Hi!  I’m Josh Elledge, the Chief Executive Angel of SavingsAngel.com and welcome to the SavingsAngel show! I’m podcasting to you cool fall day in Orlando, Florida.  

I am an extremely busy consumer expert, money-saving advocate, syndicated newspaper columnist, and the guy that turns digital entrepreneurs into media celebrities with UpMyInfluence.com. I love what I do and can’t wait to get going on today’s episode.

In order to help you save more, earn more and live more abundantly on today’s show I’ll be covering:

• Why Mom-and-Pop Shops are Struggling this Holiday Season (and How to Help)
• Save Money (and the Environment) With Dropps
• How to Optimize and Save on Your Online Holiday Shopping

LINKS FROM THE PODCAST:

www.Dropps.com/SAVINGSANGEL

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Why Mom-and-Pop Shops are Struggling this Holiday Season (and How to Help)

Throughout the development of the new normal we’re living in, much has pivoted, for better or worse. Many entrepreneurs and small business owners have had to shift gears to keep up with the changes, and rightfully so. According to new studies, the average American consumer has turned to online purchases almost entirely. For now, it seems the days of perusing locally-owned boutiques and window shopping at corner antique stores are on hold. Many consumers are also not planning to change their new shopping habits with the holiday season, which is business that many small, locally-owned brick and mortar stores depended upon in previous years. However, whether you plan on shopping online for the holidays or not, there might still be some ways you can help these small businesses in your community.

Find Out if You Can Safely Shop In-Person

First of all, let’s not jump to conclusions and assume that these local business owners haven’t implemented in-store safety measures. Check out their website or social media pages to find out what they’ve changed about shopping in their stores since reopening. Most brick and mortar stores will have implemented store policies so that shoppers must wear masks, offer hand sanitizer to use while you shop, and require that customers socially distance from one another.

If you’re comfortable with the measures they’ve taken, choose a low-traffic day for the store and stop on by to find that perfect gift for the holiday season. 

If you want to be extra careful and vigilant, see if the store is listed on Google. When you see the options to select between the overview, posts, and reviews about the store, select “overview”. 

Under this tab, you’ll be able to read about the store’s visit data. These are analytics provided by Google that allows you to view a store’s most popular visiting hours and days versus lower traffic times and days. If you want to be more cautious, use these analytics to find out exactly when is the best time to go and when there will be the least amount of other shoppers present. 

See if the Store Has an Online Shopping Option

Some stores have pivoted and now offer new online shopping and e-commerce options. This means you can still support your favorite local shop without leaving home. 

Many stores opened Etsy and eBay stores to keep up with the online shopping boom, so these e-commerce storefronts would be the first places to look. Make sure to also check out the store’s website, social media, Facebook, Instagram, or whatever they use to keep in touch with the community. This is where you’ll often find information about their online storefront or shipping options. 

If you’re not sure what the best shopping option is for you and you can’t find information online, call the store and see what you can discover. You can ask about whether or not they have an online store and you can also ask about in-person shopping policies (as mentioned above).

Establish a Community Spotlight Event

If you’re passionate about helping small businesses in your area or own a small business yourself, find out about how you can throw a community spotlight event. The event could focus on locally-owned businesses and how the community can support them. Most consumers don’t want their local mom-and-pops to go away, they just don’t realize how the pivot to e-commerce might have affected them in the long-term. 

Get with your community organizers, city hall, or HOA and look into hosting such an event. A virtual community get-together hosted on a platform like Zoom would be the perfect way to bring everyone together and inform them about these issues. 

You can also connect with some of the local businesses you’re spotlighting to find out the best ways to support them right now. If they want to signal-boost their new store policies or online shopping options, this is the perfect way to do it.

 

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Save Money (and the Environment) With Dropps

When you’ve used the same old, expensive laundry and dishwasher detergent pods for years, you’ve probably asked yourself if there are cheaper and more ecologically sustainable alternatives out there… Well I have great news; there are! Dropps has completely changed how I do my laundry and dishes.

I used to buy the typical detergents and pods at the grocery store for years without really realizing how much I was spending or how bad these chemicals and plastic packages can be for the environment. Dropps changed all that for me; at just around 19 or 20 cents a load, I’m not only getting a fantastic deal whenever I need to wash my laundry or dishes, but I’m also living more sustainably. I’ve been ordering Dropps now for about two years and I will never go back to the other types of detergents I used to use. They are super easy to order, especially because you can subscribe and save through their auto-ship feature. It comes straight to my door through free, carbon neutral shipping. 

Dropps has designed multiple types of awesome, eco-friendly detergent pods that have over ten thousand 5 star reviews online. Their powerful formulas contain plant-based ingredients and offer custom cleaning solutions for every need. Have sensitive skin or a little one who needs gentle detergent? Or perhaps you need better stain and odor fighting detergent. No matter your need, Dropps has got you covered. They even offer dishwasher detergent pods, wool dryer balls designed to replace disposable dryer sheets, and more!

 

• Dropps laundry pods are designed for sensitive skin and are safe and gentle for those with skin allergies like eczema or psoriasis. 
• They also help prevent skin rashes, redness, and irritation, as well as prevent build up from allergens like dust mites, pollen, mold, and pet dander.
• Their stain and odor focused laundry pods are made with a gentle formula for washing natural fibers & delicate items like intimates, wool, and cashmere, and they allow you to wash expensive dry clean only items at home.
• The best part? They keep your fabrics smelling fresh as you use them, and they can remove the toughest stains like mud, dirt, pizza, pasta, coffee, or even chocolate.
• Their dishwasher pods also clean and shine glassware better than the leading brands.

Dropps delivers powerful cleaning from nature, with plant and mineral based formulas, to your door in low waste cardboard packaging – instead of plastic containers that end up in our oceans and landfills. Sign up for auto-shipments to save big (you can pause, skip, or cancel anytime). Visit Dropps dot com slash SAVINGS ANGEL and use code SAVINGSANGEL for 25 per cent off your first order. www.Dropps.com/SAVINGSANGEL

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How to Optimize and Save on Your Online Holiday Shopping

Tis’ the season for holiday shopping, and as we’ve mentioned before, this year is going to be all about shopping online for the perfect gifts and decor. Don’t let online shopping scare you, though. You’ll still be able to snag the best savings and hottest deals. Check out some of our tips and strategies that will stretch your dollar further this holiday season. 

Shop for Gifts on Cyber Monday

Cyber Monday has been going on for years – it’s virtual Black Friday! This year, Cyber Monday is on Monday, November 30, just after Black Friday. 2020 is likely to see the biggest Cyber Monday sales and events ever, so mark it down on your calendar and start looking at your favorite online retailers for information on their doorbusters and plans for the holiday. 

Remember, we’re still in a pandemic, so you may be considering skipping Black Friday as far as shopping in-person goes. Many retailers are pivoting entirely to host online sales for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, or both. Do your research, check out the hottest stores, and make your savings plans ahead of time. A record-breaking online turnout means you should plan ahead so you can be the first to make those virtual doorbuster purchases. 

Compare Retailer Prices

When you aren’t preparing and planning to shop during the biggest savings event of the year, take the time to compare prices on other purchases you’ll make for the holidays. 

Take a few extra minutes and look at multiple online retailers for the same item. Looking for a new Christmas tree? Don’t settle for the first one you find. Look at other e-commerce options on the websites of various big-box retailers to see if you can save a few dollars. 

Another great way to compare prices is to use apps and browser extensions like Honey or Popcart. These types of apps compare prices for you and help you find the best deal and lowest price in minutes. 

Watch for Other Seasonal Deals and Sales

Big retailers aren’t just boasting savings on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Almost every major retailer, both in-store and online, hosts regular and weekly sales on the most popular holiday goods. 

Check out the online ‘Weekly Deals’ page on the store’s website each week to see what’s on sale that week. If you need more holiday decor, many stores will have specials on these items very frequently over the next two months. 

Stores are also likely to have these types of short, weekly sales on toys, home goods, and electronics, too. If you miss out on the chance to get the perfect gift on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, watch for these sales to see if you can still score a deal. 

Use Coupons!

I mention this a lot, but I promise you that coupons aren’t obsolete or outdated! Subscribe to the weekly newsletter or mailing list of your favorite retailers and you’ll get exclusive coupons all the time. 

Also, don’t forget about manufacturers’ coupons; they’re your friend. If you go to the manufacturer’s website, sometimes you can find these coupons here. Want to get sent a few extra coupons? Email the manufacturer’s customer service team to leave some positive feedback. More often than not, something as simple as this can land several awesome manufacturers’ coupons in your inbox. 

You can also go online and search for coupons or deals on sites like Groupon to save even more on your favorite items.

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Transcription of Today's Episode

Hi there, I'm Josh Elledge, the Chief Executive Angel at savingsangel.com and welcome to the Savings Angel Show. I'm podcasting to you on cool fall day in Orlando, Florida. And I tweaked my back. If anyone has any suggestions on how to remedy tweaked lower back, I am all ears, send send along your suggestions, please. Now, I'm an extremely busy consumer expert, money-saving advocate, and syndicated newspaper columnist. And that guy that turns digital entrepreneurs into media celebrities at upmyinfluence.com. I love what I do, and I can't wait to get going on today's episode. So in order to help you save more, earn more, and live more abundantly on today's show, I'm going to be covering why mom and pop shops are struggling this holiday season and some simple things you can do to help. We're going to talk about how to save some money and the environment with your laundry. I've got some tips there. And then finally, we're going to talk about how to optimize and save on your online holiday shopping All that and more. So let's get going.

Now throughout the development of the new normal we're living in, much has pivoted, for better or worse, and many entrepreneurs and small business owners have had to shift gears to keep up with the changes and rightfully so. So according to new studies, the average American consumer has turned to online purchases almost entirely. Now, for now it seems the days of perusing locally owned boutiques and window shopping at corner antique stores are kind of mostly on hold. Many consumers are also not planning to change their new shopping habits with the holiday season, which for small businesses locally owned brick and mortar stores. They've depended on that in previous years. That's why we call it Black Friday. That's kind of the date that businesses absolutely go into the black for the year. So, however, whether you plan on shopping online for holidays or not, there might be some ways you can help these small businesses in your local community.

So first of all, let's not jump to conclusions and assume that these local business owners haven't implemented in-store safety measures, you could check out their website or social media pages, you can find out what they've changed how they've made shopping in their stores more safe since reopening. And most brick and mortar stores are going to have implemented store policies so that shoppers, likely depending on where you live, you got to wear masks. Again, that's kind of a by-region only at least when I'm recording this. A lot of times, local retailers will also offer hand sanitizer to us while you shop and require the customers socially distance from one another that seems pretty universal. Now if you're comfortable with the measures that they've taken, choose a low traffic day for the store and stop on by to find that perfect gift for the holiday season. Now if you want to be extra careful and vigilant. You can see if this store is listed on Google and when you see the options to select between the overview posts and reviews about the store, select overview. Now under this tab, you're going to be able to read about the stores visit data. Now these are analytics provided by Google that allows you to view a store's most popular visiting hours and days versus lower traffic times in days. Now if you want to be more cautious, use these analytics to find out exactly when is the best time to go and where there will be the least amount of shoppers present you might likely not want to go when it's super-crowded right now, some stores have pivoted and now offer new online shopping and e-commerce options. We've done this a lot we've certainly done I think most of us have done a lot more ordering out and having food delivered rather than sitting in or dining in as many restaurants, this is kind of same thing with think of all of the places that you may have visited previously, they're going to do things to try and make it easier for you. Now this means you can still support your favorite local shop without leaving home.

4:31
And many stores open to Etsy and eBay stores to keep up with the online shopping. So these e commerce storefronts would be the first places to look. Now make sure you also check out the stores website, social media, Facebook, Instagram or whatever they use to keep in touch with the community. Now this is where you'll often find information about their online storefront or shipping options. If you're not sure what the best shopping option is for you and you can't find information online, just give the storage and go and see what you can discover. Now you can ask about whether or not they have an online store. And you can also ask about in person shopping policies, as mentioned previously. Now another thing they may also have is maybe you can't order online, but maybe they do kind of tell you what they've got. And maybe you can just order over the phone, and you could just show up in your car, they could bring it out to you throw it right in the trunk, and then you don't have to mingle at all. And again, this is all, again, your personal preference on what your what your personal policy is, and just in regards to staying safe. So if you're passionate about helping small businesses in your area, or own a small business yourself, you can find out about how to throw a community spotlight event. Now the event could focus on locally owned businesses and how the community can support them. Most consumers don't want their local mom and pops to go away. They just don't realize how to pivot to e commerce might have affected them in the long term. So you can get with community organizers, your local Facebook groups, City Hall, homeowners association, and look into hosting such an event, a virtual community get together hosted on a platform like zoom would be the perfect way to bring everyone together and inform them about these issues. Now, you can also connect with some of the local businesses, you're spotlighting to find out the best ways to support them right now. And if they want to signal boost their new store policies or online shopping options, well, this would be the perfect way to do it. So listen, you know, local mom and pop stores, local businesses. Those are, those are the fun, like you know, he think about like, when you go and travel and you visit a town, you generally look for what's unique, you don't get all excited when you see another chain store, unless you know for sure you need something from that chain store. But if you want that local experience, oftentimes it's those local businesses that really give that local flavor. And, you know, I'm a huge fan of supporting local small businesses, entrepreneurs, you know, people that are really, you know, struggling to try to serve their own community. So with that, when we, when we support our local mom and pop businesses, I truly believe that's part of not just living abundantly, but sharing that abundance.

So as a dude, believe it or not, laundry is actually something I care, I probably care a little bit too much about, like your I'm kinda the SavingsAngel. Yeah, I've been looking for the best deals, looking for the best products, you know, I just I constantly do that, like I want a great value. And I also care as well about the chemicals that I use. So when you've used the same old expensive laundry and dishwashing detergent pods, or powders, or gels or whatever, for years, you've probably asked yourself if there are cheaper and more ecologically sustainable alternatives out there? Well, I do I, I do a lot of research on this, I've got good news, you definitely can do better than what you may have been purchasing in the past. And what I use my family uses, we actually subscribe to service we use a product called Dropps. And it's completely changed how I do my laundry, how I do dishes. And let me explain. So we used to do the typical detergent pods at the grocery store for years, on how much I was spending on and kind of how bad the chemicals and plastic packages can be for the environment. You know, I'm not real big on guilting people or living in guilt or living in, you know, but you know, simple things that we can do. It just makes a lot of sense to me. And so if I can find simple switches simple, like innovative products, and it's not that big of a, you know, change for me to do and I can support the environment that way. I'm a huge fan of that. Just like saving money. I like saving money simply now, Dropps changed all that for me. And it's about nine, this is a product,

9:18
you get online and it's about 19 to 20 cents a load. And I'm not only getting a fantastic deal when I need to wash my laundry dishes but I'm living more sustainability sustainably. So my family and I we've been ordering Dropps now for about two years. That's about when we first got introduced to it online. And I listen, I just don't use the detergents. Now I'm just kind of hooked. It's super easy to order you can subscribe and save through their autoship which is what we do. It comes straight to your door through free carbon neutral shipping. Dropps is designed multiple types of awesome eco-friendly detergent pods and they've got over 10 thousand five star reviews online and so you know once you start using it you'll kind of get why is Josh geeking out on laundry detergent. It's because it's just it I like a you know again putting things making it simpler making it more automatic feeling like I'm doing a little part as well.

Now there's their powerful formulas. It contains more it's a plant based it's all plant based ingredients and so it offers custom cleaning solutions no matter what your need is if you have sensitive skin, if you need to use a gentle detergent, they've got great options for you. Maybe you need better stain or odor fighting detergent. I need that for my workout clothes. So no matter what you need, Dropps has you covered and they even offer dishwasher detergent pods which we use and i'm i'm so especially Mrs. SavingsAngel, my wife is very very picky about spots and all that other stuff. Another thing they do, I know one area that gets kind of chemically with other products is dryer sheets. So what they have is they actually have these really cool wool dryer balls. So you don't have to use those replaceable, disposable stinky, not stinky, but you know just really potent dryer sheets. You don't have to use those anymore. So the laundry pods they're again sensitive skin. If you get skin allergies like eczema psoriasis, it's really good for that. It's going to help prevent skin rashes, redness and irritation. And it's gonna do a really good job, kid you know, with things like dust mites, pollen, mold, pet dander, that sort of thing. And so the stain and odor focused laundry pods are made with a general formula for washing natural fibers and delicate items like individuals cashmere. Oh yes my my intense, intensely long cashmere collection. But they do allow you to wash expensive dry clean only items at home as well. And you know the best part is they keep your fabrics smelling fresh as you use them. So yes, they absolutely do. I can vouch for this they remove the tough stains with your you know from your kids, mud, dirt, pizza, pasta, pasta, pasta stains, really. I didn't know that. I don't get those too often. But yeah, coffee, chocolate, all that stuff it all it all comes out. And and again the dishwasher pods are also I can vouch for those. They do a really really great job.

So Dropps delivers powerful cleaning from nature with plant mineral based formulas to your door, low waste cardboard packaging instead of plastic containers that end up in our oceans and landfills. You can sign up for auto shipments and save big Yeah, it listen consumer guy here checking in. Yes, you can pause, skip or cancel anytime it's super, super easy. You can go to Dropps.com slash SavingsAngel. And that's D R O P P S, two peas dot com slash SavingsAngel all one word, that's Savings with an S lots of Savings one Angel that's me. And when you use the code SavingsAngel I just checked, it's the best coupon value that I found. It's 25% off your first order, try it out for one order and see how it goes. Like I said it generally takes a lot for me to become a fanatic about something like laundry. I am I like this product. I like the company. They're cool people. And I like the product. So again Dropps dot com slash SavingsAngel. Thank you so much to Dropps for also sponsoring this segment.

Tis the season for holiday shopping. And as we've mentioned before, this year is going to be all about shopping online for the perfect gifts and decor. Don't let online shopping scare you though, you'll still be able to snag the best savings and hottest deals, you're not going to miss out on anything. Check out some of our tips and strategies here that will stretch your dollar further this holiday season. Now Cyber Monday has been going on for years. It's virtual Black Friday, this year Cyber Monday is on Monday, November 30. You can circle that on your calendar just after Black Friday. A 2020 is likely to see the biggest Cyber Monday sales and events ever

14:13
so marked down on your calendar and start looking at your favorite online retailers for information on their doorbusters and plans for the holiday if you especially if you kind of missed out on all the Prime Day deals. Now remember, we're still on a pandemic and so you may be considering skipping br, Black Friday in store. I kind of don't blame me for that. I'm not generally a big fan of waiting in line and competing with crowds last of all this year. Now many retailers are pivoting entirely to host online sales for Black Friday, Cyber Monday in or both do your research. Check out the hottest stores and make your savings plans ahead of time. A record Blake, record breaking online turnout means you should plan ahead so you can be the first to make those virtual doorbuster purchases.

Now, when you aren't preparing and planning to shop during the biggest savings event of the year, take the time to compare prices. On other purchases you'll make for the holidays, take a few extra minutes and look at multiple online retailers for the same item. Don't just expect that just because you like shopping at Target that they are always going to have the best deals, Walmart, Amazon, it really just take the extra time, I promise you it's worth it. You can easily earn yourself 20 to 80 bucks an hour, just simply from a little bit of extra due diligence. Don't settle for the first product you find. You can look at other e commerce options on the websites of various big box retailers to see if you can save a few dollars. You can use. Obviously Google Shopping is something you can use. There are plugins and Chrome extensions you can use. Capital One, of all companies, has a browser extension that you can install. And that will also instantly kind of compare across websites. You can use Amazon assistant that will also help you. And again, I already mentioned Google Shopping now another great way to compare prices just use apps and browser extensions like Honey or Pop card. And they'll help with coupon codes as well. So again, it's all about helping you find the best deal and lowest price in minutes and do so quickly automatically, easily. I don't need you to turn this into a full time job. Now big retailers aren't just boasting savings on Black Friday and Cyber Monday almost every major retailer both in store and online hosts regularly and weekly sales on the most popular holiday goods, you can always check out the online weekly deals page on the store's website each week to see what's on sale that week.

Now if you need more holiday decor, many stores will have specials on these items very frequently over the next couple months. And stores are also likely to have these types of short weekly sales on toys, Home Goods and electronics to have now if you miss out on the chance to get the perfect gift on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Just watch for the sales to see if you can still score a deal. Now I mentioned this a lot. But I promise you that coupons are not obsolete or outdated. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter, or mailing list of your favorite retailers and you get exclusive coupon codes all the time. Also, don't forget about a manufacturer's coupons. They're your friend. If you go to a manufacturer's website, sometimes you can find these coupons there. And if you want to get sent a few extra coupons, just email the manufacturers customer service team and leave some positive feedback. I've done it, it works. More often than not something as simple as this can land several awesome manufacturers coupons in your inbox. They like to reward happy customers or people that are actively engaging with them. And sometimes you can just message them use a little chat window and just ask them if they have any particular coupons that they know of. And sometimes you'll get access to super secret coupons that just aren't available might be something that they give out to angry customers to calm them. And you you get that coupon code for being nice. Now, you can also go online and search for coupons or deals on sites like Groupon to save even more on your favorite items. Again, Google is your friend. So all that said that listen, these suggestions should help you again, save on your on online holiday shopping, I think majority of us are going to do most of our shopping online this year in particular. And I want you my fellow savings angels to do well to save money because that is part of living abundantly. 

So if you've loved hearing everything on this podcast, please share this episode with a friend. People need this information. You and I together are changing lives. Think of that friend or family member who really could use that extra, you know, $50 or $80 saved off their grocery bill or whatever their utility bill. I mean, this is all the stuff that I cover on this program, you can go back and go to savingsangel.com. And, you know, go through all of our archives, and you will get a Master's Course, in consumer skills. One thing you could do is just with your phone, you could take a screenshot post on Facebook, send a text, just get this in the hands of somebody I promise to be best service as I can to them. If you have any specific questions if there's anything you'd like me to talk about on the show, it's really easy. Just join our private Facebook group. Just go to Facebook and search for the SavingsAngel group. Our page is fine too. You can follow us there but the group that's more generally where you can ask more questions. You can also call me right now 407-205-9250 and leave a message and I'll answer your question. Write your back or with your permission. I might even share your question or story with others on this show with that have a wonderful week full of saving more earning more and living more by and thank you for listening.