It isn’t too late to start now. Gyms usually see a large influx of customers in January as we all promise to get healthy and fit every year. If you’ve waited until now you can still get a good deal, and the crowds will be slowly going down moving further into the year. You’ve missed part of the “resolution rush”.

Join the Right Gym
Before you can start looking at gym memberships you need to know what you are looking for in a gym. Do you want to run on inclined treadmills? Are you interested in a wide variety of classes (aerobics, spin, etc.)? Are there specific weight-based workouts you are looking to do?

All of these factors determine which gym is the right one for you. If you’re looking to take a wide range of classes and you pick a gym that doesn’t offer many classes, you’ve lost. And you’ve probably locked yourself in a long contract to boot!

Gym Membership Deals
Once you’ve picked out the type of gym you need you can start comparing offers from gyms in your area. Here’s a look at what some national gym chains are offering:

Bally Total Fitness: $27.99 per month, pay first and last month, plus a $29.00 card fee. No long term contract and access to 300+ fitness centers around the world. You can also use Bally coupon codes to save $5 off enrollment.  At one point you could get a Bally discount if you were a recent college graduate.  You can also get a Bally free trial to test out the gym with their 7 day guest pass.

Gold’s Gym: Promotions vary by gym. For example, One location in Murfeesboro, TN offered $14.99 per month memberships with no contract; a gym in New Bern, NC offered memberships at $29.99 per month with $21.54 in start up costs and a 2 year contract. That’s a huge difference!

Gold’s Gym also offers a 7 day VIP pass that gives you a golds gym membership trial to see if you like it.

Curves: Each location is a franchise so promotions are laregely determined by the owners. Many do have a Curves deal where new members get a week free as part of their “Wildly Effective Week” promotion.

24 Hour Fitness: $29.99 per month and you can use 24 hour fitness coupon codes for a $0 initiation fee. In addition to the 24 hour fitness free trial for 14 days, they also offer coupons for 30 or 90 day non-member offers.

Local Gym Deals

You won’t want to forget local gyms either. “The Rush!” is a somewhat regional chain in the southeast with locations in Tennessee, Georgia, and North Carolina. Their New Year’s special is $1 per day ($30 per month) with no up front costs. My local YMCA offers a single adult membership for $49 with a $30 join fee, but the family membership is only $73. If you had multiple people using the membership your cost per person drops dramatically.

As you can see it really pays to shop around to find the best gym. Prices for no-contract memberships seem to range in the $28 to $30 per month range. Going on contract might save you money in the long run, but only if you use the gym heavily.

Most every gym out there offers a 7 day free membership pass to get you to try the gym out. The hope is you’ll get enough out of they gym during those seven days (when your motivation to work out is highest) that end up joining at the end of the week.

Compare Gym Costs and Perks
Once you’ve narrowed your list of prospective gyms down, it’s time to try them out. Use the 7 day pass, but commit to not committing until you’ve tried out every gym on your list.

After you’ve tried all the gyms it is time to get down to negotiating and comparing the costs with the perks. You’ll need that list of things you thought were important in a gym from earlier.

Did you use any of the classes like you thought you would? If so, the gym that costs $1 more per month but has three times as many classes as other gyms is probably worth it. If you didn’t, then a gym like that might not make the final cut.

Narrow the list down to two target gyms, then call them up and ask for the best deal. Better yet go in person and tell them you’ve got an offer from one of their competitors and want to see if they can beat that deal. You’ll get a lot of fluff about why they are better than the competitor, but remember you’ve already narrowed down to two gyms that you would be happy to join. It’s all about dollars and cents now.

Don’t Forget Corporate Discounts
Fitness centers have smartly teamed up to offer discounts to employees of corporations in their areas. Corporations are looking to cut back on their healthcare costs, and employees that regularly go to the gym are likely to be healthier than if they didn’t go to the gym. It’s a win-win for the employer and the gym.

For example, some corporate wellness programs will give you a 24 Hour Fitness discount code that you can enter into their website to save money when you sign up, as shown here.

These relationships can also be a win for the consumer, but only if you do your price shopping. The corporate discount at one gym may be more expensive than the rate you could negotiate to at a different gym. Either way it is a good place to start as you try to make your selection.

It’s not just corporations that get in on the gym discounts, some government organizations offer them as well.  For example, the New York Department of Education has a partnership that earns Golds Gym discounts for all of it’s employees.  And at one point Curves was offering all Indiana State Employees Curves membership discounts at certain locations. You’ll probably need some sort of proof of employment for similar deals, usually an employee ID or recent paycheck stub is enough.

Membership Clubs

Another way to find gym membership deals is by being part of a club or organization.  For example, if you have a Costco membership you can get a 24 Hour Fitness discount by buying a year or two at a time.

Or you can get a Golds gym deal if you’re a member of AARP – a discounted enrollment fee and discounts on monthly membership costs.

So, as you can see there are multiple ways you can save money on a gym membership.  Before you signup, check out the deals and see how much you can save.

Typically Black Friday tends to center around bigger chain stores that advertise huge doorbuster sales and major discounts.  This year, there’s an effort to remind people to shop at their smaller, local stores as well.  This weekend, area stores around the country are participating in something known as Small Business Saturday.

The way it works is that you register your American Express card ahead of time and if you use your AmEx card at a local shop this Saturday to buy more than $25 worth of goods you’ll get a $25 statement credit on your card

I think it’s a cool idea but of course the first question I had after hearing about the promotion was how to know which stores qualify for the credit. We’ll be in a pretty small town over Thanksgiving and I wanted to know if there were any nearby stores where I could use my blue cash card on Saturday. I know some small businesses won’t take any kind of credit cards because they don’t want to pay the fees, they’re cash or check only.

Turns out you can go search in your area on their Facebook page to see a list of all the small businesses that are participating. Until recently I’ve stayed away from Facebook but I created a Money Smart Life fan page not long ago and I’m beginning to see the value of being connected and picking up some good money tips from my fans.

Here’s a screen shot of how the small business search works, just enter your zip code and choose the category of business (Dining, Entertainment, Shopping, Travel,etc) and you’ll get a list of participating local businesses.

In an effort to connect with and help spread the word about these local companies, you can also search by zip to find their Facebook pages. If you become a fan of any of these businesses by clicking the “Like” button then you’ll see any upcoming events or promotions in your Facebook feed.

Of course if you never really use Facebook then it doesn’t do much for you, but if you check it regularly you might be able to score some deals or specials at your local shops.

The more I use Facebook, the more I see why some local companies like using it to stay connected with their customers. It’s not like a Groupon where you get offers from random companies you’ve never heard of. Instead, you become a fan of businesses that you frequent or visit occasionally and you get updates on what they’re up to and any promotions they’re offering.

I think it’s a neat way to support local businesses and who can argue with a $25 cashback promotion on the biggest shopping weekend of the year?

Amazon.com: My husband loves Christmas shopping on Amazon. There is a great Black Friday section where you can snag amazing prices on different items, and there are hourly specials. We save a ton on movies and electronics last year.

Slickdeals.net: Find great deals on a variety of items at a number of different online retailers. There is also a Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) section that can help you identify some of the best deals and ads from major retailers.

Black-Friday.net: Just what it sounds like, you can find great deals on Black Friday sales and recently released ads. Plan your shopping, online or off.

DealCatcher: You can find great deals all through the holiday season (and throughout the year) with help from DealCatcher. And, as so many deal sites have, there is a Black Friday page. Print coupons, compare prices, and find the best deals in Sunday ads.

BlackFriday.fm: Find great deals and get updated email alerts on sales and more. You can also get a sneak peek at the pre-Black Friday specials that many retailers are offering this year.

FatWallet: This deal site offers you the chance to find the best deals, get coupons, and identify cash back offers. You can also take advantage of the Black Friday section to determine what specials are on their way this year.

GottaDeal.com: Find some of the best deals of the season with help from GottaDeal.com. You can easily search different product categories, and even find free shipping deals. And, of course, a good deal site wouldn’t be complete without a Black Friday section.

Cyber Monday: The Monday following Thanksgiving weekend is a huge day for online sales, and is called Cyber Monday. One web site just took the name and now offers access to amazing deals. And you don’t even have to wait until Cyber Monday to take advantage of them.

dealnews.com: You can find great deals here, all year round. Gear up for holiday shopping with great prices on a number of items. Easy to find coupons and the latest savings.

Dealighted: Find coupons, deals and more. A great place to find Black Friday deals as well, since there is a section aimed at helping you find the best Black Friday savings at a number of major retailers.

DealsPlus: Get access to the latest deals from around the web. If you are looking to do your Christmas shopping entirely online, this can be a great help.

These are great places to get started looking for the best Christmas shopping deals. You can also make use of sites like FreeShipping.org and Free Shipping Day to find deals on shipping so that you can save even more. And, if you like Twitter, you can get regular updates on great deals by following @blackfriday.

So there’s a pretty big list of places you can spend your money as the holiday shopping season kicks off this week. I’m not a fan of shopping just because there’s a deal but if there are gifts you know you’re going to buy it doesn’t hurt to check out the deals and see if you can save some money. What deal sites did I miss? Which ones have saved you money?

Do you find yourself constantly putting things off until the last minute — work projects, household chores, travel plans, holiday shopping? While everyone procrastinates occasionally, Psychology Today notes that 20 percent of people are true procrastinators stuck in a repetitive cycle.

If you’re one of them, you know the stress, guilt, and anxiety that typically accompany procrastination. But did you know that procrastinating could actually cost you real cash?

It’s hard to quantify exact amounts, but it’s safe to say that waiting to buy something until the last minute usually has its price. You may miss the low-price window (think airline tickets, coupons with a “use-by” date) or make a rushed decision that imposes unanticipated long-term costs. Here are some common scenarios and tips to help keep you from procrastinating.

The Product
Let’s say your refrigerator has been showing signs of distress for several weeks and you figure it’s time to replace it. But you put off looking into a new unit until, one day, you find a lifeless fridge full of rotten food. You run out to the nearest appliance store and pick a model without really knowing what you’re buying.

You may end up with a replacement that lacks the technical specs you desire (e.g., dimensions, capacity, storage features) and has garnered weak expert and consumer reviews. Doing some research before the old refrigerator died would have given you the information you needed to choose the best model for the price you could afford. 

The Price You Pay
It should come as no surprise that the cost of procrastination is higher on big-ticket items. Say your spouse wants a tablet for Christmas. You can either wait until Christmas Eve to run out and buy whatever tablet is left on the shelves — without the benefit of a coupon or deal that’s expired — or you can start researching now to find tablets with all the desired features and then check for tablet deals.

Staples ran a coupon in July for $100 off any tablet in stock; for a tablet that cost $250, that was a 40 percent discount. In August, HP slashed the price of the now-defunct 16GB TouchPad to a mere $99 from $499; the 32GB model dropped to $149 from $599.

With the holidays coming up, new deals are sure to appear. But before you leap, look at other stores’ prices to be sure you’re getting the best possible deal on the tablet you want. If you check prices for big-ticket items in least 3 other stores then you’ll have a pretty good idea of the going price range and how good a deal you’ve actually found.

The Long-Term Effects
Shopping procrastination can have long-term effects on your wallet. Perhaps you wait until the last minute to book travel for an all-inclusive vacation. The final cost is more than you expected because you didn’t find the time to shop around for the best deal, so you decline travel insurance. Right before your departure date, a hurricane hits your destination. Instead of being rerouted to another tropical location or receiving a refund, you’re out of a vacation and a big chunk of change.

To use another example, an Energy Star-qualified appliance uses far less energy than one without an Energy Star label. Making a rushed decision on a large appliance might mean picking a model that hasn’t earned the Energy Star, which in turn could lead to higher utility bills for years to come. With an Energy Star-qualified refrigerator, for instance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates you could save anywhere from $165 in energy costs over the lifetime of the fridge to more than $200 a year, depending on the age of the unit being replaced and utility prices in your area.

Beating Procrastination
Even if you’re a true procrastinator, it’s possible to break the habit. The key lies in knowing what causes it. According to the University of Cambridge, people procrastinate for a variety of reasons, including anxiety about the task at hand and feeling overwhelmed by whatever needs doing.

If the number of choices, or the price, or the possibility of making the wrong purchasing decision has you dragging your feet, set a clear goal and break down the task into manageable chunks.

For a big-ticket purchase, that might mean making a list of the features you want and searching online for several models that meet your needs. Read some product reviews and make another list of pros and cons for each model. By the end of this process, the choice should be obvious. Now you can start comparing deals to land the lowest price possible on the model you want.

Raechel Conover writes for Cheapism.com, a review site that serves consumers on a budget who want the best value for their money. Cheapism’s carefully researched buying guides focus exclusively on low-price products.

A Netflix promo offer might be able to save you a chunk of money.  The one month Netflix free trial offer has been around for new customers for a while but I wanted to share how using Netflix has saved us money.  The cool thing is you can test it out for a month and see if it works for you with their free trial of Netflix – try it here.

Saving Money with Netflix

I recently pulled the plug on my cable bill, saving us around $85 per month, so I’ve been increasingly interested in online streaming options for our content needs.

With traditional television services such as cable and satellite you pay a rather large monthly fee to access a varying quantity of programming. The more you pay, the more premium channels (like ESPN and HGTV) you get.

Personally speaking I think it is a broken system. I don’t watch Oxygen, Discover Health, or American Movie Classic. Why should I pay for channels I don’t use?

Unfortunately it will be quite some time before you’ll be able to purchase a handful of channels that meet your entertainment needs. That is, of course, if it ever happens. Providers have no incentive to make this change so it seems unlikely.

Until that happens you do have a couple of options to get some of your content. There has yet to be an option available that covers everything, but one significant piece of the equation for many people is Netflix.

What is Netflix?
Netflix and Redbox are the companies that killed Blockbuster and forced it into bankruptcy. In the past you had to physically go to a video store to rent a movie. You paid a relatively high rate to rent the movie for 2 to 7 days.

Enter Netflix. Netflix started by offering DVD rental through the mail for a fixed rate. There were different tiers and the more you paid the more movies you could have out at the same time. For smart users that watch a lot of movies Netflix was more convenient and much cheaper than renting from a store.

Redbox offered another alternative by letting you rent your movies for less from a kiosk.  Of course the difference between Redbox vs Netflix is that Redbox has a much smaller set of choices than Netflix and lacks the conveinence of having the movie delivered to your door.

But the coolest feature of Netflix, the one that helped us save money on your cable bill, is that the service lets you stream shows online.

How Does Netflix Streaming Work?
As technology progressed so did Netflix. Now instead of having to wait for a DVD to arrive in the mail you can simply stream the movie directly to your playing device immediately.

There are certain devices that work with Netflix streaming. These include the major gaming consoles (Wii, X-Box, Playstation 3), some high definition televisions, Apple’s iPhone and iPad, and media center players such as Roku and Tivo. You can also stream directly to a Windows or Mac computer.

You plug the device into your internet connection, access Netflix, and decide on what you want to watch. Make your selection and it will begin streaming to you immediately.

What Can You Stream with Netflix?
Netflix can stream movies and television shows. The selection can fluctuate as more selections are added. Some television shows are not immediately available. New episodes can be delayed as little as 1 week to as long as the following season.

Can Netflix Streaming Replace My Cable Company?
The ability for Netflix to replace your cable or satellite company depends on your entertainment needs.

If you don’t need to see the most recent episode of a television show the instance it airs, then Netflix’s streaming service might work for you.

On the other hand if you need to watch live sports on premium channels then Netflix isn’t designed to cover that specific need.

That isn’t to say Netflix can’t take care of some of your other entertainment needs, just not instant television shows and live premium content.  Like I said earlier, you can test it out for a month and see how it all works for you.  There’s no coupon code required to get the offer, just sign up their free trial. 

American Express card holders can take advantage of a deal site sponsored by American Express called Daily Wish. We pointed it out as part of the credit card promotions list but this will give you a little more detail.

You can register for the site for free with any American Express credit card. Once you sign up for the Daily Wish program, you have the chance to buy gift cards and products at big discounts.

How Daily Wish Works
First, you register your American Express credit card at the Daily Wish web site. One thing to note, if you want to try for the deals on two different computer (ex: work computer and home computer) you’ll need to register your card on both computers.

There are two ways to keep up on what deals American Express is offering.  If you signup for weekly alerts you’ll get an email on Monday listing the deals for the week.  The deals are usually posted on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.  If you don’t want the alert email, you can just check out the website on those days to see what’s available.

Here’s an example of one of the gift card deals that’s been featured on the Daily Wish site:

If it’s something that you’re interested in, click the “I Want It” button.  Each deal goes live at a certain time specifcied on the site. If you click “I Want It” before then you’ll see a message somethign like “Oops, you’re too early! We know you’re excited, but it’s not time yet! Sign up for the Weekly Alert and get sale times before they’re revealed on the site.”

Winning Daily Wish Deals
There are some pretty good deals on the site and the quantity is limited so not everyone will get the promotional deal.  Sales also start at certain times, so you will need to check with the time noted at the upper left of the deal’s picture. Sales start at different times, so you need to be prepared. There is a slideshow to the right of the main deal that shows you related deals happening at the same time.

As mentioned earlier, Daily Wish allows you to look ahead to deals that are coming the next day — and the next week. You can then ask for reminders so that you are notified at the beginning of the sale. Weekly alerts about upcoming promotions are also available. This can improve the chances of your getting getting the deal you want.

If you are able to get the deal, make sure you use the American Express card you registered with the site to pay for it so you’re eligible for the deal.

Example Deals

Here are some of the deals that have been offered in the past:

• $100 gift cards when you spend $50.
• Get $75 back when you spend $150 or more.
• $100 gift card when you spend $200.
• Products for 50% off retail.

Some of the best deals go quickly, so you have to really be fast if you want them. This is especially true of desirable and generous promotions that may only have 25 available. Some promotions are only available to the first three or four people! This ratchets up the competition.

Bottom Line
If you have an American Express card, the Daily Wish program is probably worth signing up for. After all, it doesn’t cost you anything, and you can get access to great deals.

The main commitment with the Daily Wish is the time you spend waiting for the sale to start so you can pounce on the deal as quickly as possible. This can be reduced if you sign up for alerts, and if you check for the start time of the sale on the days that your preferred products and services are likely to go on sale. With fast fingers and a little planning, you should be able to save some bucks on things you would have bought anyway.

New Deal – $20 of books for $10 at Barnes and Noble – Click Here

You’ve probably heard your friends or family members talking about Groupon deals or coupons recently – you may have even gotten a Groupon gift card for Christmas.

The local deals site is growing in popularity; Google actually offered to buy the company and similar sites like Living Social and Social Buy are popping up with daily deals.

I had been interested in Groupon and was keeping my eye out for any amazing deals. Recently, a local bowling alley offered a Groupon discount of what was equivalent to 50% off retail prices, and I bought. My wife and I will soon be enjoying 2 games of bowling a piece with shoe rental for only $10.

How can you get deals like these in your city? Read on.

How Groupon Works
For those not in the know, Groupon is an extremely popular group buying website. The company works with local businesses to offer big-time deals to the subscriber’s to Groupon’s e-mail list. (Getting on the list is free; you can also use their phone app.)

Local businesses use Groupon to offer amazing deals — only one deal per day for your area — in hopes that the massive number of users that get their e-mails will become customers.

To entice you to take the deal these businesses offer discounts in the 50% off range. You’ll see a lot of “buy a $50 gift certificate for $25″ type offers to get you to physically come in to their local location and buy something. You save money by participating in the deals that are interesting to you. The only cost to Groupon is whatever you spend on their targeted offers. There is no subscription fee.

Best Groupon Deals Nationally

Groupon specializes in offering local coupons for businesses in cities across the U.S. but it has also partnered with national brands to offer amazing deals across the country.

The biggest of these deals by far occurred last year when Groupon offered $50 gift certificates to clothing retailer Gap for $25. How big of a deal was it? Almost half a million users snapped up the gift certificates for a potential savings of over $11 million, now that’s a lot of coupons.

They don’t offer these coupons regularly but when they do you might want to try and get in on it because they’re often a good deal.

Best Groupon Deals Locally

The beauty of Groupon is it connects local consumers with local small businesses. The business is taking a chance on potentially bringing in hundreds or thousands of new customers. Even if the discounts are sold at an expected loss the business can turn a profit by giving those customers an amazing experience and earning repeat business.

One of the best local deals offered was in the Chicago area: a local spa offered massages that retail for $84 for only $20. That’s a 76% discount, and 3,200 customers purchased the coupon. The shop had to add additional staff to cope with the new demand, but the owner is considering his first Groupon experience a success.

In my local market of Knoxville I’ve seen a similar deal from a spa: a $75 service was offered for $25. That’s a 66% discount and a heck of a deal if it is a service you would use even without a deal.

How to Sign Up for Groupon

Signing up for Groupon is simple.

Step 1: Visit the website and it should automatically detect your current city. (Note: your city is probably detected based on your IP address. If you are logged in from work it may show where your corporate IT connection is located.) If it detects the wrong city you can choose from the drop down box.

Step 2: Give Groupon an e-mail address you want the daily deals e-mailed to.

You’ll start receiving Groupon deals on a daily basis. You’ll need to create an account with a password and add a credit card if you decide to buy one of the deals. You can access the same account if you have a smartphone that has the Groupon app available to it.

Of course Groupon coupons are only a good deal if you buy deals you would have bought without a discount. Just because a local business is offering a 50% discount it doesn’t mean you need to purchase something every day. But if you can maintain control of your spending it’s a interesting concept that’s kind of fun and can save you money.

For those of you that don’t use Sprint, sounds like tip #2 might work with any major carrier.  You can also ask if your cell provider has anything like tips #1 and #3. Below are the three tips my friend emailed me:

1) Employee Referral Discount – At Sprint, we offer an Employee Referral plan that is typically about $10/month less than the rack rate offer.  All you need to have is an employee to offer it to you. 

2) Compare Carriers – Similar to what you said about saving on your cable bill, you can call in and threaten to leave for a competitor.  The wireless phone business is super competitive right now and none of the 4 major carriers want existing customers to leave for a competitor so almost all will offer the customer some sort of a discounted offer to stay. 

3) Cell Phone Bill Optimizer - Sprint has something called Sprint Plan Optimizer that will evaluate your voice, text and data usage over the past few months to see if you’re on the best plan for you. 

If you’re currently on a $99 Simply Everything plan, but only use 400 minutes a month, it would be smarter for you to switch to our $69.99 plan that gives you 450 minutes with unlimited text and data. 

Most people get on a plan and assume they have to stay on it for the life of their 2 year contract, but they could be overpaying.

Cell Phone Discounts
Since I’m currently getting a discount through my employer, I asked him if I could get both my employer discount and the employee refferal discount at the same time.  The answer was no, you have to choose either the employer discount or the employee refferal.

One other note, the Employee Referral plan is for new customers only. Do you have any tips on ways to save on your sprint or other cell phone bill?

Costco membership certainly has rewards, such as discounts & deals on your purchases and cashback with the TrueEarnings Card; but access to these benefits does require an annual fee. 

Fortunately there are Costo membership discounts and promotions where you can save money on the fee, with the right offer or coupon code you could even get a free Costco membership. If you’re trying to decide if Costco is worth it to your family, the lower the fee the more likely it is your membership will pay for itself. 

There are five different ways you can find Costco membership deals to lower your fee for Gold Star or Executive members.  Costco has three different types of memberships: Gold Star memberships, Business memberships, and Executive memberships.  We’ve only been Gold Star and Executive members so so I don’t know if any of these Costo membership discounts will apply for the Business card.

Costco Employer Discounts

The company I work for has a relationship with Costco Wholesale; once or twice a year Costco reps setup shop at a table in our lunch room and offer discounted Costco memberships for a few hours. 

You actually pay the full membership fee and then they give you a Costco gift card for $10 or $20 depending on your plan and the company discount.

Be aware you’ll need to pay for the membership with cash or check unless you have an American Express card.  There were a few people who wanted to sign up but couldn’t because all they had with them were Visa or Mastercard.  Of course, I had our Blue Cash card with me so I didn’t have to leave empty handed.

In some cases they’ll raffle off free stuff, everyone who becomes a member is entered into the raffle.  When I signed up I won something; nothing major, just a $10–15 free gift but still a nice little perk.

Costco Association Discounts

When my wife was a full time teacher she was a member of the National Eductation Association.  Because it’s such a large organization, many companies will offer a special discount in order to be promoted to the millions of members.  The NEA offers a Costco discount, if you’re part of any large associations check to see if they have any special Costco coupon codes that will save you money on membership.

Costco Direct Membership Deals 

Periodically you’ll find Costco membership promotions where you can get more membership for your money.  For example, a recent one on their website offered two months of free Costo membership for new members when you signed up online using any American Express card and entered a specific coupon code.

In this case, although the fee you pay isn’t reduced, you’re getting 14 months for the price of 12 so your cost per month is lower. 

Discount & Deal Websites

Rewards sites like MyPoints have been known to offer discounts.  The most recent promotion allowed you to purchase a Costco membership certificate through MyPoints and get a $50 coupon in return; basically the same as a year of free Costco membership. Also, keep an eye on deal sites like FatWallet, new Costco promotions are likely to turn up there.

Costco Amex TrueEarnings Card

It used to be that When you signed up for the TrueEarnings card and made your first purchase you earned a $25 credit on your statement.  That Costco promotion has ended but keep your eyes open for any new promotions they run. You have to be a Costco member to qualify for a TrueEarnings card so you’ll need to sign up for Costco membership first. 

Once you open the TrueEarnings card it’s both a credit card and your Costco membership card. TrueEarnings is one of the best gas credit cards, earning you 3% cashback on gas plus 2% for restaurants, 2% for travel, 1% everywhere else – More Info.

Costco Memberships

As I mentioned earlier Costco has three different types of memberships:

• Gold Star Member
• Business Member
• Executive Member

We started off with a Costco Gold Star membership but then later upgraded to an Executive membership because we made some big purchases from Costco and Executive members earn cash back on purchases.

The Executive membership has a higher annual fee, which is why I avoided it when we first signed up for Costco.  However, once I saw how we used the card and the money we were saving I ran the numbers for our family and figured out that we would save enough with an Executive Membership to cover the cost of the higher annual fee.

Costco Cashback

One of the main benefits of the Executive membership is that you can earn 2% cash back on your Costco purchases.  If you combine that with the money you earn using the True Earnings card the cash back can add up over the course of a year. 

The only type of credit card that Costco accepts are AmEx cards.  You don’t have to open a new credit card to shop at Costco if you already own an American Express card.  For example, we have a Blue Cash card that we can use as well.

Hopefully some of the tips will save you some money on membership if you decide you want to give Costco a try.

Every time I open my email it feels like I’m getting another message about a cash back bonus so I put together a quick list of the ones I know about:

$25 Perkstreet Bonus – Open a PerkStreet checking account before the end of the year and PerkStreet Financial will deposit $25 in your account – $25 Bonus

$25 FNBO Direct Bonus – Open an FNBO Direct Online BillPay account and use your check card 6 times before the last day of the year and get a $25 credit from FNBO – $25 Bonus

$25 Blue Cash Bonus – This Blue Cash promotion gives you a $25 statement credit once you’ve signed up for the card and made $500 in purchases. – $25 Bonus

$50 ShareBuilder Bonus – New members that open an account before the end of the year can take advantage of this ShareBuilder promotion.  New accounts are credited $50 when using the code – 50WS10.

$100 Citi Forward Bonus – Earn a $100 statement credit after you’ve put $500 of purchases on the Citi Forward card – $100 Bonus

$100 Discover More Bonus – Receive $100 after the first $500 is spent on the Discover More card.  The double cashback bonus on purchases is over at year end but hopefully the cash back will hang around a little longer – $100 Bonus

$100 Chase Freedom – New card members who spend at least $500 in the first 3 months of owning the Chase Freedom card get a $100 cash back bonus – $100 Bonus