do you groupon?

i am a skeptic by nature, so when i hear about sites offering great deals, or 'private' sales, it's my nature to assume they are crocks.  but, when the buzz about groupon started getting louder and louder, i decided i'd dip my toes in the water.

i signed up for my free account, still waiting for a catch, and after a couple of weeks of checking the daily deals, i purchased fashion tape (trust me, it's a miracle worker when it comes to gappy buttons and shirts with necks just a little to0 wide). that first purchase was all of $7 and included shipping (the 'regular' price would have been $20+shipping).  it was a positive experience, and i started paying even closer attention.  and because i travel so much, (and often to the same cities) i 'follow' the deals for multiple cities, knowing that i will have up to a year to cash in the groupon.

case in point: while i was in vegas last week, i was checking the vegas deals, and came across one for spa services at the vdara hotel.  this peaked my interest for two reasons; the first, that it was $35 for $75 worth of spa services (of your choice), and the second, because next month, i'll be back in vegas for another event, and happen to be staying at vdara (not that that was mandatory).

one tip i will offer here is that, if you are purchasing a groupon for services that require an appointment, don't expect to get that appointment for a couple weeks, or sometimes a couple of months,  otherwise you may be quite frustrated.

in the case of this vdara groupon, since our dates weren't flexible, we (my co-worker and i) actually called the spa first to make the appointment, then bought the groupon.  and now i have a hot stone pedicure and lash tinting to look forward to next month for $35 at an upscale spa!

it's safe to say that i'm now a groupon addict.  i' also recently purchased and eagerly anticipate this:

and tonight, i'll be purchasing this:

i know it will sound cheesy, but where once these things were 'too expensive', the site is allowing me to indulge a little, check off bucket list items, do some exploring, and try some new and unexpected things.

the types of deals run a broad spectrum, and you can select your interests in order to get more targeted deals.  so if you haven't signed up yet, and i've now convinced that you should sign up RIGHT NOW, do me a favor and use this link:

http://www.groupon.com/r/uu11183781

it doesn't cost you anything, and i'll get $10 if you ever purchase something, which, i'm sure i'll be able to put to good use!