Finance tips

July Kiplinger’s Magazine Features the Best Bargains of 2011

By Mary Hall | July 15, 2011

The month’s issue of Kiplinger’s Magazine features their Annual Guide to the Best Bargains. I don’t agree with everything the magazine has to say on bargain shopping, but I do like their tips on Mobile shopping to find Bargains and using Social Media to find deals. Before are some of the tips from the magazine I thought you might find useful.

Deal Alerts. Instead of going to deal sites, get alerts via Twitter by subscribing to deal aggregators such as @dealsplus and @CheapTweet. Or subscribe to Deals on Facebook (now available in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, San Diego and San Francisco through your Facebook account) or Google Offers (in Portland, Ore.; Oakland, Cal.; San Francisco; and New York City). You can get also get an instant discount if you note your location with a mobile phone using Facebook, Foursquare and other mobile social networks. But in exchange for the discount, you give up precious privacy because these coupons show in real-time where you’re located.

Mobile Money Saver: Coupon Sherpa. Use Sherpa to get in-store coupons, which you can show on your phone’s screen at checkout. Available on iPhone only.

Mobile Money Saver: ShopSavvy. You can scan an item’s bar code with your phone’s camera or enter product codes manually, then compare prices at other retailers. Available on Android and iPhone.

Mobile Money Saver: ShopKick. Download this app to find deals at stores, and earn points for gift cards and other rewards just by walking into a store and scanning (or purchasing) products. Available on Android and iPhone.

Mobile Money Saver: Scoutmob. Get discounts at restaurants, coffee shops and stores in your city with this Groupon competitor; if you use the deal, you get incentives for return visits. Available on Android and iPhone.

Mobile Money Saver: HotelPal. Book a hotel room at the last minute or on the go. The app uses GPS to locate the best hotel deals in your area, or you can type in a zip code. Available on Android and iPhone.

I’m going to be giving all these mobile apps a looksy. Do you use any of these? What do you think of them if you do?