Eatin' Cheap in 2010

A couple of new discount sites have entered the scene in Austin since 2009.. which is really exciting for me as a discount queen. 

The first is Groupon.com.  This site offers a daily discount to a restaurant, store or services in the Austin area.  For example, today for $10 you can buy a groupon that entitles you to $20 worth of food & drink at Chango's.  That's 50% off!  Check the details to see when your groupon expires and if anything is excluded.

Next is LivingSocial.com.  This is a very new deal site and I haven't yet seen them post a deal for a restaurant (so far it's been deals for services and stores, like today's deal for a 90-minute massage for $39) but they do say that restaurants and bars will be among the deals they offer.  LivingSocial is similar to Groupon in that you purchase the deal immediately and use it later. 

An oldie but goodie and favorite of mine:  Restaurant.com.  I can't even tell you how many times I've used this site.  You can get certificates here for $10 off a $20 meal,  $25 off a $35 meal, $50 off a $100 meal, and so on.  The certificates are listed as costing $4 and up, but don't pay that for them- get on their mailing list for emails with promo codes that entitle you to up to 80% off the price of the certificates.  You can end up buying a $25 certificate for only $2!

Finally, something that you probably know about if you have kids but have forgotten about if you don't:  Entertainment books.  Remember selling these in school as a kid?  If you don't know any kids you can easily buy the book through their website.  They are chock full of coupons and discounts to various restaurants, stores, theaters, museums, and services around town.  After using just 2 or 3 coupons the book will have paid for itself!