February 5, 2012

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Twitter Your Way To Sizable Savings

CheapTweet and CouponTweet are mentioned in a SmartMoney article on companies utilizing social media to offer price incentives to customers–a very prudent use of the platform, in my opinion.

cheaptweet_logo

The article also points to Twitter accounts from the following sites:

  • Coupons.com
  • DealNews.com
  • FatWallet.com
  • TechBargains.com

Larry Chiagouris, a marketing professor at Pace University in New York City, says “It doesn’t pay for consumers to go out of their way and sign up just to look for coupons.” But if you’re already on these sites and don’t mind a few extra notifications, it can’t hurt to connect with companies you already do business with. After all, you might just find an extra discount on a purchase you would have made anyway.

I beg to differ with the good professor. Signing up for Twitter, Facebook and all the rest is free, so it’s well worth the price of admission to find the things you need to help you save money. I might add that there are also many frugal-minded people wandering through these networked communities, so the opportunity to connect with people facing the same challenges that you are is large.

To begin, you might search Twitter for “frugal” to find people to follow.

Filed Under: Coupons

April is Financial Literacy Month – Read Up!

Money Management International has created a step-by-step plan to help improve your financial life. It is a simple, well-done, 30-day plan complete with expert advice, tips, worksheets, and even budget webinars to help you achieve your goals. It covers the gamut from setting goals, to paying off debt to building your emergency fund.

Here is step 22, showing us once again that small changes can help big time.

Identify ways to reduce spending

To create a balanced budget or increase savings, most people will have to find a way to earn more or spend less. If the idea of spending less sounds challenging, try starting small.

It’s important to understand that every purchase we make—excluding such absolute necessities as food, rent, and gas for the car—is a choice. The America Saves coalition offers the following examples of how making some small changes can save you an impressive $150 per month.

Tip Monthly Saving
Save $.50 in loose change $18
Cut soda consumption by one liter a week $6
Bring lunch to work $60
Send one free eCard per month instead of buying a card $4
Buy generic grocery store brands $10
Use fewer phone features $10
Eliminate premium cable channels $20
Borrow, rather than buy, one book per month $15
Hand wash, rather than dry clean, one shirt per month $15
Comparison shop for gas (saving an estimated $.25/gallon) $4
Total Savings $150

That’s an extra $1800 in your pocket every year!

Click here to make the commitment to spend a little time each day this month improving your financial future. Remember, no one plans to fail, they simply fail to plan.

Filed Under: Debt Management, Financial Planning, Frugality
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