Families Use Promo Codes to Stay Afloat During Economic Crisis

<p>Travelers are using them to find airlines where kids can fly free. <p> High school students are using them to get free tests to use to practice for the ACT and SAT college entrance exams. <p> Single-income families are using them to save money at the grocery store, to buy school clothes, and even to download federal income tax software, such as TurboTax, free. <p> What are they? <p> They are promotional codes, or “promo codes” -- coupons that have gone digital. In 2009, for the first time in 17 years, consumers used more coupons than they did the year before. Most of that increase came from online coupons that consumers found at sites like <a href="http://www.BeFrugal.com">www.BeFrugal.com</a>, a website that tracks coupons, promo codes, and free shipping offers that are available online, so that consumers do not have to do the legwork of finding the coupons themselves. Upwards of 45 million Americans, or about 20 percent of the U.S. population, used online coupons in 2009. Manufacturers expect to offer, and have consumers redeem, even more online coupons in 2010. <p> “The prevailing reason,” explained Andrew Lipsman, an industry analyst, “is clearly the economy. You might find that the economy forced people to become more Internet savvy and that they have sustained this over time.” <p> Product marketing specialist Lenka Keston agreed. “It’s really hard for a retailer to be competitive without them now,” she said, referring to promo codes. <p> Analysts say that five years ago, consumers who encountered a request for a promo code during the checkout at an Internet website were often offended if they did not have a code, so they would abandon their shopping carts and leave the site without completing their orders. Today, though, everything has changed. Many consumers now enjoy searching for bargains online. “Now it’s like a sport,” laughs Donna Hoffman, co-director of the Sloan Center for Internet Retailing at the University of California at Riverside. <p> Many, though, do not want to take the time to search for bargains, but cannot afford to shop without them. That’s where online tracking sites come in. Consumers can sign up to receive coupon offers every week in their email, or they can go directly to the website, input their zip codes, and find coupon offers that match the retailers which are located near their homes. BeFrugal even has specialized tools to use with online retailers such as Amazon.com â€" its search engine will search for discounts in different Amazon categories, and its “free shipping filler” will find options for consumers that allow them to spend just enough to take advantage of Amazon’s free shipping (for orders of $25 or more), but not any more. <p> “During these difficult times, people need to stretch every hard earned dollar,” says BeFrugal’s founder, Jon Lal. “Befrugal.com is updated hourly to provide consumers the latest coupons and special offers for every major online store.” <p> Brenda Summerfield is a single mother who takes a keen interest in finding ways to ride out the recession without going into debt. Writing articles about frugal living is how she keeps herself sane while trying to balance the needs of her family on a shoestring budget. She herself uses <a target="_new" href=http://<a href="http://www.BeFrugal.com">www.BeFrugal.com</a>/coupons/store/adidas> Adidas coupon codes </a> and <a target="_new" href=http://<a href="http://www.BeFrugal.com">www.BeFrugal.com</a>/coupons/store/footsmart> FootSmart </a> for athletic and running supplies. <p> <p></p>

The Usefulness of PPC and How to Make Money From It

Many had desired to know the best way to make money using PPC and their question isn't out of place because PPC is money making advert medium. Pay Per Click or PPC is the form of online advertising where one places adverts on other peoples' websites at some costs. This is different from other types of adverts because unlike other adverts where the advertiser pays before the advert is run; the advertiser only pays when someone clicks on the advert in PPC. This is really a multi-billion dollar industry that has put permanent smiles on the faces of so many webmasters and bog owners. That your website which hadn't been generating much income may be turned around if you can integrate PPC into it. We are going to highlight some PPC companies and the best ways you can earn substantial revenue by just letting them place relevant adverts on your website. If you don't have a website, you can still make money from PPC using some secrets tips.
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<br>Adsense is the most popular and unarguably the largest PPC Company on the internet today. This company, owned by Google is good but may actually not be the best PPC choice for you. Let's take a quick on some of other PPC programs that you can use to earn substantial income.
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<br>AdBrite is quite similar to Adsense because they both have contextual advertising nature and it is quick huge in magnitude. Apart from offering full page advertising which Google doesn't offer, AdBrite also offers text advertising, banner advertising and inlaid text links. Any webmaster or blog owner can earn good income from all these form of adverts offered by AdBrite but the most exciting of them all is their full page advertising.
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<br>Yahoo publisher network is another PPC program that would have given Google good run for their money if not for the fact that it is still in beta despite several years of testing. It is now only available to few really big websites on the internet. There is no doubt that these websites that are lucky enough to have been accepted by Yahoo as their publisher are earning enormous profits. Nothing prevent you from trying out your luck, Yahoo may accept your site.
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<br>One PPC program that is worth considering especially if your blog or website attracts less than 5000 visitors per month is the clicksor. They are noted to be paying an average of $0.20 per from whatever click that originates from your websites. This may not be fantastic but it is still a good start if your site is relatively new and considering the fact that you aren't doing any extra work to earn the clicking commission.
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<br>Pay Per Click had been severally described as treasure chests for all online publishers. It will be to your advantage if you can sign up with one or two of these PPC programs today and start deriving more income from any visitor that gets to your websites or blogs.
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<br>About the Author: Mike Gates is a customer of HostGator. Hostgator is reliable web hostign provider. Read more about <a href="http://hostgatorcouponandreview.com/hostgator-coupon.html" rel="nofollow">hostgator coupon</a>.
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Outdoor Furniture- Variety to Enhance the Beauty of your Outdoors

<p>Lazying around in your garden is as it is very relaxing. But that feeling is enhanced even more if there is excellent outdoor furniture and accessories to go with it. It not only makes it convenient and comfortable to relax in the outdoors but also gives your outdoors a personal touch and that home feeling. <p> a href="http://www.canedirectfurniture.co.uk" Garden furniture /a is perfect for sitting and relaxing in the outdoors whether it is a barbecue party or a pool party. These are nowadays available in a variety of designs. These look sophisticated and are multifunctional. One can get them in different materials like wrought iron, bamboo, teak as well as other kind of woods. One can easily find one which will suit the décor of one's home. <p> One can add a lot of accessories to make one's furniture and the outdoor space look more beautiful. Again, these are also available in a large variety. These are designed in such a way so as to complement the outdoor furniture. For example, the simple electric lights and awnings just add up several notches to the beauty of the garden. Simple things like cushions and outdoor candle holders also make a lot of difference. <p> These outdoor furniture are generally available in three forms. All of them consist of tables and chairs in different numbers and designs. Patio dining sets are apt for the large outdoor area like a huge porch area or a large patio. There are dining sets also available for these large areas. The Bistro sets are apt for small areas like the balcony of an apartment or a small 6 by 6 garden. The third kind is known as the conversation set. They mostly include a sofa and few chairs with a coffee table. These are also apt for larger areas as they include many pieces and are good for large group gatherings. <p> One can also use chairs instead of full sets. Lounge chairs are just perfect for the outdoors. These are made up of metal, wrought iron and synthetic material. These are in vogue nowadays as they are available at lower prices and offer the same sophisticated look like metal or iron furniture. These are also available in teak or hardwood but those are a bit on the expensive side. <p> Besides these, one has the option of benches for the outdoors. These can be two-seat benches or three-seat benches, and with backs or without backs. Some people do not use the benches for seating but just as a show piece in the garden. These show piece benches are metallic. One can, however, even use it for placing plants in the garden. <p> There are numerous companies which sell them online. Buying furniture online is really easy. All you have to do is visit these websites and choose a design and make the payment through credit card. You can even get them shipped for free. <p> So, use these to enhance the beauty of your outdoors. <p> <p></p>