I have to admit that I am a big fan of groupon, dealfind, teambuy, fabfind and the list goes on and on. I get all their deals in my inbox first thing in the morning and quickly sift through them. (I have to warn those sites now sending me 6 deals in one email that you get deleted pretty quickly – one deal at a time please) I love the aps on my iPhone too!

Now you might laugh and like my boyfriend accuse me of wasting money but he wasn’t laughing when he got a oil change for $25 at the dealership from a groupon I bought on my ap while at the airport waiting to fly south a couple months ago.

I have a few tips and tricks on how to win:

1. Stay local – if you don’t venture far from your own hood regularly don’t think a great price on dinner at the pub across the city will get you out there.
2. Print the coupons right away – if you sign up to as many sites as I do you are likely to loose track. Good news is the establishment has to honour the face value of the coupon (at a minimum). I have had some places give me the deal weeks after the expiry date.
3. Refer friends, post to your Twitter or Facebook – when the sites first launched and weren’t as main stream I was able to make almost $400 in cash referrals (that isn’t counting all the credits from the sites). With credits I have been able to redeem for massages, housekeeping and dinners.
4. Be vocal if you aren’t satisfied – none of the sites want to be known for being difficult to deal with or having partnered with companies that are sub-par. If you can’t get booked in for the car detailing or the carpet cleaner doesn’t show up (both have happened to me) then call or email in and get a refund!
5. Read the fine print – some deals are not good on the weekends or you have to do something like, sit through a timeshare presentation in order to validate your deal.
6. Deals are great for trying something new but if you can save at things you’d buy anyway – like an oil change then you definitely win! Remember though that there will be long wait times for appointments when there are deals.

Now, some sites worth checking out:
Zozi 
This one is new to me but might be purchasing a ski trip at a B&B in New Hampshire for 2 nights with breakfast, $30 dinner credit and skiing for $393!

Teambuy
Today I can buy a deal from them on cellulite reducing capris!

Groupon
For Groupon I recommend the ap for your smartphone! Today I found a deal on getting a tattoo proving you can get almost anything at a discount – surprisingly over 31 have been purchased.

Dealfind
Dealfind pays cash for referrals – for real, I have received many a cheque! I almost bought their current deal but was alerted to the fact that you need to attend a 2 hour timeshare presentation for the deal – sometimes it isn’t as great as it seems!

Do you have a favourite deal site?