Ways to save on shopping

The New Year is here, and that means it’s time to make good on those resolutions. One of my resolutions was to save on shopping.  That means finding savings on travel, restaurants, groceries and everything else that I spend on. Here are a few ways I’ve been cheating in order to find the best deals:

Get your daily deal

More sites than ever are offering deals on everything from restaurants to travel to rock climbing. Groupon and LivingSocial offer specific local deals, which can really save you some money on eating out, or on events around your home base. But you don’t need to use the major sites to find good deals; there should be plenty of local sites offering deals around your neighborhood. To find them, do an online search for local deals and check your local newspaper.

Use an app

To get the best deals, compare prices on the go with a shopping app. Amazon has a great shopping app that allows you to compare a product from multiple stores just by scanning a bar code or doing a product search. These apps can really pile up the savings, especially if you’re shopping for big ticket items like televisions.

Go social

Social sites are one of the best ways to find deals in your area. Retailers post a number of exclusive deals on sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. As long as you follow your favorite brands closely, you should be able to pick out the best deals. It’s also wise to check out your feed for savings that your friends find.

How are you finding ways to save on shopping in 2012?