Groupon is the big name in the social deals sites but it’s definitely not the only one in the market. In fact, there are so many Groupon clones that it’s hard to even count them all. But there is one in the mix that may stand out more than the others – and may in fact even be better than Groupon itself. That site is SociallyIdeal.

SociallyIdeal Doesn’t Require a Minimum Buy

Most social deals sites operate on the idea that an item can cost less if it is bought buy a lot of people all at once. For that reason, sites like Groupon require that a minimum number of people purchase the deal before it can be activated. Although it doesn’t happen often, this can mean that you go ahead and sign up for a deal and then don’t get it after all. You aren’t charged but you can definitely end up disappointed, thinking you’re getting a great deal and then finding out that you’re not getting that deal after all. SociallyIdeal doesn’t require any minimums so you don’t have this problem. You get the power of social buying without the requirement that a huge group buy into the same deal.

You’re Billed Right Away

Because you don’t have to wait for others to get the deal you also don’t have to wait until the deal closes for your credit card to be billed. This is a benefit to some people who are tracking their spending and want their current credit charges to reflect all that they’ve put on the card as quickly as possible.

Great for People in DC

This site is specifically good for people who are interested in DC Daily Deals. People who are living in or traveling to the nation’s capital can take advantage of the deals offered on the site. The site also offers deals for Baltimore and will be adding additional cities in the future. This is not to say that Groupon doesn’t offer DC deals. In fact, they offer deals for numerous specific areas within the DC metro area and because of that their DC page is actually kind of noisy. SociallyIdeal is more straightforward and simple when it comes to DC Deals.

All of the Normal Perks Still Apply

SociallyIdeal does offer the standard format and perks for deals that you’ve come to expect if you’re a Groupon user or a user of Groupon clone sites. For example, you still get $10 when you refer someone new to the site. You can share deals via Facebook and Twitter. Deals change daily and offer you as much as 80% off of the cost of products and services (although the standard is typically closer to 50%). It’s what you’re used to from daily deals sites but with some added oomph.

Tags: daily deals, groupon, Personal Finance, saving money, sociallyideal

Today starts a new feature on Diary of a Smart Chick. Every Tuesday I’ll be featuring a question for the readers of this blog. The idea is that we can discuss and debate about some of the topics that I really enjoy writing about. I’ll pose the question here and then you can respond and interact with each other (and me) in the comments.

Today’s question of the week:

Does being frugal have to mean making sacrifices?

Frugality is a topic that I write about a lot. What I’ve discovered is that people have extremely differing definitions of what it means to be frugal. For some people it means making a lot of financial sacrifices and doing a lot of penny-pinching. For others it simply means realigning your values so that you are saving money without feeling like you’re making sacrifices at all.

For me, being frugal means making choices but I don’t necessarily think that it means making sacrifices. If there is something that I truly want then I usually purchase it and find a way to fit that into my budget. However, I would be willing to make sacrifices if my finances demanded that I do so. So what’s your answer to today’s question of the week?

Tags: frugality, question of the week, what is frugality

One of the topics that I particularly enjoy writing about is saving money and living frugally. Following you’ll find links to a selection of my top articles that each offer ten or more tips for some form of frugal living. In total it’s over 100 frugal living tips to help you save money!

1. Top Ten Tips for How to Grow a Frugal Garden
2. Twenty Simple Tips for Spending Less on Food without Resorting to Ramen
3. Ten Tips for Reducing Shipping and Handling Fees
4. Ten Ideas for Romantic Frugal Summer Dates
5. Ten Frugal Summer Fun Ideas for Families and Couples
6. Ten Ways to Turn your Travel into Cash
7. Ten Tips for Breaking an Internet Shopping Addiction
8. Twenty Five Frugal Ways to Say I Love You

Frugality is a popular topic during the recession but I hope that it’s one that remains popular with readers even after the economy improves. Do you think that it will?

Tags: Frugal Living, frugality, money saving tips, Personal Finance, save money, tips

I was recently reviewing all of the ways that using a food dehydrator can save you money. You’d be surprised at just how many ways there are! Some of these are more important than others though so I thought I’d share here what I consider to be the Top 5 Ways that a food dehydrator will save you money:

1. Facilitates buying in bulk. One of the best ways to save money on groceries is to buy bulk items at a discount. However, this doesn’t work if the food goes bad before you can eat it. If you use a food dehydrator to dry the food then it won’t go bad which means that you can more efficiently buy affordable food in bulk.
2. Reduces spending on costly items. You can use a food dehydrator to make your own herbs, spices, dried fruits and camping food. All of these are expensive items when you buy them in the store but you end up paying just a fraction of the cost when you dehydrate them yourself.
3. Increases the likelihood that you’ll make healthy food choices. A lot of people use their food dehydrator to make healthy foods, support raw food diets and go vegetarian. If you do this then you’ll be healthier which reduces the money you spend on medical care. That’s a big savings – and an important step for your life!
4. Gives you a gift you can always give. You can save a lot of money on gifts for others by using your food dehydrator to make homemade foods for people. I love homemade gifts so I especially love this point!
5. Can even be a money maker. A smart person will further increase the savings of a food dehydrator by actually using it to make money. This can be done by selling dried foods, offering classes in food dehydrator use or writing articles about your dehydrator.

So, what do you think – can you save money with a food dehydrator?

Tags: Food, food dehydrator, Frugal Living, save money

When you purchase a product, do you purchase the add-ons and accessories that come along with that product? If you’re a frugal-minded person then should you always skip those add-ons? In most cases, it’s smart to be wary of the add-ons but you shouldn’t automatically assume that they are a waste of money.

An add-on is an item or accessory that is suggested for purchase along with the item that you purchase. For example, if you order a hydraulic hammer from Maverick Hammers then they might suggest that you get one of their accessories. Such an accessory could be a stand for the hammer which would allow you to store the item without it getting damaged.

Is this a necessary purchase? It isn’t necessary but it may be worthwhile. The stand is beneficial to you in that it allows your new product to last longer because it prevents damage to it over time. It would be worth purchasing it if you thought you’d use it and it was being offered at a fair price.

In contrast, you might be offered something else with your hammer purchase such as touch-up paint. This is a great add-on for someone who needs it but if you don’t need it then it would be silly to go ahead and buy it just because it’s offered as part of the sale.

It’s tempting to get lured in to purchasing the add-ons for different items that you buy. There’s no harm in considering the purchase. However it’s definitely important that you make sure that this is an item that you really want / need so you don’t end up with buyer’s regret.

Tags: frugality, hydraulic hammers, maverick hammers, Personal Finance

One of the most common pieces of advice that I see on frugal living blogs is the advice that you should buy in bulk. There are pros and cons to buying in bulk but as a general rule it’s true that you’re going to save money if you buy items that you use regularly in bulk at a good price. But is that still true if you’re only shopping for one person?

The majority of articles that exist out there about buying in bulk assume that you’re buying for a whole family. But what about all of us who live alone or who live with roommates and shop only for ourselves? Does buying in bulk work for us? I think that it can if we’re smart about it.

Tips for buying in bulk when you live alone include:

• Buy only non-perishable items in bulk. It doesn’t make sense to buy things that are going to go to waste if you’re the only one using them.
• Make a list of what you use regularly. If you buy something every week or two then it’s probably a safe item to buy in bulk.
• Get a group together to buy in bulk. Just because you don’t live with your family doesn’t mean you can’t buy for a group. Get a group of friends together who would like to buy in bulk. Split the cost and split the items so that you each get only the amount of stuff that you need at a lower bulk price.
• Get smart about money. Make sure that you’re able to calculate the benefit of buying something in bulk. You may get a better deal buying a single size item and using a coupon. Do the math!

Do any of you single people out there buy in bulk? What are some other good tips?

Tags: buy in bulk when you live alone, buying in bulk, kathryn vercillo, money, Personal Finance, savings, should i buy in bulk, smartchick

A lot of people are living frugally now who weren’t doing so a few years ago. The reason for this is obvious; the recession has caused them to need to cut back on spending. This type of frugal living is considered to be involuntary frugal living. That’s because it is the circumstances surrounding a person’s finances that make these people decide to live frugally.

Not everyone who lives frugally feels this way though. There are a lot of people who engage in voluntary frugality. And you might be surprised how many different reasons there are for the choice to live frugally. Some of the top frugal living philosophies include:

• Desire to simplify. Many people opt to enjoy voluntary simplicity. They avoid spending money on things that will complicate their lives including anything material that is unnecessary and creates debt.
• Eco-friendly mindset. People who choose to be green are people who choose not to waste. These people also aren’t wasting money and so are living frugally.
• Greater purpose in life. People may choose to live frugally so that they can pursue a greater purpose in life. This may be a spiritual purpose or it may simply be a life devoted to creativity.

I am working on being a bit more frugal myself. My main motivation is the desire to save some money to be able to have more freedom in my life. However, I’m also motivated by some of these other reasons including the belief that a simpler life allows us to explore a great purpose while we’re here.

Why do you live frugally?

Tags: Frugal Living, frugal living philosophies, frugality, kathryn vercillo, Personal Finance, save money, voluntary simplicity

One of the topics that I write about on a regular basis is personal finance. I write about many different aspects of this topic but my focus is on saving money and living a frugal life. I believe that living within our means allows us to pursue dreams and focus on what really and truly matters to us.

Some of the things that I’ve written in relation to this during the past week or so include:

• How to find and attend free events. People waste a whole lot of money on entertaining themselves. That’s sad when there are actually tons of free events that you can enjoy with your family, your lover or by yourself.
• How to use coupons during summer travel. There are a lot of people who use coupons to save money. Do you know how many of them forget to do that when traveling? Too many! Hopefully these tips will inspire people to take their coupons on their trips with them.
• How a frugal life is a healthy life. Some people live a frugal life and are also unhealthy but it’s not that common. It’s especially rare among people who choose frugality (instead of having it forced on them by circumstance). Here’s a look at why frugal and healthy go hand-in-hand.
• Choosing foods that pair well together. If you buy two inexpensive foods that can be combined to make many different recipes (like broccoli and cheese!) then you can save money on groceries.
• Coupon news. I like to stay on top of news about coupons. News this week included a new printer that’s great for coupons, statistics about online coupons and problems with in-store coupons.

I love writing about saving money. I also love reading about it so if you know of good blogs or articles on this topic then feel free to drop a line!

Tags: Frugal Living, kathryn vercillo, links, money, Personal Finance, saving money

People who read my writing regularly know that one of my favorite topics to write about is personal finance. I have specifically taken an interest recently in frugal living. I’m trying to implement more frugal living tips into my own life. I’m also trying to find the links between frugal living, simple living and green living. These are all ways I want to live and I believe that they go hand-in-hand.

There are tons of great posts and articles out there around the web about personal finance and frugal living issues. I would like to think that my voice contributes to this base of knowledge at least a little bit. Here are links to some of my frugal living and money-saving blog posts that have been around the web so far this month:

• The Difference Between Promotional Codes and Coupons
• How Frugal Living Simplifies Your Life
• Tips for Coupon Use During Summer Travel
• 5 Ways to Save When Shopping Online
• Frugal Tips for Family Day Trips
• Massive Coupon Fraud Case

Would love to know any thoughts that you have on these different frugal living topics!

Tags: Frugal Living, guest posts, kathryn vercillo, money, money saving, Personal Finance, save money

I really love guest posting on other blogs. It provides a great opportunity for writing about new topics and networking with others who write about the same things that capture my interest. I’ve been really lucky to do a lot of guest posting recently on the topic of frugal living which is a topic that I really enjoy writing about.

Some of my most recent guest posts on this topic were:

• Tips for Talking about Money with Your Spouse. A lot of people have a tough time discussing money and it can really lead to problems in a marriage if you aren’t careful!
• 5 Reasons Not to Save Stuff for Later. I fully believe that you should get rid of everything that you’re not using to declutter your home and your mind!
• Earn Money by Hosting Travelers this Summer. This is something I’m thinking seriously about doing myself!
• Low Cost Summer Activities Can Be Yours! I love the fact that there are so many different ways to keep entertained this summer without spending a lot of money.
• Positive Things Caused by the Bad Economy. I think it’s really important to stay upbeat despite problems with the recession.

If these articles interest you, you might also want to check out the list of frugal living guest posts that I did last month!

Tags: blog posts, Frugal Living, guest post, kathryn vercillo, save money, writing