Save Money Simply: Tips on Finding the Best Online Coupon Codes Fast

Amy's Kitchen Freebie Coupons (Photo credit: iateapie)

As you probably know by now, taking a little time to get organized can save you a lot of money. At first, activities like coupon cutting or searching for coupons online, may seem like a waste of time; but the truth is, coupons can actually cut your expenses by at least 25%, and who doesn't want to save 25% or more. That could be lunch! Haven't you seen the reality TV shows where the coupon lady ends up spending $0 amount of dollars for hundreds of dollars worth of groceries? I'm sure most of us don't want to go to that much trouble when collecting coupons, but we do want to save some money, and one of the easiest ways to do that is to use easy-to-find online coupon codes.

What Are Online Promo Codes?

These are coupons, just like the ones you find in the newspaper, but virtual. Meaning you don't have to cut them out and take them to the store. You just copy the code and place it in the coupon code box offered by the retailer where you shop. Retail businesses use these codes to promote their business and bring in more traffic.

Where Do I Find the Best Promo Codes?

According to a report offered by Good Morning America, all it takes to find substantial savings for online retail stores is a search on any of the search engines. Visit websites like Google, Yahoo, Bing or any other search engine you prefer and type in the term coupons to get a list of sites with thousands of different coupon codes.

Specific Searches

Conducting generalized searches for coupons is fun, but probably not the most practical way to search for coupon codes for a particular store. In this case, you want to be more specific in your search. For example, you might type in the name of the retailer, followed by the term coupon or promo code. So if you were looking for a discount for Target, you would search for the term, "Target promo codes," or "Target coupon codes." A large list of promo code websites will appear. Then you would click on any of these and browse through the available codes for that retailer to find the one you want.

Specific Websites

Once you realize coupon codes save you a lot of money, and don't require a lot of effort to find, you'll want to keep a few of the best coupon code websites in mind when you make future purchases. Select a few good coupon websites and bookmark them so you can access them quickly the next time you shop online.

Bottom Line

Before placing an order, make it a habit to look for a good coupon code. You may not always find one, but when available, you can save on shipping or on the overall cost of your purchase. All you have to do is find the code, copy it and paste it in the coupon box located at the retailer's website, usually on one of the checkout pages.

Jeremy S is a personal finance consultant. He shares his tips on saving money by blogging for a wide range of money and lifestyle sites. Click the link to save with Upromise.com.

Seek Investment Advice and Have a Good Plan Ready for Your Retirement

retirement (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

Maybe you have just recently entered into the workforce, and retirement seems like it's so far away. Despite this feeling of yours, it's important to seek out investment advice and start to plan for retirement. Why is this necessary so early in the game?

Knowing Your Options

One of the reasons why you should start looking into some advice is because you do may not really know what all of your options are. For example, let's say that one of the options in which you are interested requires that you start early on in your career to have a sizable amount of money for when you retire. However, if you do not look into such a plan early on, then you might not be able to get all of the benefits from it.

Backup Funds

Sometimes, situations arise in life that we really have no control over, and the only way to deal with them is to have a large sum of money. Some types of retirement funds, 401ks, for example, allow you to start working toward these types of goals right now. For example, let's say that you really needed some money a few years down the road, and you have a decent amount saved up in your 401k. You are usually able to take a loan out against yourself to get you through the situation.

Reaping the Benefits

At some point, you are probably going to retire. Even if you really love the job you have, a time may very well come when you are simply unable to do the job to the best of your ability anymore. While this time may seem to be so very far away, it is wise to start planning for it now. You do not want to reach retirement only to feel regret about the way you have handled your financial affairs. Yes, it might be a difficult way to think about the future, but at least you are being smart and being prepared.

Professional Advice

The other part of this equation is to look for professional advice as opposed to using only what is being presented in front of you. So many different possibilities exist, and it's hard to learn about all of them by yourself unless you are a professional in the field. Therefore, you really need to make this conscious effort to learn about the different possibilities that stand before you and to choose a plan that works for your situation. Certified financial planners and accountants are the people who can really help you out when it comes to sorting through all of this information and picking the best programs.

As you can clearly tell, the time to get started on a plan for your future is right now. The longer you wait, the less time you have to save up money and make an exciting and appealing retirement situation for yourself. No matter how young you are, it's never too early to start planning for the future in a smart and logical way.

Author Jason Harter is an accountant who also works in the finance department of his firm. He deals with the payout of the retirement funds, and is an expert on how to use those funds most efficiently. Jason obtained his BS in Accounting Online degree.

Confused About Retails Bonds? Learn How to Start Investing

Interest Rates (Photo credit: 401(K) 2013)

With interest rates on savings accounts still rooted to rock bottom, many people are looking for alternative places to invest their cash to get a decent return.

One such option is a retail bond. Not everyone will have heard of retail bonds and they may well sound like a complicated financial instrument but in reality are relatively straightforward. They allow the individual to control the level of risk they are exposed to.

If you think you might be interested in investing in retail bonds and want to know more, read on to find out more.

Retail bonds: the basics

A retail bond is simply a way of investing your money in a certain company, which not only returns your capital at the end of an agreed period, but also pays you interest along the way.

Cash flow can be tough for a company to raise and when it comes to growth and expansion, an injection of capital is needed. One way of getting this is to create a series of bonds that investors can buy. The company offers a guaranteed interest rate in return for the use of the cash for the agreed period. The concept really is that simple.

The amount of interest offered will depend on the size and stability of the company. Large organisations such as Tesco might offer bonds with an interest rate of around 5-6% whilst a smaller, less secure business might have to give an investor around 10% in order to be sufficiently attractive. As a general rule, the higher the rate of interest, the more risky the investment is.

How do I buy a bond?

If you already have an investment portfolio, the chances are that you have either a wealth manager or a stockbroker who executes deals on your behalf. They will be able to purchase a retail bond upon your instructions.

If you are new to investing, it is possible to set up an account with a stockbroker on an 'execution only' basis, which means you will not be receiving advice or management services. This will be the cheapest way for you to get your foot onto the ladder.

When you are ready to purchase your bond, there are several factors you need to ensure you have carefully considered. How long you want your money to remain invested for, the level of risk you are willing to accept and the return you are hoping to receive are all key and will help to determine your choice of company to purchase the retail bond from.

Once you think you may have identified a suitable target - research, research, research. A company that offers a higher interest rate will be at a greater risk of going bust or defaulting on the debt, so think very carefully before ploughing your money in.

To summarise, retail bonds are very accessible to the general public even though they may not be the most well-known way to invest. However, with detailed planning, research and clear goals, it is possible to secure a much better return on your money than with a bank.

Samantha Wood is an experienced finance writer but wishes she had more money to invest. To keep up to date with the latest opportunities and news, Samantha uses sources such as Investing In Retail Bonds.  

Top 10 Tax Tips For The Self-Employed

(Photo credit: patrick h. lauke)

Self-employment is a tough road to go down, but luckily there are a few things that you can benefit from. Self-employed individuals will have a different tax status to those who are employed by someone else. As a result, you are going to want to take a look at your taxes and see what you can do when it comes to making the most out of your situation.

Determine Your Net Income

Your net income is the income that you receive after all of your business expenses have been deducted. This can be done after a year of working to determine what you are most likely to earn.

Keep a Record

Make sure to keep a record of everything that you earn. Knowing how much you earned every week or month will allow you to figure out the proper rate at which you will be taxed.

Calculate Estimated Tax

Try to determine what percentage of your tax you are going to have to pay. Deduct this from your net income and you will have an idea of how much you owe.

Expenses for the Home Office

If you have a home office, then you will be able to make it a tax-deductible business expense. Remember that you are not able to deduct more than your net business profit.

Get an Accountant

Having someone to take a look over all of your expenses is a great thing. On top of this, you can also deduct what you pay from your accountant as a business expense.

Remember to Report

Making over $600 from a client means that you are going to have to report it to the IRS. When this happens, your client is going to give you a 1099-Misc.

Set Up a Separate Account

Get a separate account where you will be able to put all of your estimated taxes in. This is much easier than scraping for the money at the end of the year.

Keep a Track of All Business Expenses

Business expenses can include anything that you use in order to carry out your business. These can include your computer, your desk, your phone and your Internet connection. Make sure to keep a track of everything in this regard.

Remember to Pay Quarterly

You do not pay your taxes on a yearly basis. Instead, you pay every quarter of the year. This means you have to make sure that you have everything organized.

Keep Everything Together

Get files for all of the necessary expenses and tax records that you are going to need. Organizing all of this properly will ensure that you know what is going on when the time comes to pay.

Being self-employed can be difficult for many reasons, but it is always a good idea to keep on top of your tax returns. There are a number of things that you can also do for tax relief, so make sure to take advantage of them if you can. This way, you can ensure that you make the most out of being self-employed.

If you are interested in more tax relief tips, the author recommends you visit OptimaTaxRelief.com