Who doesn't like a deal? That's why we have compiled this list of websites and applications.
There are sites that post the latest deals on everything from clothes to electronics, sites that give you cash back when you shop, sites that provide coupon codes and sites that help you compare prices.
Even if you don't end up buying online, it never hurts to find the best deals on the Web before you hit the stores. Then you can comparison shop and make better choices.
We've tested and picked 21 websites we think are easy to use and will help you save money all year. We also list three smart-phone apps that will help you get deals. Take a look.
Find the lowest prices
If you really want to score a great buy, use a price-comparison site. Dealio, which compares prices on 30 million products from 100,000 merchants, has a larger retail search than rival sites offer and provides coupon codes with thumbs-up/thumbs-down reviews to show how many users have had success using specific coupons. What we really like about this site, though, are the downloadable tools that help you find the lowest prices online.Pronto.com fetches prices on 70 million products from more than 25,000 online merchants, including eBay. PriceGrabber.com offers prices on products from nearly 13,000 merchants.
If you know exactly what you want and need just a bare-bones price-comparison site, try Google's shopping search engine, Google Product Search. What you'll get are lots of results for your search, product reviews, seller ratings and a "local shopping" option to help you find products at stores near you. What you won't see is a home page full of hot products, shopping guides, product categories or colorful images you'll find on sites such as PriceGrabber.
Shop with cybercoupons
Put away the scissors; you don't have to clip these coupons. Plenty of sites offer coupon codes (and printable coupons) for online and brick-and-mortar retailers. The nice thing about our picks is that you don't have to register on these sites to gain access to the coupons.RetailMeNot offers coupons from more than 40,000 stores and a community where you can get tips and deal information from others. You also can have the week's most popular coupons e-mailed to you.
CouponWinner.com has nearly 20,000 coupons from about 9,000 retailers. What we like about the site is its Coupon Scout tool, which lets you compare coupons from up to five retailers. Click on a category, such as women's apparel, and the Coupon Scout tool will appear on the left side of the page.
Coupon Sherpa is relatively new to the online-coupon scene (it was launched in September 2009). The staff test promotions and work with merchants to ensure that coupons actually work.
Not only does Alex's Coupons offer coupon codes for more than 1,200 stores, it also helps in the fight against childhood cancer. Over the past four years, Alex's Coupons has donated more than $20,000 to childhood cancer charities.
And if you're shopping for children, check out CleverBabies.com. It has coupons for stores such as Toys R Us, Disney Store and babyGap. The site also posts sales, has forums and issues its own coupons.
Hot deals
If you're not exactly sure what to get that certain person on your gift list, check out online deal sites, which post loads of discounted items. You're bound to find the right gift at the right price.Our favorite is Dealnews, which has a team of deal hunters keeping their eyes on a million products at more than 2,000 online retailers. Plus merchants and the site's visitors tip the team off to bargains. The deal hunters pick the best deals among the thousands they get daily and update the site at least 200 times a day, says Dan de Grandpre, the site's founder and chief executive.
The site also bans stores with poor customer service. Plus, you can sign up for e-mail or RSS alerts for products or stores you're interested in and get gift ideas from the site.
DealTaker.com lists some deals on its home page, but you'll find hundreds more listed in its forums. So if you're willing to take the time to troll through the forums, you'll probably find deals here you won't find other places. Or use the search option if there's a particular product for which you're trying to find a deal.
There are more than 200,000 forum members who post deals, and you don't have to register to view the ones listed. The site also offers coupons for more than 2,000 online stores, a price search engine and e-mail notification of deals. If you like the community atmosphere, you also can find lots of deals posted in the forums on MyBargainBuddy.com.
Continued: Electronics and tech gadgets
