Cutting Cost Websites

***EDIT: I've added two more websites that I just discovered this week!

I have been fighting to save money however I can for our little household. I feel like I have been pretty successful for the rural area I live in. I don't have access to some of the super-saver stores like Walgreens, CVS or stores that double or triple coupons. However, I have still managed to average 40-60%+ savings on a regular basis at our local grocery store. I have been sharing some of my money saving tips with friends here and there and I am writing this post to compile a list of the websites I use, enjoy or recommend. Check them out if you have time!

NEW: Cellfire.com-very similar to shortcuts.com. Electronic coupons that you select online and are automatically taken off at the register in select stores.

NEW: P & G eSaver-another electronic coupon site; similar to cellfire and shortcuts.

Couponmom.com--This is by far my favorite website. It makes sense of my coupons and is what makes it possible for me to save so much on my grocery bill each month. You do have to log-in to use the site but it is completely free and pretty user-friendly. Just be sure to watch the video and/or read their free pamphlet for how their system works.

Shortcuts.com--probably my second favorite site. Electronic coupons that I can add to my grocery store card. When I scan my card to get my store discounts, it automatically takes the discount off my total bill. The biggest plus is that I can use these coupons and STILL use a matching paper coupon...even though my store doesn't double coupons. Every month, I find some that overlap.

Upromise.com--want to earn college savings for yourself, your child, your grandchildren or a distant relative? Sign up now to earn free money! You register your credit cards and grocery cards with them (don't worry, it's safe) and when you shop at certain stores, you get money added to your account. It honestly helps if you download their Upromise toolbar. You'll end up saving more money that way. For example, I scrapbook online at Shutterfly.com. Each time I shop at Shutterfly, 8% of my bill go directly into my upromise account. In one year I saved $81.31. Not a ton of money, but again...it's FREE!

Craigslist.org--Want to find used items for a good price? Furniture, baby items, household items etc? Check out your local area before you buy new. It's better than ebay because people aren't bidding on the items. There's usually one set price. Also, since you should be looking in your area, you don't have to pay shipping.

Freecycle.org--I'm surprised at how many people haven't heard about freecycle. You do have to sign up for your local area and be added. However, everything posted or requested MUST be free. People aren't allowed to ask for payment of any kind. You receive daily/weekly emails (your choice) of items that people are offering for free. If you're looking for something, you can also post a request on freecycle and sometimes you can get what you're looking for for free. The goal is to help keep these items out of our landfills. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

Discountednewspapers.com--Check out this site if you want your Sunday paper for a great deal. I am paying about $32 for a year of newspapers (Saturday/Sunday only). I save MUCH MUCH more than that with the coupons I get from it.

Restaurant.com--a decent way to save a few bucks on eating out. As I live in a more rural area, there is only 1 restaurant in my area that offers a certificate from restaurant.com. You can often get a $25 off certificate for only $2. You need to find the discount codes to use when you pay (I usually find mine at couponmom.com). Take note that in order to use these certificates, you do have to spend money. Usually, it's something like spend $35 or more and save $25 off your total bill excluding tip and alcohol. (That's just one example. Each restaurant can be a little different).

To Save A Penny--I just actually found this site tonight. It's run by a friend on Facebook that I went to college with. She's got some great money-saving tips each week. See her running total for how much she's saved this year on her side-bar! Looks like she does a lot of Walgreens & CVS deals so if you have those stores in your area, be sure to check out her site. She also has other money saving tips for everyone else.

Babycheapskate.com--Posts some great deals on money savings for baby/toddler/child items. There's some good tips, coupons, discussions on there so be sure to check it out if you have a little one.

Mypoints.com--If you purchase things online at all, you might want to sign-up for myspoints.com. As you shop online, you can earn points for purchases at many different websites. You eventually cash in your points for gift cards when you've saved up enough. It takes some time to earn points if you're not a big online spender but it's still possible to earn by taking survey's, visiting webpages, using their printable coupons (which are the same as many other printable coupon websites). Free money never hurts. If you're interested in signing up, would you leave your email address in the comments and I'll send you an invite. I get points if you sign up and earn points so we both win!

Zenni Optical--I haven't had a chance to use this site but I am going to try it out next time my husband or I need new glasses. I just purchased new pairs for BOTH of us before I learned about this site. The blog I found it on said that they purchased glasses from here and they seemed very good in quality and the prices were what you see...very low!

Well, that's the majority of what I have and use. If you have any money-saving websites that you love, please share them. I'm really only interested in free websites so if you have to pay money to join them, I'm not interested. I hope you find some of this information useful. As a stay-at-home-mom, I consider saving money to be part of my job. The money I save is kind of like the money I earn for my family. The best part is, I'm still able to stay home with Taeya and invest in her little life. That, by far, is the best investment of all!