Valpak.com Shopper & Coupon Blog: February 2006

Car Repair Coupons

Having car troubles? Save money on car repairs by using online coupons.

Go to Car-X and click on dealer locator. Look for the Save Big! Icon and find great deals on brakes, exhaust alignment and more.
AAMCO currently has four printable coupons listed from Free diagnostic exam to $100 off a rebuilt transmission. Check them out quick before the offers expire.
Lastly, MasterCare Car Service offers $40 off tires and Free XM Radio.

Check them out and check back with us soon for more great online coupons and savings tips.

Entertain Yourself With Winter Savings

Columbia House - 5 DVDs for 49¢ each + get Free Shipping! Offer availability is limited and subject to expire as determined by the retailer.

Sony Music Store - Receive 15% OFF your entire order with coupon code WINTER! Offer availability is limited and subject to expire as determined by the retailer.

The Body Shop - Save on Skin Care: Buy 2, Get 1 FREE! Offer availability is limited and subject to expire as determined by the retailer.

David’s Cookies - Use Code DC10 and Save 10% on orders of $19.99 or more. Plus, get free shipping. Offer availability is limited and subject to expire as determined by the retailer.

Save Money on Groceries

Trim grocery bills and still eat well with these shopping and cost-saving tips:

Organize your shopping list to match the layout of the grocery store to minimize time needed to retrace steps and to decrease impulse purchases
More expensive products usually are placed on middle shelves, within easy reach. Less expensive foods (store brands, for example) are placed high and low, where they are not so easily reached.
Check prices on product displays and store flyers for sale items.
Keep a running grocery list at home - Reducing the number of trips saves time and money because shoppers rarely limit their purchases to one item
Buy in bulk when it makes sense.
Buy foods that are in season. They usually cost less because large supplies are often available.
Can't make up your mind about which product to buy? Read labels and compare unit prices or cost per serving or use.
Print grocery coupons before leaving the house.

To read more, visit Save money on your grocery bill.

Online Deals on Beauty Products

Get a free sample of Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo and Conditioner. This offer is only available while supplies last.

Save $3.00 on the new Dove SkinVitalizer.

Save 45% on Avon Bath & Shower gels.

Get $7.00 off Crest Whitestrips Renewal.

Buy 2 get 1 free from the make-up collection at The Body Shop.

5 Ways to Find “FREE” Money That's Really Free

Most saving solutions involve changing your lifestyle or your habits. Not these. Here are the prime places to look for money that's already rightfully yours.

Lower your regular Expenses

Cell-phone service – if you have a 3,200-minute plan that runs about $200 per month and only use about 300-400 minutes, change to a $40 plan with 400-minutes and save about $160.
Local and long-distance calling – if you are not using all of your cell phone minutes, which most include long distance, offset your land line bill by using the cell phone minutes.
Checking account - by switching to a non-interest-bearing account, you can tie up far less money and avoid higher fees.
Insurance - Ask your insurance provider for discounts.

Don’t over pay to borrow

Credit Cards - plenty of cards come with added perks, such as airline miles or, better yet, cash back.
Mortgage - biggest savings potential here is to get rid of PMI, or private mortgage insurance.

Maximize your current resources

. Use what you’ve got - e-mail can be a great way to cut your long-distance phone costs.
. Get rid of what you don’t use - donate your unwanted items for a tax deduction, have a garage sale or sell them on eBay

Don’t ignore potential income

. Take advantage of any employer, matching on retirement accounts - ignoring any employer match on your contributions is like turning down a 3% raise every year (or whatever percentage your employer will cough up).
. Pay the ‘right’ amount of taxes - but by taking the right number of exemptions on your W-4, you keep more money in your own pocket throughout the year to invest as you please
. Check on old accounts - there are plenty of free sites that list people who are owed money by insurance companies, banks and utilities.

Ask for a deal

Don't Let the Net Bog You Down

Bargain hunting on the Web can be cumbersome so why not let someone else do the work? Check out Shopzilla for reviews, product comparisons and prices on anything you’re looking for from clothes to electronics to home décor. This useful site allows you to search in a variety of ways including product name, price range and brand. The user reviews appear in the search results and are quite helpful when deciding between similar products. Shopzilla scours the Internet for you and returns great offers from over 54,000 sites. Next time you’re bargain hunting from home logon and check it out.