Fat Wallet - Do you want to save money? This is the real deal!
Written: Jul 12 '02 (Updated Jul 12 '02)
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Online coupons are WAY BEYOND the 10 cent clip-and-save in the Sunday newspaper. The best thing is that you don’t even have to clip them out and try to remember to take them in the store, which I never remember to do. I’ll be all organized, and then I’ll leave my coupons (and shopping list) in the car . . . and . . . FORGET THAT.
If you shop online, then you really need to think about the coupons. They make a HUGH difference. I’ve saved hundreds of dollars by typing in free ship, $10 off, and 20 percent off on orders online. This is instant gratification, and it’s money in my pocket to spend and spend more.
Basically, here is the deal . . .
You can check by store where you plan to shop and get deals, or you can check by item you want to buy and get coupons at a variety of stores and buy for less on the item you want. You’ll usually see the coupon space online. If you don’t have a coupon, then look around!
Even if you are an online coupon shopper, you may not know about FatWallet. They have been around a while (first as www.fatwallet.org and now added the dot com), but they have not been as word-on-the-street as some of the other deal sites. FatWallet is lean, mean, and they nail the deals faster than any other coupon site I click up.
The home page will give you NEW DEALS and MOST POPULAR DEALS. Those are the ones that are checked out at the site and cleared for purchase. The owner of FatWallet is on top of things, and he gets the deals up as fast as they come in. He also has a good list of online stores with the current deals listed on the home page. That’s in alpha order, so be sure to check when you plan to buy from an onliner. A quick coupon check can save a lot of dollars.
Dig a little deeper though, and you’ll get the cutting edge deals. Those come up in FORUMS. Just look at the top of the home page and then click in. Members at the site are very active in looking for deals and sharing those deals. The top of the list is the ONLINE DEALS, which includes any coupon or savings worth $20 or more online. The FREEBIE section has anything under $10 in value. They recently added grocery coupons by request from members. That section has savings that you can use in your grocery store. Some are tips and some are print out online to use in the store.
Don’t even think about jumping in and playing the deal game at FatWallet unless you are the max. These guys are big-time deal folks, and they jump all over any new poster who puts up something “old news” or “not-that-great” on savings. Myself? I just check out the posts and enjoy the deals. I’m not going head-to-head with people who do this full-time and scan in coupons at private sites for print out.
Also note that some of the deals are under-the-table and are not meant for general use. FatWallet members are quick to pick up on any problems at a site that might mean a super good deal based on a mistake. I didn’t know about this until, I got a dozen roses for $9.99 shipped. That was some kind of deal for members of something. I got the deal, but I didn’t feel good about that. I didn’t know I scammed the site, until I saw some notes at FatWallet about orders being cancelled. That happens when a lot of people jump on something that is not meant for general use.
Usually the deals are good for all though. I got a leather jacket last year for about $20. It is a great jacket, and it is real leather. Some of my friends paid more for pleather than I did for the real stuff. I was glad I saw that on FatWallet. My students at school were real impressed with my jacket, and then they were totally amazed when I told them what I paid.
Another feature that is nice at FatWallet is the compare store thing. They added that several months back. It is star based rather than having reviews like Epinions. Members click on a rating for various online stores. Combine this rate with other rating sites and Epinions to get a good feel for the quality of the online vender.
There are lots of deal/coupon sites out on the net. My favorites are: www.dealofday.com, www.flamingoworld.com, and www.fatwallet.com. I combine the deal sites with ebates, which is a site that gives cash back on purchases. That is at www.ebates.com.
FatWallet is the most cutting edge. They get the deals fastest (and then pop up on the other sites). They don’t play around, so I would not suggest hooking up and playing at the site unless you are a real deal queen or king. Many of the deal masters are young, so expect a lot of high tech deals though they also have things like toy deals and clothing deals too. This site also pops up the alcohol and cigarette deals that many sites avoid.
All in all, I would say that if you want to save money and if you want to play with the big dogs, then this is the site to visit. If you worry about getting deals that are under-the-table, then just look at the front page or visit another deal site (and avoid the forums). They do scam merchants from time-to-time (on forums only), but that is the exception and not the rule. I’ve saved a mega-bunch of money through this site. I’d give them thumbs way up, but I play careful.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
CyndiA
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 in Home and Garden |
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Member: Cyndi
Location: out in the yard grilling
Reviews written: 1158
Trusted by: 634 members
About Me:
Get some sleep and dream of rock 'n roll - Bread.
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