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.

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.

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/

How to Save Money Grocery Shopping With Coupons

The cost of living is continually going up these days especially food shopping, so how do you really save money grocery shopping using coupons? We have all heard about the women who grocery shops and only spend $20 a week for a family of 4. So how do they do it, does it take hours, do I have to clip coupons?

We've all heard to not shop when we are hungry, check the prices on sale item, don't impulse buy, use your frequent shopper card, buy generic and to use a list and use coupons. When you combine all these, are you still getting the savings you want? There are easy ways to streamline the process.

Let's Play The Grocery Game

The Grocery Game is a website that can save you hundreds of dollars on your grocery bill each month. Log in, spend a few minutes with a pair of scissors, and you're off to win The Grocery Game!

When you play, you'll get a weekly list (called Teri's List) of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised. The Grocery Game does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format.

Start Playing Today and Save Money

Cool Savings

Whether you're one of those people who consistently looks for coupons every week and uses them every time you go to the store, or the type who never remembers to use them at all-online printable grocery coupons are the best way to go. No clipping them out of the paper. No looking through all those different wasteful inserts in your mailbox. Just one stop, here at CoolSavings, gets the job done.

It's completely free to join and get offers, free stuff, helpful information, and much more. Plus, the CoolSavings Community is here to help you share ideas and get new strategies to make the most of your money.

Coupons.com

Coupons.com is free to join and offers printable coupons, free stuff and lots of information. Not just grocery coupons, offer department and specialty store coupons and savings as well Printable online coupons.

Mommy Saves Big

Mommy Saves Big is another a great site that not only has printable grocery coupons, but has online and offline shopping coupons, rebates, and free stuff. Don't forget it's back to school sooner than you think..

Sunday Paper Coupons

Do Red Plum and Smart Source sound familiar?

These are the coupons that you receive in the Sunday Paper. Did you know you could go to RedPlum.com and SmartSource.com and print your own coupons? Yes you can! Smart Source also offers a local list of sales in your area. You can still clip those coupons.

Clipping Those Coupons....

Some do, some don't...it's your preference. Sunday papers are the best for coupon clipping. Do you ever notice there is that one great coupon, but you only get one. Well now you can get as many as you like by using services such as coupon clippers...

The Coupon Clippers

So you know that great $1.00 off coupon, well you can buy them from Coupon Clippers for about 8 cents each. They clip and ship, love it....offering more than a million national-brand coupons at any given time in our warehouse and shipping center. Browse their huge selection and start saving $$$ today!

My Savings

My Savings.com is another great site that you can print online coupons, I especially like the free coupons and samples that you can sign up for.

The Jist Of It

So there are many ways that you can save money grocery shopping. Combining the sales with the many choices of coupons available to you can save you anywhere from 40-85% on your grocery bill. The trick is to combine the two and The Grocery Game is a fast and easy way to show you the best items on sale combined with the manufacturers coupon.

And let's not forget the online department store coupons that you can use for back to school clothes and supplies...You can use these special discounts online as well and since most stores offer free shipping, You are actually getting a better deal AND you are saving gas money.

Save even more money shopping on line using Coupon Clippers..get more information at How To Save Money Grocery Shopping

Looking for great deals on earth friendly baby products? Only the best sellers and parent picks for your baby check out Earth Friendly Babies

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.

Coupons For Easy and Fun Shopping

Coupons are a sure way to buy things that you want without having to spend more than the actual price. You can also send them to your friends or loved ones as a special gift. Using coupons in buying things can save you a lot of money.

With the growing market industry, a lot of coupons have been made to attract customers to purchase a product or a service, and as a customer, you can save more on the items. Here are some of the popular coupons of today:

Grocery coupons

Since the costs of food is becoming more and more expensive each year, then maybe it's about time to get yourself a grocery coupon for your household needs. You can't really save a big amount, but mind you, it can really help cut down and offset the costs on your grocery items. Some coupons are made especially for a certain product, but some are not, so that means that you can buy anything you want using the coupons.

Olive Garden Restaurant coupons

Olive Garden is one of the multitude high class restaurants that gave life to the restaurant society. If you love to dine in Olive Garden, then these coupons are for you. You can have a big affordable meal at Olive Garden with the help of these coupons. You can also bring your family and friends with you. With the wonders of the Olive Garden, you will surely have a dining experience that you will never forget.

Las Vegas coupons

If you live near Las Vegas or planning to go to Las Vegas for a vacation or tour, then these coupons are perfect for you. Las Vegas is not a cheap place, so you will need some coupons for your drinks, food, gambling chips, entertainment, hotel accommodations and many more. With Las Vegas coupons, you can surely enjoy the variety of entertainments that the place can offer.

Today, you can get coupons almost anywhere you go. You can even find them in the newspapers, magazines, and internet. Coupons are the sure way to cut down your costs on goods. So better get your coupon now and start saving more.

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