Lombard librarian-turned-blogger offers new book on saving money

Rachel Singer Gordon of Lombard is a former librarian with a constant desire to pass on information.

That's probably why she blogs 10 to 15 times a day on MashUpMom.com and shares money-saving tips and ideas with about 14,000 visitors daily.

Now, she has mashed up, or combined, her money strategies and Internet tips to help you in your daily life through her new book, "Point, Click and Save: MashUpMom's Guide to Saving and Making Money Online" (CyberAge Books, $19.95) available on Amazon.com and at various local book stores.

"It's the librarian thing," said Singer Gordon, 40. "I just want to share the information."

Singer Gordon was born and raised in Spokane, Wash., before she came to the Chicago area and earned a master's degree in library sciences at then-named Rosary College (now Dominican University) in River Forest in 1996.

She worked at Franklin Park Public Library until 2005, when she decided to mash up various ways to make money from home, including freelance writing and developing workshops for librarians. The flexibility allowed her to make money, be creative and still raise her two sons, Jacob, 7, and Samuel, 3. Her husband Todd Gordon runs Chicago-based Nology Interactive, which focuses on Web design and support.

The desire to learn and share information via technology continued for Singer Gordon.

"I began reading a lot of other money-saving blogs, but there was a real gap in the Chicago area," she said.

So she launched MashUpMom.com in 2009 and continues to offer everyday kinds of savings, from where to get the best price on items to coupons and deals. She then got the idea for the book, which was released this month.

The book encourages readers to develop different ways to make money as well as learn how to save online. It also shows how you can build a Web-wide money-saving network using other websites, blogs and social networks.

It also helps you to learn how to identify and avoid online scams about making or saving money.

And then there are the hundreds of coupons, deals, freebies and other shopping lines she throws readers as well.

"The book gives people the background on how to maximize their savings," she said.