I absolutely love getting a good deal. I sign up for sites that offer deals, I go through them everyday, I use coupons, I’ll go to happy hour, I use frequent flyer miles and I hoard hotel points.
My great accomplishment this week? Ordering a $100 gift card to the Capital Grille using my Amex points and making the reservations with OpenTable while earning 1,000 OpenTable points (Capital Grille was on their 1,000 point list!). Since this Sunday is Valentine’s Day (and also my husband’s birthday) it was time for a fine dining experience! We will use any excuse for an opportunity to eat good food. It felt so good to know I wasn’t going to spend much (or anything at all) on this eventful dinner and at the same time earn 1,000 points for it (which equals $10)! So I thought I’d share some of my favorite sites that offer great deals.
1) Slickdeals.net - I check this site everyday. I have learned of some amazing deals from visiting Slickdeals. The best deal I ever got was a 3 night stay at the Wynn in Las Vegas for the hubby and I as well as for my parents for FREE! My parents ended up with a suite too! We also got $200 in resort credit! Of course we had to pay for the flight but I’m not complaining! We’ve also gotten other great discounts but nothing topped the free nights at the Wynn.
2) RueLaLa - What woman doesn’t like to buy designer clothes for 50-70% off? I don’t usually buy too much designer stuff but if I do, it comes from RueLaLa. Everyday, there are different boutiques that go on sale for a limited time. It’s like an online sample sale so you better act fast before items get sold out! You need to be referred to set up an account so send me a message if you want me to refer you! Other similar sites include Gilt, HauteLook and OneKingLane (for home goods).
3) ShopItToMe – When you sign up with ShopItToMe, you tell them what brands you’re interested in. Every week, you’ll get an email with the best deals on those brand items . I’ve bought several BCBG dresses through this site for less than $100.
4) Groupon – Select your city, and everyday there’s a new sale. It could be half priced meals at restaurants, discounted spa services, specialty stores, etc. There needs to be at least a certain number of people who collectively want the deal in order for the deal to be on. I’ve never actually seen a deal not happen!
5) Restaurant.com – Because my husband and I love to eat, Restaurant.com is a great site for us. You can browse through all the restaurants in your area and purchase a gift certificate to your eatery of choice. The standard rate is a $25 gift certificate for $10 which is pretty good…but practically every week they have great sales where you can purchase a $25 gift certificate for just $2! I’ve used this site many times before and I love that you can print out your gift certificate as soon as you make your purchase. The only thing to watch out for is to check what kind of restrictions the restaurant has – some will say that the certificates can only be used for dinner or can only be used on certain days.
6) Coupons.com – I love using this site for groceries. You can browse through a bunch of coupons, select the ones you want, them print them out and use them at the store!
7) OpenTable – OK by now you’ve heard me talk about OpenTable at least a few times. I love having a point system for when I dine and since making reservations is easy through this site (and free) I don’t see why anyone would not do it! Each city has a list of restaurants that can earn you 1,000 points after dining there. You can earn a $25 OpenTable dining cheque (to be used at any OpenTable restaurant) with 2,500 points. This is great because so many good restaurants are on OpenTable and there are some great restaurants on the 1,000 points list too! I’m currently at 3,000 points so I’m going to save up for a $100 dining cheque and have a nice meal!
So that’s all I’ve got. Are there any other sites out there with great deals that you’d like to share?
Valentine’s Day is a little different for the hubby and I because it’s also his birthday! When we first started dating he would say “because the 14th is my birthday we can use that to cancel out Valentine’s Day right?” At the time I told him it was wishful thinking, but today, after 5 years of marriage, we really don’t do much for Valentine’s Day. We’ve tried in the past, but the flowers and chocolate thing just doesn’t do much for me and if you ask me, sending flowers on Valentine’s Day is a complete rip off! So instead of spending the money on typical Valentine’s Day gifts, we’ve made a tradition out of having a nice meal without spending big bucks. In the past, we’ve done the romantic dinner at home, we’ve used gift cards we received over Christmas at restaurants, and this year, we’re using our American Express points for a free dinner! I’ll be happy to have an inexpensive Valentine’s Day every year!
The husband and I love to eat. It’s a great way to just get away, experience different cuisines and have some private time to talk and bond. Although I’m all for saving money, I just need to eat out at least once a week. It’s one of those things my husband and I really enjoy and aren’t willing to cut out. So if we’re going to be dining out, why not earn points towards a free meal in the future? That is why, I always use 