生活英语听力文章：省钱即是赚钱
You’ve heard the old adage: a penny saved is a penny earned. That’s very true.
The opportunities available to you to make money are not just limited to what you earn pursuing your career. You also make money by investing wisely, living frugally, and purchasing products and services at a discount.
Did you know you could save money on most of the things you buy? Because of a new business I have started with my son Gerrid and son-in-law Josh, I have spent the last year studying and experiencing the fact that most individuals and companies have lower prices at which they will sell their goods and services than advertised.
In this blog you will learn some simple ideas that, when implemented into your daily life, can increase the dollars in your bank account. I’m also excited to tell you about our new business and our goal to provide more than 100,000 meals to hungry children in October.
Believe it! Live it
If you want to start saving money on the things you buy, saving money must become part of your shopping mindset. By simply being intentional, I have saved thousands of dollars this year on products I have purchased.
Do you believe that saving money is time consuming? It’s not, unless you are clipping grocery coupons from your local newspaper. Most money-saving strategies take less than 60 seconds. Let me show you how.
Saving Money Offline
Trying to get a better deal on the things I buy has become a game for me. When I buy products at brick-and-mortar business establishments, I ask if they have any coupons or special deals. In most cases, they do.
The other day, I started my errand running at Sports Authority. When I got to the checkout, I asked if they had any coupons. The customer service rep smiled, pulled out a $25 coupon from her drawer, and applied it to my order.
Then I went to the car wash. I asked if they had any coupons. The attendant told me about a special they were running on their coupon books. Since that is where I get my car washed regularly, I bought the coupon book and saved 40% on my car washes, which amounted to a total savings of $50.
At lunch I ate at a Chinese buffet. When paying my bill, I asked if they had any coupons. The casher gave me a $2-off coupon.
Next I stopped to buy a new pair of running shoes. When checking out, I asked if they had any coupons. After scrambling through the drawer, the clerk found a coupon and I got 10% off my order—a $9 savings.
My last stop before returning home was at our local health food store. When checking out, I asked about discount coupons. For the first time on this trip, I was told no coupons were available. But the cashier told me about their loyalty program: for every $350 a customer spends, he or she gets a $10 gift card, so I signed up.
By doing nothing more than asking for a discount when checking out, I was able to save $81 that day. For years I had purchased many products at the listed price. I never saved a penny because I never asked.
Not only can you save small amounts, but you also can save large amounts.
My wife’s car needed service: her A/C had stopped working and several other parts needed attention. The service manager told me it would be $3,100. I exhaled and asked, “What’s the best price you can offer me if I agree to get everything fixed now?” He paused, did some calculations, and gave me $800 off! That’s a substantial savings!
I have been shocked with my success rate at saving money. By simply taking five seconds to ask one question, you too will be amazed with the dollars you can save. The worst-case scenario is that they don’t have any coupons but you’ve lost nothing by asking.
If you plan in advance, you can find printable coupons online for your favorite stores and restaurants. When my wife and I go on our weekly dates, we use coupons for our favorite restaurants.
You can find printable restaurant coupons for most restaurants in your town on Groupon.com, LivingSocial.com and Restaurant.com. Most of these companies offer you the opportunity to buy $25-coupons for $10.
Saving Money Online
The most common way to save money when placing orders online is by using coupon codes or by clicking links on special offers that apply your savings at checkout.
Of the top 1000 online retailers, more than 50% percent of them offer online coupon codes and special deals, such as a percentage off an order, a dollar amount off an order, discounts on orders over a certain amount, free shipping, and numerous other types of specials and promotions.
To get these savings, you must either use a code—often referred to as a promo code or discount code—or click a special affiliate link that recognizes the coupon or discount you clicked. That savings is applied at checkout.
I was buying my wife a gift that had a sticker price of $78. During the checkout process I saw the box that said, “Promo Code.” I did a simple search, found the code, and saved $35. It took less than 30 seconds to open a new window, find the coupon code, and apply it to my order. That’s like making $70 a minute or $4200 an hour.
Before you buy anything online, take 30 seconds to see if there is a coupon or special deal that can save you money.
Our New Business
The new business my son Gerrid and son-in-law Josh have started is called. With Save1 you can search for coupon codes and special deals from thousands of the top online brands in America. When you find the best deal, simply click the coupon or special offer and follow the instructions in the pop up window displayed.
Each time you use one of our coupons or special deals to save money, we will use a portion of our commission to provide a nutritious meal for a hungry child.
Why child hunger?
Did you know that while you slept last night, more children died from malnutrition than the total number of people killed in the 9/11 terror attacks?
Did you know that while you are working today, more children will die from the effects of malnutrition than the total number of U.S and ally soldiers killed in the Iraq war?
Each year more than six million children die from the impact of malnutrition;yet, we seldom hear about them.
We are a family committed to being a voice for these needy children and helping in the fight against child hunger and malnutrition. We hope you will join us by using our site to save money and helping us spread the word.
Read Our Story or watch our video below. See whom we have selected as our Feeding Partners, browse Child Feeding FAQ, and learn about our commitment to Financial Integrity.
You will also enjoy seeing all the “little things” we did to create a positive user experience.
If you share Save1’s homepage,Like us on Facebook, or sign up for our newsletter, we will feed a child. Do all three and we will provide three meals.
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