Think differently to score savings

In 2008, at the start of the recession, my mailbox was brimming with coupons and advertisements.

These days, things have slowed down a bit, and this kind of aggressive discounting is no longer the norm.

That's bad news for shoppers like you and me. But it doesn't mean our days of getting deals are over - rather, we just have to think a little differently.

Understand what does remain. Most extra inventory might be gone, but what does still exist is mostly in the form of home improvement items, says Brad Wilson, founder of bradsdeals.com. "So many people who were doing home improvement projects three years ago aren't anymore, and home improvement stores got caught with much more inventory than they expected. It's related to the housing problem - people just haven't recovered the ability to put money into their homes," he said. That means if you're looking to make improvements, or spruce up a home you've had trouble selling, now is the time.

Get your luxury for less. By now, you've likely heard about online sample sale sites - there's a portal for everything, including home decor (onekingslane.com) and clothes (gilt.com, hautelook.com, ruelala.com). These sites preyed on extra inventory, selling it at discounts of up to 70 percent. Now that much of that has dried up, they're taking a different approach, says Daniel De Grandpre, co-founder and CEO of dealnews.com. "We're seeing this mostly in the fashion design sectors. For one day or a couple days, the site will offer exclusive deals from a designer who created products that are just available for that sale. If they were using a high-end leather, they might use low end, or they might switch to canvas or cloth. But you're getting something that may normally have cost $1,000 for $300." If you're a member of one of these sites, you'll get e-mail updates letting you know what the current sales are.

Follow the crowd. I don't think I'm alone when I say I tend to spend more money when I shop with friends. Groupon.com, a new site that promotes social shopping, is capitalizing on this phenomenon. They offer deals of the day in various cities, and the offer is only available if a certain number of people decide to buy. If they fall short of the target number, the deal is canceled (and if you purchased it, your credit card won't be charged). This concept works for the site and the companies who sell their services on it because you're more likely to buy if other people are buying, and you may even forward the deal to friends in an effort to help it along a bit.

Use social networking. Many retailers have jumped on the Twitter and Facebook bandwagon, and they use their presence to offer discounts to their fans and followers.

"They use it to draw people in to their site, and specifically with Facebook, they may set it up so you can only see the deals or access them if you are a fan. It's very effective and I think there's going to be a lot more of that from retailers," says Wilson. If you have a favorite retailer or restaurant, and you already have a profile on one of these sites, check out their page and see if they're worth following. You'll be able to scroll down and see if they've offered any recent worthwhile deals.