My son was born in early 2008, just weeks before Bear Stearns, my former employer, collapsed (for the record, I did not work in mortgage-backed securities) and just months before the financial markets started to fall apart. Between my deciding to put off returning to work full-time, my husband’s work hours being temporarily cut and the added responsibility of having to provide for a child, we decided it would probably be a good time to start being extra careful about how we spent our money. Cutting back on some luxuries for myself wasn’t a big deal, but the prospect of not being able to do everything I wanted to for my son was more difficult. So I was thrilled when I discovered websites that allow parents to purchase many of the most popular products and services for kids at steep discounts, which have given me the opportunity to get my son–and now my daughter–things that I would have had to think twice about otherwise. Here’s where I’ve found some amazing deals (you can stay on top of each site’s deals by signing up for their newsletter):
doodledeals: Unlike some other sites which require a minimum number of purchasers in order for the deal to be valid, their deals are valid even if you’re the only one who is interested. Recent offers include $200 off a petting zoo birthday party at the Art Farm in the City, and 50% off school admissions help at Smart City Kids.
8moms: A product of Kidville, the 8 eponymous mothers behind this site bring their own individual styles to the deals they arrange. Through one of their recent offers, my son got a $14 haircut while sitting in a “fire truck” and watching the movie “Cars.” He left with a lollypop, goodybag (included in the deal) and a big smile on his face.
Poppins Perks: I love their concept: they get big discounts from kid-friendly local businesses and donate 10% of the purchase price to a targeted NYC public school project on DonorsChoose. A recent deal was $49 for 4 classes of Spanish classes at Hola! A Playgroup in Spanish (a $140 value).
jdeal: Though their deals are targeted to a Jewish audience, many of them are also of interest to the general public. They certainly caught the attention of parents with their recent offer of $25 for $50 worth of merchandise at Planet Kids.
Groupon: One of the biggest discount sites. There’s a good chance that you’ve already heard about their daily deals on everything from national chains to rising local favorites. And while not all their deals are specifically for kids or families, there’s still plenty that are. They recently had an offer of $10 for $20 worth of merchandise at Barnes & Noble that attracted over 25,000 people.
