Well. It was an exciting day down at the F-O-X. A massive news story broke right at the end of the Morning Buzz. You know, the Buzz… that show yours truly appeared on today (see the topic of discussion below). And after said Buzz, there was an even more massive press conference all of us at the station watched with bated breath.
For those of you who do not reside in the great state of MN, this may not be big news for you. However. For the rest of us. HOLY COW, Y’ALL, ROBYNE ROBINSON IS RUNNING FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR OF MN, CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT???? Now, a former anchor person entering the world of politics is nothing new, but I don’t recall it happening around these parts. And Robyne isn’t just any anchor person, she is a TC icon, folks.
This news is so overwhelming, you might think I’d forget all about my lil’ ole’ segment. Oh contraire – read on for the complete deets of what we talked about on the Morning Buzz.
These Websites Want To Save You Money
Groupon.com
What is it – every day, Groupon features one deal in your city on entertainment, dining or shopping. By promising businesses a minimum number of customers, Groupon gains access to deeper, better discounts from local businesses. They call it, “collective buying power.”
You don’t have to sign up people you know to get the deal, but you can invite people to participate.
How it works – first, register for free. Then, when a deal comes up that you like, click “BUY” before the offer ends at midnight, and enter your credit card information. If the required number of people sign up, your card is charged and you are sent a link to print your Groupon. If not enough people join, no one gets the deal, the deal is canceled, and you are not charged.
You do not have to use your Groupon the day you buy it. Many Groupons have an expiration date, but you never have to use them on the date of purchase.
How to redeem your Groupon – once your credit card has been charged, you’ll receive an email with a link to sign in and print your Groupon. The Groupon has redemption instructions and a map printed on it. In short, these act like highly discounted gift certificates. You can even buy Groupons for other people as a gift. However, unless otherwise stated, you will not receive store credit or cash back for whatever you don’t use.
If your Groupon expires, it loses its promotional value, but you can still redeem it at the price you paid for the length of time stated by gift certificate laws in MN. And if the business that offered the Groupon goes out of business, they’ll make sure you get your money back.
DealStork.com
How it works – this operates the same as Groupon, except they plan to offer more than one deal a day in the future. And, obviously, they offer different deals than Groupon, so you can maximize your daily savings by joining both.
Upromise.com
What is it – every time you make an eligible purchase, Upromise partners return a portion of that money back to you. Those earnings accumulate in your Upromise account until you decide to use it – either to invest in a 529 plan, help pay down eligible student loans or assist with college expenses. And it’s all tax-free, baby.
How it works – sign up for a free Upromise account. Then, shop online through Upromise and get 1%-25% back from eligible purchases at more than 700 retailers, like Spiegels and ProFlowers.
You can also eat at one of their participating restaurants and get up to 8% back from more than 8,000 restaurants as a Preferred Diner when you pay with a registered credit or debit card. Examples – Baja Sol, Azia, Pizza Man.
Last, you can shop at your local grocery store or drug store and receive 1-3% back on thousands of eligible items, like Elmer’s glue and Nestle Toll House cookie dough, when you scan a Upromise registered grocery or drug store card at checkout.
That money is placed in your Upromise account and held there until you decide how you’re going to invest it in a college education.
GoldStar.com
What is it – they offer half priced tickets on various local shows. For example, they have half off tickets for M. Butterfly at $25-$30.
How it works – All you have to do is sign up for free, and shop the deals. They also provide information on what to wear, where to park, even recommendations of where to eat nearby. And they are selling regular, full-priced tickets that offer unobstructed views. And if you buy the tickets all at once, your party will be seated together. Bear in mind, you can’t refund your ticket once you’ve bought it at GoldStar. One more thing – you can sign up to receive email alerts of fun events happening in your area.
Bonus Tip! From a Fox 9 Buzzhead! FourSquare.com.
Okay, FourSquare is weird, and I’m not really sure how it works. Therefore, I’ll let the site speak for itself. According to FourSquare.com, here’s how you can save with them:
“Foursquare aims to encourage people to explore their neighborhoods and then reward them for doing so. We do this by combining our friend-finder and social city guide elements with game mechanics — our users earn points, win Mayorships and unlock badges for trying new places and revisiting old favorites.
As a business owner, you can use foursquare to engage your increasingly mobile customers with foursquare “Specials,” which are discounts and prizes you can offer your loyal customers when they check in on foursquare at your venue. Don’t forget to show extra love to your venue’s Mayor! Additionally, if you offer foursquare Specials to your customers, you will be able to track how your venue is performing over time thanks to our robust set of venue analytics — for free!”
So. I guess if you play enough on FourSquare, you’ll earn discounts. Sure beats the random games on Facebook that pay NOTHING.
Where are you saving money online? Share with the group! Please. Thank you.
One Comment
For any moms and dads out there, http://www.mamabargains.com is great. They list one deal (usually pretty fabulous, occasionally awesome) at a time.