Frugal Family: Deals of the Week

I was in Wyoming on vacation last week, but that didn’t stop this intrepid mom from finding out how to save money on cool stuff when I got back to Fountain Valley. There are some awesome websites that feature deals on products made and sold in Fountain Valley. Here are some of our favorites:

1. BeautyEncounter.com is a Fountain Valley-based business offering a wide range of designer fragrance, beauty, skin- and body-care products. They hand-test everything they offer and in the “Deals and Steals” tab you will find name brand products at up to 90 percent off. I liked the Eau de Patou by Jean Patou, marked down from $35 to $12.90. I also the Luxor Professional “The Wet Brush” detangling shower brush, marked down from $12 to $5.99, and the Dessert Sweet Talk Lip Candy lip gloss set of 6, marked down from $18 to $9.99
2. There are also great deals to be found on Restaurant.com for Fountain Valley restaurants. At Restaurant.com, you buy a gift certificate for a local restaurant at a significantly discounted rate. For example: you pay $10 and get a certificate worth $25 for a specific restaurant. Three of the Fountain Valley restaurants offered at the $10 for $25 rate are Azteca, Cancun Fresh and Mariscos Ensenada.
3. CouponWinner.com offers free printable coupons from manufacturers good at local stores. You can search for the particular items you plan to shop for, which can be faster than leafing through circulars. Some deals I found were $3 off a bag of Pedigree dog food, $3 off a bag of Huggies diapers and $1.50 off Glade scented oil candles.
4. Frys Electronics will show you all the available promotions on its website before you make a visit to the Fountain Valley store. That way, you can target the best deals in advance. Go to www.frys.com and at the top right, you will see “click here for promotions”. One thing that caught my eye is that you can get free software when you purchase TurboTax. You can also view the store's daily circular online.
5. Another good printable coupon site is CouponMap.com. You put in your ZIP code and you'll see a ton of deals and discounts in Fountain Valley. I liked the free 14-day pass at 24 Hour Fitness and $20 off a $99 purchase at Guitar Center.