Have you ever run into one of these disclaimers?

This offer can not be used with any other offer, sale or discount.

Frustrating, isn’t it? Especially when you have a coupon for 15% off and the store is running a special on an item you need to buy. Trot up to the cash register and the clerk says, “I’m sorry, you can’t use that coupon AND get the discount.” In some rare cases the manager my be able to over-ride that policy but rarely … and you then get labeled a “problem” customer.

How do I get around these policies and stack discount on top of discount?

By using the right credit or debit card at Ebates.com. With this site, members (membership is FREE) get cash back at any of their 1,200 participating stores any time they BEGIN their shopping at Ebates.com. Simply search for the store you wish to buy from and follow the link to it. Your shopping activity is automatically registered and you can get up to 26% CASH BACK without the hassle of redeeming points, mailing in some form, or paying a membership fee. Stores pay Ebates a sales commission for sending shoppers their way, and Ebates uses the commission to pay you cash back. All that’s needed is an email address so we can notify you when your cash back has been credited. To date, our members have already earned more than $100,000,000 and you can join Ebates.com today!

Example: I travel with my day job. A lot. Here’s how I stack my travel discounts on hotel rooms:

I begin shopping at Ebates.com by going to their Holiday Inn link (I’m also a member of Holiday Inn’s Priority Club and get points redeemable for free nights – another benefit!). Holiday Inn rebates Ebates.com members 4.5% of the pre-tax cost of hotel rooms. Then I pay with either my Discover More Card (1% cash back and sometimes up to 5% cash back) or my PerkStreet Debit Mastercard (1% – 2% cash back depending on your balance and sometimes up to 5% cash back). On a $129 per night hotel room I get $8.39 … and sometimes up to $12.25. It doesn’t sound like much but bear in mind I spend 120 nights per year in hotels. $8.39 x 120 is over $1,000. Use this same strategy for rental cars and airline tickets and it easily balloons to over $2,000 per year on things I was going to do anyway.

• Sign up for Ebates.com
• Sign up for the Discover More Card
• Sign up for the PerkStreet Debit MasterCard

But Ebates.com has MUCH more than just travel deals to earn money. They have cash back deals from over 1,200 companies like:

• Walmart (currently 4% cash back)
• The Children’s Place (currently 2.5% cash back)
• Groupon (currently 6% cash back)
• Shoes.com (currently 8.5% cash back)
• Ancestry.com (currently 20% cash back)

And you can get cash back (between 1% and 26%) on all sorts of items like:

The actual list of items you can purchase is HUGE and if you’re smart enough to layer your discounts, the net amount you’ll pay (on things you’d purchase anyway) means you can get HUGE amounts of cash back from Ebates.com and either Discover, or PerkStreet. But everything begins by signing up so take a few minutes and get signed up with Ebates.com and then either switch your credit card over to Discover or switch banks to PerkStreet (read How to Switch Banks in 6 Easy Steps).

And if I can ever figure out a way to pay my Discover Card bill with my PerkStreet Mastercard …

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.

The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) estimates your lifetime chances of being in an automobile accident at one in four – 25 percent. Car insurance isn’t something you want to “cheap out” but with other items skyrocketing in price, your auto insurance should be a prime candidate for re-evaluation.

Auto insurance isn’t an option. It’s the law, so what are the factors that affect your premium amount and how can you and I get the coverage we need at a better price?

Get FREE car insurance quotes from multiple providers like Travelers, Allstate, State Farm, Nationwide, Farmers, the Hartford & Liberty Mutual

Factors affecting your car insurance premium

1. Your coverage amounts

Depending on your driving habits, you will need different coverage amounts. Someone who logs a lot of miles on a new car will require different coverage than someone who drives an old beater to town every 14 days.

2. Your deductible

The higher your deductible (industry talk for the amount you have to pay before they kick in anything) the lower your premium. Get a higher deductible and save for it in your emergency fund.

3. Your age

Old people rule! Sorry. Those with a few gray hairs around the edges generally take fewer risks, drive a bit slower, and have better developed reflexes to deal with changing road conditions.

4. Your gender

Old women rule even more. Same reasons, just more intense.

5. Your marital status

Make that married old women rule! The actuaries who calculate all these things have discovered that married people are better drivers.

6. Your driving record

Safety pays when it comes to your car insurance premium. This is a no-brainer … or should be.

7. Other members of your household who might drive your vehicle

If your son has had 5 wrecks before the age of 17, he will cause your car insurance premium to jump. You’ll have to specifically exclude him on your auto insurance and not allow him to drive your vehicle until his exclusion is waived.

8. Where you live, drive, and work

Some places are better than others … like it or not, your new Honda is more likely to be stolen or damaged in certain zip codes than others.

9. The type of vehicle you drive

A Mercedes, BMW, or Porsche will always command a higher premium since they’re more expensive to repair. Also, look out for vehicles that are tops on auto thieves’ lists.

10. Your credit history

There’s a legitimate fear that you people with a low credit score may crash a vehicle to get the insurance money.

Click here and get access to all 3 credit scores at GoFreeCredit.com.

Get great coverage at a great price

Always, always, always ask for discounts. Car insurance agents may not point them out and even those that will may not know that you’re eligible for a specific discount unless you mention things like:

• “I have an anti-theft device on my vehicle.” Point out any safety features on your car as well. Anything that makes your car safer on the road and less attractive to thieves will make your premium go down.
• “I’m willing to insure my (home, RV, boat, etc.) with you as well.” Ask about bundled package deals, but evaluate each on it’s own merit.
• “I haven’t had any tickets or accidents in X years.” Good, safe drivers are cash cows for insurers. Just make sure the “X” is at least 10.
• “My child IS on my policy, but she makes good grades and has taken a driving course.” Good student discounts are a parent’s friend!
• “I don’t drive very much and I take the bus to work.” Low annual mileage can pay off in another discount.
• “I have multiple vehicles to insure.” More than one opportunity to collect premiums usually means yet another discount.

You CAN save a bunch of money on your car insurance but it will take a little work.

If you’re curious about whether you’re paying too much for your auto insurance coverage, head over to GoInsuranceRates.com and get a free quote from highly reputable companies like State Farm, Travelers, the Hartford, AllState, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, Nationwide and American Family. It’s free to check whether your current agent is ripping you off!

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.

I despise wasting money and especially wasting money on energy. And with reports that electric bills have soared $300 per household in the last 5 years, it’s becoming more and more important to only use the energy we need if we want to avoid wasting energy … and dollars.

“Making money is like digging with a needle, spending it is like pouring water on sand.” ~ Confucius

And so it is with our energy usage. It’s so easy to consume energy and to waste it! But with skyrocketing energy costs, if you’re like me, you are constantly looking for ways to reduce your family’s energy consumption and put that money in your pocket instead.

I have a confession to make – I’m not “green.” I don’t drive a Prius, don’t recycle that often, and don’t subscribe to any of the global warming alarmist rhetoric. What I do subscribe to is saving money and if there are cost savings to be had, I’m definitely on board.

My personal electric bill runs anywhere from just over $100/month in the spring and fall to over $200 in the summer and winter. We have some pretty hot summers where I live (well over 100 degrees in the summer with 90% + humidity) and with an open floor plan type of home and three kids coming and going, it isn’t easy to seal off parts of the house. Also, we’ve already had over 12 inches of snow in early December so we can get pretty cold as well.

Do You NEED to Save Money On Your Electricity Bill?

That may depend on where you live. You can sort the table below by either the State or Cents/KWH.

Electricity Costs Per KW Hour by State

You can check out a visual of electricity rates at USA Today.

No Cost and Low Cost Ways to Save

The thing about making money or saving money is that both require changes in behavior. Some changes are easy to make and cost nothing, or almost nothing, to implement.

• Turn off the switch: The fastest, easiest, and least expensive way we can start saving money on our energy bills is to turn off lights when we’re not using them and shut down the computer or TV if we’ll be away from it for more than a few minutes. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t take more energy to turn a light or a computer on and off a couple times than it does to keep it running for hours. That idea is based on outdated technologies (like a lot of commonly held myths). These days, it’s cheaper to turn the power off and on as needed. You can save $25–$75 per year by activating power management features on your desktop computer alone. By putting your computer to “sleep” for 12 hours per day, you can save about $45 per year.
• Turn your temperature up or down: Adjusting your thermostat just a few degrees lower in the winter and higher in the summer will save you more money than you may think. Consider wearing an extra layer in the winter instead of turning up the heat, and supplementing your air conditioning with portable fans in the summer. But better yet …
• Install a programmable digital thermostat: Switching to a programmable digital thermostat takes just a few minutes and usually costs less than $75, depending on what kind of thermostat you buy. By setting your thermostat so that your home is cooler during the winter, when you’re away, and when you’re asleep, and warmer during the summer and when you’re home, you’ll save hundreds of dollars a year. As a bonus, you’ll always wake up and return to a comfortable house. Of course your cat may not like it …
• Insulate: Do you feel a cold draft coming from under the door or a window that won’t close properly? Such openings cost you money in lost heat. Stuff holes with cloth, or use duct tape or sticky tape to block the breeze. Windows and doors are the places through which a house loses most of its heat. An 1/8 inch gap around an exterior door has the same surface area as a hole nine inches in diameter. Would you tolerate a hole that large in the side of your home?
• Use storm doors and windows: Don’t keep your storm doors and windows in the basement every winter—use them year-round. They help insulate your house, making it cozier and cheaper to heat.
• Seal windows with plastic: You can find plastic for home sealing at most home improvement stores. Using plastic is even more effective than stopping up a drafty window during the cooler months. Easy to install, this extra layer of insulation (formed by the air that’s trapped between your window and the plastic) is a great alternative if you don’t have storm windows—and another protective layer between you and the elements, even if you do.
• Use window treatments: Close curtains and blinds at night in the winter (when it’s coldest) and during the day in the summer (to keep the sun out). Those extra layers will keep the heat in during cold months and out during warm ones. On winter days, open draperies to take advantage of the sun’s natural heat.

All this is EASY to read and talk about

It’s putting it into action that’s difficult. Are you ready and willing to save some serious cash by reducing your energy needs? Let’s get to it!

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.

Note: This article was included in the Carnival of Personal Finance at Sustainable Personal Finance.

Do you have a coupon strategy? If you’re using all of my 101 Ways To Take A Bite Out Of Your Food Budget, coupons can be a great way to save some serious additional cash. But to save even more, try one or all of these strategies:

Coupon strategies that work:

1. Only use coupons to buy products you really use
2. Layer your coupons with sales and store specials
3. Find your favorite coupon websites and visit them regularly
4. Visit those sites early in the month for the best deals
5. Don’t neglect the manufacturer’s sites
6. Set up a different email address for couponing
7. Give the grocery store’s website a visit too
8. Grocery stores aren’t the only place to buy food or use coupons
9. Inquire about double coupons
10. Join the loyalty program

1. Only use coupons to buy products you really use

If you don’t use it or wind up throwing it out, it really doesn’t matter how much money you save. According to the US Department of Agriculture, Americans throw out over 25% of all the food they buy. If you suspect you won’t eat, consume or use it, don’t buy it … regardless of the savings.

2. Layer your coupons with sales and store specials

Make every attempt to combine your savings opportunities. If you run across a 10 for $10 deal and you have a coupon for $1.00 off … that’s layering.

3. Find your favorite coupon websites and visit them regularly

Coupon issuers will offer many more coupons on these sites than those offered on the manufacturer’s sites, but make sure you check with them on a frequent basis. Many coupons are offered for only a short period of time.

Buy your groceries with a PerkStreet debit card and get CASH BACK!
Click HERE to get started!

But NEVER pay for coupons. Any site that wants you to pay for a coupon is most likely a scam.

4. Visit those sites early in the month for the best deals

When manufacturers do limit the total number of coupons offered, it usually happens early in the month. Be there first and you’ll get your choice of the offerings.

5. Don’t neglect the manufacturer’s sites

Visiting a manufacturer’s site (such as Kraft) may take a little longer but it’s a great way to find coupons on the specific items you want and use.

6. Set up a different email address for couponing

If you provide an e-mail and/or regular mail address, you can often receive additional coupons direct from the manufacturer. Just do this one thing: set up an entirely different email for receiving coupon offers. Trust me.

7. Give the grocery store’s website a visit too

Your supermarket probably has its own website. It may not offer coupons BUT it probably does have the store’s current ad and store specials. Use it with your coupons to layer your savings and save your gasoline.

8. Grocery stores aren’t the only place to buy food or use coupons

Drug stores and other big box retailers also carry food items and other household goods and most accept coupons. Use the information on those websites to match your coupons with the store’s specials.

9. Inquire about double coupons

Just call and ask — it’s only a few buttons on a phone! Some stores double them as a matter of policy while others may double them only on certain days. Ask about double coupon limits, say up 50 or 99 cents. Of course some stores don’t double ANY coupons but you never know until you ask. That 99 cent coupon may be worth a lot more than you think.

10. Join the loyalty program

Usually you’ll get a card and with that card comes benefits – usually a discount on certain products at the register. The downside is that the store tracks your every purchase but it may mail or email coupons to you based on your previous purchases. Some stores will even mail you coupons on things you don’t normally get coupons for such as milk, vegetables, or fresh fruit.

Couponing is hard work

But it’s worth it. My family has saved 25 – 40 percent using coupons on many occasions and when you have 5 mouths to feed, that’s a welcome relief!

Give coupons a try and be sure to pay for your groceries with a Perkstreet debit card to get up to 2 percent CASH BACK. That’s icing on the coupon cake!

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.

Saving money is a worthless endeavor if you don’t really “save” it. Have you ever noticed that somehow your savings from altering your financial activities magically vanish? Do you find that the money just gets absorbed by something else. You need to “start saving your savings” to really make a difference.

Maybe you need to trick yourself into saving money. Maybe you’re one who sets a clock 10 minutes fast just so you can arrive “on time.” If this describes you, or if you’ve discovered that your savings seem to disappear like mine, you’ll love these sneaky savings strategies. How you use the money is up to you, but I would suggest:

• Start an emergency fund.
• Snowflake your savings to pay off debt.
• Save for your retirement or for a specific goal or passion.

If you’re interested in tricking yourself into saving money, here are specific strategies (actually they’re tactics but I love alliteration), to save money. The big picture is avoid spending your savings on frivolous stuff that you really don’t need!

1. Use a debit rewards card for all purchases. Use the PerkStreet debit rewards MasterCard and earn up to 2% cash back on things you were already going to purchase anyway.

Sign up for PerkStreet’s rewards checking account here!

2. Send yourself a bill for savings. We give high priority to printed bills so think of your savings as a bill that simply MUST be paid. You have no choice in the matter. Period.

3. Love those singles. When you leave the house every day, carry NO single dollar bills and at the end of the day, put all your ones into a savings “jar” when you get home. Every Friday, deposit the entire amount into a savings account at Ally Bank.

4. Your own restaurant. Learn to fix your favorite restaurant meals at home and save the cost difference. If a family of 5 eats out once per week, they can easily save $150 per month, plus making your own southwestern egg rolls is a lot of fun!

5. Your own tip jar. If you go out to eat, tip yourself the same amount as you tip your waiter.

6. Make it an even amount. Round up all your purchases to the next $5 or $10 (you pick) and save the difference.

7. Have you just paid off a bill? Save the same amount you were paying (unless you’re applying that money to another bill).

8. Join the club. Do you shop at a store that requires you to join their “savings” club? Deposit that saved amount (usually at the bottom of your receipt) into your savings account when you get home.

9. Get an ROI on that movie. When you return a movie (hopefully on time), pay yourself the late fee.

10. Charge your own admission. If you rent movies from an online movie service or from Redbox (and who doesn’t these days?), pay yourself $2 for every movie you watch.

11. Eat healthier AND save money. Forgo dessert when you eat out and save the amount it would have cost. Double the benefit!

12. Gift yourself the gift of less stress. Open a Christmas Club account and save a certain amount each month, even if it’s only $10. You’ll never miss it.

13. Make ‘em pay YOU. Regardless of what they sell, if you’ve switched companies for price reasons, save the difference. Think of phone companies, internet access, cell phones, your credit card, and others.

14. Can a lighter light bill mean a heavier wallet? It can if your utility bill came in a little lighter this month. Save the difference!

15. There’s cash in that lunch box. Brown bag your lunch at least 3 times per week and deposit the savings every Friday.

16. Own your own laundry mat. Drop a quarter into a jar every time you use your own washer or dryer.

17. Make cash rewards really work for you. If you use a cash rewards credit card (and pay it off faithfully every month), deposit the cash rewards.

18. Use coupons? Save the amount you don’t spend.

19. Borrow and save. Every time you get a book from the library, deposit half the cost of the book in a high yield savings account.

The key is to start saving something today and you can start by saving your savings. It doesn’t have to be a set percentage, a set amount, or large sum. Even if you’re on a tight budget, these small amounts will add up over time. Saving money doesn’t have to be hard (it isn’t hard to make extra money either) but it IS important to involve your whole family. Plan a treat for everyone when you reach your savings goal, such as such as a day at the zoo, the park, or a museum.

What other sneaky methods can you think of to save money?

Links to products or services may be affiliate links. See my disclosure policy on the site or on my About page.