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The Best Deal Sites

February 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment

With a title like that, I would be remiss to mention that I love the features on KidsAintCheap and use both the family coupon directory and parents shopping directory regularly but this article is not about my own site.  This article is about other sites that I use. It’s about the Best Deal Sites that I know of.

Groupon.comGroupon is a popular deal site

Groupon.com – It’s tough to have not heard of one of the fastest growing companies in the United States.  While much of the rest of corporate America is standing still, this company is growing at an unbelievable rate and it’s not hard to see why.   Groupon specializes in local deals.  You sign up and every day Groupon delivers a new deal directly to you for your local area.  Most of the deals end up being 40% – 60% off.

The service is addictive and the savings can be HUGE.  Ever since I missed out on a huge savings on movie tickets at my local theater(the deal had sold out) I have become obsessed with checking to see what my local daily deal is first thing in the morning on my iphone.  The trick is to not jump on something just because it’s exciting, the trick is to jump on something you would have spent money on even if you didn’t have the coupon.  Of all of the new sites that have cropped up, this is most certainly one of the best daily deal sites.

You can check them out at Groupon.com

Living Social

LivingSocial.com – Living Social is similar to Groupon.  It’s not as big so it isn’t as available in as many areas but they are still a major player and as such have some great local bargains.  I make it a habit to check Groupon and Living Social every morning.  I must admit, I have purchased more from Groupon than I have from Living Social but it’s still a great site to get a good deal.  The key, as with all of these places, is to not buy something you don’t need or can’t use.  While not as big as Groupon, it is still impressive and deserves to be on the best deal sites list.

You can check them out at LivingSocial.com

Restaurant.com

Restaurant.com – We don’t go out to eat very often, it’s one of the things we eliminated as we work todays becoming debt free.   When we do splurge and go out to someplace night, we almost always refer to Restaurant.com first.  The savings are amazing and there are a lot of participating restaurants.  The way it works is you find the restaurant you want to eat at and you purchase a gift certificate to that restaurant at a significant discount.  Most of the discounts I have come across are 50% – 60%.  The thing to be careful about is the fine print.  There are almost always stipulations, the most common being a minimum amount that must be spent at the restaurant in order to use the coupon.  Choose your deal carefully.  As long as you pay attention to the conditions, it is one of the best deal sites online.  I have had some really great meals, really cheaply.

You can check them out at Restaurant.com

Woot!

Kids.Woot.com – Woot has several different sites but the one I check regularly is their kids web site.  It’s an Ecommerce site but it’s unique in that they only sell one item per day.  Each day they post an item at a set price and you have the opportunity to buy it until they run out.  I have only ever jumped on a deal from Woot once so I can’t say I have a lot of experience with them but the experience I had was good.  They were selling something I had already planned on buying for a gift but I got it cheaper than I would have been able to get elsewhere.

You can check them out at Kids.Woot.com

Craigslist

Craigslist – Okay, so this one is a no-brainer.  I have had mixed results with Craigslist but for the most part, my experience has been positive with both buying and selling.   Whenever I am looking for a larger item I look to Craigslist first.  It’s the monster of all classifieds site and you can get a great deal if you are smart.

You can check it out at Craigslist

ebay

ebay.com – This one is another no-brainer.   You would have to be living in a very remote corner of the world to not know about ebay.  It’s the biggest and best auction web site online and there is a massive amount of product being sold on ebay every day.  You can find some great deals as long as you don’t get carried away with the bidding.   The key is to not bid until you have a concrete number you aren’t willing to go over.  ebay works so well because it works people up into bidding frenzy and inevitably some people will spend more than an item is worth because of it.

You can check it out at ebay.com

Other Coupon Sites

If the KidsAintCheap family coupons directory doesn’t have a coupon for a site that I want to buy something at, I do a search to see if one of the other coupons sites does.  It’s fairly easy and a good percentage of the time I find a coupon I can use.  I simply search for SITE NAME coupon in google to see what comes up. Obviously, I replace SITE NAME with the actual web site name so if I am looking for a coupon to use on Amazon I search for Amazon coupon or Amazon coupon code.  Try it out before you hit the check out button next time you buy something online.

Okay, those are the best deal sites that I check and use on a regular basis.

What is your favorite coupon or deal site?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
Email • Google + • Facebook • Twitter

Filed Under: Coupons, Money and Finances, Shopping Tagged With: Deals, Dining Out, Groupon, Living Social, Restaurant.com, Saving Money, Woot

Review of Groupon and Tips for Using It

December 19, 2010 | Leave a Comment

Groupon is a popular deal siteI have known of Groupon for awhile now but until recently, it wasn’t available in my local area.  I used to check out the site and see what deals were available in Philadelphia, which is about an hour and a half from us, but with two kids, work and a very tight budget, we don’t get the opportunity to go into the city as often as we used to.  I was pretty excited when Groupon starting offering deals right in our town and it looks like it plans on launching sites for many of the surrounding areas very soon.  The company seems to be growing at an amazing pace, hopefully the people behind it are able to manage that growth so they don’t become the next dot com fatality but only time will tell.

Groupon Deal of the Day

For those of you that don’t know, Groupon is a “deal of the day” web site that provides huge savings in your local area.  I have seen the savings range from 25% to 75% off with most being close to the 50% off range.   Each deal has a tipping point that activates the offer.  In other words, if enough people don’t buy it, then the deal is null and void.  Most of the time, more than enough people jump at the deal.   The deals can be for almost anything.  In the short time it’s been available in my local area I have seen discounts for restaurants, local stores, flying lessons, spa treatments, and more.  It’s part of the attraction of the site, every day brings something new and you feel compelled to read the emails, check the Twitter feed or view the site to see what the days deal is.  It’s the perfect execution of a viral marketing plan.

It’s hard to see how some of the companies that use Groupon actually make money.  To keep the math easy, let’s say a local restaurant offers a $100 meal for $50 (a pretty common deal on Groupon) the restaurant doesn’t get $50.  They split that money with Groupon so Groupon get’s $25 and the restaurant get’s $25.  After selling that particular deal, they still have to offer the $100 meal that was advertised.  It’s not unusual for hundreds of people to jump on a deal like that so if you do the math, it’s quite a lot for a small business to absorb.  Talk about eating into your margins!

Despite all that, there seems to be no limit to the number of companies interested in offering a huge discount on sites like Groupon.  So, how do they make money or at least hope to make money, offering such huge discounts?  I have a few thoughts this:

  • It’s a service or product that has huge margins and they can afford to offer big discounts in the hopes of gaining a new customer
  • The company knows it will lose money on the deal but hopes it will make up for it by the increased exposure and the chance to capture new and repeat customers
  • As with most coupons/gift certificates, a certain percentage of people will buy the deal but will never actually use it.  When that happens, it’s pure profit for the business offering the deal.

The only negative press I have been able to find online is from companies that have used it and failed to turn a profit on their particular deal but is that really Groupon’s fault?   They seem to be pretty up-front about what they have to offer companies but I have no first hand experience.  I am sure I am missing some strategies that businessmen smarter than me have been able to take advantage of and I would think that a good portion of the companies that use it must make out alright for the company to be growing as fast they are.

How to use Groupon

Okay, so enough about how Groupon works for the businesses that use it, let’s take a look at the customer, the end user for the service.  Can you really save that much using Groupon?  Absolutely!  That I know for certain.  The deals they offer are legitimate and easy to cash in on.  Before you give them your credit card number and start buying up discounts and special offers, we do have a few tips on how to best use the Groupon site:

  • As with any coupon, don’t get sucked in by the deal and spend money on something you didn’t need or never intended to buy in the first place.
  • You can get $10 just for referring other people to Groupon who make a purchase.  I signed up and referred my wife, my sister and my parents.  If they opt into any of the deals that come along, I will get $10 to spend on any deal I want.
  • The site can be fun and addictive, don’t let that overrule your own common sense.  If you can’t really use it, it doesn’t matter how good of a deal it is, don’t spend your money on it
  • If you do buy it, make sure you pay careful attention to the expiration date.  They are counting on a certain percentage of people buying into the deal but never getting around to actually using it.  If you aren’t sure you will be able to use it before the expiration date, don’t buy it.
  • Take a look at what other customers have to say about a particular deal before you purchase it by clicking on the “Jon the Discussion” link.
  • I never buy into the deal the first time I look at it.  I typically check out the Groupon site first thing in the morning before work.  If I am not interested, I don’t go back until the next day.  If I am interested, I wait a few hours and go back to the site on my lunch break.  It gives me time to think about whether I will really use or need the offer and helps to remove some of the emotional excitement from the transaction.
  • Make sure you read the fine print so you know exactly what you are getting and what the restrictions are.
  • If you are interested in the service, make sure you register and create a profile, it will make it a lot easier to purchase deals and keep track of what offers you have available to you.

I highly recommend Groupon, if you can exercise a little self control, it’s a great way to save a LOT of money.  You can check out their web site and sign up by going to Sign Up with Groupon


Do you use Groupon? How do you make it work for you?

Brian
Brian

Brian is the founder of Kids Ain’t Cheap and is now sharing his journey through parenthood.

 
Email • Google + • Facebook • Twitter

Filed Under: Discount Sites, Money and Finances Tagged With: Coupons, Daily Deal, Groupon, Saving Money

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Basic Principles Of Good Parenting

Here some basic principles for good parenting:

  1. What You Do Matters: Your kids are watching you. So, be purposeful about what you want to accomplish.
  2. You Can’t be Too Loving: Don’t replace love with material possessions, lowered expectations or leniency.
  3. Be Involved Your Kids Life: Arrange your priorities to focus on what your kid’s needs. Be there mentally and physically.
  4. Adapt Your Parenting: Children grow quickly, so keep pace with your child’s development.
  5. Establish and Set Rules: The rules you set for children will establish the rules they set for themselves later.  Avoid harsh discipline and be consistent.
  6. Explain Your Decisions: What is obvious to you may not be evident to your child. They don’t have the experience you do.
  7. Be Respectful To Your Child: How you treat your child is how they will treat others.  Be polite, respectful and make an effort to pay attention.
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