The Economy May Be in a Funk, but Banks Keep Offering Deals

With the economy tanking it makes sense to take free money from anywhere you can get it (provided there are limited strings attached). Below are some of the offers that I saw this week while surfing around. While most require some minimal hassle, if you are in the market for a new account anyways they might be worth your while.

E*Trade Savings $25 Bonus
Details: $1 minimum to open an account. Bonus will be deposited within 30 days of opening the account. Another plus, the 3.15% APY is one of the best out there.
Direct Link

INGDirect Savings $25 Bonus
Details: $1 minimum to open account, but if you want the $25 bonus you must fund the account with at least $250. ING was paying 3% APY as of 5/28/2008. (Full Disclosure: If you sign up for an account with one of the links below I receive $10). If one of the links doesn't work try the next. In none of them work for you, send me an email and I'll get you a fresh one.
Direct Link 1; Direct Link 2; Direct Link 3; Direct Link 4; Direct Link 5

American Express Nest Credit Card $50 Bonus
Details: You receive 5,000 bonus points after your first purchase (redeemable for $50). The card also gives you 1% back in points that are redeemable for cash and an additional 10,000 points (equal to $100) for any year you charge over $15,000 on the card. You also receive a financial planning kit that is supposed to help newlyweds budget. Plus, everyone will think that you're a newlywed as you throw down the AMEX (even if you're not).
Direct Link

Holiday Discount Codes Aplenty

Everyday Finance has dozens of holiday discount codes for those of you who may not have purchased everything during black friday / cyber monday. Below is a list of retailers on his list. If you shop at any of the retailers online or at the brick & mortar store it is probably worth a click over to Everyday Finance

Alloy
American Eagle Outfitters
Ann Taylor
Armani Exchange
Banana Republic
Bare Essentials
Barnes & Noble
Bath and Bodyworks
Bed Bath Store
BeBe Sport
Bloomingdales
CCO - Closeout Catalog Outlet
Children's Place
Cloud Veil
Crazy8
Designer Linens Outlet
Disney
Eastbay
GameStop
Golf Smith
Eastern Mountain Sport
Guess
Hasbro
HP
Illuminations
J. Jill
JC Penny
Joann.com
Levis Store
Limited Too
Linen & Things
Liz Claiborne
Macy's Coupon
MetroStyle
New York & Company
Nike
Overstock
Ralph Lauren
Red Envelope
Eestaurant.com
Sharper Image
Snap Fish
Speedo Coupon
Sports Authority
Suds Gear
Timberland
Toys 'r' us
Ulta
Victoria's Secret
Warner Bros Coupon Code
WinkFlash
Yankee Candle
Zales

Google Your Way to Saving Money Online

As almost every retailer has an online presence, so come the online coupons. Since I'm cheap all about saving money I typically start by Googling "[store name] coupons" before I make a purchase online. Not exactly rocket science, but then again most of the time saving money is more about luck and being persistent than it is about actually being smart.

Yeah I know, it takes an extra minute or two, but it is well worth it if you can get free shipping, $5 off, or sometimes a bit more. For example, my latest search looking for Target coupon codes let me to find $5 off a purchase of $50 and free shipping.

If you aren't into sifting through Google sites for coupons you can always start at places like CouponChief. Check it out.

Link
Coupon Chief - Online Coupons

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A SPONSORED POST