Articles Archives

Sam’s Club Special Shopping Hours & Concierge Service

This deal was posted on March 24, 2020 at 8:04 pm by Julie's Freebies

Starting Thursday, March 26, ALL Sam’s Club locations nationwide will offer early shopping hours every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 am to 9 am! This time will be for seniors and those with disabilities or compromised immune systems.

During these hours, members can shop Sam’s Club without ever leaving their car. There will be designated parking locations where members in need can place their orders from their car. A Sam’s Club associate will grab the items on the list, and the member will use Scan & Go to check out. This will include Pharmacy and Optical Centers and will last until further notice.

DETAILS HERE

How to Start Working from Home and Must-Have Tools

This deal was posted on August 7, 2019 at 10:08 pm by alicia

Want to learn how to start working from home? We’ve got you covered with our best work-at-home tips. Plus, we’re going to share with you a list of must-have tools for anyone who works from home.

“Work-at-home jobs are scams.”

“You can’t really make money working from home.”

We’ve heard all of the cliches about working from home and can testify most of them are the farthest thing from the truth. In fact, working from home continues to gain popularity across the globe. With more businesses jumping aboard the “remote train”.

In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released an Economic News Release for 2018 on workers in the United States. We’ve listed a few key points from the news release below.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics Economic News Release 2019 Key Points

23.7% of United States workers worked from home in 2018
The majority of work-at-home workers in 2018 were Men with Full-Time job positions.
Women who worked from home in 2018 shared a healthy mix between those who work part-time and those who work full-time. With full-time being the common statistic.
Most workers working from home held only a single job instead of having multiple jobs.

As you can see, people are landing legit work-at-home jobs. They must also be making money from these jobs because a high percentage of work-at-home workers only hold one single job.

Learn how to start working from home. We’ve got a great list of must-have tools and tips on finding legit work-at-home jobs.

How to Start Working from Home

Now that you’ve seen the stats, let’s talk about how to really start working from home. We don’t plan on leaving anything out and are going to cover the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of working from home.

First, ask yourself the following questions. This will help you ensure that you are absolutely prepared for the journey of working from home. The journey before, during, and after begin working remotely.

Working from Home Requires You Taking Care of Your Health

Caring for your overall health is an important part of working from home.

How will you care for your overall health while you working from home?

Keep in mind, many companies offering work at home job opportunities do not offer remote — or part-time — workers medical insurance. Which means you will need to have your own health insurance in place.

Staying healthy should be your top priority. Take a look at health insurance prices and consider if you can afford this extra expense.

Another part of your overall health is your mental health. In order to be your best and succeed as a remote worker, seeing clearly has to be a top priority for you. Realize that working in a home office is far from what others portray it as.

Such as a super quiet and stressfree environment while you’re sitting in your robe sipping coffee. While somedays may portray this, this is a rare situation. Especially if you have multiple clients, multiple kids, or multiple pets.

Working from home can have many stressful days. Trying to meet deadlines and speak to clients on a totally different time zone than you. Juggling doctor appointments, sick kids, and barking dogs. While staying professional and sane.

Working from home can stretch your mental calm to the max.

Another impact a work-at-home job can have on how you feel is how lonely it can actually be. Concentrating on deadlines is tough when you’re enjoying brunch at a local restaurant. Many of your workdays will, in fact, involve little to no contact with others. It can be a lonely world.

Can you safely afford the costs associated with working from home?

Going into debt is never a suggestion for any situation. So, keep in mind, if you’re serious about working from home, there will be some costs associated with it. Unless you get lucky and already have everything you need.

Plenty of factors tie into what your finances should like during your career. Including the life you want to live, your ideal comfortable lifestyle, your current savings or lack thereof, your income, and the obligations you have to payout.

As we stated above, having your own private health insurance is one possible cost you may incur. Other costs include technology costs, subscriptions, and current and future planning needs. We will discuss each possible cost more in-depth down the road.

How to Start Working from Home: Before You Begin Your Search

One of the questions you answered above covers your ideal lifestyle as a remote worker. What do you plan on achieving as a remote employee now and later down the road?

We would all love to become a millionaire due to working in our pajamas. On the other hand, some of us don’t have time to put in the work required to reach that level.

Depending on where you want to be is where you need to set your schedule as someone who telecommutes. Below are a few tips on how you can set boundaries and live your best life before you start working from your home office.

One of the first things you should do before you start working from home is to find the right schedule for you and stick to it.

Pick a Schedule and Stick to It

The top myth we need to nip in the bud right now is the following statement.

“When you work from home you can set your own schedule and work whenever you want.”

This is false and bad advice for anyone entering the remote workforce. The truth is, while some people can work when they want, most work-at-home workers find themselves overworking themselves and not setting any schedule boundaries.

Basically, before you start working, ask yourself what schedule can you work and be honest with yourself. You will find during your job search that many companies actually require even their virtual employees to be available and working for them during a set time.

If you decide to take a different route such as freelance writing or blogging, you still need to give your clients a set schedule. This will let them know that if they try to contact you out of your set “business hours”, that you won’t be available.

Remember to stick to your schedule as well as a remote worker. IF you give a little slack and respond to an email at 2 AM, they will continue to expect it.

Know the Value of Your Skills

When you’re really broke, it’s hard not to accept any offer that comes your way. Even if it means working 10-hours a day and only being paid $25. (Guity. I was here when I began as a freelance writer.)

Stop shortchanging yourself and put a value on the skills you have. Set your worth and the people you will want to work for will respect your value and will be willing to pay it.

Aside from the money talk, also know what job you intend on working from home. Are you a pro at customer service? Can you type like it’s nobodies business? Find out what you’re good at and stick to it. Don’t try and do everything. That is just a bad idea.

Always be honest with yourself, potential clients, and potential employers.

Be Honest with Yourself and Potential Clients and Employers

It’s important that you are honest with yourself and whoever may hire you from the very beginning about what you can and can’t do. We all know it’s easy to make anything look good on paper. But, proving it can be a different story.

Be honest about the skills you have and how good you are at them. Tell the truth the education and training you’ve been through.

Just be honest. It’s okay not to know everything and being dishonest only wastes valuable time for everyone involved.

How to Start Working from Home: The Must-Have Tools to Succeed

The main goal here is to learn how to work from home, enjoy working remotely, and make money, right? Well, you know the old saying. “You gotta spend money to make money.” It’s somewhat the truth.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the must-have tools you will need to start working from home. We promise, if you don’t already have them, they are worth the investment.

A Place to Really Call Your “Office”

When I’m working, I tend to get distracted pretty easily. So, in order for me to be successful while working at home, I need a complete distraction-free area.

I use a spare bedroom we somewhat transformed into an office space for me. There is a door I can close to keep out distractions (kids, pets, etc.) and a lock for when I’m on an important phone call.

We all think the work-at-home dream is sipping a Mimosa while staring out at deep blue water while we type away on our laptop. Well, if you decide to work for a large company like Apple as a remote worker, you’re going to need an office space more like my setup.

This is because almost all big companies who hire remote workers require a quiet workplace to work-from-home. With most remote job opening posts stating that a distraction-free and quiet area is a must for a job offer.

Another perk of having an actual home office is you have everything you need for any project or assignment right there. While things are becoming more and more portable, an office just offers more room to make sure you cover all your needs.

Quick tips for when you're ready to learn how to start working from home

If working from home is a move you intend to make on a career level, you will want to have a comfortable and supportive office desk and office chair. Working in a home office involves a lot of screentime and spending time at a desk. The wrong office desk and chair setup can ruin remote workers back and overall posture super fast.

Fast, Reliable, and Secure Technology

Ensuring that all technology you use to work from home is fast, reliable, and safe is a must for anyone working from home. This will save you time and give whoever hires you peace of mind that their information is safe with you.

Larger companies who hire virtual employees often have very strict criteria on what you must have technology-wise in order to work for them.

The most popular requirement is that you can not complete the work over any wireless network. Instead, they require you to hardwire your computer to the internet.

The upside to these technical requirements is that more companies are beginning to supply the technology that meets their criteria.

Also, some companies, instead of providing the technology, they give new remote employees a sign-on bonus. This bonus goes towards the cost of setting up the new employees home office.

Below are a few technology options we definitely recommend for working from home.

Reliable and updated laptop or desktop computer
Smartphone
All-in-One Printer/Fax/Scanner
High-quality microphone
Updated Webcam
VPN

Great tips on how to start working from home

Large companies often require that if you want to work for them from home that you have your own separate landline for business communication. It won’t hurt investing in a landline as it will help keep your personal and business calls separate.

How to Start Working from Home: Finding a Work-at-Home Job Position

Don’t let all of the details of how to start working from home overwhelm you. In the scheme of things, just like any job, remote jobs have their positives and their negatives.

Some remote jobs show flexibility when it comes to scheduling. While those that are actual full-time, part-time, or salary jobs as an actual employee and not a contractor with companies aren’t so lenient on the remote worker schedule.

The most important thing is to decide what will work best for your situation. If you need a schedule with a lot of wiggle room, you may want to consider life as a remote contract/freelance worker.

On the other hand, having a regular 1st, 2nd, or 3rd shift may sound good to you. You’d do great as a virtual employee for maybe a company like Apple.

35+ legit and free ways to make money online from home

We’ve got a list of 35+ legit and free ways you can start making money online for free!

To help you out on your remote job search, you will definitely want to check out our post on legit and free ways to make money online. The list has 35+ ways to make either a little money or start a career as a virtual worker.

If you think you have what it takes to work from home and can block out all of the extra distractions we say go for it.

Cut ties with the daily work commute and start working wherever you feel the most productive at.

DATA BREACH! 100 million accounts at Capital One

This deal was posted on July 29, 2019 at 8:21 pm by Julie

OH NO! Not another one! In a statement Capital One stated, “Based on our analysis to date, this event affected approximately 100 million individuals in the United States and approximately 6 million in Canada.”

Always a good idea to use a free credit monitoring service like Credit Karma or Credit Sesame so you can keep an eye on what is happening with your credit.

DETAILS HERE

How to Coupon at Dollar General + FAQ

This deal was posted on May 17, 2019 at 11:33 pm by Ashley

Using coupons at Dollar General is a great way to save money and as it becomes more and more popular many of you are wanting to learn how to do it yourself. It can be a bit overwhelming at first but don’t get discouraged. We have put together a how-to-guide and answered some Dollar General couponing frequently asked questions so you will feel more confident getting started yourself!

Once you see how much you can save at Dollar General and see all these huge hauls you may feel a need to chase after every Dollar General deal you see. Well my advice is to slow down. Couponing is about saving money and stocking up on essentials when there are good deals. Not going broke just because there is a deal or others have these huge hauls! Many deals and sales on products follow a cycle (about every 6-8 weeks). Figure out how much of a certain product your family will use in a 6-8 week period and stock up on that item when there is a good sale.

Coupon Lingo and abbreviations:

When following coupon blogs and social media sites you soon realize that couponers have a language of their own. It may leave you a little confused at first so here is a list of what all the jargon means.

*P&G-Proctor and Gamble
*SP-Stockpile
*SS-Smart Source coupon insert
*PG-Proctor and Gamble coupon insert
*RP– Red Plum coupon insert
*Peelies-sticker like coupons found on products.
*MQ-Manufacturers Coupon
*DQ-Digital Coupon
*NLA-No Longer Available
*OOP-Out of Pocket Expense
*Q or CPN-Coupon
*YMMV-Your Mileage May Vary (A deal may work for someone else, but may not for you.)
*TMF-Try Me Free offer
*FAR-Free After Rebate
*CAT-Catalina coupon (Manufacturer coupons that print out from a machine at the register depending on what you buy.)
*B1G1F, B2G1F-”Buy one get one Free”, “Buy two get one Free”
*UPC-Universal product code (those black straight lines with numbers under them)
*POP-Proof of purchase (like a product label or UPC)
*DCRT-Dated cash register receipt
*GC-Gift Card
*MM-Money Maker or overage
*Glittering/Balaced-Using a coupon on the wrong product, wrong size, or quantity. (This is illegal and frowned upon) Just because it scans doesn’t make it ok!
WYB-When you buy
WYS-When you spend

Getting Started

The best way to start saving is just getting organized. Get familiar with stores coupon policy, check store flyers, clip coupons, start a coupon binder if you want use paper coupons. Follow our Dollar General Coupon Group for deals and breakdowns, download money saving apps such as Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, Checkout51, & Kellogg’s Rewards. Make shopping lists, and stick to a budget.

FAQ

How do I use the Dollar General app?

The Dollar General app is a great tool to find prices for your store and check what digital coupons will work with products. It is not a very good tool for making scenarios. The app rarely predicts correct price when trying to figure out scenarios with instant savings or the $5/25 store coupon. Just be aware of this when using the app.

To scan items to find out matching coupons go to either coupon tab or list tab. In the upper right hand corner you will see a barcode symbol. Click that and then scan barcode of product to find matching coupons.

To check prices of products simply use search icon which looks like a magnifying glass. Type in product and it will show prices of all those products as well as similar products. It will also show you any deals or coupons available for those products!

To change stores (stores prices vary depending on location) go to more icon in the bottom right hand corner. Then go to stores. Then change location.

I have found that if my app starts acting weird simply delete app and then download again. This usually takes out any kinks and updates app.

Where do I find the coupons?

Go to Dollar General website and sign up under digital coupons. Follow the step-by-step directions and then start clipping. The coupons will be added to your account.
You can also find coupons in your Sunday paper, and printable coupons from our Julies Freebies coupon print page- HERE. Check manufacturer websites for coupons and email companies and tell them how much you love their products. They may mail you coupons as a thank you! Also check products for peelie coupons that are attached to the product you are purchasing.

How do I use the Dollar General digital coupons in-store?

Using the coupons are very easy. Just buy your products and enter the phone number associated with your account in the pin pad at checkout. They system will then deduct all applicable coupons from your total.

Can I combine a Dollar General digital coupon with a paper coupons or other digitals?

In most cases no. Most Dollar General digital coupons are manufacture coupons and can not be combined with the same or similar coupons. You can however combine a manufacture coupon with a store coupon. (See examples below.) This is called stacking and is allowed.

What is Dollar General’s Coupon Policy?

We have provided a direct link to Dollar General’s Coupon policy HERE. To find other store’s policies simply search their websites. You should always check each store’s policies before trying to coupon at that particular store.

What can I do if some of my coupons do not come off properly?

There are a few different things you can do in this instance. First of all make sure that you have clipped the coupon. If you are sure that coupon is clipped you can ask cashier to check your digitals and sometimes they will manually take off coupon amount. Or you can void the transaction. But please be kind and offer to put back merchandise. Lastly you can go ahead and purchase product and return at a later date.

When do new Dollar General coupons come out?

Most coupons come out on Sundays just like the coupon inserts that come in the Sunday papers. But periodically check your digital accounts throughout the week because they usually release a few throughout the week as well. Make sure and clip any coupon that you want to use ASAP. If you don’t clip them right away they can become NLA (no longer available to clip) and you will miss out on deals.

Why do some people have different coupons? Or why can’t I find a coupon that others have?

Some digital coupons are only released for a short period of time and then they become NLA to clip. Meaning if you did not clip it already its gone. That is why it is important to check your accounts often.
Some coupons are also regional. Based on the zip code you provided when signing up determines what coupons you will receive. Some areas may get a $0.50 off coupon and others may get a $1.00.

Do Dollar General stores loose money when we use coupons?

The answer is most definitely NOT. Coupons are a form of payment. Each store mails coupons back to manufacture to receive compensation. They also receive a handling fee for paper coupons. Coupons are used as an incentive from the manufacture to get customers to buy their particular product vs the competitors.

How do I figure out how many products and coupons to use during a B(x)G(x) sale?

When there is a sale for example B2G1 (buy 2 get 1) and you have coupons that are B1G1 (buy 1 get 1) it can get a bit confusing to figure out exactly how many products you should buy and coupons you should use to save the most money. We have provided a chart to help. (see below)

How do I get the lowest OOP when using the $5/25 Dollar General Coupon?

The best possible way to get a low OOP (out of pocket) is to wait when your coupons can be stacked with a $5/25 or other store coupon. I always figure out what will be the most expensive item I need and combine that with free or low oop items. For example I need dog food. The store has Alpo Dog food for $7.95 with a $1.00 off coupon. I will combine that with free or low oop items so that most of my $5 store coupon goes towards the remaining balance of the dog food. Make sure and check with our Dollar General Coupon Group for Dollar General Digital Coupon scenarios!

What order do I give coupons at checkout?

I personally always put in my digital number first. That way all store coupons are applied first, then manufacturer digitals, then I hand over paper coupons. You can give paper coupons first if you would like or if you have a paper coupon that has a higher value than a digital. Just make sure you put your phone number in pin pad before cashier hits total.

Does my total need to be $25 before or after coupons to use my $5 off $25 Dollar General store coupon?

You total needs to be $25 before coupons are applied but $25 after all instant savings and sales are applied. For example if you buy bath tissue that has an instant savings such as Spend $15 Save $3 instantly the $3 will be automatically applied and only $12 will go towards your total.

How do I find out if there is a coupon for a certain product I need?

Use the Dollar General app to check if there are products with coupon matchups. Read coupon details to ensure that the coupon does not exclude certain sizes, varieties, or count.

Why won’t cashier let me use more than one coupon even though I was buying two products?

Make sure you are reading your coupons very carefully. Some coupons state ONE COUPON PER TRANSACTION PER DAY. Meaning you may only use one coupon period. Other coupons may say 2 per transaction or shopping trip. Some coupons do not state a limit but Dollar General policy will only allow 5 like coupons.

How many times can I use a Dollar General digital coupon?

Digitals are a one time use only. Once it is been used it is no longer available for other transactions.

What if a coupon is a higher value than product?

This is called overage or a MM (money maker) and is allowed as long as coupon is being used on correct product/size. Coupon overage can not be paid to customer and you will have to buy other products for overage to be applied to.

If I have a paper $5/25 and a digital one can I use both in the same transaction if I buy $50 in products?

No. These types of store coupons can not be combined. You can however do multiple transactions of $25. Keep in mind digitals are a one time use.

I can’t find some of my digital coupons I had clipped and why is my app not working?

If some of your coupons are not showing up in your app then try using a web browser and go directly to Dollar General Website. The app rarely shows all available coupons.

If my Dollar General App shows a coupon attaching to a product it excludes is it still coupon misuse?

Yes! Sometimes the way a coupon is coded allows it to work on wrong variety, count, size, etc. ALWAYS read coupon details to ensure you are not using a digital coupon on an excluded item. Even though it may work to make an item free or cheap does not mean you should. This is still considered as glittering or balanced couponing and it is wrong. These types of transactions/hauls can not be shared or approved in any of our groups.

Don’t Get Discouraged

When you first start off with Couponing at Dollar General you may feel a bit overwhelmed. Start slow and watch what deals others are sharing. If a cashier or store are not particularly coupon friendly then try a different store or shop at a different time of day. If you are trying a big haul let others know behind you in line or move to end of line so you don’t get nervous or aggravate people in line behind you. Just remember that any savings is better than no savings and if you stick with it then you can save $100s of dollars a month!

Nintendo Super Nintendo SNES Classic Coming Soon

This deal was posted on June 26, 2017 at 11:56 am by Julie Leave a Comment

SNES-Classic-Super-Nintendo Remember last year how the NES Classic was the hottest item of the year, this year Nintendo is going for it again with the release of the SNES Classic that will debut on September 29. These will be $80 (the NES Classic was $50) but expect the prices to double or triple on the secondary market.

Start saving now so that you are able to get your hands on these before resellers inevitably jack the prices up. Or better yet, grab a few and make some extra $$ as a reseller this holiday season!

MORE DETAILS

11 Sites That Give FREE Amazon Gift Cards

This deal was posted on April 26, 2016 at 9:31 pm by Julie Leave a Comment

free-amazon-gift-cards Who DOESN’T love shopping at Amazon? What if you could do it for FREE! The truth is, you can, its not difficult to earn free Amazon gift cards, in fact, I have thousands of readers who earn free Amazon cards every day?

Check out this list below for some ways to earn! First earning tip: I give away a handful of free Amazon Gift Cards away every single day on the Julie’s Freebies Facebook Page.

InstaGC – This is one of the favorites of readers. Some people pay for their entire Christmas with gift cards from this site alone. You take surveys and do tasks (even earn cards by shopping online like you normally do). One thing you can do on this one is take the daily Live Sample Survey 1 and 2 DAILY! This will give you $2.00 a day in some easy money (earning you over $700 a year just from this single site). You can cash out as little as $1 on this one.
EarningStation – This one is very similar to InstaGC and is also one of the most popular sites with readers. You can do surveys and tasks to earn points for Amazon Cards. This one has a Live Sample Survey that you can do daily (in addition to the one from InstaGC) and it earns $1.50 each time you do it. So just from that one you could be earning over $500 a year from this site. Read my full EarningStation Review HERE.
SwagBucks – With this one you earn SwagBucks from doing tasks like filling out surveys or just surfing the internet. You can then redeem those SwagBucks for cash, Amazon Cards and more!
Points2Shop – Earn points by doing various activities on their website. You get 250 points just for signing up and you can redeem those immediately for prizes (or a $1 bill is 100 points). For 1,000 points you can get a $10 Amazon Card. Pretty easy to get your first free Amazon Gift Card on this one.
Opinion Outpost – This one is another reader favorite. Complete surveys and earn cash and gift cards. You can cash out as little as $5 for Amazon Cards and $10 for Paypal on this one.
Amazon Trade In – Trade in your old goods and electronics for free Amazon Gift Cards.
Toluna – Take surveys are participate in polls to earn Amazon Gift Cards with this one. In addition they also have product testing where you can try out FREE product and then keep them once you are done testing!
Bing Rewards – Earn points just for doing things like searching the internet with the Bing search engine. You can then redeem those points for free Amazon Gift Cards.
Ibotta – Most people who know of Ibotta think of it as just a cash back site, but you can also cash out with free Amazon Gift Cards on this one. Find items in the Ibotta app on promotion, if you purchase those items at your local store you can scan your receipt and get cash back, usually in less than 48 hours!
YouGov – Sign up for this one and take part in polling as well as surveys. You can earn Visa Gift Cards as well ass free Amazon gift cards. Some of these polls are even used in political polls for stations like CNN, MSNBC and more! Read my full YouGov Review HERE.
Ipsos i-Say – Sign up for this one and take surveys to earn free amazon gift cards. You can cash out on this one with as little as $5. They also occasional have product testing where you can try out free products as well.

DIY Credit Repair for FREE – Save HUNDREDS of $$$

This deal was posted on April 26, 2016 at 3:05 pm by Julie Leave a Comment

credit-repair-fb Did you know that you could save hundreds of dollars and do your own credit repair? Its really simple to do and takes no times. We have all heard the ads on TV and seen them online where you pay outrageous amounts of money for credit repair. It may be hundreds of dollars up front, or some even charge a monthly fee of $100 or more!

Skip those offers, you can do it yourself FOR FREE! You can see an improvement in your score in as little as 30-45 days as well! This is great for those looking to qualify for loans they couldn’t be before or to improve your interest rates and save you tons of money in interest. I did this myself a few years ago, and it really does work!

First check the status of your credit:

Sign up for Credit Sesame – this is a FREE website that allows you to not only see your credit now, but you will also be able to monitor it for free and see the results of the actions you are taking to improve your credit!
Sign up for your annual free credit report – everyone is entitled by law to 1 free credit report per year, this is the official site to claim your FREE annual Credit Report where you can make this request and it is completely FREE!

Okay, I have my credit report, now what?

The first thing you will want to do once you have your credit report is start checking the items on it. Is there incorrect
Proof this works!
information? Are there items that aren’t yours on it? Take note of these
Now you will want to start disputing items. Each of the credit bureaus is a little different on how they want you to send in disputes. Some allow you to do it online, others you may have to mail in a letter. Reminder: When you are filling out disputes, you will need to send a dispute to each of the credit bureaus where the items you are disputing appear. For your convenience here are some links to dispute online: Transition | Equifax | Experian

Here is how this works. By law credit reporting agencies have to verify the legitimacy about any and all items that appear on your credit report. The companies who are reporting the negative items have 30 days to reply verifying that your debt is indeed valid, if they do not reply within those 30 days the items fall off.

This is the EXACT process that credit repair agencies charge you an arm and a leg for! It takes almost no time to clean up your credit on your own. When I did this a few years back, I noticed an improvement very quickly and I was able to start securing credit offers and building up good credit!