Karen Hellier

Freelance Writer, Coupon Lady, eBay Entrepreneur: Helping You Save Money and Work From Home

Tag Archive: saving money

9 Ways Grocery Stores Get Customers to Spend More Money

Save money by not letting the grocery stores trick you into spending more money than you need to!

Grocery shopping can be pretty expensive for the average consumer. And it ends up being much more expensive for those shoppers who aren’t aware of some of the tricks grocery stores use to get people to spend more money once they are in the store. Here are nine tricks to watch out for so that you can keep more money in your pocket at the grocery store. Don’t Be Duped by End Cap Displays End cap displays are those sets of shelves at the end of every aisle in the grocery store. Some stores have sale items set up on these shelves to make it more convenient for customers to grab sale items. But beware that not all of those end caps have sale items on them. And not everything that is on the end cap is on sale. When I used to teach coupon classes in Connecticut, I used…
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Stock Up on Groceries Using Sales and Coupons and You Will Save Money

My stockpile of 14 jars Ragu spaghetti sauce.

Save Money By Combining Sales and Coupons and Stockpiling When I first started grocery shopping for my family, it never occurred to me that I should be stocking up on items when they are on sale. Nope, I just thought I was supposed to go to the grocery store once a week and buy what I needed for my family for the week. Ah, silly me. Well, that was a long time ago, and I have learned a lot over the years which has helped me save a lot of money. And now I want to help YOU save money too. One of my favorite tips from when I taught coupon classes is to stock up on items when they are on sale, or when I have a coupon. And if I can combine a sale with a coupon, that’s an even better way to save money! Wouldn’t it be…
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What I Got for Free in February and How You Can Get Free Stuff too

Items I got for free in February, 2018.

February was not as productive for me in terms as freebies as most other months because my husband and I were away for part of the month. We went to an annual conference that is held in Las Vegas for my husband’s business. Some of the freebies I got were from attending the conference and that is always fun to get freebies while traveling. A Free Donut from Dunkin Donuts The first item I will share with you is my trusty free donut from Dunkin Donuts. I share at least one free donut picture with you every month because, well, honestly, I LOVE Dunkin Donuts. I love the coffee as well as the donuts. I usually get one free donut each week when I go thrift store shopping for eBay, or bargain shopping at grocery stores with coupons. I found a Dunkin Donuts near the Golden Nugget hotel we stayed…
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Paying Attention and Getting Connected Will Help You Save Money

Save money by not letting the grocery stores trick you into spending more money than you need to!

A lot of people may be confused by the title of this blog post but this title has been rattling around in my head for awhile, calling me to write a blog post about these two things. What exactly do I mean by that? Well, in order to save money, you must constantly pay attention to ways to ways to save. And getting connected to others who are also trying to save money will also help you save money as well. 9 Ways Paying Attention Can Help You Save Money   Look at the back of your receipts to see if there are any advertisements on them that will help you save on a future purchase somewhere. Keep your eyes open for coupons and coupon booklets that will help you save money. 3) Join the websites Couponmom https://www.couponmom.com/ or Southernsavers http://www.southernsavers.com/ to see a list of all of the coupon deals that come…
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Save Money at Target: Shop The Clearance Sale Going on Right Now!

Great kids stuff not just for Valentine's Day!

I had so much fun shopping at Target yesterday that I just had to share it with all of you and to give you a heads up on the great sale going on at Target right now. I didn’t include the phrase Valentine’s Day in the title because although there are mostly Valentine’s Day items in the sale, there are plenty of items you can use year round, not just for Valentine’s Day. In the photo below, you can see all of the items I bought, except for one small package of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. The reason that’s not in the picture is that I had already given it to my husband who was at home working hard all day, while I was out having a ball bargain shopping. I figured he deserved a treat too! All of the items below cost me $29.56 (that includes tax) but I saved $88.62!…
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How Creating a Price Book Can Help You Save Money on Groceries

Using a simple notebook as a price book can save you tons of money at the grocery store! I created a comparison chart of grocery store prices and was amazed at the results!

I love to grocery shop! Yes, I know, from what I have heard I am in the minority here, but there’s always been something special to me about buying food to nourish my family. Once I discovered how to use coupons correctly, I became addicted to saving money at the grocery stores. So today I want to share with you the value of creating a “price book” which will help you save money on your groceries. What is a Price Book? What is a “price book” you may be asking? It’s simply a notebook in which you keep track of all of the items you and your family use regularly, and what the normal price is for those items are when they are NOT on sale, at every store you would consider shopping in. I always advocate that shoppers go to more than one store to take advantage of the…
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Black Friday Sales at Rite Aid and CVS Offer Free Items!!!

Black Friday Sales Fliers at CVS and Rite Aid Offer Free Stuff

As promised, here is the list of free items you can get at the Black Friday sales at CVS and Rite Aid. Walgreens used to always participate in this, but are not doing it the same way this year. While you can get half off deals on some items at Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS were the only ones offering free items. If you aren’t familiar with these Black Friday sales, let me explain how they work. First, you need to either already have a store card for Rite Aid and CVS, or get one before you go shopping for Black Friday. The CVS Extra Bucks Rewards Program CVS has a program called Extra Bucks Rewards Program. When you buy certain items, that are advertised in their flyer with an Extra Bucks explanation near it, you will get some or all of the money you spend back in the form…
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If You Are Buying Gift Cards For Christmas Gifts, Don’t Miss These Deals

Store fliers with gift card deals

Giving gift cards for Christmas gifts is an easy option for that hard-to-please friend or relative, or for that person on your list that already has everything. In reading through the Sunday paper yesterday, I noticed a lot of deals on gift cards that will help you save money and I was so excited I just had to share these savings with you. After all, saving money is what this blog is all about! Maybe you don’t give gift cards for Christmas, BUT you can use some gift cards personally or with your family. You can also take advantage of these gift card deals and keep some extra money in your pocket! I also noticed some ways to earn extra gas points from gift cards that were not in the paper but I am including. Please watch the dates below so you can take full advantage of these offers without missing them: Dollar…
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A Contest for My Blog Subscribers

Subscribe to my Blog for Your Chance to Win a $25.00 Gift Card   Welcome to my blog about saving money and working from home! I have decided to hold a monthly contest on this blog because it’s full of information about how to save money and how I get things for free, which I do all the time! I am offering my subscribers the chance to win something, for free, each month! September, 2017 Contest   All you have to do to enter this contest is subscribe to my blog by adding your email in the blank on the top right of this page. You will get an email at the address you sign up with, and you must confirm that you want to be a subscriber in order to enter the contest. I will pick two winners on September 11th; one for the $25.00 Walmart gift card, and another one for…
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15 Tips to Save Money Eating Out at Restaurants

    I’m a big fan of eating out at restaurants. I don’t enjoy cooking all that much, so anytime I can go out and eat delicious food that I didn’t have to prepare makes me one happy camper! But eating out at restaurants can get expensive. Here are 15 ways you can save money eating out at restaurants: 1) Go to Breakfast or Lunch Instead of Dinner The price of breakfast or lunch is less expensive than going out to eat for dinner. If you want to save money eating out at restaurants, you will save more money during these meals. Restaurants often have breakfast and lunch specials that can save you even more money. Friendly’s has a deal currently that gives customers 50% off all of their breakfasts Mondays through Fridays. 2) Drink Water This is a sure-fire way to save money at a restaurant. Not only is water free, which…
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