Good Deals and Smart Steals

Saving money is always on a mom's mind, but now more so than ever. But instead of thinking gloom and doom, we moms like to put a positive spin on it and make it into a game. Last night I attended a class on how to make the most of your coupons and shave more than 50% off your grocery bill. The enthusiastic woman who taught it shared her strategies for not only saving money, but for possibly even making some. She has a great tale about how she was able to walk away from Kroger with more than 10 Glade Plug-Ins in hand and $58 in her pocket. That's right, she made money on the deal by combining coupons and in-store promotions, and ended up getting paid to shop!

We can't all be so lucky with our deals, but having some insight on how to come out a winner never hurt. Good Housekeeping's new book, Good Deals & Smart Steals: How to Save Money on Everything can help give you a little help, though. With smart tips and advice for saving money on just about everything, they'll help you to make the most of your coupons, give you tips on buying and selling your car, and bargain shopping tips in general. But it goes well beyond that to give you money-saving tips for when things break. If your daughter's iPod freezes up, don't automatically rush out and buy a new one. Good Deals & Smart Steals recommends that you do a Google search for "my iPod froze" - you'll proabably be directed to a site called werty.com that offers some sound advice for resuscitating your iPod, saving you upwards of $300. Now that's a great deal!

Good Deals & Smart Steals is a handy, pocket-sized tome that will help you shop smarter, become a better negotiator and become a more informed consumer. The experts at Good Housekeeping Research Institute (yes, there is such a thing) have come together to arm you with invaluable advice that will enable you to make every purchase a bargain - from planning buying your makeup to planning your next vacation. Using the advice in this book is sure to save you much, much more than the $9.95 price tag. Happy bargain hunting!