Feeling the pinch

This economy is in bad shape and if you haven't lost your own job you probably know someone who has. My husband and I are certainly feeling the pinch and looking for ways to stretch our dollar further.

I know you're all capable of doing your own google search for coupons and deals, but I thought I'd do some of the work for you and let you know about some helpful websites for finding good deals and saving money.

Swagbucks.com is a search engine that allows you to earn bucks simply for searching the internet! You can then use your accumulated bucks to buy gift cards for places like Amazon, Target, Barnes and Noble, iTunes, Starbucks, and many more.

Ebates.com allows you to earn cash back by buying from tons of online stores through their website. I believe you get $5 just for signing up. I've earned $39.24 by making a few purchases through Ebates! That's real money! Yessss!

Mr. Rebates is similar to Ebates. My friend Becca shared this one with me. =) You earn cash back by making online purchases at more than 1,000 stores through their website. You also get a $5 bonus just for signing up. It's a no brainer! If you're going to make the purchase anyway, why not see if you can do it through either Ebates or Mr. Rebates and get a little money back???

Baby Cheapskate lists all the best baby sales online. And they have a quick link to the week's best diaper and formula deals.

BabySteals.com offers one deal a day. The products are often offered at 50% off or more and sometimes sell out fast. You can also get on their email list to be notified about each new deal.

MamaBargains.com is similar to Baby Steals. A daily deal at a nice discount.

The Freebie Blogger lets you know how to get your hands on tons of FREE things. Lots of it is junk, but once in awhile I find a treasure - like a really great coupon or something. This site also lets you know about the weekly deals at Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid.

Pinching Your Pennies lets you look up stores in your area and lists items that are on sale.

Never Pay Retail Again has miscellaneous coupons, deals and free stuff.

And finally, Retail Me Not has coupon codes for online purchases. I wanted to buy a few things from Gymboree and searched for a coupon at Retail Me Not. I found a 20% off coupon code and saved several dollars on my purchase! The only downside is that there are lots of expired coupons so it can be hit or miss.

Happy St. Patty's day!