In days of yore people walked uphill both ways to school in the snow while clipping coupons from the Sunday paper to save a few dollars. Social Media and coupon sites in general have really opened things up, nowadays we have tons of options from Groupon and Living Social, to Coupon Clipper and Amazon Local. Amazon just jumped into the game and I have a feeling they’ll make a big splash. And the list goes on and on. And on and on. Digital discounts are out there for the taking.

As a parent in Studio City there is a huge variety of things to do in way of classes, camps and options for “event” birthday parties. Every birthday party seems like it’s an event. Truthfully, I prefer simplicity and my goal for this year is to begin to make things easier for myself and my family by getting back to basics. Tangent, why do people write truthfully? Was I lying before I wrote it? No. Digress, there’s a lot to sift through and the expenses can add up quickly. If you have more than one kid double or triple it, or utilize what’s around you to shop around and save.

Tennis, golf, gymnastics, Dance (hip hop, ballet, tap), art, musical theater and the list goes on. It seems like we/everyone signs their kids up for everything. Most classes offer a free trial but that doesn’t give your kid enough to really warm up to something. Think you’ve got the next Tiger or Michelle Kwan, you can’t trust the coaches to be honest. Their salary depends on filling up classes with hopefuls. It can take a few whiles to see if your kid likes it, and even longer to see if they’re good. Would little Skylar rather play with bugs than a basketball? Is science their thing, art their calling or sports the goal? My older girl has gone to two different gymnastics camps, for half of the regular price. Not a small thing is that now we know which camp best suits her. Saving pennies is great and a worthwhile goal, even better is using them right.

Groupon and Living Social are two of my favorites, but there are up and comers that should be watched. And if that’s not enough ways to save money, try Plum, Certifikid or Zulily. Zulily is my wife’s personal favorite. Many a time a brown van has graced our street on her behest. You can get daily emails from these folks, it makes shopping for the whole family a point and click endeavor and birthdays easy to take care of from your desk or smart phone.

A personal favorite of mine and something that’s saved me hundreds if not thousands of dollars over the years is the Amazon App. And not for the obvious reason. Go shopping, open the app, and point the camera at the bar code on whatever you’re buying. Zap it. Price-Match! I don’t do this for a can of soup but if it’s something I don’t want to wait for, something I want or need now. Match it and save!

I’ve had mixed experiences with Amazon, I’m one of their prime customers and for years I’ve had great service until recently. They dropped the ball over the holidays and my wife ended up without her “big” gift. Their fault entirely. And while they picked up the “extra” charge I had paid for expedited shipping, it didn’t make up for it.

Share your ideas below on how to save!