#the newspaper runs in each region. one of the most trusted physical print sources to this day

[rockabell-chime]

i don't really have... anything to say this time. celestic's been considering getting a newspaper -there's an abra delivery thing, custom contacts- and we're sure there's a way we can get the league to pay for it. rehabilitation and all that. knowing more about current-day society will be a start

[lacrossecouponing-blog]

Introduction to Couponing

So, you live in La Crosse and you’re interested in couponing. I don’t blame you. You can literally clear a shelf of its products and get paid to do so. You can create a stockpile that will last you months, even years, for a fraction of the regular cost. You can set your family up for success. You will never run out of toilet paper, toothpaste or body wash again.

However, you don’t have the slightest idea of where to begin. Trust me, you’re not alone. Every couponer has gone through an awkward learning phase. When I started couponing in January, I had no idea what I was doing. I made all of the mistakes you possibly could. And I still make mistakes.

The overall purpose of this blog is to help others save money through couponing. I have had plenty of family and friends ask me to teach them how to coupon, but it takes much more than a verbal explanation. It takes practice, patience and research.

This blog post will help you understand the very basics of couponing so you can start the learning process. Read the following points below to start your couponing journey. Notice that it gets complicated quickly, but the best way to learn couponing is to muddle through a few deals until you get the swing of things. Let’s begin:

0. Couponers Can -- and Should -- Give Back

Before I even start teaching you how to coupon, we need to get one thing crystal clear. Couponing is a great way to stockpile and prepare yourself. It is not, however, an excuse to be selfish. I have heard of couponers throwing away hundreds of tubes of toothpaste because they expired. That should not happen.

Couponing enables you to give back to the community. For me, because I’m on a tight college budget, I struggle to find ways to give back. But through couponing, I’ve been able to donate much needed items to much deserving organizations, such as New Horizons and the Coulee Region Humane Society. Always keep in mind what you can do for others with your new knowledge of couponing.

1. It’s not like TLC’s “Extreme Couponing”

If you’ve ever seen the show, please understand that real life couponing is nothing like that. You will never spend 4 hours in a store pushing 6 carts. Even if you find yourself in a scenario where that’s possible, I don’t recommend it. You’ll end up messing something up at the register, annoying the employees and those behind you in line, and looking like a crazy person.

On a good day, I’ll get $100 worth of merchandise for $5, not $1,200 for $.02 like in the show.

2. Store’s Don’t Just Give Stuff Away

You’re never going to come across a store that will automatically give you free or cheap stuff. They will never advertise the potential to get merchandise for free. Additionally, you will rarely come across “easy” deals that get you free stuff with a single coupon. Instead, the good deals happen when you combine a sales promotion with coupons, points, and rebates. More on that later.

3. In La Crosse, Walgreen’s is King

I’ve had success couponing at Target and Walmart, but nothing beats Walgreen’s. Other areas of the country have CVS, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous. CVS has incredible deals that are usually a hair better than Walgreen’s. La Crosse simply doesn’t have CVS, so I would ignore those deals and focus on Walgreen’s.

That said, most of this blog will be about couponing at Walgreen’s. We have 4 Walgreen’s in the area: Hwy 16, West Ave, Mormon Coulee Rd and Rose St. If I find a good deal at Walmart or Target, I will be sure to post that on one of my social media platforms, so be sure to follow me!

4. Deals Come and Go Weekly

Most of the deals are Sunday to Sunday. This is because, as I mentioned earlier, to get a good deal, you must layer coupons, rebates, points, etc on top of the sales that stores are having. And most stores sales last for a week. Understand that to keep up with the deals you must do your research and get organized on a weekly basis.

Deals on certain items come and go, so you don’t want to wait. For example, I recently scored a pile of makeup for about $5, but I might not see another deal on that makeup for 3 months.

Also, be prepared to hit Walgreens early on Sunday, especially for the hot deals. You’re not the only couponer in town.

5. Sign Up for Walgreen’s “Card”

Like I said, Walgreen’s is where 90% of your couponing will happen. It’s IMPERATIVE that you sign up for a Walgreen’s Balance Rewards Card here. When you shop at Walgreens, 99% of the sales will be posted “with card.” That means that without the card you might as well stay home. The card is table stakes, so get one! 

In addition to getting the sale price, the card is how you earn points. More on points later, but they are extremely important in the couponing world. Long story short, you can earn points and use them on later transactions. Points are practically cash.

P.S. - Although Walgreen’s calls it a “card,” it’s attached to your phone number, so don’t worry about the physical card. Just make sure you enter your phone number every time you check out at the register.

P.P.S. – Download the Walgreen’s app on your phone. It’s extremely useful to see what’s in stock, look at the weekly ad, see how many points you have and clip digital coupons.

6. Follow Social Media Pages

Believe it or not, there are people who make a living through couponing. Not only do they go out and get stuff for free, they also manage social pages to help others coupon. These social pages help them earn money through ad revenue.

These folks will do the heavy lifting each week. They track down the deals, coupons and other specifics into “matchups.” That way you don’t’ have to think about it at all. All you have to do is get your coupons organized, go to the store and get the deals! Here is an example of a coupon matchup video created by Running Kimono for May 20-26. These couponing experts typically post the matchups a few days before Sunday so you can get organized.

The following are a few pages and channels I recommend that you follow:

Savy Coupon Shopper (YouTube) Running Kimono (YouTube) Hillary Hok (YouTube)

Couponing at Walgreens (Facebook) Walgreens Couponing (Facebook)

I prefer YouTube videos because the deals are personable and detailed. If you’re serious about couponing, I cannot stress how important it is to follow these pages and familiarize yourself. These people know way more than I do and have the patience to hunt down deals for us each week.

7. The Sources of Coupons

When you think of coupons, you might think of your standard paper coupons that you get in the newspaper. Although that’s one type of coupon, there’s so much more to it. I personally do not purchase the Sunday paper because it’s $4.00 and the point of couponing is to save money. However, my dad does get the Sunday paper, so I make sure to get the coupons from his paper if I need them. Thanks dad! Here’s a list of different ways to acquire coupons:

• The Sunday Paper (not recommended) • Walgreen’s Digital Coupons – these are coupons that Walgreen’s offers in their app. I personally find them to be confusing and sometimes they don’t work; however, I’ll use them occasionally. • Printing Coupons from Various Sources, Mostly coupons.com - you’ll be allowed two prints per coupon, per device. This is my primary source of coupons. Although you must invest in a printer and ink, it’s well worth it.  • Bulk Purchasing Individual Coupons from Klip2Save – this is a great way to get a ton of coupons for those hot deals. Instead of spending $20 on multiple copies of the paper, I spent about $3 (with shipping) to get exactly what I need. This takes much more planning and patience, since you have to wait half a week to get the coupons, but it’s worth it. I don’t know where this company gets the coupons, but it works and it’s legit. 

8. Points = CASH

Just like the heading says, points are equivalent to cash in most couponers minds. That said, 1,000 points is equivalent to $1.00. Walgreen’s also offers a better value for your points when you get a higher value, more on that here. For example, 40,000 points is equal to $50. But most couponers stick to the general rule of thumb, which is 1,000 points=$1. Cash money.

Let’s say you purchase a tube of toothpaste for $2.99 and you earn 2,000 points. In a couponers mind, you got that tube of toothpaste for $.99 after points. On your next transaction, you can use those points to pay. And as couponers, of course there will be another transaction.

As if this isn’t already confusing enough, there are a couple other rules you MUST understand about points. If a deal states that you must SPEND money to get points, you CANNOT use points to pay. If a deal states that you must BUY a certain quantity of items to earn points, you CAN use points to pay. Yes, that was confusing, but trust me, it’ll make much more sense once you practice.

I hope that this initial blog post gave you a good introduction to couponing in the La Crosse Area. If you have any questions, leave them in a comment below or on any of my social pages. Couponing is my favorite hobby. It’s addicting and it enables positive change in my life and in others. I genuinely hope that you try it out.

Next week, we will take a more detailed look at rebates and rewards. Until then, happy couponing!

#MKT400UWL

[intomyarmsmp3]

Discover Top Secret Real Estate Marketing Ideas You Never Knew

Attracting homebuyers and home sellers to look and purchase your possessions, and to record their homes available with you're becoming harder and harder. The real estate business is quite competitive and it's becoming harder for agents to compete and stick out above the rest. 

The brokers and real estate companies that stand out most are innovative in their property marketing ideas. The ideal place to begin with real estate marketing ideas is look at what other successful companies are doing.

Here are a couple different things you can do this you might find beneficial. 

One idea you should consider is people like something physical to hold on to and look at. They love colour and information. When using newspaper, you're restricted on the amount of space you can use to efficiently characterize properties. Using color postcards or brochures that explain your listings may be one way to advertise your listings. 

Another notion of boosting your house listings is the internet. The internet is popular because it enables people to become interactive and discuss information. If you do not have a site or haven't done a virtual tour for some of your listings, you might choose to spend time exploring this strategy to advertise your property company. 

Virtual tours are given by businesses who provide a service to real estate professionals. These companies won't only help you create quality videos of the interior and exterior of houses, but they'll also help you to get the best search engine visitors. They will also provide you with exposure from market real estate sites online. 

The beauty about movies is possible buyers on the market for houses will save them, download them, share them with family and friends and refer back to them whenever they need to. Incorporating tools on your site, such as mortgage calculators, community information, schools and churches in the region, will make your site useful to people who visit. You will produce a resource for people to access at anytime. 

This keeps potential buyers constantly coming back. Internet video marketing isn't only ideal for showcasing houses, but a growing number of folks are using the videos to market themselves personally. This is a fantastic way to show your personality, build rapport with your audience, explain the benefits of your service, and express a call to action.

This helps create trust and loyalty. Anywhere you market online, include links to a particular property or possessions and your site. Have something of interest which will encourage visitors to leave their email address for additional communication via email and other marketing opportunities. You are able to tailor a message for users to register for a free market analysis or house tour. This will surely get your foot in the door. 

Another one could be, sign up to receive future notices of listings that are similar. There are hundreds of approaches to create effective property marketing ideas and start them to maximize your results. These are a few of the basic measures you can take. If you do further research online, you'll discover a good deal of creative ways to boost earnings and begin moving those listings.

Real Estate Marketing Ideas - Some Must Know Facts

Real estate is one of those booming markets and a high number of individuals really like to spend their money in this market so as to make some quick gains. If you're planning to buy a dream home for you and your loved ones, then you must think about investing money in this market.

You could even reproduce money with the aid of numerous property property deals. If you would like to enjoy adequate cash flow, then you want to start with the actual estate marketing. It's truly among the greatest ideas by which you can add success to your house prices. The majority of the individuals don't know the ideal manner of marketing. 

Well, I would love to inform you that there are specific steps that you will need to follow in this respect or else you may end up on the losing side. Now, I will go over about some of the greatest marketing tips and ideas. You want to pay appropriate attention to each of the points listed below. They could be of excellent support and advice to you. 

1. All of us know that each of the successful agents like to spend the majority of their working hours in selling a number of property deals and offers. You want to employ some effective property marketing tips and ideas on the net. Marketing is really an established strategy which really combines some print and online media so as to reel a great number of transactions.

2. An effective realtor could be sourced easily in addition to locally. You will need to learn some offline sales methods so you can reach to the local audience in an effective and efficient way. It's possible to run some open house sessions throughout the weekends. It can actually assist you in meeting with some potential customers in a proficient manner. If you're setting up a store, then offline sales approaches can prove to be quite beneficial to you. 

3. You could even advertise about your possessions with the support of testimonials. They are the very best tools by which you can market your property deals. 

4. There are a number of ideas regarding property marketing. You may just place brochures or flyers at a number of the neighborhood shopping centre bulletin boards. You may also write articles for the regional books and distribute them in social events. I am positive you would have the ability to expand your real estate business at a proficient manner with the support of offline marketing methods. 

Well, these are some of the finest real estate marketing ideas by which you may market various property deals in a simple yet effective method. If you're facing any sort of problem, then you can seek the aid of trained and experienced real estate marketers.