A Whole New Way to Shop.

I was trying to "unjunk" my email inbox today when I realized that in addition to all of the true junk emails that are completely unsolicited - I don't need any photo editing from your Chinese company, am pretty sure that I don't have any dead relatives in Uganda who are leaving me millions, and definitely don't want to buy viagra. I also have a ton of email that I subscribed to at some point. Most recently, I have been subscribing to many of the new websites that have popped up designed to save us money in one of 2 ways - 1) shopping at a discount from carefully selected high quality merchandise or 2) discounts for businesses and restaurants (groupon and other groupon-type websites)
I thought I would share some of them with you all.

1. Bag, Borrow, or Steal - is a luxury handbag rental company. So, you can't afford to buy the latest "must-have" bag according to all the Hollywood celebrities? You can rent it!


2. One Kings Lane - described as "The world's top home decor brands and designers at up to 70% off retail. Free membership, new sales daily." Think of this as a way to shop for luxurious home goods. I love it for ideas on decorating that I can duplicate at my local stores too. They even have a $50 and under, "thrifty thrills" section.


3. Zulily - Daily deals for moms, babies and kids - up to 90% off! Really, if you are shopping for kids, you must join this site - their deals are fantastic!


4. Groupon - Get 50 to 90 percent off the best stuff your city has to offer. Hot deals in Chicago, New York, Boston and many other cities. Get your Groupon today. The catch is that they may not have your city. But, if they do, they send you an email about the big deal they are featuring that day. I have purchased some really fantastic groupon deals that gave me discounts at places I already shop! Recent purchases include national brands like Gap and Nordstrom.


5. Living Social - LivingSocial Deals has a deal per day in multiple cities of up to 90% off at restaurants, bars, spas, comedy clubs, sporting events, theaters, classes, and more!


6. Bloomspot - Exceptional offers for weekend getaways and unique local luxury experiences from top-rated merchants. Join BloomSpot today. Their catchphrase is "live life better". All I can say is I kind of like seeing how the richer folks live!


7. Daily Deal from Sign On San Diego - This is our local version of the daily savings type websites like groupon, etc. I have found great deals at local places. I recently bought one for a local restaurant/bowling alley for the kids and I to have some summer fun at a terrific savings!


8. Restaurant.com - Again, one of these websites that isn't in every city yet, but we have been able to buy gift certificates for some of our favorite restaurants at up to 80% off. There is some fine print, so you will want to read it carefully, but the savings is really great! And, with such good savings, we have purchased a few to try at new restaurants too!