You may have noticed a lot of ‘buzz’ lately regarding new money-saving techniques. It seems like every time you get in the car there is a radio commercial for LivingSocial.com. Wonder what it is exactly? Daily deal websites such as Groupon & LivingSocial are a great way of getting online coupons of 50 to 90% off dining, hotel accommodations, spa treatments and recreational activities.
The catch – these deals are only good if a certain amount of people purchase the offer before it expires. Each deal has its own minimum requirement that triggers the deal. If not enough people sign up and buy the deal, it is null & void and your credit card never gets charged. The sales on these websites are usually held for 24-72 hours. The great thing is you get emails with updates on the daily deals delivered right to your inbox so even if you forget to check the website you will never miss out on a great deal! You can customize what cities you’d like to receive deals from as well as the amount of emails you receive from both companies. It is a very easy and convenient way of staying ‘in the loop’ with the new restaurants and social events going on in your community!
Two of the top community discount websites we will highlight are LivingSocial & Groupon:
Browsing LivingSocial.com is an easy way to buy daily deals. Once you’ve purchased the deal, you will receive a link to your voucher within the next 24 hours (a voucher in this case would be what you would present to the company verifying that you purchased the deal). You will also receive a unique link to that deal to share with your friends, family, co-workers, etc. If three or more people buy the same deal using your unique link, they will give you your deal for free.
As a LivingSocial member you will receive up to 90% off the best deals in your city from quality merchants. The site is spam-free and prides itself on great customer service.
Groupon launched its site in November 2008, featuring daily deals on anything you do, see, eat and buy within 43 countries across the world (you can pick and choose which places you can receive deals from as mentioned above).
An example of the kind of deals you can receive would be – 5 Bikram Yoga classes would normally sell for $90, Groupon will offer this package at a 68% discount for $29, saving you $61. There are certain regulations for each offer so you must read the fine print. Sometimes they will only offer the packages for New Clients, they limit 1 per person (unless you are buying them as gifts, then you can purchase up to 2 more vouchers) and they always have an expiration date so be sure to check these before you purchase!
If you are looking for a killer outfit to wear when you visit the hot new restaurant in town (thanks to your voucher from LivingSocial or Groupon!), there are plenty of ‘Sample Sale’ websites out there that have exactly what you are looking for! These websites are very similar to the community daily deal websites as they also send emails to your inbox with daily deals, only they are offering designer merchandise at discounted prices.
Here are two favorites!
Hautelook offers daily deals from thousands of top fashion and lifestyle brands at amazing prices. Every day at 8 a.m. Pacific, new shops open their deals for the day (or week). They offer deals on women’s and men’s fashion and accessories, beauty supplies, toys and children’s apparel, home décor and travel getaways at up to 75% off.
Shop it to Me is like having your own free personal online shopper. Have you ever found out about a really great online sale AFTER it’s already over or clicked on a sale item you really love to find out they no longer have your size? This has happened to all of us at some time or another. Shop it to Me is a way of avoiding these frustrating situations! All you have to do is sign up, once you’ve done so you have the option to choose the designers you love (or department stores!) and the sizes you need and they handle the rest for you. Your personalized ‘Salemail’ gets sent to your inbox as often as you’d like. It’s much easier than spending all day online shopping and you always get alerts for the most current sales.
Just to mention a few others worth visiting:
- http://www.gilt.com/
- www.bluefly.com
- www.theoutnet.com
- www.ideeli.com
- www.ruelala.com
- www.renttherunway.com (this one’s a bit different – you rent designer dresses & accessories that you love, schedule a delivery date and then return it in the pre-paid package they provide!)
They say a penny saved is a penny earned. Why spend full price on something you’re going to buy anyway? We all love saving money. Online shopping has transformed the way we do so. Good luck & happy shopping!
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