Earn Extra Money at Home

There are so many schemes out there that say "Make Money from Home" - then ask you to pay them $19.95 for a kit they will ship to you.  Truthfully, I have looked into ways to make extra money from home...I can always use extra money, can't you????

Recently, I have found several different sites, that I have registered for, that are legitimate ways to make a little extra money.  I'm sure, if you found enough of these sites, you could eventually make enough money that you could work from home, however; I am only registered for a few sites.  I am not going to get rich at this, however; getting an extra $10.00 or $20.00 check in the mail, just for completing some simple surveys every now and then isn't too bad.

I have only been doing these survey sites for about a month now, and where at first, I thought I would request my check as soon as a payout was available, however; I've decided that I am going to do this for a whole year, and next year, hopefully, when Christmas rolls around again, I will have some extra spending money.  Why don't you try it???

Helpful Hints

First off, let me begin by saying, I am no expert.  I am just a single mother of two teenage boys, who had to make a change with my finances.  After alot of research and prayer, I found coupons.  So, the information I am going to share, is things that I have found, and figured out through my own trial and error.  There may be better ways to do things, and if you ever have a suggestion, or find a great deal, please let me know!

In the beginning, you won't have many coupons, it took me about a month of getting papers every week, and printing coupons, to get a good variety.  Don't be discouraged!!!  If you see a deal that I have posted, and you don't have that particular coupon, chances are you will be able to find that coupon on ebay or at a clipping service!!!  What you will need to decide, is how will you store your coupons?  There are two main ways that you can store your coupons.  You can use a box, or you can use a binder.  I have done both.  I started with a box, I used a box I found at Wal-Mart that had a lid with a handle, so it was easy for me to carry around with me.  I used index cards as dividers, and had each category of coupons separated.  This worked well for me, it was easy for me to store my coupons, and I could carry it easily because of the handle.  However; while at the grocery or whatever shopping I was doing, it was hard for me to quickly look to see if I had a coupon for an item that might be on sale.  Just recently, I transferred all my coupons into a zipper binder, with baseball card  holders as my pockets to keep my coupons in.  I have to say, this is my storage of choice.  Not only is it easy to carry with me, but, I can see what coupons I have quickly.  I still have my coupons divided by categories, but, I have actually used more coupons since I have transferred them to my binder.

I know your thinking, what will people think when they see me carrying my box/binder into the store with me?  At first, I was hesitant, I felt like people were looking at me funny - well - guess what?  They were!  But not because of my box/binder - but because they wanted to know what I had in that box/binder that made my grocery bill $60.00 and they got the same things and paid $400.00!!!  I can't tell you how many times I've been stopped by people asking me questions.  I even had one lady give me a hug and tell me way to go when she saw my total go from over $500.00 to just a little above $100.00.  So...if you are a little embarrassed about packing a box/binder with you, don't be!!!  You just smile at when the cashier says...um, that's gonna be $5.00!!!

Coupon Sources

I live in FAR Western Kentucky, and so our newspapers are limited.  I found that the Louisville Courier Journal has all the coupon inserts on Sundays that are put out for this area.  There are three (3) different types of coupon "inserts" - SmartSource, RedPlum, and Proctor and Gamble.  Normally, in a month, you will only get one (1) Proctor and Gamble insert, and that is usually the first Sunday of each month.  Every week, normally, you will get a RedPlum insert, and a SmartSource insert.  I get five(5) papers each week - I used to get up early every Sunday to make sure I could get all the papers I wanted, and the man who owned the gas station I go to, asked me one Sunday if I would like him to put my name on his "list" - so now, he saves me five (5) papers every Sunday!!!

There is also a magazine that is carried at Wal-Mart called "All You" - this magazine is FANTASTIC!!!  They always have great coupons in them, sometimes that you can't get anywhere else.  I make sure I also get at least five (5) of these magazines a month.  

I also find that sometimes, when there are great sales going on, I want more coupons than what I have, and also, some regions get different coupons than we do, so, you can find coupons to purchase, for small clipping fees, on ebay and clipping services. 

I know your probably thinking, okay, I thought using coupons was supposed to save me money, but, how can I be saving money if I have to buy newspapers and magazines?  At first, I asked myself this question, alot, especially when I was using my last $10.00 for the week to buy my newspapers, but when I went to the grocery, and saved over $300.00, my investment was well worth it.

You can also print coupons online, and when your first starting out, this is a great way to go.  Plus, sometimes you can get exclusive coupons that are high dollar value coupons.  The thing about printing coupons, is you need to be aware of how much ink you are using to print these coupons.  Personally, I only print the coupons that I KNOW I will use.  Also - remember, that when printing coupons of the internet, it is illegal for you to make photo copies of these coupons.  They have specific bar codes and numbers on them to help the cashiers know they aren't fraudulent coupons.

Before, when I just shopped at my local "Wal-Mart", I had no idea what a "blinkie" or "peelie" was, I'd never seen coupons in Wal-Mart, but...now that my grocery shopping is done at Kroger, I find coupons beside certain items all the time.  These are so exciting to find too, when your just minding your own business, grocery shopping, and you see this little machine attached to the shelf, and when you walk by - out pops a coupon!!!  What fun!!!  Those little coupons are called "blinkies" - because sometimes the little machine that gives those fun little coupons have a blinking light on them!!!  When you find a product that has a coupon on it that you can peel off and use right then - those are called "peelies".  

You can also get coupons when you request free samples.  I love to come to my mailbox and find it full of samples instead of bills!!!!  Not only are you getting a free sample, but nine times out of ten,  you are getting an awesome coupon as well.

As I find great coupons, I will post them, so you can get in on the deals too!!!