ALL YOU magazine by Time Inc. is a premier smart shopping brand that helps women enjoy life for less and they are revealing the first-ever winner of the “Smartest Shopper in America” contest in their September issue. You can get yours on newsstands at Walmart stores and select retailers now or online at: www.allyou/smartshopping.
And who is the winner?
Her name is Emily Graves and she is the mother of two from Ottawa, Kansas. She works two jobs and still finds the time to track 25 different grocery and drugstore sales each week. Not only does she save money for her family, but she also pays it forward by sharing the wealth with more than 6,500 people by email so that they too can price match in their local stores.
Emily says that she never overpays. She has years of practices and knows how to tell what constitutes a good price for all of her staples. She admits though that she doesn’t need coupons. The clipping process always seemed so labor intensive. By taking advantage of the price-matching she is able to get deals on food her family loves without the hassle.
About the Contest:
People were asked to submit a one-minute video of their best saving tips. These videos were evaluated on SKILL of the savings strategy, CREATIVITY of the deal, percentage SAVED, and the video’s ability to ENGAGE the viewer. There were almost 200K votes cast on the allyou.com website and the public chose who should take home the $1K and title of, “Smartest Shopper in America”.
There were 2 runners-up, who each won $250: Alison Eisig from Gaithersburg, MD describes how she took a trip around the world for $1K and Gina Goldberg from Trevor, WI talked about how she cuts her grocery bill by strategic coupon use. You can check out all of the contestants’ videos at: http://www.youtube.com/allyoumagchannel.
And now for the best part…10 Surprising Smart Shopping Strategies from the finalists:
1. ONLINE SHOPPING: Abandon your cart right before confirming your order. Many retailers (including Home Depot, Best Buy, Land’s End and Zappos) will send coupon codes to entice you to finish your purchase.
2. TRAVEL: Book cruises through Costco to score low prices and special freebies. The runner up, Allison, received on-board credits for bottles of wine and chocolate-covered strawberries.
3. TRAVEL: Earn money at home by participating in surveys on travel-related websites. Allison shared that she scored $8K worth of flights for just $800 in part by filling out surveys on websites like ERewards.com, Emiles.com and MyPoints.com.
4. APPLIANCES: Throw out low ball offers the last day of estate sales. One contestant scooped up a $2,500 stove for $250 using this technique.
5. TECH: Check if your office supply store recycles computer ink cartridges for store rewards. One green reader was able to buy stationery and coffee by collecting $2 per cartidge.
6. DESIGNER CLOTHING: Shop thrift store warehouse sales and consign online. One Brooklynite fashionista got an entire bag of clothes (45 items) for $25 – 56 cents an item! She consigned what she didn’t want and made money.
7. ACTIVITIES: Research new and unexpected perks you might be able to unlock with your AAA card. These can include discounts at amusement parks and retailers.
8. GROCERY SHOPPING: For those new to price matching, start by focusing on ads for two or three stores per week. Keep track of the price ranges for foods your family routinely buys and never pay more than the average.
9. RESTAURANTS: Make a list of restaurants your family frequents and sign up for free newsletters or loyalty clubs. You can receive coupons by email or even through text.
10. BILLS: Don’t be afraid to change providers for everything from car insurance to Internet and cable. There might be a better deal out there or your current provider may offer a discount to keep you as a customer.
*Note: We did not receive anything for posting this info. The info was sent to us by an All You representative and we thought it was so interesting we would share it with YOU!
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