Finally paying off the bills from the last of your holiday spending?  Need to figure out a way to save some cash?  Did you know that you can save more with your grocery savings cards than just the normal "discounts"?  Or that text alerts sent to your phone can give you discounts at major department stores?

It's always a good idea to check out the website for any retailer that you use to see if there are coupons or savings that are available to you.  For instance, my local pizza place (Alfy's) will accept any competitor's coupons.  So I surf the internet, see who's offering what, and then call them and place my pick-up order at the price of their competitor (they accept the Pizza Hut coupons, even though we don't have a Pizza Hut in our town!) Grocery Stores (using the internet, you can even preload some of your grocery rewards cards with Manufacturer coupons) :

The first websites you can try are http://www.walletpop.com/ , or http://shortcuts.com/  (if you don't see your chosen grocery/retail store, they can send you alerts for when they do become available).  Red Plum ( http://www.redplum.com/ - those flyers you get on Tuesdays with your grocery circulars), and even ValPak ( http://www.valpak.com  - those blue envelopes you get in the mail), have websites with links to tons of savings!

• At http://www.cellfire.com you can register your Fred Meyer or QFC rewards card.  Using the website, you can then select some Manufacturer's coupons that can be loaded onto your rewards card for later use.  Cellfire can also be used to print off coupons as well.  Cellfire has an app for the iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Windows Mobile devices.
• Fred Meyer's website ( http://www.fredmeyer.com ) allows you to register your rewards card and add digital coupons directly to your card.
• If you shop at a Safeway, you can go to http://www.safeway.com and register your club card.  The website allows you to chose and print coupons to take to the store, or to add digital coupons to your club card.
• Albertson's shoppers can also print coupons from their website http://www.albertsons.com

Online coupons and savings codes:

• Groupons ( http://www.groupon.com ) have specials from food/restaurants, to spas and massages, to yoga classes, and even travel on the Clipper ferry to BC.  Groupons can be found for most major cities, so you can even plan for vacations to any major US city.  (They have an iPhone app.)
• Living Social ( http://livingsocial.com/ ) offers the same sort of discounts as Groupon (today's savings was for the Seattle Symphony)
• At http://www.coupons.com  you can find print coupons as well as savings codes for online retailers.
• http://www.savings.com/  has codes for many different retailers

  Major Retailers:

• At JcPenney ( http://www.jcpenney.com ) you can sign up for mobile alerts/coupons (remember that text messaging rates will apply), as well as store and online offers with your personal email address.
• Sears offers "Sears Mobile" - go to http://www.sears.com and scroll to the bottom of the webpage.  Click on the link for "Sears Mobile" and you can set up text alerts (remember that text messaging rates will apply), or see what mobile app options are available to you (iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry users), as well as their mobile webpages
• Target offers text alerts as well as printable coupons.  Go to http://www.target.com and you can click on the green phone icon to sign up for text alerts, or scroll to the bottom of the page, and click on the link for coupons (found under Target Stores).
• Old Navy ( http://www.oldnavy.com ) offers email alerts and has an app available through iTunes, as does Walmart ( http://www.walmart.com )

Using Social Networking Sites and Blogs:

• Both Twitter and Facebook can be used to save!  Search for your favorite stores and even restaurants/fast food chains for savings.  Follow them on Twitter for updates about savings, or become a fan on facebook for special savings.
• Here are some Seattle/NW websites to check out: http://www.seattlemomsdealfinder.com/ , http://snohomishcountysavers.blogspot.com/ , and http://www.thriftynorthwestmom.com/
• National websites/blogs: http://moneysavingmom.com/  or http://savingslifestyle.com/

Other savings:

• Don't forget that most retailers offer Educators Discounts.  Just ask the customer service desk and see what discounts may apply (you will need to have your NSD id to qualify for any discounts).  These discounts can come in very handy at book stores, and craft stores/hobby shops, even when you are buying something that isn't for your classroom!
• Did you know that Bed Bath & Beyond accepts more than one coupon, and even EXPIRED coupons!  You can combine all of those $5 coupons, or 20% off coupons on a single shopping purchase, and they will accept expired coupons as well.  So don't throw away those old coupons, save them for an occasion when you will need them to buy something for your own home, or an engaged friend, etc.
• Are you a member of WEA/NEA? Have a AAA membership?  Or a Microsoft Prime card?  Don't forget that your association with certain groups/companies can offer you discounts to many other things, from insurance, to food/restaurants, flowers, travel, etc.

These tough financial times have hit everyone, and it's always a good idea to figure out ways to save money.  Find savings with friends, when you join together  to save money on food (from local farms, http://www.celebrityfoods.com or http://www.omahasteaks.com ), coffee subscriptions ( http://www.greenmountaincoffee.com ), wine clubs at your local winery, etc.  It's never a bad idea to save some money on the things that you need, and the things that you want!