Blogging your way to savings
The Web has created many opportunities to learn how to save money on just about everything you buy.
Before the Internet made terabytes of information readily available, the only way to do good consumer research on a major purchase was to subscribe to magazines such as Consumer Reports or go to the library.
In reality, most of us just went to the car dealership or to the appliance store and relied on salespeople to educate us. However, I'm not sure the salespeople were the best source of objective consumer advice.
These days, it's easy for shoppers to access timely and objective information from manufacturers and retailers. Not only can we get good information about major purchases, such as cars and electronics, but we can also get timely information about grocery and drugstore deals, even though featured sales items generally change every week.
Seven years ago, I started my Web site that lists the best grocery and coupon deals at 41 retailers across the country. Seven years doesn't seem like that long ago, but it's practically the Dark Ages when it comes to Internet innovations.
Blogs weren't widely known then, and ordinary shoppers like me didn't know how to start one. If you wanted to share information via the Internet, you could either start a Web site or begin an e-mail newsletter. Both options required a financial investment, including buying software and learning how to use it. (However, Web sites are certainly less expensive than the cost of publishing and mailing a paper newsletter so it was the best option for me at the time.)
Today, the proliferation of blog software has made it possible for any expert or layperson to freely communicate their information. Sites like www.blogger.com allow you to set up a free account. The system is easy to use. In no time, you can share your expertise with very little effort.
That's good news for shoppers because many of the best grocery-saving experts are mothers who are home full time with their children. They learn all the tricks available at their grocery stores, drugstores and discount stores to be able to stretch their budgets. Many of these smart women have started their own blogs sharing money-saving strategies and specific deals at stores combining multiple savings strategies.
Most blogs are free to use with no subscription fee required. Some bloggers can usually allow advertising on the blog to generate some income. Being able to earn a part-time income gives bloggers an incentive to provide compelling information to build traffic.
If you would like to find a blog that reports on the best deals and money-saving tips for your area, you should go to Google.com and set up a Google Alert to find relevant blogs. You can create multiple alerts using any term or phrase, and when Google finds a blog or Web site with that term, you will get an alert.
I have found dozens of blogs using the terms, "grocery coupons," "grocery deals" or the name of your specific grocery store followed by the word "coupon" or "deals." To be even more specific, you can enter the name of your city or state as part of the search term so that you do not have to search through dozens of blogs for other states that may not be of help to you.
Most money-saving bloggers also include general savings information that will benefit shoppers in any state. If you like a blog, you can subscribe to its e-mail newsletter or savings alert if they're available. Blogs I like include www.moneysavingmom.com, save4fun.blogspot.com, www.sisterlysavings.net, frugalliving.about.com, centsibleshopper.blogspot.com and if you live in Tulsa, www.tulsacouponqueen.com. I found these with the Google Alert system.
If you have a money-saving blog, please send me a message so I can share it with readers in a future column.
Stephanie Nelson shares her savings tips as a contributor on ABC News' "Good Morning America." Find more of tips in her book "The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom" and at www.couponmom.com. She can be reached at shoppingmom@unitedmedia.com.