Community Discussions
Explore the latest discussions and community conversations related to this domain.
What apps or websites do you use to find the best deals, coupons, or free stuff?
Main Post:
I’m trying to get smarter about saving money and stretching my budget, especially with so many shopping options out there. Whether it’s apps that alert you to flash sales, websites offering exclusive coupons, or platforms where you can score freebies and samples, I want to know what tools actually work. If you have favorite apps or sites that help you find reliable discounts, cashback offers, or giveaways, please share! Also interested in any tips on how to make the most of these deals without wasting time.
Top Comment: Off the top of my head: Ibotta, Fetch and Checkout 51 apps. Join facebook groups for those apps Search on youtube for your local grocery store and deals Sign up for Aisle and Social Nature to get freebies Join r/AwesomeFreebies and find free stuff Email companies for coupons - https://www.reddit.com/r/couponing/comments/1hqqwdn/companies_who_mailed_me_coupons/ Find matchups where you can combine deals to get stuff for very cheap, free or even make money using youtube, facebook or on your own with the above apps Sign up for local birthday freebies using different days throughout the year to spread out the freebies. There's a big thread on slickdeals. Use partner's phone #/email to double up on any offers if possible If you are in a state that allows them, do NBPR (no beer purchase required rebates). There's a big thread on slickdeals. If you drink alcohol, use rebates (I regularly get free alcohol combing Kroger cash back, BYBE, and alcohol rebates). Use coupon sites Use slickdeals and phatwalletforums to find deals Use Amazon Subscribe & Save to save up to 15% plus combine with S&S coupons Do credit card and bank account sign up bonuses to make extra money Maximize credit card rewards and offers - I use a dedicated Citi Custom Cash card for grocery only to earn 5% back and many times I get 10% off Kroger with credit card offers. I have another card for 5% off all dining, 4% off gas, and 2% back on everything. Use rakuten to save when buying online Use Upside for cash back on gas and restaurants Use Gas Buddy to find the cheapest gas Use InKind app if you have restaurants in your area. They have coupons and buy gift cards when they go on sale (Costco and Amazon have sales regularly)
How to find good deals while shopping, either online or in-store?
Main Post:
What resources do you use to get alerted of new deals/offers/sales? How do you find good coupons or extreme bargain deals? Are there any websites or subreddits you frequently visit to see if any required/interesting offers exist? Do you use any website to compare prices on different stores? Basically, what's your approach to save money when you need to buy stuff? Thank you for sharing!
Top Comment: GROCERIES - make a price list of all the things you normally buy. That way, you learn what is a “good price”. We go through a lot of peanut butter in my home, so when Costco had their 2-packs of Skippy (ea 48 oz jar/total 6 lbs) with an instant rebate of $3 taking the price from $9.99 to $6.99, I stocked up. I tend to stick to a list and occasionally buy stuff in the clearance section if the price is good on something I already buy. I live in California, so we don’t have any double couponing opportunities like other states. I also stay away from most prepared foods (think Hamburger helper). Those are the items that have coupons on them anyways. Stick to shopping the perimeter of the grocery store — meat, dairy, produce.... Not always feasible (I myself, still occasionally buy things like Dave’s Killer bread, Cheerios, etc for my kid). Before I go to the grocery store, I go to coupons.com and occasionally find something that is on my list. If they have a coupon on something that I already buy, I’ll print that too. Then I check out a couple apps on my phone (Checkout 51 & IBotta) to see if any items overlap my grocery list as well as “free” items. OTHER GOODS: I regularly check Hip2Save and Slickdeals for buying stuff at birthdays and holidays while also using the Ebates/Rakuten for the back end rebate and checking Retailmenot for coupon codes that Ebates doesn’t always have. I also just do quick walk throughs in toy sections of Walmart/Target because they sometimes randomly clearance items out that aren’t being discontinued in other stores. Like my kid is into Toy Story and found an interactive Bo Peep for $7. Just one. I suspect it was an online purchase that someone returned to a local store that didn’t normally carry it. I also found some play-doh sets on clearance at Walmart for $5 each and their website still had them for regular price. So random. I walk through other sections of stores if I have time as well. Like I HAD to buy a new set of sheets for my bed and I found a clearance set at Bed, Bath & Beyond that worked for me. I used a 20% off coupon on top of it and then found a Frozen sheet set for $6.97 for my kid. She didn’t need it, but I looked it up and the cheapest Frozen identical sheet set I could find new was $29. I used a 20% off coupon on that, too! About 2 weeks before that, I found a brand new Frozen comforter and matching pillow sham for $8 while thrifting. Sometimes it’s just luck.
I save so much by passing on discount deals
Main Post:
Saving on deals by buying items on sale and stocking up or using coupons is great until it isn't.
At some point passing up deals is a better choice especially when the food pantry and freezer is full.
My savings have been increasing simply by saying no to such deals under the circumstances. $5 off $25 coupon, no thanks I'm good at the moment maybe next time.
Has anyone else struggled with skipping on good deals too?
Top Comment: Yeah honestly I have to explain to my kids that sales and coupons and loyalty programs are all marketing tactics - can you still sometimes make them work to your benefit? Yes. But are they ultimately all about making you buy more? Also yes.