There has been some controversy lately regarding mommy bloggers who fail to disclose behind-the-scenes marketing payments.  I am against this practice — if only because no one sends ME free stuff.  However, I do believe uncompensated, unbiased user reviews make the Web a better place.  I couldn’t live without Web reviews of all sorts.  And this year I’ve vowed to give back by sharing more of my own.**

In other words, meet our new feature: Friday Favorites!  Friday Favorites will cover my go-to products, websites, foods, shops … whatever I’m appreciating in any given week.

This week: my favorites Web sources for local deals and specials.

(piggy bank here)

The first three sites offer coupons for significant discounts off local restaurants and services (beauty salons, fitness classes, car detailing, etc.).  The sites emphasize group action; a certain number of people must sign up before each deal is “activated.”

Groupon - The best known of the local-deal sites, Groupon offers daily deals for dozens of cities in the US and Canada.  I find their deals the most tempting, but rarely make it to the (surprisingly funny!) website in time to purchase before midnight.

Living Social - Atlanta, Austin, Boston, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC.

What’s the Deal - DC only.  Deals aren’t as frequent; on the other hand, they’re posted longer so it’s easier to sign on before they disappear.

While group coupons are the latest craze, some old-school sites are also worth a visit: 

Goldstar Events - Boston, Chicago, DC, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orange County, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle.  Offers half-price tickets for music and theater performances, sporting events, seminars, and more.  Great for trying something where you wouldn’t necessarily pay full price.  (Our own Goldstar experiences include Wizards tickets, Native American Dance at the Smithsonian, and a thoroughly enjoyable cannibalism musical.) 

For DC theatergoers, there’s also a half-price ticket site with week-of-performance deals. 

Restaurant.com - $25 restaurant gift certificates for $10.  Toward the end of the month, they often discount their certificates still further, to an amazing $2-4.  The certificates are good for a year, but we recommend making plans within a few weeks; otherwise, it’s surprisingly easy to forget and let them expire.  All major US cities.

 

** So … er … it’s a bit ironic that this is my first big strike for uncompensated reviews.  When I visited each site for background information, I discovered that a few give some small credit to refer people who join the site and make a purchase.  I used referral links where applicable, because why not?  But referral fees are not the reason for my enthusiasm — I genuinely didn’t know about them until after I wrote this post!!