Living on the Cheap offers readers useful tools for living well on less, plus the latest deals and freebies from national retailers and restaurants. Our veteran consumer journalists and frugalistas produce smart, original, well-researched articles filled with actionable advice on personal finance, lifestyle, technology, health, travel and entertainment.
Living on the Cheap is the flagship website of a national “cheap” network of 30+ local sites. The network attracts more than 1.5 million unique visitors monthly, with a combined reach of tens of thousands of daily newsletter subscribers, Twitter followers and Facebook fans, as well as communities on Instagram and Pinterest.
We have written and edited for publications that include Consumer Reports, The Miami Herald, New York Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, CBS News, MSN Money, AOL Travel, Good Housekeeping, O Magazine, Parents, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Dallas Morning News, The Toronto Star, The Globe & Mail, Bankrate.com, Las Vegas Life and many other newspapers, magazines and online outlets. Our writers also have written dozens of books and a few smartphone apps. Read more about our experts here.
You can find details about our local sites here.
Write for Us
We commission money-saving articles from professional writers. If you’d like to write for us, send your story ideas and links to previous work to Executive Editor Teresa Mears, teresa@livingonthecheap.com.
Run an On the Cheap website
Are you an entrepreneurial cheapskate in a city that does not have an On the Cheap site? We’re looking for new publishers to help grow our network of hyperlocal journalism websites. The most successful candidates have a background in journalism or marketing, but our publishers have a variety of professional experience. If you’re like to learn more about becoming an On the Cheap publisher, contact us.
In addition to seeking publishers to start new sites, we’re looking for publishers to take over existing sites in:
Have you always wanted to start your own hyperlocal website but aren’t sure where to start?
Living on the Cheap is looking for publishers who want to run their own hyperlocal websites. This is a great opportunity for someone who is well connected locally, has journalism or marketing experience and wants to be the boss.
Each publisher runs his or her own site, providing all the content and doing all the local marketing and networking required to build readership. Local publishers also write for Living on the Cheap, our highly respected professional news site. The ideal publisher is a freelance writer or marketer with time available to build a new venture. While most of our publishers have a journalism or marketing background, some successful publishers came from other fields.
Living on the Cheap provides a how-to guide for running a successful site, the website itself, a discussion group to share strategies and tips, web hosting, tech support and national ad networks.
The ideal candidate:
- Lives in the city.
- Has contacts in the local media and PR community.
- Knows how to find and verify information.
- Understands WordPress or has the computer skills necessary to learn it (it’s not hard).
- Understands and participates in social media.
- Enjoys meeting people and networking in person.
- Wants to be his or her own boss.
- Is willing to invest at least an hour a day for a year to build up the business.
Syndicate Our Articles
Living on the Cheap offers syndicated articles to websites, magazines and newspapers, and our members also are available to write commissioned pieces. If you’d like to discuss syndication or custom content, contact Executive Editor Teresa Mears, teresa@livingonthecheap.com.
Partner With Us
Do you publish a website that would be a good fit for the Living on the Cheap network? Do you have any idea for another way we can work together? Contact us.
Definitions and Disclaimers
Below is what’s meant by some general policies and disclaimers you’re likely to encounter regarding sales and deals post on LOTC:
- “While Supplies Last” and “Not Valid with Other Offers.” These phrases mean just what they say. The first means that when they’re out, they’re out. On sale items, some but all merchants offer a rain check. The second means that they won’t both honor a special offer and a coupon for the same purchase. Pick whichever saves you the most, and be aware of the expiration dates.
- “Be one of the first 50 [or 100 or 500 or whatever] customers and get….” If you are #51, #101, #501 or whatever, you just missed and are out of luck. Such offers are most common with grand opening promotions.
- “Service charges may apply.” When buying sports events or show tickets online (and sometimes even in person) via Ticketmaster, special exhibits that are ticketed separately from a museum’s admission, and others, expect a service charge or “convenience fee” to be added. When we know that a customary service charge has been waived, we try to include that in our post.
- “Taxes and gratuities additional.” For restaurant specials, taxes must be added to the cost of the special. And don’t forget to tip your server. If you are enjoying a BOGO or twofer meal deal, tip on the entire amount.
- “Taxes and other charges additional.” Bargain air fares and lodging deals are quoted by the base price. Expect fees — sometimes hefty ones — to be added when you buy.
- Buy-by deadlines. Daily deals are over when they’re over — to the minute. When it comes to manufacturers’ coupons, some retailers are to-the-minute rigid. Others will accept a recently expired coupon. Merchants might be more generous with their own coupons. Bed Bath & Beyond, for instance, is famous for accepting any of the their own coupons way past the expiration date. When it doubt, present the coupon at check out. Worst case scenario is that the cashier won’t honor it.
- Going out of businesses sales. When a store hires a liquidator to run its final sale, the “original” price advertised might be higher than the retailer ever charged.
Living On The Cheap is a collaborative website written by a group of individuals. This site accepts forms of cash advertising. The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made on LOTC. Most advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third-party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.
Living on the Cheap participates in several affiliate programs. Though the site earns some revenue via affiliate links, Living on the Cheap retains full editorial control over the deals posted on the site. It limits the use of affiliate links to the types of deals routinely posted on the site.
The owners of Living on the Cheap are not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on Living on the Cheap are purely those of the site owners and contributors. If we claim or appear to be experts on a certain topic or product or service area, we will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
LOTC does not contain any content that might present a conflict of interest.
Privacy Policy
We use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our website. These companies may use information (not including your name, address, email address, or telephone number) about your visits to this and other websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. We also work with companies that sell products direct to consumers and/or allow you to download coupons. These companies may use third-party cookies and similar technologies to track your purchases, preferences and/or downloads. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, click here.
Contact Us
Share news: Do you have an idea for a story or a question about how to save money? Contact our editors at editors@livingonthecheap.com
Advertise: Would you like to advertise on our site? Contract our advertising staff at ads@livingonthecheap.com
Ask a question: Do you have other questions or comments? Email us at editors@livingonthecheap.com
Mail us a letter: 4633 NW 46th St., Tamarac, FL 33319
