Savings.com Blog - WiscoVixen

Black Friday Twitter Party: Monday, November 21st

WiscoVixen — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 14:57:00 GMT

Here at Savings.com, we love a good Twitter party. We've been involved with quite a few great ones to date, and we think our upcoming Black Friday Twitter party is going to be pretty epic. Sixteen of the DealPros are onboard to cohost and talk all things Black Friday. Plus, we've got some great prizes lined up!

If you're not familiar with Twitter parties, here's the deal:

We'll all hop on Twitter at 6PM PT/9PM ET on Monday, November 21st for one hour to talk about all things Black Friday. @savings will send out ten questions about Black Friday over that one hour, and all you need to do is reply and discuss with the other folks attending the party. We'll be choosing and announcing prize winners intermittently throughout the party, and you must be RSVPed (do so below) in order to be eligible.

So, what are these great prizes you ask? Well, here's what we're looking at so far: one $50 AmEx gift card, one $100 AmEx gift card, and the grand prize...one $250 AmEx gift card! Think of these prizes as little gifts from Savings.com to help you make the most out of the Black Friday tips and tricks you'll learn during the party!

Update: We just got a whole bunch of new prizes for the Twitter party from our great merchant partners!
TimeToSpa - $50 gift card
Bliss - $50 gift card
The Body Shop - Cranberry Joy Body & Lip Care Collection ($45)
HMX Group - Bobby Jones Classic Hybrid Golf Club ($64.99)
Jimmy Jazz - $50 gift card
AllSaints - Shianne Ballerina flats ($130, winner picks the size)
KarmaLoop - $25 gift card

There are a couple of things you need to do before the party starts. First of all, RSVP using the form below. As I mentioned, you need to RSVP in order to be eligible to win. Second, please follow @savings on Twitter. We'll be sending out all the questions and all of the prize announcements. Finally, please follow all of our awesome DealPro co-hosts! They'll be sharing their Black Friday know-how with you all, and you most certainly won't want to miss a word of it!

Here they are:

Holly from iGoBOGO.com - @iGoBOGO
Merissa from LittleHouseLiving.com - @LHLiving
Mindi from MomsNeedToKnow.com - @MindiCherry
Laura from AFrugalChick.com - @AFrugalChick
Alissa from FunFindsForFamilies.com - @funfinds4fams
Kristie from SavingDollarsandSense.com - @sawickis
Jaime from CouponsAndFreebiesMom.com - @CouponsFreebie
Lisa from SmartSpendingSpot.com - @SmartSpendSpot
Maria from ASavingsWow.com - @maritramos
Aimee from TheCouponDiva.com - @thecoupondiva
Courtney from MyCrazySavings.com - @MyCrazySavings
Kristin from CouponScribbles.com - @KristinPeoples
Mitchell from FrugalFinders.com - @frugalfinders
Shannon from CouponPrincess.net - @couponprincess
Brittany from ThePrudentPatron.com - @PrudentPatron
Melissa from ConsumerQueen.com - @ConsumerQueen
Andrew from MoneyCrashers.com - @moneycrashers

Be sure to create a Twitter search for #BFSAVINGS...that's where all the digital action is going to happen. Or if you like, use this TweetGrid that's pre-populated with everything you need.

* To RVSP, enter your Twitter handle (example: @savings) where it says "Link Title," your email address and Twitter account URL (example: http://www.twitter.com/savings).Add a Comment

Highlights & Red Carpet Action from Save Up '11: NYC

WiscoVixen — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 21:57:00 GMT

Last month, 41 of the world's savviest shoppers (Yes..."the world's!" We had two attendees from the UK!), the DealPros, came together in New York City for our third annual Save Up conference. We spent a couple of days discussing blogging best practices and learning about the state of the coupon industry all in an effort to help you, the consumer, save more money!

To get a sense of what the event was like overall and of how important the DealPros are to Savings.com, check out the Save Up '11 Highlight Video!

It wasn't all work though...we made sure to show our DealPros one heck of a time! In addition to a sightseeing tour of NYC, we also hosted a red carpet cocktail party at Bar Basque. While there, yours truly talked with some of the DealPros to find out about the frugal fashions they were rocking for the event. Check out the Red Carpet video below!

Save Up was so much fun, and we simply can't wait to get started on Save Up '12!Add a Comment

Save Up '11 Twitter Party & Livestreaming Event

WiscoVixen — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:59:00 GMT

In just over a week the savviest savers in the country (and in the world, actually) will be attending the third annual Save Up conference in New York City. We've been planning and anticipating Save Up '11 for months and months, and we can't wait to get to the city and to kick this exciting event off with our DealPros!

The two day conference will largely consist of educational sessions for the DealPros, who are professional deal and personal finance bloggers. We also want to host a couple of sessions that aren't just of value for the DealPros, but that would also provide value to anyone who's interested in saving money and leading a more frugal lifestyle.

On Thursday, October 13th at 3:15PM ET, we'll be live streaming a grocery couponing class from Save Up, taught by Jenny Martin, owner and blogger at Southern Savers! Jenny teaches couponing classes across the country, and this is your opportunity to learn grocery couponing tips from a master couponer right from the comfort of your home! You'll also have the opportunity to ask all of the DealPros your grocery shopping questions live via Twitter! Just tweet your questions to #SU11 starting at 3:15PM ET.

In addition to Jenny's couponing class, we'll also be live streaming a session being led by a few DealPro contributors about their Savings Stories and about how they started on their path to living a more frugal, saving-focused lifestyle. At 4:15PM ET on the 13th, Donna Freedman of Surviving & Thriving, Andrea Deckard of Savings Lifestyle and Paul & Tiffany Ivanovsky of I Heart the Mart and My Litter will share their inspirational stories with the Save Up attendees and with online viewers.

In preparation for Save Up, and these live streaming sessions in particular, Savings.com and the DealPros are going to host a Twitter party on Wednesday, October 5th at 9PM ET/6PM PT, on the topic of living a more saving-focused lifestyle. To get involved, follow @savings and use hashtag #SU11. We'll be giving away a few prizes during the party, including some highly coveted Savings.com mugs, a $50 American Express gift card and a $150 American Express gift card.

To be eligible to win the prizes, please RSVP via the form below with your Twitter handle. We'll be choosing winners sporadically during the Twitter party (and verifying that they've RSVPed to the list below), so be sure to tune in for the whole thing for your chance to win!

As if the Twitter party prizes weren't enough, we'll also be giving away a grand prize at the end of the 4:15PM ET live streaming session. What is this magical grand prize, you ask? It's a brand new 16GB iPad 2!

To be eligible to win this prize, RSVP on the Save Up Livestreaming event page on Facebook. We'll be choosing one winner from the RSVPed list of attendees (and verifying that that person attended the session on Ustream.tv), and we'll announce the winner at 5PM ET via Ustream and Twitter.

We look forward to hanging out with you on Twitter later this week, and we can't wait to have you tune in and join us at Save Up '11 in NYC!

Add a Comment

Community Contest: Get Involved & Win $250!

WiscoVixen — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 19:56:00 GMT

My teammate Adi announced yesterday that we've got some exciting new community features launching on Savings.com today. In fact, they launched just about an hour ago! If you've been participating in the Savings.com community for a while now, you'll definitely want to check out your profile page…you'll see some exciting new additions!

In honor of the launch of our new badges, we're hosting a contest for our community. Over the next week, we'll be keeping tabs on the activities being contributed by our community members, and the person who completes the most activities by the end of the day next Thursday, September 1st will receive a $250 American Express gift card! Plus anyone who completes at least five activities will be entered in a drawing to win one of two $100 American Express gift cards!

Here's a rundown of the things you can do to enter:

Comment on a blog post, store page, deal or forum post.
Submit a forum post.
Submit a forum reply.

We'll announce the winners next Friday morning, so keep an eye out!

Our goal in hosting this contest is to help kickstart our new and improved money-saving community, so please only submit posts, replies and comments if they're truly helpful to your fellow community members. We'll be keeping an eye on the helpfulness of the things submitted by top contributors, so please make your contributions useful and relevant!

Good luck, everyone!Add a Comment

Here's Who's Going to Save Up 2011 in NYC

WiscoVixen — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:56:00 GMT

^{Image by laverrue via Flickr}

Today we're proud to announce the lucky attendees for the third annual Save Up conference taking place October 12 - 14 in New York City. This elite group of the nation's top money saving experts will come together at this one of a kind event which offers educational workshops, dynamic speakers and opportunities for networking and collaboration.

Savings.com and its DealPro community have been collaborating on the Savings Pledge, a movement to help America save $1 billion. As a part of this campaign, the DealPros detailed their own Savings Pledge stories on their sites and contributed content to the Savings.com blog geared toward helping pledge takers achieve their saving goals.

The Save Up conference will provide the DealPros additional opportunities for creating more momentum with regard to the Savings Pledge and ways to inspire their readers to make a commitment to spending smarter on the things they need in order to afford the things they want.

We're delighted to be able to bring these 46 top savings experts from the Web together in one room as what we do at Save Up will build the foundation for the most vibrant money-saving community around.

This year's Save Up attendees are:

Merissa Alink, Little House on the Prairie Living
Alissa Boyle, Fun Finds for Families
Aimee Brittain, The Coupon Diva
Amanda Carlisle, A Few ShortCuts
Briana Carter, Bargain Briana
Mindi Cherry, Moms Need to Know
Crystal Collins, The Thrifty Mama
Andrea Deckard, Savings Lifestyle
Shellie Deringer, Saving with Shellie
Claire Diaz Ortiz, Saving Money Plan
Donna Freedman, Surviving and Thriving
Melissa Garcia, Consumer Queen
Alison Gary, Wardrobe Oxygen
Deidre Gunnels, Cuckoo for Coupon Deals
Charlene Haugsven, My Frugal Adventures
Heather Hernandez, Freebies4Moms
Rachel Holland, Surviving the Stores
Erin Huffstetler, About.com Frugal Living
Jasmine Idley, Dealicious Finds
Paul Ivanovsky, I Heart the Mart
Tiffany Ivanovsky, My Litter
Melissa Jennings, Stockpiling Moms
Mir Kamin, Want Not
Lisa LIghtner, Smart Spending Spot
Jenny Martin, Southern Savers
Alex and Cassie Michael, The Thrifty Couple
Ashley Nuzzo, Frugal Coupon Living
Laura Oliver, A Frugal Chick
Kristin Peoples, Coupon Scribbles
Brittany Ramos, The Prudent Patron
Marcy Robinson, Stretching a Buck
Amber Rutledge, Coupon Cutie
Jennie Sanford, Bargain Blessings
Kristie Sawicki, Saving Dollars and Sense
Heather Schisler, Passion for Savings
Jen Schmidt, Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Shannon Snow, Coupon Princess
Courtney Solstad, My Crazy Savings
Ruth Soukup, Living Well, Spending Less
Holly Syx, IGoBOGO
Ashley Thompson, NorCal Coupon Gal
Maria Tiongco Ramos, A Savings WOW!
Kelly Whalen, The Centsible Life
Mitchell Wischmann, Frugal Finders
Dana Zeliff, The Coupon Challenge

Congrats to all the attendees! We're looking forward to seeing you in NYC come October.Add a Comment

Twitter Party: HP TouchPad Giveaway

WiscoVixen — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 19:57:00 GMT

Tablets…they're all the rage these days! If you've watched any TV in the last couple of weeks, you've no doubt been introduced to the HP TouchPad tablet with commercials featuring Russell Brand and Lea Michelle.

The commercials have certainly piqued my interest!

How'd you like to hear a bit about HP TouchPads from real folks who've tested them out and who've shared their honest thoughts about them in posts on their blogs? If this sounds up your alley, then you're in luck!

HP has given five of the Savings.com DealPros a TouchPad to test and one to giveaway. These five DealPros will be co-hosting a Twitter party tomorrow night at 6PM PT/ 9PM ET, with discussion focusing around the new tablet. Twitter party attendees who RSVP at the bottom of this post will even have an opportunity to win an HP TouchPad.

If you're interested in joining the conversation, please RSVP below, and be sure to follow all of the other attendees and co-hosts! Only attendees who've RSVPed on this blog post will be eligible to win the HP TouchPad during tomorrow night's party!

And to get a little bit of background on the HP's entry into the tablet arena before tomorrow night's party, be sure to check out the DealPro posts below to read their reviews…oh, and you can enter to win an HP TouchPad on each of their blogs as well!

Mir's Review from WantNot.net, @wantnot

Mindi's Review from MomsNeedtoKnow.com, @mindicherry

Jenny's Review from SouthernSavers.com, @SouthernSavers

Jasmine's Review from DealiciousFinds.com, @DEALiciousFinds

Melissa's Review from ConsumerQueen.com, @ConsumerQueen

Add a Comment

Meet the 2011 DealPros and Take the Savings Pledge!

WiscoVixen — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:57:00 GMT

Here at Savings.com, we're proud to announce a new initiative to help consumers save $1 billion: the Savings Pledge. To achieve this goal, we've enlisted the assistance of 53 of the savviest savers in America who have been selected to join our elite community of experts as the official 2011 DealPros. The DealPros will join forces with Savings.com to help our users save $1 billion by providing expert shopping advice, access to the very best deals available and a new Savings Pledge launching tomorrow on Facebook.

Savings.com has helped Americans save more than $200 million to date, but we aren't stopping there--we want to reach $1 billion. We're welcoming an amazing team of 2011 DealPros who will help our users throughout their savings journeys, and it all starts with our newly launched Savings Pledge.

We are encouraging you to join this movement by taking the Savings Pledge on the our Facebook page to make a commitment about being smarter with your money. When you take the pledge, you specify the amount of money you plan to save weekly, how you plan to attain that goal and what you are saving for. It's not about scrimping and sacrificing--it's about being smart about spending money on the things you need in order to be able to afford the things you want. Whether it's a down payment on a house, dream vacation, or new iPad 2, we want to provide users with the tips and tools necessary to achieve their goals.

To help you keep your pledge, you'll receive ongoing expert advice and tips from the 2011 DealPros via your Facebook news feed and right here on the blog. In addition, five randomly selected consumers from the first 500 people to take the pledge will win a one-on-one, personalized advice session with a 2011 DealPro.

We'll also be celebrating key milestones (e.g., $100k of savings pledged, $500k of savings pledged) by offering special, exclusive deals to people who take the pledge.

The 2011 DealPros include:

Amber Bustanoby of Coupon Connections
Andrew Schrage of Money Crashers
Alex and Cassie Michael of The Thrifty Couple
Ashley Nuzzo of FrugalCouponLiving
Ashley Thompson of NorCalCouponGal
Brandi Savitt and Stephanie Berenbaum of Fabulous & Frugal
Briana Carter of Bargain Briana
Brittany Ramos of The Prudent Patron
Claire Diaz Ortiz of Saving Money Plan
Crystal Collins of The Thrifty Mama
Deidre Gunnels of Cuckoo for Coupon Deals
Donna Freedman of Surviving and Thriving
Erin Chase of $5 Dinners
Erin Gifford of Coupon Cravings
Erin Huffstetler of About.com Frugal Living
Heather Schisler of Passion for Savings
Daniel and Melissa Garcia of ConsumerQueen.com
Holly Syx of IGoBOGO
Jasmine Idley of DEALicious Finds
Jen Schmidt of Balancing Beauty and Bedlam
Jennie Sanford of Bargain Blessings
Jenny Martin of Southern Savers
Jessica Killion of This Frugal Life
Kelly Hancock of Faithful Provisions
Kelly Whalen of the ¢entsible Life
Keri Lyn Renner of $heSaved
Kristin Peoples of Coupon Scribbles
Laura Oliver of A Frugal Chick
Maria Tiangco Ramos of A Savings WOW!
Merissa Alink of Little House on the Prairie Living
Mindi Cherry of Moms Need To Know
Mir Kamin of Want Not
Mitchell Wischmann of Frugal Finders
Paul Ivanovsky of I Heart The Mart
Penny Ray of Ballers on Budgets
Rachel Holland of Surviving the Stores
Rick Broida of CNET's The Cheapskate
Shannon Snow of Coupon Princess
Shellie Deringer of Saving with Shellie
Tiffany Ivanovsky of MyLitter.com
Alissa Boyle of Fun Finds for Families
Charlene Haugsven of My Frugal Adventures
Andrea Deckard of Savings Lifestyle
Amanda Carlisle of A Few ShortCuts
Melissa Jennings of Stockpiling Moms
Marcy Robinson of Stretching a Buck
Ruth Soukup of Living Well Spending Less and Saving Well Spending Less
Tiffany Towns of Frugally Fabulous
Dana Zeliff of The Coupon Challenge
Alison Gary of Wardrobe Oxygen
Kristie Sawicki of Saving Dollars and Sense
Courtney Solstad of My Crazy Savings
Aimee Brittain of The Coupon Diva
Lisa Lightner of Smart Spending Spot

Check out their blogs, follow them on Savings.com and stay tuned to the Blog & Save for smart shopping advice and money saving tips from the DealPros. Add a Comment

Savings.com Heats Up Summer Solstice with Can't Miss Travel Deals

WiscoVixen — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 15:56:00 GMT

^{Image by ShedBOy^ via Flickr}

On June 21st, we're kicking off the summer season with exclusive travel deals with our first official Savings.com Travel Spotlight. Users can visit our dedicated Travel Spotlight page to check out the very best deals on summer travel, enter to win an ultimate vacation package giveaway valued at $2,500 and interact with the Savings.com Travel DealPros to get tips and advice on how to get the most for their money this summer travel season.

While the economy and gas prices are having an impact on daily life, they aren't going to keep people home. Our research shows that this year, more than 80% of consumers plan to take a summer vacation and finding a good deal on hotels, rental cars, flights and attractions is the most important factor for more than 40% of vacationers. That is why we created this event to kick off summer and give our community a one-stop destination to get all the best travel deals and advice on the Web.

Some of the limited time offers and promotions shoppers will find include:

An ultimate vacation package giveaway valued at $2,500
40% off LonelyPlanet.com - The ultimate guidebook whether road tripping or heading overseas
30% off on select travel accessories at Magellan's
$50 off at bedandbreakfast.com - A comprehensive worldwide listing of bed and breakfasts, country inns, lodges, and more

In addition, visitors to Savings.com on June 21st can participate in a live Q & A with Savings.com DealPros, Savings.com's elite team of savvy shopping experts and bloggers. Shoppers can ask their burning travel questions and receive expert tips and advice on how to save this summer and get the best deals.

For those unable to participate in the live Q & A, the Savings.com Answers page is another great resource to ask a question about travel-related deals and receive high-quality answers and relevant coupon codes from Savings.com. In addition, DealPros will be posting their best travel tips here on the Blog & Save next Tuesday.

Plus on June 20th from 9-10 pm EDT, Traveling Mom will be hosting a Twitter party sponsored by @savings. Follow @travelingmoms on Twitter to participate and perhaps win one of four fun prizes.

Having fun this summer doesn't mean having to spend tons of money. By taking advantage of the right deals and seeking advice from experts like our DealPros, you can get all the resources you need to help you enjoy your summer vacation while staying on budget.Add a Comment

Announcing Exclusive Father's Day 2011 Deals!

WiscoVixen — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 18:55:00 GMT

^{Image by {-Maria-} via Flickr}

With Father's Day only weeks away, we are proud to offer the hottest exclusive deals on the web. Shoppers can save on gifts for dad by visiting our dedicated Father's Day deals section and browsing deals from a variety of popular retailers such as Sports Authority, Home Depot, Barnes and Noble and many more.

Last year, Savings.com helped consumers save over $600,000 in the major Father's Day shopping categories. We saw an increase in coupon redemption in areas such as men's apparel (40%), computer accessories (50%), electronics (30%) and books, music, and video (25%). This year, we hope to exceed those numbers by offering the very best deals available.

This Father's Day, we are helping customers save even more on their purchases by offering amazing deals including:

$5 off orders of $50 or more at Home Depot
10% off hotel stays of one or more nights at Orbitz
$15 off orders of $75 or more plus free shipping at HP
15% off any one item at Barnes and Noble
25% - 50% off on select Father's Day gifts at Amazon

Shoppers having trouble deciding on the perfect gift can also get tips using the Savings.com Answers tool which allows users to ask a question about shopping and saving and receive high-quality answers and relevant coupon codes from Savings.com DealPros.

And more money saving tips for celebrating Dad are available via recent blog posts--like Allegra's Ways to Celebrate Father's Day on the Cheap or Jessica's Frugal Father's Day Gift Ideas or Rick Broida's Father's Day Gadget Gift Guide.

Make Dad extra happy by saving money on his Father's Day gift. After all, didn't he always tell you "Money doesn't grow on trees"?Add a Comment

More Money Saving Tips with DealPro Syndicated Blog Posts

WiscoVixen — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:57:00 GMT

If you're a regular Blog & Save reader, you've no doubt noticed the reoccurring image that's been popping up in the blog feed that says "Savings.com DealPro Syndicated Post." We've recently created new functionality that allows our DealPros to opt into sharing their blog posts with Savings.com's members and visitors, and this image denotes the posts that are shared via the DealPros.

Our DealPros are among the savviest shoppers on the web, and we've helped them band together to become a tour de force when it comes to helping people save their money and live a better life on a budget. DealPros find and share coupons and deals on their personal blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. They also often write about general money saving tips and tricks...these are the sorts of posts we'll be sharing with you through the Savings.com blog.

If you're hip to the coupon and saving scene, our DealPros' blogs are probably some of the sites you frequent already. Now, the Savings.com blog can be your one stop shop to get the best of the best of their posts all in one place!

What do you think of this new feature?Add a Comment

Save Up 2010: The Highlights

WiscoVixen — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:55:00 GMT

You've no doubt heard the term "DealPro" being bandied about a lot here. And of course you've seen the series of videos showcasing their savvy saving secrets. But maybe you're still a bit unsure as to what exactly a Savings.com DealPro is? Well, simply put, they are America's Top Money Savers who share their experience and wisdom on how to live well for less with others. Whether it be travel or technology, food or fashion, they know how to snag the best deals and bargains and are committed to passing along their tricks and tips to you.

In November, Savings.com hosted the second annual Save Up conference in Chicago. This gathering of like-minded savers brought together dozens of DealPros to network and exchange ideas for better living on a budget with us and each other.

Check out the video for the 2010 Save Up highlights:

Thanks to all the Savings.com DealPros for making Save Up 2010 a huge success and stay tuned because Save Up 2011 is already in the planning stages...

Video transcript:

Loren Bendele: I don't think I'm being overly ambitious when I say that we believe this can be one of the top online communities in three years. Our goal is to build a very genuine community of money saving experts that are committed to helping people save money, to have good content, to be a good writer, to know what great deals are. Giving good advice to people to genuinely help them.

Crystal Collins: People are excited. Every day is Black Friday.

Loren Bendele: We want to be part of a community. You see the power in what we're working to build here. There's so much opportunity right now.

Man 1: We have a room full of Savings.com DealPros.

Shannon Snow: I am honored to be a Savings.com DealPro.

Laura Oliver: I am a Savings.com DealPro.

Donna Freedman: I'm here today to give you some advice.

Holly Syx: And I want to share with you a few tips.

Deidre Gunnels: I'm here to help you get the rockingest prices on everything you want to get.

Loren Bendele: It's cool now to be value-conscious.

Cassie Michael: It's actually really exciting on Christmas morning, even more so than the gift. It's like, "Oh, what did you get for that price?"

Loren Bendele: It's not about being cheap. It's about being smart with your money. It's about being savvy. It's about being value-conscious.

Stephanie Nelson: You get to do the parts of the business that you really enjoy the most and figure out how to use that to help other people.

Loren Bendele: Merchants are offering deals like never before, and consumers are offering deals like never before. And then we have this wonderful emergence of the social web connecting us all. This time will never happen again in history. We've never been more interconnected. This is the time to build this. This is the time to make this happen.Add a Comment

Charitable Giving for the 2010 Holidays

WiscoVixen — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 19:54:00 GMT

"I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver." - Maya Angelou

If giving of oneself is the ultimate gift, families have more of an opportunity than ever before to spread the wealth. Everyone has a little extra time and money, whether they know it or not. But taking the time out to volunteer at the local soup kitchen, distribute holiday meals to the hungry or bargain hunt for the items on a struggling family's wish list can mean the difference between a merry Christmas and an unforgettable one.

Here are a few tips to help your family make another's holiday season bright.

The Greatest Gifts Aren't "Things"

For some, it's the intangibles that mean the most. "Consider giving of your time as well," says Savings.com DealPro Claire Diaz Ortiz of Saving Money Plan. Finding time in our hectic holiday schedules for volunteering can be tough, but the payoff is well worth the effort. "One of the great benefits of the holidays is spending time with family – why not spend some time with your family in a volunteering capacity?" Williams says.

The holidays are the perfect time to reinforce the values we try to teach our children throughout the year. "By encouraging an 'others first' mentality and opening their eyes to the true needs of the community, they are better able to distinguish and learn the difference between 'need' and 'want'," says Savings.com DealPro Jennifer Schmidt of Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, whose family spends Christmas delivering meals to refugee families in her area. "How can we not take the time to help?" she says.

The Need Is Year-round

Charitable giving reaches its height during the holidays but savvy shoppers can add to their stockpile of donations throughout the year. Bargains are often at their best just after the holidays, when clearance racks are crowded with end of season specials. "Now it is time to clear out that stockpile and bless others with the abundance," says Savings.com DealPro Jennie Sanford of Bargain Blessings.

Seasonal gear like winter coats, sweaters and boots bought after the New Year can be had at a fraction of the price they would fetch during the holidays. "We shop all year long using all the resources available around us, such as instant rebates, online freebies, coupons with sale items and clearance deals, to gather gifts to give at Christmas," says Savings.com DealPro Kelly Hancock of Faithful Provisions. The year-round reinforcement helps "instill a heart of generosity," Hancock adds.

Don't Be Shy, Double Dip!

By combining coupons with clearance prices, families can give generously without breaking the bank. "Pairing a coupon with an item on sale is one of the easiest ways to stretch your charitable dollars," says Savings.com DealPro Jessica Killion of This Frugal Life, who managed to donate over 30 boxes of Kellogg's cereal (more than $100 value!) to her local food pantry, without spending a cent.

From non-perishable food items to toiletries, great deals are waiting to be had throughout the year. From traditional saving strategies like clipping coupons from the Sunday newspaper to a more modern approach like following a local blogger who hunts down deals, it's easy to add to your philanthropic arsenal for next to nothing.

The season of giving doesn't have to be an expensive one. For more smart spending tips, follow the 2010 Savings.com DealPros on Twitter at @savings/su10, where they'll be sharing their best finds throughout the holiday season and year 'round.Add a Comment