Bargain hunters, rejoice: There are more tools than ever to help you find sales, deals, and coupon codes. Companies whose sole purpose is to make finding coupons and coupon codes easier have even gone public. And yet, it's not always easy to distinguish a sale from a good deal, or to get level-headed advice when it comes to how, when, and where to spend your money. Cheapism.com identified 10 deal and money experts who can guide you through the thicket.
Tara Kuczykowski is the force behind Deal Seeking Mom. The site aims to teach readers how to make their budgets do more through a combination of coupons, deals, freebies, frugal living advice, daily deals roundups, and so on. A section devoted to money-making ideas can help go-getters earn cash to offset shopping costs.
Matt Granite is "The Deal Guy" whose relatively barren website belies the wealth of information he has to share. Granite is a YouTube star and regularly releases videos with guidance on how to find good deals, the month's best buys, and warnings about what not to buy. He also makes regular guest appearances on TV and radio.
Leader of the growing Mustachian movement, Mr. Money Mustache, also known as Pete, retired at age 30 and now teaches others how to do the same. He's not a deal finder per se, but the change in lifestyle that MMM (as he's known) promotes can save you much more than a 50-cent coupon ever could.
Cataldo has been described as "'Dear Abby' with coupons" by ABC's Nightline. Her couponing-tips video series, radio segment, and syndicated newspaper column help millions save money and her website features all sorts of deals and freebies.
Shannon Shaffer is a former finance and accounting professional turned stay-at-home mother. On For the Mammas she shares her enthusiasm for finance, cooking, and shopping with a site that's organized by coupons, stores, freebies, and deals. The simple and well-focused layout makes it easy to find the latest bargains.
You can regularly find Woroch on television segments or quoted in news articles as a go-to money-saving expert. Although her website isn't packed with deals or coupon codes, the advice she shares makes her a deal hunter worth following.
Kyle James is a father of three and the creator of coupon site Rather-Be-Shopping. Visitors can easily look through the day's coupons or register and set up alerts to be notified when their favorite stores release coupons. James's blog also features important consumer advice on relevant topics, from deals to retailers' policies and price-negotiation tips.
Yes, there is a real-life Brad behind Brad's Deals, a well-known site that asserts its posted deals saved visitors more than $108 million in 2014. Wilson recently released a book titled Do More, Spend Less: The New Secrets of Living the Good Life for Less, but readers gave it mixed reviews.
Howard is a consumer expert with a site that's filled with money-saving guides, the day's best deals, and a forum where visitors can request help or discuss a variety of topics. He also hosts an audio show broadcast through his website on weekdays from 1pm to 3pm EST, during which he discusses new technology, deals, rip-offs, and more.
During her first year of couponing in 2009, Livesey claims to have saved about $11,000. Today she is the resident "couponing expert" on the Rachael Ray Show and runs the couponing website Living Rich with Coupons. The website's store match-up section helps shoppers combine coupons with store discounts to maximize savings.