About Ashleigh McKenna
After first subscribing to sweetspot.ca to get to know her new city, Ashleigh McKenna now gets to help find the sweet stuff worth sharing as Editor and General Manager. Go behind the scenes from favourite manicure spots to product sneak peeks and more.
Power Purchasing
girl about t.o. canada
(Jul.07.10)
When I was seven I desperately (and somewhat irrationally) wanted a bank account. I broke open my piggy bank - a wooden duck with plastic sides - scrounged the house for extra change to get to the $20 minimum and signed my name in a weird cursive-print hybrid since I didn't actually have a signature.
A couple of years later, when I desperately (and completely rationally) wanted a Barbie dream house of some sort, my parents explained saving up and for months (or what felt like months) I hoarded birthday money, allowance and anything else I could get. By the time I had the necessary funds my mom asked when I wanted to go to the store. Story goes, I had changed my mind since if I bought the house, I wouldn't have any money left.
Needless to say, I'm a saver. (Though I have since reconciled with the concept of shopping.)
And as a saver, I liked the sound of the group buying sites that have recently popped up online.
The basic premise is simple: every day a different deal, and as long as enough people purchase, you save on a litany of random stuff. (The trick is just to make sure the shopper side doesn't edge out the saver side and you only buy stuff you actually would anyway - no sense in 50 per cent off a service you'll never use.)
Here are some of the ways I've recently online shopped:
- Daily Dealight
- My obvious starting point is our own sweetspot.ca way to save - no group committment required. A new offer is up every day (and now stays live for seven whole days). My last Cake Beauty buy was with this dealight.
- TeamBuy
- Daily deals in Toronto, Vancouver & Montreal (with sign-up in Ottawa, Halifax & Calgary). I've paid $30 for a $75 yoga pass and $30 for a $90 photobook. And sure there are ones I have no interest in either, but it's always worth a peek.
- Groupon
- The U.S.-originated site that's now available in Toronto & Vancouver. I've saved 50 per cent on a restaurant I've always wanted to try and don't mind the days I'm not into the offer since I'm continually curious to see what's next.
- FabFind
- Sweet Deals
- Another internal listing of offers from some sweetspot.ca partners. That free cup of coffee I mentioned? It's here too (plus contests, coupons and more - and a weekly newsletter rounding them all up).
Pretty sweet savings. (Now I just need to get my butt to yoga.)
What about you? Any places you always go to save - or spend?
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