cash-back, to the actual online shopper making the purchase. So now online shoppers could redeem valuable coupons, such as 15% off your entire order from the retailer and then earn another 2- 5% cash-back from the online coupon website. On most cash-back shopping websites, money accumulates in an account and is then paid quarterly by check to the shopper. The fact that you can combine online coupons with cash-back shopping makes cash-back shopping websites that offer coupons a much better option than the plain old online coupon websites of the past.

Now that we have a brief history of online shopping under our belts, let's move onto my latest discovery. I recently found a website that has taken online coupons and cash-back shopping to another level. Until now it was only possible for website owners to make commissions from affiliate networks by displaying coupon links on their websites. However, the site I found, http://www.CouponCactus.com, allows shoppers to earn money as well as save money.

Coupon Cactus developed a program so its members can automatically display a link to their own "Cactus Page" in the signature line at the bottom of all of their emails. If a person reading your email clicks the link in your signature line and makes a purchase through your Cactus Page, you will earn a commission. Nearly every area of the online arena has been utilized for major profit, except for the real estate in our own personal emails. To demonstrate the power of marketing in personal e-mails, here's an example. Let's assume the average person sends 10 emails per day, including both original emails and forwarded emails. If you send an email of interest to 10 friends, such as a funny joke or story, by tomorrow it will be in 100 inboxes and it will be in 1,000 inboxes by the day after. In the span of just two days, your one email with a link to your Cactus Page could reach 1,100 potential online shoppers. That's not to mention the other nine emails you wrote that day. I personally send about 100 emails per day and have already begun to reap the benefits of Coupon Cactus membership. I've actually earned more than I've spent over the holidays! It was then that I was driven to seek out the owner of Coupon Cactus to find out more about how they came up with this idea and what was on the horizon.

I had the chance to interview David Fitterman, President & CEO of Coupon Cactus, LLC, which hosts the http://www.CouponCactus.com website, an online coupon, coupon code, and cash-back shopping website with a commission program for the average shopper.

John: David, first I'd like to thank you for giving me the tools to make some cash this holiday season on top of some very cool coupons I used to buy presents.

David: It's our pleasure! You know, it's not just a holiday thing though. Our members are pretty smart and they'll be earning money year-round. I knew the idea made sense, but I'm surprised at how fast it's taken off.

John: So how many members do you have, and what are the different ways the website is being used?

David: Sorry John, I can't reveal any specific details about our membership since privacy is of the utmost importance. But I can say that we're very pleased and much further along than we'd imagined at this point. We already have some great success stories about the ingenious ways our members are using the website.

John: That works for me.

David: Well, you already know that each member gets their own Cactus Page but we are currently beta testing functionality where they can personalize the top banner with a welcome message and display a picture or a logo. We have one beta tester who placed a picture of his two-year old son on his banner. His son is suffering from an illness and he's raising money in his son's name by sending out links to his Cactus Page explaining that all commissions on purchases will be used for his son's medical treatment.

John: Wow, that's a great story.

David: Yeah, we're pretty proud of that one. I'm just glad that we're able to offer him the tools to earn money for such a good cause. We have another member who's using her Cactus Page so she gets commissions on all of the gifts purchased for her baby shower next month. There's actually one other member doing the same thing, but for her wedding. It's a cool idea. If their friends and relatives are going to be buying them presents anyway, they might as well earn cash-back on all of the purchases to buy something extra for the baby or to use on their honeymoon.

John: Man, I wish you guys were around when I got married!

David: Sorry about that! At least you know about us now and can use Coupon Cactus for all the other events and ideas you come up with. We also have a few beta testing companies who are using corporate Cactus Pages as an employee benefit. It's a win-win situation. The employees use the coupons on the website to save money, and the company earns commissions on all the sales. One of the companies is using the earned commissions to pay for the annual holiday party for their employees. It turns out that the company is ending up using the coupons, more than the employees, to lower their business expenses and get cash back on top of the discounts.

John: That sounds like a pretty smart company. Now I know you're busy and I really appreciate the time you're taking to talk with me, but can you tell me anything more about future plans for the website?

David: Well, you know I can't be too specific, but we do have a number of plans in the works. I can tell you that we recently implemented a new feature where if you refer someone to Coupon Cactus and they become a member, you'll receive 25% of whatever they earn for as long as both of you are members. There are a number of sites out there that only give you just $5 for telling a friend. We looked at that model and it just didn't work for us. This is the age of Web 2.0 and we figured our members should share in all of the profits. For example, if you refer a friend to Coupon Cactus and he earns $100 this quarter, he'll receive a check for $100 and you'll receive a check for an additional $25. Let's say that the next quarter you refer nine more friends who each earn $50 and your first friend makes another $100... Hang on, let me get out my calculator... You'll get a check for $137.50 for that quarter, just on the commissions made on your referral members. Not a bad deal for just referring some friends, and we have absolutely no limit to the number of referrals you can make.

John: This feature was the reason I had to track you down and talk to you. It's brilliant, and like I mentioned earlier, it paid for all the presents I bought this year and then some.

David: You know, when this article comes out you should include your membership number so you can get referral commissions on anyone who signs up after reading it.

John: In this case I am one step ahead of you. Thank you again for sitting down to talk with me, and I wish you great success with Coupon Cactus.

David: Thanks for having me.

Now that I have disclosed my secrets on how shopping can actually be profitable I will shamelessly ask that you return the favor by entering my Cactus membership number 100033 as the member who referred you to Coupon Cactus when you sign up for free membership at http://www.CouponCactus.com. Who knows, maybe my dreams will come true and I'll get to be a millionaire one day.

John Goldberg has written many articles on saving money, online coupons, cash back shopping, and the internet and has a Cactus Page on http://www.CouponCactus.com.