Simple way to save on everything Sure, the hapless Seinfeld character (played by Jason Alexander) may have gained

a measure of fame or infamy, depending on ho you vie it for his double dipping! "ut #$m a %uadruple&do n 'inda guy myself! (ostan)a as literally diving his hand into the bo l of sour cream and onion! #n my case, the dipping is metaphorical as in combining t o, three and, yes, four ays to save on a single purchase! *ther cheaps'ates refer to this coupon&clipping methodology as deal stac'ing! "ut hatever you call it, it$s ho # brought do n the cost of a planned summer fishing expedition from +,-. to +/,!0- a savings of 123! #n a sense, there$s nothing ne to double&dipping! #t$s as old as the heyday of supermar'et double&coupon promotions some three decades ago! #ronically, those promotions have been disappearing of late some shopping experts say the advent of extreme couponing has prompted retailers to guard their bottom line and limit the savings! "ut # ould argue that it$s never been easier to double (or %uadruple) do n! 4han's to the #nternet, the deals and deal& stac'ing strategies are al ays 5ust a couple of clic's a ay! 6o easy is it to do7 8et me al' you through my fishing trip purchase9

First dip: :oing to :roupon (+;. savings)! 4hese days, henever #$m loo'ing to eat out or ta'e in a sho or sporting event, # almost al ays chec' out :roupon to see if there$s anything that matches my mood or pleasure! (*f course, #$m not alone< :roupon is no a +/!= billion company and a gro ing one, too, ith sales increasing ;3 in >.,2!) #n this case, the daily deal site as offering an afternoon trip for four aboard a ?e @or' fishing party boat at /.3 off the list price of +,-.! Second dip: 4a'ing advantage of a :roupon promo (+,- savings)! :oing to :roupon is a guaranteed ay to save unto itself! "ut :roupon offers a fair number of ays to boost the savings, from promo codes to mobile&only deals! (6ec', you can get +,. off 5ust for signing up right no at least in ?e @or' (ity!) So, hen # made my fishing trip purchase, # as able to ta'e advantage of a promo for >.3 off any local event or activity! :roupon spo'esman ?icholas 6alli ell says the company is al ays loo'ing to help our customers save money, but he notes that the extra&savings deals are al ays changing another recent one as >.3 off any home services so consumers need to stay on top of the site! (And for the mobile&only deals, you$ll need to do nload the :roupon mobile app, he notes!) @ou can also find ne s of :roupon promos through such savings sites as Aeal(atcher and BetailCe?ot! Third dip: Ca'ing the purchase through Dbates (+2!>> savings)! *h Dbates, ho do # love thee7 8et me count the savings! Sorry for the poetic silliness, but Dbates really brings out the goofy fanboy in me because it$s so ridiculously easy to use and it indeed delivers the dough! (Some +,!1 billion in savings for users in >.,> alone!) #f you$re not familiar ith the site, here$s the gist of it< Dbates connects users ith ,,;.. online retailers and gives them a percentage& bac' savings (from as little as ,3 to as much as -.3) in the form of a %uarterly rebate chec'! :enerally, the savings are small in the case of :roupon, it as a -!13 rebate based on the

+;. price for the fishing trip but the money adds up over time! #$ve been a member of Dbates for a fe years (it costs nothing to 5oin) and #$ve saved a respectable +>0,!,; using it! And #$m due to receive another +->!/0 the +2!>> :roupon rebate included on my next chec' in Cay! ("y the ay, Dbates says some fanatics ta'e their fandom to a hole other level, especially for business&related purchases! Ee$ve given out chec's in the tens of thousands of dollars, says Dbates senior vice president Car' Coran!) Fourth dip: Ca'ing the purchase ith a (apital *ne cash&bac' credit card (+!=- savings)! #f you$re not using a cash&bac' or re ard credit card to ma'e any and all purchases, here$s my simple %uestion< Ehy not777FFF Seriously, Dbates is easy enough, but using a cash&bac' card is a no&brainer! @ou can strategi)e here, too, finding the right card to maximi)e your savings some offer higher bonuses (up to /3) on certain spending categories, often on a rotational basis! "ut #$m inclined to agree ith Samuel 8! Jac'son that playing the pic'&the&right&card game can get a little tiresome, so # go ith a (apital *ne card that guarantees me ,!/3 cash bac' on every purchase! #n this case, that meant an additional savings of under a buc' for my fishing expedition, but the point ith such cards is ho the savings add up over time! :iven that # charge everything on my card (and, yes, # pay my bills on time, so #$m not assessed any interest or penalties), that typically amounts to more than +/.. in savings annually! #n other ords, those =-&cent rebates do add up! *f course, you may not ant to go fishing! Gor that matter, you may not find the deal or item you ant on :roupon! "ut the idea behind my %uadruple&do n strategy is that it can be applied to all types of purchases! Gor the first dip you can go to another daily&deal site (say, 8ivingSocial) or simply a discount online retailer (say, Ealmart!com)! Gor the second dip, you can ta'e advantage of 5ust about any extra&savings promotion (a case in point< Ealmart!com offers both Halue of the 6our and Halue of the Aay extra&savings deals)! Gor the third dip, you can loo' to an Dbates competitor (ShopAt6ome!com is one example)! And for the fourth dip7 Eell, you can ignore Cr! Jac'son as intimidating as he may be and pic' anything from an airline miles re ard card to a card that lets you redeem your re ards for a doggy poop&bag dispenser seriously ! Still, it should be noted that a deal is only a deal if you really ant the item! 4he pitfall is the impulse buy, says Joanie Aemer, a savings guru better 'no n as 4he Ira)y (oupon 8ady! # admit that #$ve bought more than a fe :roupon coupons on a him, and the coupons ended up expiring! 4he good thing ith :roupon is that the coupons at least retain their non&promotional value after the fact, so even if # don$t go fishing during the promotional period through mid&July, # have +;. to use to ard a fishing trip at a later time! *f course, if # catch any fish to en5oy for dinner, that$s yet another savings dip! (an you say %uintuple&do n