My Win-Win-Win Deals

I wake up to about a billion emails a day. And by a billion, I mean a dozen. But whatever. Though I delete most of my morning emails, I don't deny their awesomeness. I receive tons of discount emails and when they don't make me feel poor (60% off of a buttload is still 40% of a buttload. I'm broke), they inspire me. And when they are especially appropriate, they can mean some amazing savings. So, in the ever-nerdy fashion, I decided to compile a list of my favorite "spam" emails. In no particular order, they are::

• Groupon – Groupon is a pretty big site. And what I like about it is that there is a specific site for several different cities. I actually get emails for San Diego, Boston and New York and the deals are typically pretty good. They revolve around the concept of "group buying," the idea that when more people buy at a discounted price, everyone benefits. The buyers get a discount, Groupon gets a cut, and the seller gets numerous new customers. Chances are many of them will return, sooo win-win-win situation right thurrr. The deals are for a wide variety of things, too--anything from restaurants to laser hair removal to massages to museums. Today's for San Diego is 40% off of a ride in a biplane. Random, but pretty awesome.
• Lifebooker – My newest discovery. I heard of Lifebooker when I was reading the comments sections of various salons, looking for reviews and discounts. When you sign up for a Lifebooker account (which is free, btw), you can then have acces to AMAZING discounts on hair services, nails, waxing, laser stuff, dental visits... It's all very cosmetic. No restaurants or biplanes here. You can select the service you want and then find a salon/price that suits your needs. For my upcoming hair appointment, I scheduled it right on the site. The time slots when the discounts are available are a little weird (no weekends, or lunch hours for my salon), but I got highlights, haircut and blowdry all for less than $70. Typically, that kind of service would cost around $150. Win, no? From what I can tell, the site only caters to New York and LA, but it's probably a safe bet to assume that they will soon be expanding.
• Daily Candy – I haven't quite settled how I feel about Daily Candy. They send out several different types of emails... There's Swirl, which functions like Rue La La on a smaller scale, there are feature emails that focus on a specific venue or event; and then there are the Weekend Guides. The Weekend Guides feature several different things going on in the city for the weekend, anything from a cool restaurant to a gallery opening to a street fair. I get Daily Candy for Boston and New York, and they have other major cities, as well. What I love best about Daily Candy is the sarcastic tone, though. Even if I delete it immediately after, their emails always start my day off right.
• Rue La La – My beloved Jenny shared this site with me. I think it has the same group buying mentality as Groupon, but it's solely focused on fashion-obsessors. It's like Groupon for fashion, but there's a catch: The site is super exclusive. In fact, you can't even gain access unless someone invites you. Intense, right? But lucky for you, you know me. Let me know and I can hook you up. Deals can be as much as 90% off and cover clothing, accessories, home goods, vacation deals, shoes (!)... They send out emails every day at 11 and on Sundays, they have a 6 p.m. Style-a-thon. Sales last for about two days, typically, but the good stuff sells out FAST. I haven't ever actually bought anything through Rue La La, because even things that are knocked off can still be expensive. But I occasionally check it. And you can bet that the day Michael Kors' accessories are on there, I will have my Visa ready.
• Beyond the Rack – I suspect that Rue La La and Beyond the Rack are owned and operated by the same people. But don't quote me on that. Beyond the rack functions in the same way... Emails at 11 and Sundays at 6, deals on designer goodies. The only difference is that Beyond the Rack typically has more stuff. There are more "boutiques," as they call them, than the ones they advertise, so if you know how to navigate the site, it's easy to find undercover gems. Might be exclusive? I legitimately don't know.
• New York Deal of the Day – These deals are run by New York Daily News, but I know that other cities have similar geographically relevant deals. San Diego's Union-Tribune has them and they basically function as a smaller Groupon. But what makes these better is that they are typically "gems," lesser-known, tucked away places in the city just looking for a little press and lovin'.
• Thrillist – I think my Thrillist is stuck on guys (it greets me with "Hello, Handsome"), but I do like Thrillist a lot. Their emails sometimes have deals or discounts or sales, but most of the time, they're just chocked full of ideas. Places to go in the city, restaurants, etc. I currently get the emails for both Boston and New York, but I know that other major cities are on there, too.
• DealFind – DealFind is a wannabe Groupon. They have multiple cities that they cover, but they might not have daily emails. What's nice about DealFind is that throughout the day, they occasionally send updates and decrease the price even more. Today's, for example, started at 50% off and is now at 64%... pretty sweet.
• Huffington Post – Huffington Post is pretty much my guilty indulgence. They have gossip, style, news, and articles from some great writers (including some that work at Marie Claire!). They don't send out too many emails, but occasionally, they send out a "brief" with a featured story.