Hurry! The first 5000 to sign up here will receive a FREE Glade Scented Oil Candle from Right@Home.

If you have been accepted for a Right@Home offer in the past 180 days, you will not be eligible.  I always sign up for these though because I can’t remember how long it’s been!

The winner of the $5 Amazon gift code for sharing a savings update on my latest Saving on a Shoestring post is:

Sarah (sarahbsbscraps@xxxx)

Congrats, Sarah!  I’ve contacted you with information on how to claim your prize.

I still haven’t heard back from four of the winners of the Kellogg’s FiberPlus giveaway.  So keep an eye on your inbox to find out if you are one of the new winners!

Heads Up:  I will have a new Saving on a Shoestring post up later this evening.  Be sure to leave a link or a comment sharing your latest savings update for a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift code!

Look what showed up in my mailbox today:  Starbucks sent me a coupon for a FREE Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal!  This indeed makes me happy.

Have you registered a Starbucks gift card for Starbucks Rewards yet?  When you do, you’ll receive special offers like this from time to time as well as a coupon for a FREE birthday drink and other rewards over time.

Don’t forget that you can also score FREE Starbucks gift cards from Swag Bucks and Shop It To Me!

I just found out about a show that will be airing tonight on CNBC titled Supermarkets Inc: Inside a $500 Billion Money Machine.

I know I’m doing my best to keep as much of those $500 billion profits in my pocket as possible.  While I feel pretty confident that I am a savvy consumer that is aware of the tactics the supermarket employs to get me to spend more money, I am still very interested in watching this show to find out if I’m missing anything!

You can learn more about the show here.  It airs tonight, January 27,  at 9 pm EST.

How about you?  Will you watch?  What are some of the tactics you think they’ll expose?

Thanks for the heads up, This Frugal Life!

Between 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. EST today (1/27), Kroger (and Kroger affiliate) shoppers can log into your Cellfire account for a chance to score a  $0.50, $1, $2, or $5 coupon!

Even if you don’t shop at Kroger, you’ll want to check out the new Cellfire coupons that have been added to this week and add them to your store loyalty card!  I recommend clipping all of them since you never know which ones might come in handy!

Not familiar with  Cellfire?  These are ecoupons that you can load to your Kroger  and Safeway family store loyalty cards.  No clipping or printing involved! Read my Cellfire FAQ post for further details.

Tonight I am holding a couponing/budgeting class for a Mothers of Multiples Club meeting.  I have been busy prepping and planning on teaching all the ins and out of couponing.

When suddenly  it hit me.

I am speaking to Moms of Multiples.  Will they really be eager to hear how to become an extreme couponer, spending hours a week hunting deals, clipping coupons, and shopping with children in tow?

So I said to myself, “Kaley, what would I want to learn if I were a Mom of Multiples?”  And suddenly a light went off.

I would want to know how to save TIME while saving money!  (Duh!)

So I completely changed my focus.  I decided that I need to share every time-saving money tip that I know to help lighten the load for these fabulous women.  (Now if someone else could help them figure out how to score FREE babysitting while they shop, they’d be all set!)

So I thought I’d share the main points of my talk here on Cha-Ching on a Shoestring.  Maybe you aren’t a Mom of Multiples, but who doesn’t like to save time and money?

***

Let’s face it.  If you are going to take part in the game of saving money, it does take time.  Clipping coupons, planning your shopping trips in advance, watching for sales can all add up when it comes to your time.

So, I thought I’d share some of my most favorite time-saving strategies in the money-saving department.  If you feel overwhelmed with balancing the time you spend on saving money, possibly some of these tips will help lighten the load:

How can I save time on:

1) Meal planning?

Sign up for e-Mealz.

One of my best tips for saving money on groceries is to plan your meals around the sales.

However, I have a confession to make.  I am not a fan of meal planning.  It’s not that I haven’t tried to enjoy meal planning.  I have a folder full of cute little meal planning calendars, creative ideas from magazines, and a whole lot of other fun stuff intended to motivate me to become a meal planning guru.

So I was delighted when my Mom introduced me to e-Mealz.  Imagine having a maid who plans your meals around weekly deals, creates your grocery list, and only charges you $5 a month…and you are imagining e-Mealz.  You can also choose from low-fat, low-carb and even points system menus.

Go here to learn more and find out how you can score a discount through Jan. 31, 2011!

2) Grocery Shopping?

Shop at ALDI.

The fascinating thing about ALDI is that they do not accept coupons and simply sell their own very inexpensive brands. There is no need to check prices or search through your coupon organizer.  When I shop there, it typically takes me about 30 minutes to finish my grocery shopping even with two very squirmy little boys in tow.  Of course, there are times when it is less expensive to buy certain groceries elsewhere with coupons.  But much of the time, ALDI has other stores beat by a mile.

3) Diapers?

Sign up for Amazon Mom.  Use Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program.

I remember being shocked at the prices of diapers when my first son was born.  So I can only imagine how Mothers of Multiples must feel about them.

Coupons help you get rock bottom prices on diapers.  But sometimes it’s tricky finding the best deals based on the quantity of diapers you are buying.

I have been very impressed with Amazon’s deals when it comes to diapers.  They have a program called Amazon Mom. As an Amazon Mom, you receive an additional 15% discount on top of the standard 15% discount when you sign up for Subscribe & Save delivery plus FREE 2 day shipping.  If you decide you don’t want to continue with their Subscribe & Save program, you can cancel any time after your order ships.

4) Clipping Coupons?

Use the No-Clip Coupon method. I know some of you already have a system that works great for you.  But if you don’t, I recommend this system that simply involves filing coupon inserts each week and only clipping coupons when necessary.  I’ve shared it in detail here. (complete with pictures!)  Then be sure to check out my Coupon Database which is sure to become your new best friend!

5) Finding deals?

Let others do the work. The fact that you are reading this blog probably means that you already believe in learning from others.  The day I discovered money saving blogs was life changing for me. (Thanks, Beckie!)  I had no idea that other people were willing to do the work of finding deals and matching coupons to sales and alerting me to coupons.  Hey–if they want to do the work for you, let them!

Most importantly, don’t feel like you have to do it all! I used to feel like I needed to hit every deal, but then I realized that this simply isn’t feasible.  The world will not fall off its axis if you miss a free after ECB deal at CVS this week.  There will be plenty more to come.  I promise.

So, there you have it.  My secret’s out.  I am a bonafide money saving short cutter.

**And if you find you have a little extra time and want to learn the ins and outs of the Drugstore Game, you can check out my Drugstore 101 series here.

Right now you can score a FREE $75 credit at Jetsetter.com (a daily deals travel site).

Here’s how:

• Create a Jetsetter account.  This will add $25 credit to your account.

• Then log out and then click on this link and log back in

• An additional $50 credit will automatically be added to your account.  (Note: I’ve read elsewhere that you may have to sign in with a different browser (FF, IE, etc.) for this to work.  I used Firefox for both and it worked for me.)

I’m pretty excited about the idea of saving $75 on a possible travel destination.  If any of my local readers are wanting to get away for a night, I noticed that there is a deal on the Sofitel Hotel in Philly right now.  Jetsetter is offering a discount of $40, making it $115/night.  PLUS with the $75 discount, you can book a one night stay for only $40 (plus taxes and fees).  Score!!  (Think Valentine’s Day!)

Hurry.  I’m not sure how long this offer will be available!

Thanks, Common Sense with Money!