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Are you throwing away money?

© Sarah Smith

Are you throwing away money? Money that could be yours...free? If you don't use online coupons, chances are that you're missing out on lots of free and discounted merchandise! How can you get in on the action? Simple!

First, if you've never tried online shopping before, don't worry. It's just as safe as "brick-and-mortar" shopping, except there are no lines, no hassles, and no driving. You just pick out the items you want, enter your coupons where applicable, and sit back to wait while UPS brings your merchandise straight to your door. "But what about someone stealing my credit card information?" you say. Well, chances are greater that your credit card information will be stolen in a restaurant or grocery store in the "real world" than online. Most online shopping sites use encryption, which virtually guarantees no one will be able to unscramble your information and steal it.

Okay, so it's safe and easy. How do you get started? I recommend MyCoupons Shopping Boards at http://www.mycoupons.com:81/myboards/www... as a great place for "newbies" to get started. Here you can post and read through discussions of hot new deals, online shopping sites, and ways to save on groceries. There's a coupon and refund trading board, a garage sale specialties board where people can post items for sale or trade, and even a recipes and hobbies board for the craftier members. MyCoupons is updated every time someone posts, so that the information is always new and fresh. Hot deals hit the boards and are taken advantage of quickly, so you have to hurry! People have received Nintendo 64s for $20, VHS and DVD movies for as little as $3, and many other deeply discounted items through MyCoupons. Join today and you can start saving too!

Check out Flamingo World at http://www.flamingoworld.com for online coupons to stores like Barnes and Noble.com, KBKids.com, and Drugstore.com, among others. If you know you'll be purchasing through one of these sites, why not use a coupon to save $20 off $50, 45%, or even get it free? I've used online coupon codes to save hundreds of dollars off DVDs, a DVD player, Nintendo games, books for school, and all sorts of other pricey items that I would cringe at buying full-price. This is a great way to be able to afford big ticket items on a small budget.

Finally, don't be afraid to use coupons and rebates at the grocery store. You can find lots of coupons and rebates online and then save substantially when you're in the store. I often save $40-50 on my groceries. Would you turn down a free $50 bill? Probably not! But when you don't use coupons, you're essentially doing the same thing. Try CentsOff at http://www.centsoff.com for buying coupons online for a small handling fee. Or trade with others at the MyCoupons board- many people will be happy to take those unused coupons off your hands in exchange for ones they can use. I often trade baby coupons with others since I don't need them- someone else can make use of them and I get what I need! You can even use Valupage at http://www.valupage.com to get "web bucks" when you buy certain grocery items on the list. You can then use your web bucks to save money off your regular groceries, enabling even greater savings!

The copyright of the article Are you throwing away money? in Online Couponing is owned by Sarah Smith. Permission to republish Are you throwing away money? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.