Web 2.0 Tools to Help Encourage Wise Spending
Written on September 1, 2010 by Milton Reyes
When people consider ways in which they can save cash, a lot of people turn to blogs that teach you how to be frugal, because they want to learn how to manage money better, some people are even turning to Firefox addons that help save money.
Sometimes though not spending money is just not possible, especially when special occasions like birthdays and holidays come around. Believe it or not there are ways in which you can spend money whilst also saving, which for most people is a lot more fun than trying to exist on a shoe string budget.
Don’t get ahead of yourselves though, this isn’t a license to go out and just start spending money wildly. Instead I’d like to suggest some tools which are available online, to help provide you with some great bargains you won’t see anywhere else. Perfect for finding affordable gift idea’s for those times when you just can’t help but find yourself spending some money.
Coupon Sherpa
Coupon Sherpa is a coupon hunting service which works a lot like the popular social network Digg, in that. They hunt all across the web to find the best digital discount codes and printable coupons available, then users on the site vote on deals to help bring them to other members attention.
Discounts by category, by store and by time frame. Letting you see what codes other people are finding handy at the moment (a great way to find inspiration for some bargain based gift hunting), across a wide range of settings.
Whether you already have something in mind, or whether you want to kill some time by window shopping without having to worry about spending too much money. Coupon Sherpa is an ideal place to start out when your looking to save money whilst spending.
Groupon
Groupon is a specialized online coupon service which offers people the ability to buy discounted deals for use in major American cities. To make use of the service you just choose which city you want to follow, enter your email address and then Groupon will email you with a different special deal everyday.
Deals made available through Groupon must be purchased from the site on the day the offer is made, but they are then useable during an extended length of time as made clear in the original offer. The deals only become active if enough people sign up to receive a coupon, with offers that fail to attract significant attention becoming inactive (which means no one gets charged and no coupons are delivered).
Operating in this fashion means that Groupon are able to convince business’ to provide sizable discount’s of the kind you aren’t likely to see anywhere else, allowing them to offer anywhere up to 75% off the usual price for goods and services.
Groupon isn’t just a great way to save money, it also encourages people to try out new places and to enjoy new things. The deals are often so good that it’s easy to get carried away, but at least with Groupon trying something different won’t cost you anywhere near what it could have, making it a great way to optimize your spending potential.
Those three tools are currently my favorites for helping encourage wise spending. That said I’m always interested in finding out about new and interesting ways to keep costs low without having to deny myself the pleasure of shopping for something exciting, so let me know about any others you may find useful.
Blippy
Blippy is site dedicated to tracking information regarding what purchases you and your friends make and then using that information to spark conversation via your Facebook and Twitter accounts. It does this in one of three ways:
- It can be tied to credit and debit cards to automatically update your status’ whenever you use them to make certain predefined purchase types (like new clothes or a new video game).
- It can scan your email inbox for receipts (again for predefined types of items).
- It can synch with various e-commerce based sites using your account information for those places in order to track the way in which you use them.
Once you set your account up it will use your Facebook and Twitter (if authorized) to invite all of your friends to set up their own accounts. You can then use the system to see what interesting items your friends are buying, what people though about the stuff they purchased and whether they managed to get a good deal or not.
It’s a great way to see what kind items everyone you know is currently into, as well as providing valuable information on what people already have (for when it comes to buying gifts). That said if you find you’re unable to control yourself when it comes to excessive spending, getting this application can encourage you to buy items that you really don’t need (though at least with Blippy you know who to ask if you want to borrow something).
This is a guest post by Annie Wallace aka viral mom.
Resources:
Money-Savvy Kids: Parenting Penny-Wise Kids in a Money-Hungry World
Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise: 1,001 Money-Saving Secrets to Curb Your Spending, Clear Up Financial Chaos, and Make Your Life Easier
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- Get Your Groupon!
- 7 Ways to Keep More Money in Your Pocket (Even in a Recession)
- Saving money on foreign currency
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