Step by Step Tutorial - Week 2 - Day 4 -

Hey, I think I may be back on track! After a week of illness, then disconnecting the PC and painting the office, and a number of other activities going on, I am finally back on schedule. I think! :-)

So, I wanted to start back up where we left off with the tutorial.

On Day 1, we got prepared with our supplies and organization systems.
On Day 2, we went thru all our bills and got them lowered and up to par!
On Day 3, we did the same with our basic finances.

So, where do we go from here? Well, it is time to start signing up for basic online tools we need and getting the easy things out of the way. This post is going to sound like an advertisement board for all these companies, but rest assured...I use them all. And, I benefit from them. They all play a part in the Savings and Earning number you see in the top left hand corner!

• Roboform - This tool will autofill your information when you are filling out online forms. So, this is a necessity if you plan to sign up for freebies, survey sites, mystery shopping, etc, etc.
• Blingo - This is a search engine powered by Google. You will usually see me reference it alot, because it is free and you can use it in place of Google or Yahoo, etc. But, it gives you a chance to win when you actually do a search on the web. Once you sign up, it is important to save it as your homepage so you begin using it.
• Mozy - This is a free system back up program. They will save your information in the background so that if your computer ever crashes, you can retreive your data. Although I only give you a small amount free, you do get extra space for everyone you refer. It is a great program...and I am looking for more of these. So, shoot me an email if you know of any other free backups.
• The Grocery Game ( please use referral moneysavingmethods@yahoo.com ) for a 30 day trial - or use another coupon organization site you like. The importance here is that time is money, and the less time you need to spend organizing, matching up coupons to sales, etc, the better. I sit down once a week and print all my lists. Then, I take them, and while watching TV in the evening, pull the coupons I need. It takes no brain power of my own to figure and match everything. :-) Which is a good thing, because I'm not sure how much brain power I have left!
• eBay - sign up and activate your account, if you dont' already have one. This is going to be a great means for you to sell certain things around the house, coupons, etc.
• Obopay - sign up for your free account. Although the $10 sign up bonus is gone, this is a great payment method to have on hand if you sell on eBay or Craigslist.org. They charge no fees to accept credit cards or payments and you get $5 for each person who agrees to sign up and makes a payment.
• Revolution Money Exchange - this is another great free account. This is another paypal competitor that is currently not charging any fees for payments. They do not accept credit cards, yet, but hopefully soon. Currently ( for today and tomorrow ), you will get $25 free for signing up.
• Textpayme - A third site for payment processing. They are giving $5 free to new members, so this is also a great way to make a little extra, too.
• Big Crumbs - You also need to sign up for your online shopping sites. Big Crumbs gives you a percentage back of all purchases you make, including eBay items. This is a great deal. They cut you a check monthly, no matter how small it is. And, even for in store purchases, I will check online shopping sites first. Some stores will let you buy online and pick up in the store, and then you get the benefit of an extra percentage back.
• Ebates - This is another online shopping site. They give you $5 when you sign up and make a purchase. So, it is actually in your best interest to take advantage of the free money and find something small to buy. The Entertainment Book is obviously the hot item and what everyone promotes to sign up for, because it is on sale and you will get your money back out of it ( I sell some of the coupons on eBay...hint, hint )
• Upromise - Another online shopping site plus MORE! You will want to immediately register ( you get $10 free this month when you sign up and make a purchase ). So, the same story as Ebates. But, they also sell gift cards. Great way to get discounted gift cards. But, you will also want to register your grocery store cards, your CVS cards, your credit cards etc. You get a percentage back of some purchased items, which will help your account accumulate faster.
• CPA Storm - Are you a blogger? If so, you will want to tap into these sites as well. CPA Storm is a great affiliate program. You get paid for your own ads, but you also get 5% of anyone you refer as an affiliate
• Commission Junction - This is another site for Bloggers. It is a large and well known affiliate program. Although they do not have a referral program, it is well worth signing up to just get the benefit of your own advertisments posted on your site.

I am sure I will have more to add to this list in the future, but for now...these are the main companies I personally use. If you have other great sites that help you save and earn money, please comment. I am always looking for new and exciting ways to save and earn AND make my life easier!

Tomorrow, we will focus on how to set up a weekly schedule, so as to focus on many different aspects of making and saving money without getting overwhelmed.

See you tomorrow!