Nerd Chick Adventures: Save Money with Online Coupon Sites

 
If there’s one thing frugal Nerd Chicks love to do, it’s save money on… well… everything! We’ve all learned that the internet is great for comparison shopping, but did you know that there are a wealth of coupons available online to help you save money on anything from groceries to your next night out on the town? From codes you enter when purchasing online, to printable coupons you can take with you to the store, we’ve scoped out some great resources to help you save a few bucks.
 
We love saving money with "loyalty" memberships at grocery stores and retail outlets, but who wants to cart around 23 plastic cards on their key ring, or get their inbox filled up with emails touting the week’s specials? Never fear! First things first: open an email account dedicated to your retail excursions. That way you won’t miss any weekly deals or coupons, but you’ll keep you regular account free from ads. When you’re ready to shop, you have one place to look for coupons and deals and you can simply delete the inbox when you’re done for the week. Next, check out the awesome FREE application for Smartphones from CardMobili
(www.cardmobili.com).
 
The application stores all your rewards, membership and loyalty card numbers so that instead of "swiping your card" at checkout, you just flash your phone. It presents a barcode that can be scanned by the checker. Finally, a clutter-free key chain!
　
"Coupon clipping" is a great way to save money when you shop, and now you can ditch the scissors.  Retail Me Not (www.retailmenot.com) has tons of online, retail and grocery store coupons, and it’s easy to use. Just click the tabs at the top, and enter your search information; or enter your zip code to find local deals. The search tool will let you enter something as specific as "Kohls" or as general as "pizza." They’ll even email you coupons if you’d like (but don’t forget to use the email address you created for it!). We do a quick search here before completing an online purchase, and often get codes to save on purchases we were going to make anyway.
 
　
Also, be sure to check out  www.couponsherpa.com and www.couponalbum.com. Coupon Sherpa has a nice selection of printable grocery store coupons and even has a mobile app for iPhone and iPod Touch that will let you search for deals straight from your phone, and show barcodes on your phone’s screen so you can ditch paper coupons. Coupon Album specializes in coupon codes for retail stores like Target, Home Depot and Nordstrom’s. If you are looking to replace your PC or purchase the newest gadget, check out www.techbargains.com. This site has coupon codes to get the best deals at dell, and insider tips for where to get that tech toy for less.
　
Going out for the evening, or trying to plan a fun family outing? Stop in first at www.halfoffredding.com. They have great local deals on everything from restaurants to activities such as mini golf and bowling. Deals change regularly, and often sell out, but they’ll save you… you guessed it, half off! While it currently only services larger cities like Sacramento and San Francisco, Groupon (www.groupon.com) is the latest craze.
 
Killer deals are offered by the featured retailer, and if enough people sign up to buy you can snag dinners, excursions, and retail deals for 50-90% off. Don’t miss it if you’re planning a trip, and we’ll keep our fingers crossed that Groupon comes to our town soon!
　
Finally, you can earn rewards for shopping online, taking surveys, searching the web, playing games and even redeeming coupons printed from the MyPoints coupon center at www.mypoints.com. The more you do, the more points you earn. MyPoints reward points are then exchanged for gift cards for over a 100 different name brand stores and restaurants, gas cards, airline miles or hotel discounts. Heck, you’re online all the time anyway; why not make some money for it, right?
 
　
Do you have a shop savvy tip that can help us find a great deal? Send us a note on Facebook (facebook.com/nerdsoncall) or email us at nerdchick@callnerds.com.
 
　
About the Author:
Andrea Eldridge is president and co-founder of Nerds On Call, an on-site computer and electronics repair service for consumers and businesses. Andrea established the company with her husband, Ryan, from a spare room in their home in Redding, Calif., in March 2004.
 
As president, Andrea oversees a staff of schedulers and technicians, as well as corporate finances. She has been instrumental in the development of marketing campaigns that have been effective in introducing Nerds On Call to communities around California, Oregon and Washington. In addition, she is involved in strategic planning for new markets and opportunities.
 
Prior to establishing Nerds On Call, Andrea served as president of Internet Billing Services, Inc., which provided website management and online bill-pay processing for Web-based clients. Her responsibilities encompassed coordinating online technical support for website users and on-site computer repair and networking services for enterprise clients. Previously, she was a senior real estate administrator for Merrill Lynch Trust Company, where she helped oversee more than 200 properties held in trust.