We all know that it is easy to get so busy around the holidays that we just don't have time to cook every night, so what do we do instead? Eat a frozen pizza or eat out, right? Well, as you can imagine eating out even one time can be VERY expensive! So, how can we avoid those extra costs and keep saving even when we eat out? I have some tips to help you out in that area!

1. This may be the hardest, but try to plan ahead! That is the BIGGEST key to saving anywhere in your budget. Try to plan ahead the night before if you know you are just going to be too busy to cook the next day. What are you planning? Well, where you may eat of course! Make a list of some of the restaurants you may be near when you are out, what may sound good to your family and hopefully what will be more inexpensive( You don't ALWAYS have to turn to McDonald's. :) Create your list and then move to step 2.

2. After you have your list you are on to finding what else...coupons!! Where can you find them you ask? Well, most of mine come in the mail. We have savings books that are sent out along with flyers. I never throw any of those coupons away, even the ones we haven't been to(unless I know we don't like the restaurant). Also, keep an eye out in your local newspapers while you are clipping your coupons. I have found several that way too. When you have found them split up the ones that you know you may use on the go, or in the car. The ones you aren't sure about, haven't planned in your trip or just have duplicates for- hang those on your refrigerator with a heavy duty magnet. If you have a better place, like a folder on a shelf, you can do that too. I just don't have the extra space and the fridge keeps them out of my way and within arms length. I will explain the ones you have set aside in a moment.

3. How about those restaurants you couldn't find anything for? Check online. Go to the official websites and see what they are offering in the "specials" or Promotions" areas. If you don't see anything there, do a quick search for the restaurant name and coupons. See what comes up. Not all restaurants offer any kind of coupon, but you will find that most do!

4. Another great way to snag a coupon is by signing up for newsletters on the official site. You will see they will send you special discounts and promos and a lot of times a "Welcome" gift, like a free appetizer. They also do free or buy one get one free deals on your birthday. Definitely come in handy!!

5. So now that you have your coupons separated, you need to find a way to keep those coupons you will need "on hand". I simply use a big envelope for mine and keep them in my glove box. If you don't have room in your glove box, try a rubber band and secure them tightly to your visor.No need to clip the individual coupons out, just fold up the page and put it in the envelope. If you have a big enough purse, you could even carry them in there. Just remember if you do that then your husband or anyone else who drives the car won't have access to them. On the other hand, if you drive multiple cars, keeping them in your purse may be a better idea.

So, you should be ready to go now! Wanna grab a sandwich? Going to Burger King? You have a coupon for that! Want some fish? Long John Silver's? You have one for there also!! Need a pizza on the go, but don't want to pay the menu prices? Woo hoo! You have a coupon right there with you to save you 5 bucks!!

I have one more tip for planning dinners out. Next time you are at your favorite sit-down restaurants, grab a to-go or take-out menu. Take it home and file it in a folder or put them on your fridge. Next time you want to go with your kids, you can ask them before you go what they want and plan your own meal. You can order much faster that way and no yelling across a noisy table. Not to mention, it may just be faster(and cheaper) to just do take-out and bring it back home.

Below are a few links of some of the restaurants to check out online for food freebies and coupons:

Link to free food for signing up for e-mails-be sure to check all the way down as there are two lists.
Link to free food on your birthday

CouponCabin.com-They sometimes have food coupons listed here

RetailMeNot.com-They sometimes have food coupons here

This simple post is going to be on how to earn a few extra bucks over a period of time. There is no guarantee as to how much you could possibly earn, it will be up to you and your demographics.

I myself have earned a little here and there, enough to save a bit for Christmas, buy my kids some clothes and have a little left for some pleasure-type things such as DVDs, toys ect. Remember that doing surveys should be considered more of a hobby than income, as they are never guaranteed.


Getting Started:

The way I started was through Slickdeals.net. SD really has to be one of my favorite sites around as they have forums for Surveys, Freebies, Hot Deals, Coupons and tons more. You can also meet others who love finding deals and saving money.

When you check it out look for the Survey section, you will see threads for all kinds of companies and some individual Focus Groups(which are usually one-time group discussions that are like an online chat room-they can pay a lot! I have earned up to $150 for a few hours before, and I know many others have earned much more) . When you see these threads you will see that they may have yellow "thumbs up" symbols on them. If they have a lot, it usually means it is a good deal or that other people know the survey site pays and is a good one to check out. If you see red "thumbs-downs" then pass them by. This usually means it is no good. You will be able to figure it out whether to give them a shot on your own as you learn.

The way I started was with SurveySpot.com. There you can get paid for some of your surveys and are also sometimes eligible to do Product Tests(PTs), which means you will do a short survey, they mail you a product they want you to try and then after a little time they send a short follow up survey to see what you thought of the product. I enjoy doing PTs as I usually end up loving the products they send and sometimes they even pay me to try them.

As with any survey company you want to be sure you are getting paid for your time. Remember your time is valuable and you should be paid for helping them out, unless you are just in a volunteering mood. :) When I consider a survey on Survey Spot I check the amount they are paying, so say they are offering $3 for 20 minutes, well that is $9 an hour, so I would say that I would probably go ahead and complete it, assuming I have the time to do so. Be sure before you click on the link to do it that you save a Screen Shot(press Print Screen and paste it in your Paint program or Word), that way you have proof in case they forget to pay you.

Not all of SS's surveys pay, so unless I think it may lead to a PT I will skip it. If it doesn't pay I will open it and then close it and move on. If you get in the habit of doing the non-paying surveys then that is all you will get. You can also check the survey number in the SD thread about SS and see if anyone else has done a particular survey and if it has lead to anything. SS will occasionally do Focus Groups as well, so keep an eye out for those.

As you search through and get accustomed to SD's Survey Forum you will be able to see which companies you want to sign up with. I am signed up with numerous companies and have developed favorites. I am also signed up with some magazine and beauty companies and have been able to test out some of their great products. It is sort of trial and error as to which companies you will like. I am signed up with a few colleges as well who pay by Amazon gift cards and PayPal(which I love).

Moving On:

Be sure as you get more involved in the Survey process that you keep regular documents of your surveys, when and what you should be paid. Keeping a journal or calendar is a great idea. You may also need to watch how much you earn per year because if you earn over a certain amount it needs to be reported to the IRS.

Keep folders in your Bookmarks or Favorites and keep your Survey companies organized. I have tons of folders in my E-mail as well so that I can keep track of any e-mails I may receive from the companies. Keep organized!

Here is a short list of a few places I have had good luck with and that pay. You can find larger lists on SD and I am sure on other sites as well.

www.surveyspot.com

www.opinionplace.com

These are a couple college sites looking for help in their studies:

http://sgsb2.sona-systems.com- Stanford

http://elab.som.yale.edu/register.php-Yale

Here is the link to the SD page with the Surveys:

http://slickdeals.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=39

Good luck in getting started and let me know if you have any questions!