BradsDeals.com: Who Knew Coupon Searching Could Be Fun?

Coupon sites (or coupon aggregators as the techies call them) like BradsDeals.com are a dime a dozen these days. By the time you sort them out you might feel that a dime is all you saved. Let's review BradsDeals.com and four other coupon sites to see if it's really worth your time!

BradsDeals.com

BradsDeals.com offers a coupon exploration adventure that is fun and money-saving. Even the green fonts make you think of saving money. Note the fun stats: during my visit the top of the BradsDeals.com site read that BradsDeals.com held 2369 coupons from 827 stores, 420 handpicked deals, and 1370 users online. Looks like everyone can find a deal at BradsDeals.com.

From the search button which asks, "What are you looking for?," to the section on strange deals (how can you NOT look?), the BradsDeals.com site is set up to make you linger. It's like a coupon window-shopping experience with tips from Brad.

Who is Brad? Is he an expert? Evidently, he attended UNC and liked John McCain in 2000. Don't agree with his politics? That's okay. BradsDeals.com is still a refreshing way to find a coupon and have a laugh. You might just save some money, too.

DealCoupon.com

DealCoupon.com has a nice clean design that doesn't overwhelm you with information. On the top left of the DealCoupon.com site is a list of participating stores with available coupons. Click the link and you can quickly find a coupon, determine the type, find the link, see the expiration date, and learn any additional restrictions for that coupon.

Continuing down the left side of the DealCoupon.com website, you have the option to search for coupons by category, learn about more deals (particularly on computers and camcorders) and finally, there are more helpful links where you can find the latest news, forums, and contact information for DealCoupon.com. If you like an easy to navigate, well-constructed site then DealCoupon.com is for you.

The right side of the DealCoupon site is reserved for a search box and for the most popular coupons. Each coupon here is linked to the participating store and again, it is easy to tell immediately if the coupon is for you. Each entry provides the type of coupon, the expiration date and any additional restrictions for that coupon.

While BradsDeals.com takes a more personal approach with Brad providing you some "hand-picked" items and pictures, DealCoupon.com takes a "just-the-facts" approach. If you're in the middle of a purchase and need a coupon quick, DealCoupon.com would be easier to use. If you're "window-shopping," BradsDeals.com is a fun approach. Both sites let you search by category or by store listing.

DealofDay.com

DealofDay.com reminds me of why I sometimes don't bother to hunt for an online coupon. This site would be much better if the owner took a look at BradsDeals.com and decided to update. If you love those blinky things and scrollers from the last century you'll be happy here. IF you can make it past the blinkies and noises, you might find a deal or two. You can search by category or expiration date, new deals, popular deals, hot merchants, and hot products. There's an active forum. But watch out for the pop-up ads.

For me, I feel a migraine coming on and a need to find my shortcut back to BradsDeals.com.

MyCoupons.com

MyCoupons.com beats BradsDeals.com in number of stores available. While not as intuitive to use as BradsDeals.com or DealCoupon.com, this site does offer easy to find links to printable grocery store coupons and coupons codes for a cure (breast cancer support). However, the grocery coupon link will not let you click back to the previous page (annoying!) and you have to read a few paragraphs after clicking on the breast cancer link to figure out how to help breast cancer research.

There is also featured link called couparison shopping which looks promising but is evidently info for companies - not shoppers! It doesn't belong in a featured link at the top of a coupon site and is very confusing.

The only thing MyCoupons.com has going for it over BradsDeals.com is the link to the grocery store coupons. Otherwise, stick with BradsDeals.com.

CouponMom.com

If you need grocery store coupons more than the other types of coupons found on BradsDeals.com, then give CouponMom.com a try. Here, grocery store coupons are the focus. One thing you can do here that you can't do at BradsDeals.com is look for coupons by the grocery store you shop most regularly. CouponMom.com includes regular store coupons like BradsDeals.com but doesn't highlight them as much as the grocery coupons.

The one thing you should remember about CouponMom.com: you DO have to sign up for a free membership. If this bothers you, you might want to skip CouponMom.com, clip your grocery coupons on Sunday and use BradsDeals.com for everything else.

The Number of Coupon Sites is Mind-Boggling

One thing is certain, there are many coupon sites out there and you should visit a few to determine which ones work the best for you. BradsDeals.com combines the best features of many of the sites, adds a personal touch, and gives you savings. That's hard to beat!

So,pick a few sites to watch on a regular basis. There will always be some differences among the bargains. But be sure to include BradsDeals.com as one of the sites to watch.

Sources:
Sandy Berger, Coupons, Online Money-Savers, www.compukiss.com