my newest hobby

I think I've mentioned before that I do NOT like paying full price for things. I have to be getting some kind of deal on it. Even if it's just 10% off, free shipping if it's online, or knowing that I'm getting the best price I possibly can.

I've always liked buying groceries on sale or using a good coupon here and there. But, now I've entered a whole new world. It all started with a friend who posted some good Albertson's sales on her blog. Then from her blog I found other blogs about sales/coupons. So, for the past two weeks I've been clipping coupons and catching good deals at the store. I love keeping up with the blogs because they find the deals for you and write about them. It sure saves me time!
Here are the blogs I've been following:

Deal Seeking Mom
Frugal Chic Living
I am Frugal
Money Saving Mom
Penny Mavins
The "Cent"sible Sawyer

There are a ton of money saving blogs out there. I can't really follow anymore that those because they post a lot! But if you know if a really awesome one, let me know.

My best deals so far? Free 7-up, Popcorn for $.50/box, juice for $.50/bottle, oatmeal for $.50/box, almonds for $1.23/can, mascara for $2 that was originally $7, and so much more. One of my best deals of all time was getting 3 bean bag chairs for the kids for a total of $10.00! I found them at a thrift store and they were in great condition. I just need to add a little more filling and they'll be perfect!

My favorite stores for great deals? Albertson's, Walgreen's, Kmart, and Target. There's a cool grocery store in Billings too... Mr. Thrifty's (discount grocery store). I know I'll be stopping there every time I come to Billings for a visit.

My #1 rule? Only buy stuff you NEED or buy on a regular basis! It's so easy to see that something is pretty cheap and WANT to buy it even if you don't need it. I have to remind myself of that A LOT. If I wouldn't normally buy an item, I don't want to even waste $.50 on it.

I've been pretty restricted the past few weeks on what I can buy because we're not in our house yet and I have no where to put it. I also can't really remember what kind of storage space I'll have in our house either... I know there isn't really a pantry. But, I can't wait to see the damage I can do when I actually have somewhere to put my bargains!!!

With that being said, here is something pretty awesome I saw on my friend's blog:

Quoting from her site (moneysavingmom.com),

"I don't know about you, but I do a lot of searching online. If I need to find the answer to just about anything, Google is my best friend.
So when Lavonne told me about Swagbucks--an online search engine that rewards you for searching online--I was all ears. Especially when she told me she had earned enough in Swagbucks in the last four months to receive hundreds of dollars in gift cards.
I did some investigation and learned that Swagbucks is very simple to sign up for. In fact, it takes all of about one minute. There are no fees, no credit card required, and no phone number or address requested.
After that, you are credited 3 points to your account and then download the toolbar and every day as you're searching online, you earn a few more points. After only 45 points earned, you can get a free Amazon gift card. Or at 50 points, you can get a Starbucks gift card. There are dozens of other prizes, too.
Now, you might be thinking, "What's the big deal if I only earn a $5 gift card every month?" Well, you're right, $5 isn't that exciting. It's something, but that's only the beginning. You see, your earnings will exponentially multiply when you refer others.
Do you know anyone else who searches online? I thought so. Well, tell them about Swagbucks, send them your referral link, and you'll not only instantly earn more points when they sign up, you'll also earn points for the searching they do online.
Tell lots of folks and you're well on your way to funding your entire Christmas budget with free gift cards from Swagbucks. I'm not kidding you, that's exactly what Lavonne did. See her post here with the details.
For those of you who have blogs, you'll especially want to jump on board with this. It's free, it won't take much of your time to do, and it could generate a nice stream of gift cards in your mailbox.
I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty sweet to me! So what are you waiting for? Go click on my link at the bottom of this post and I'll get credit for it too!!

Here's my referral link! http://swagbucks.com/?cmd=sb-register&rb=311887