Blog Savvy4Less: Savings On Steroids!

All of these online loyalty and discount sites can be overwhelming... I recommend taking them in stages. They all basically function the same way. You get credit for clicking through the link that they have posted to get the advertised savings or to get credit in the form of cash back or points to redeem.

I was a HUGE fan of Chase's program until the banking restrictions put an end to that... 

I ended up getting thousands of dollars of money back from that program. 

It can really pay off!

Now back to the old tried and true companies... 

Top 3 That I Recommend! 

ebates.com I have been a member since 2007.... 

Online Rebates & Coupons at over 1,600 stores!

Shop through the ebates site to get 2%-10% back on everything that you purchase. When you search the for a retailer, it will give you a banner/button with an offer/sale from the store and the percentage that you will get back from ebates. You choose which sale that you want and click on that link to claim the promotion. 

You can get cash back in addition to discounts and offers like: free shipping, sale prices, and gift with purchase. The cash back ebate is on top of whatever promotion the retailer is offering. 

ebates offers Daily Double cash back for one specific retailer each day and special offers by email too! 

You can print grocery store coupons and more! I will detail grocery discounts in a later blog...

I have gotten thousands back in rebates!

Mypoints.com I have been a member since since 2006.
 I have earned well over 200,000 points and used to always walk around with gift cards in my wallet that I got for FREE from Mypoints. You earn points through shopping, clicking on emails, printing and using grocery coupons, signing up for services and taking surveys. There are so many ways to earn points and they add new ones during holidays and special events. Games... Contests and more.

1. Sign up for their emails. You can scroll to the bottom and see if they give you points for opening the email. If they don't... don't take the time to open it unless it is a sale or discount that you already know that you want... Mypoints will usually give you 5-15 points for opening emails.
2. Cruise through their easy points section only when you have spare time... Most of those point opportunities are only available once.
3. Grocery Coupons are an easy way to accumulate points. I will cover that in a later blog. (BIG topic)
4. Every time you purchase anything online search the product or retailer on the homepage. I never wander through the site to shop. I search for what I want to buy. It's not overwhelming that way. 
5. They offer just about everything: travel, retail, grocery, specialty, services....

Upromise.com - 

I have been a member since 2006

• Create a college savings service that harnesses the purchasing power of parents, extended family, family, and students to make it easier to pay for college.
• Members direct their spending to Upromise partners—including more than 800 online stores, 10,000+ restaurants, grocery and drugstore items—and earn money for college.

You can shop the same way that you do with the other companies. I find that this one is powerful if you know someone that is going to go to college. You can set up and account for the child and have all of your friends, family and relatives log in their credit cards and then you never have to think about it. Every time they get gas... it adds to the account. Every time they eat at a participating restaurant .. it adds to the account. Easy for grandparents and  others to use without having to think or hassle with details. Once they register their credit cards... no more thoughts or worries.

I am not a huge fan of shopping through this site... But, a big fan of registering credit cards and getting credit for purchases without trying....

How Do I Layer Savings?   Easy......

1. I sign up for email alerts directly the from merchants that I use regularly: Macy's, Overstock, JCPenney, Kohls, etc.
2. When going through my email, If I find a sale or something that interests me from a retailer like Macy's, I will note the promo code in the email and go directly to ebates or Mypoints.
3. When on ebates I will search for the Macy's, find the promotion that I want on ebates, make the sale through the ebates link and then at the end... when it asks for a promo code... I will enter the code that I received directly from the retailer.
4. Purchasing through the ebates site gives me the rebate, using the promo code in addition gives me the retailers discount too!
5. I NEVER purchase ANYTHING online without clicking on ebates or Mypoints first to see if that company has a link through one of those sites.  
6. I do almost ALL of my holiday, gift and business shopping through ebates and Mypoints. 
7. The points and cash back Really adds up fast!
8. I do something similar with grocery shopping and ALWAYS save at least 30%-50% off of groceries with very little effort. That is a topic big enough for it's own blog post... 
9. If you don't shop through one of these sites... it's like throwing away money.

Years Ago I Kept Track of All of the Money that I Saved and Paid Cash 

for My Timeshare with $ Saved!

It's Worth Your Time and Energy to take a couple extra steps when you Shop Online!

Kimberly R Lifestyle by Design 

Designing a life with grace and ease 

Blog Savvy4Less: Coffe Club 4 My Lifestyle

One of my ALL time Favorite Saving Tips

is shopping at

Cost Plus World Market...

Here's why:

• They have a loyalty rewards program just like most retailers: World Market Explorer... But, theirs is far superior.
• The regular price for most of their coffee is $9.99. For Example: 24-oz. World Market® Moka Java Blend Coffee  . That is only $.42 per ounce. Costco charges $.46 - $.60 for their coffee and the lower end price is when they offer a coupon.
• Remember that is full price - now see below for ways to save even more...
• When you buy 6 bags of coffee the 7th is free.
• You get double credit when you buy coffee on Wednesdays. Buy one - get credit for two. Which really means = buy 3 bags and the 4th is free if you shop on Wednesdays.
• They give you a coupon for $10 off of a $30 purchase at least quarterly.
• They give you a $10 off of a $30 purchase when you sign up for the program.
• They send you a $10 coupon for your birthday.
• There are constant coupons for 15%-20% off.
• You can combine the coffee purchase credits, the $ off coupons and the % off coupons.
• They are almost paying me to drink coffee at this point and it's great coffee!

There are many other benefits to this loyalty program. This is just my favorite! Watch for future blog posts where I will show you how to layer your discounts and save even more with Cost Plus World Market combined with an online loyalty club... The savings and rewards can be astounding!

Kimberly R Lifestyle by Design 
Designing a life with grace and ease 

 
Designing a life with grace and ease 

Blog Savvy4Less: Buying Paint to Create Your Design

 

 

I am going to keep focusing on color and paint.

It's always the easiest way to transform a space for very little money.

Color is complex and picking out paint is harder than people think. I have been working with color for over 30 years and represent 3 of the largest Commercial Paint Companies: picking out colors for homeowners all over the Bay Area and beyond.

 

Here are a few tips to help you save money on your paint purchases:

• Miss tints are part of the industry. Most places that mix paint for customers will sell what they call miss tints. A miss tint is paint that was custom mixed for a customer and for what ever reason the color match did not turn out right. It had to be redone for the customer. The mistake is called a miss tint and sold a dramatic discount. An example would be a gallon of paint that normally sells for $27.00 may sell for $5.00-$7.00. Five gallon buckets may sell for $15.00-$20.00. Inquire at the paint store to see if they sell them. If they do, they will be kept in an out of the way area. The down side is that you will not really be able to get more. So, make sure that you have enough to finish your project at the time of purchase. Miss tints don't really take to color matching well.
• Sign up for email lists ShermanWilliams.com is a good example of a paint retailer that sends out coupons online with a greater discount than my professional trade account. Home Depot offers rebates and sales regularly. Labor Day and three day weekends are big sale weekends for paint at Home Depot. Not all paint retailers have sales.
• If you are planning ahead, I highly recommend painting color samples on your walls before painting the entire room. Unless you are very good with color this will save you time and money and keep you from having to paint more than once. Although paint is an inexpensive fix, it is hard work and time consuming. Plan ahead and paint once.
• Paint retailers like Sherman Williams, Benjamin Moore and Kelley Moore will order paper 8 1/2" X 11" paint samples for you and send them to you in the mail for free. This will save you a lot of money on paint samples if you plan ahead and can wait for them to arrive in the mail. When you get the paper samples, tape them on the wall just like you would apply actual paint on the wall and you will get a good idea what the color will look like in your space. Large Box stores like Home Depot do not offer this service.

Kimberly R Lifestyle by Design 
Designing a life with grace and ease 

Sherman Williams Coupon
 

Savvy4Less: Purchasing Cosmetics by Design

                                                      

My GOSH!!!! Have you tried buying mascara lately? It's insane. Of course every time I find a product I love... it get's discontinued. I paid a premium for the one that doesn't clump or flake... Flake was exactly how it should be described. It didn't show up and do it's job.

Once again, I am on a search for a new mascara. I need a road map to figure out the marketing for mascara. Do you want curly, fuller, thinker, cat eyed, or sultry lashes? It's easy to have a complete Information overload standing in the cosmetics aisle...

What if I just want waterproof mascara that doesn't run, flake, smudge, clump or any of the things that mascara isn't supposed to do??? Shouldn't those be standards? Not the exception. Let's work on function before form just like any other product design...

Today I am Designing My Lifestyle by finding an affordable mascara that just works. Here's where to start...

5 Perfect Heat-Proof Mascaras

Magazines are a great source for finding which product to buy. It can be just too overwhelming to go wander through the makeup aisle trying to read labels... Just like any other shopping, when you are after a specific item it pays to do a little research first. This keeps us from buying one tube of mascara, using it once - it doesn't work, we toss it under the cabinet and go to the store to buy another.. and the cycle continues until you are either fatigued from the process or utopia happens and you discover the perfect product that performs for you. Prevention Magazine and many other publications are always on the hunt for the best              beauty products; at the best prices. Let their research work for you and save you money. 

On the hand... When I find a product that I love, I will definitely pay a premium. I will not do without my favorite eye cream: REDEFINE  Multi-Function Eye Cream. Eye creams can cost over $200. The Rodan+Fields product is more than I would like to pay, but a steal in reality at $59.00. It's totally worth it when you look at how long it lasts, the quality and compared to similar products... Spend your budget where it counts. My eye cream is important to me. I would rather save somewhere else. There are sources to find the right beauty products that are worth the extra dollars. You can't really buy one eye cream, try it once and  throw it under the cabinet like I described about the mascara. It would be easy to accumulate that value of a small car under your bathroom cabinet. So, save your money by buying fewer products. There are experts and enthusiasts trying out the products for you. They love it. Let them and listen carefully. I believe in paying for quality. Get it discounted if you can... but, don't get upset if you don't. Some things are just worth it. Save by planning and researching carefully. 

A great place to find information on products and services are beauty blogs. I LOVE this One:

Kimberly R Lifestyle by Design 
Designing a life with grace and ease