Saving where I can

I try to take advantage of any coupons I can to save money.  One nice little "perk" I get in the mail every few months is a $10 coupon from JC Penney. This is good on any purchase $10 or more.  I seem to get 4-5 of these a year in the mail (on my birthday I got a $15 coupon).  In the past I've tried to use them towards something as close to $10 as possible, so I am out of pocket very little (usually just tax).  Things like socks, underwear or a shirt.  My plan for this year is to use them to purchase towels and washcloths, to replace those in my linen closet that are getting old and worn.  With my $15 birthday coupon I got in January, I was able to get a towel and 2 washcloths, that were on sale half price.  I just got another $10 in the mail yesterday, so am hoping they will be on sale again during the 2 week period the coupon is good for.  I'm hoping by the end of the year, I will have about $50 worth of new towels/washcloths for free :-)

Another way I earn about $60-$75 a year is through Swagbucks. I do searches daily and earn swagbucks.  When I have enough "bucks" I trade them in for $5 Amazon gift cards.  With this money I usually try to purchase my pets flea treatments.  I have found they are much cheaper through Amazon than the online pet supply stores. For the cat I can get a Frontline or Advantage flea treatment "kit" for very cheap. I just have to measure out the doses with a little eye dropper, but it's really easy.  With our big dog, the doses are already as big as you can get, so I have to purchase in the normal individual type doses, usually 4-6 months in a box.

When I get MyCokeRewards codes I trade them in towards free magazine subscriptions.  I love getting magazines, but I hate paying for them.  I don't get as many codes as I used to since I don't buy Dasani water anymore (Walmart now has their own brand for $2.97 per case) but we do occasionally buy Coke and Minute Maid lemonade in cans.

I also use MyPoints and get another $80 or so a year in giftcards.  Mostly I get my points by opening the daily emails, but I also try to use MyPoints whenever I am making an online purchase. For example, I purchased one of my son's textbooks through Barnes & Noble and got 12 points per dollar spent. This gave me about 864 points - equivalent to about half the points needed for a $10 giftcard.  I usually either get a Walmart or Starbucks giftcard.  The Walmart giftcards are nice to reduce my grocery bill, but the Starbucks are so nice to have a little treat once in a while :-)