With Winter and the Holidays in full swing now is the time to dust off the snow blower, shovels, Christmas Tree and or other Holiday activity items from your garage. But if you’re budget is a bit on the down side, below we present five smart ways to save on Winter fun. Whether you’re into a big and splashy festive season, a modest and subtle Holiday rendezvous or simply inviting the next door neighbor over – the ideas below should get you there without breaking the bank.
1. Groupon – this mega online group buying site has loads of hot deals, discounts and or coupons almost too good to be true. But don’t take this powerhouse for granted, upon a visit you will see deals for anything from local dining discounts to Christmas decor deals and so much more. The way it works is that each day, a different deal is posted and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Usually the deals are up to 70% off or more and because of this – tend to sell out fast. I’ve seen numerous deals for everything from personalized Christmas stockings to Winter boots, gourmet dining and lots more.
2. Living Social – this site is similar to Groupon in that each day a hot deal is posted on their website, but many argue the difference between Living Social and Groupon is the scope. Groupon has much deeper pockets and as such has a bigger marketing reach, but Living Social is hot on its tail. Just the other day, I spotted a TV commercial for Living Social, so keep both on your deal radar. It doesn’t hurt one bit to visit both and see what’s on offer for the day. You might score a heck of a deal on a local attraction, restaurant, Holiday concert or other similar event.
3. We Deal – much smaller in scale than the two sites above, but still a worthy contender because it’s very location specific and I’ve received some super hot deals through this site such as one offer recently that offered me savings of 60% on a city guest pass to over 64 attractions. It was a very good deal and (of course) I snatched it up asap. Worth a look for local discounts.
4. Local Business Websites – another excellent method for finding savings on Winter fun is your local business websites. Seek out the type that offer specials, freebies and or coupons. This could be your neighborhood restaurant, tavern or the local bike shop. Check each one and see what they offer. If you run a local business, be sure to have some sort of special on display at your website, because remember that today’s consumer is out their looking for a deal.
5. Deal News – this is one of my personal favorite deal sites because of its layout and design. It’s easy to navigate and easy to find specific items and or category of items such as laptops, pet related stuff or travel deals. If you seek deals and discounts on Winter fun items and or activities like ski lodges, Christmas gifts, office equipment, Winter wear etc – this is a great place to start. Search via keyword or browse the different sections on the homepage.
The above sites should not be discounted as they offer up major deals and major savings, you likely won’t find elsewhere. To compete with the offers, small businesses would go out of business. But when done in bulk or if the product being offered up is one that’s in large supply in the inventory room – it might work. All depends on your offer and your marketing.
Groupon especially is heavily marketed and many business owners who have tried it have seen a crazy increase in sales in one day, after posting an offer on their website. So (as a business owner) if what you seek is reach, then Groupon is your ticket.
As a buyer and consumer, Groupon offers up tremendous savings. Give it and all the others above a try.
This guest article was written by Missy Diaz who works for Broadband Expert, a high speed internet service provider on the web. When she’s not online writing and publishing, you can find her biking, running, playing tennis or at the mall looking for a good bargain.
