5 Veg-Friendly Deal Sites

The Topic: Becoming an online-coupon-user extraordinare with Assistant Editor Anna Peraino

The Dish: We are Savvy Vegans–we buy in bulk, we wait for sales, we DIY, and we are most definitely familiar with the coupon. With the onslaught of group-based coupons out there (Groupon, Living Social, Scout Mob, and roughly one bazillion others), it's never been easier to save 40 percent on a CSA basket or 65 percent on a haircut at a salon we'd otherwise never afford. But what happens with your daily coupon is to a steakhouse, or that salon uses products that are tested on animals? A major bummer, that's what. Luckily for us, many vegan- and vegetarian-friendly deal sites are popping up, saving us cash on cookbooks and dough on (vegetarian) dim sum. Make sure to subscribe to these five deal-givers to save on every aspect of your life (not to mention upcoming holiday gifts)!

1. Time to Veg Out. This just-launched deal site is pretty much the vegan version of Groupon. Featuring both nationwide and location-based deals (the site currently covers towns like New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago, with more cities to come), it's a great way to save. The site is still getting started, but we can't wait to see more.
2. Vegan Cuts. "Shop Vegan. Save Money. Save Animals." Is there anything better than that? Not really. Vegan Cuts helps you save on cookbooks, skincare, jewelry, purses, and basically everything else you'd ever need. (Tofu presses! Energy bars!)
3. Daily Gourmet. If you're obsessed with food, this is the deal site for you. While not 100-percent vegan, Daily Gourmet lets you choose what kind of deals you want to get in your inbox, including vegan, gluten-free, and kosher items (and nut-free, and soy-free…). The site's first offer was a dozen Cinnaholic buns. If that's not reason enough to sign up, I don't know what is.
4. Vegan Coupons. If you're on Facebook 24-7 like we are (side note: like us on FB!), you'll love getting Vegan Coupons on your news feed. Offering printable coupons on everything from cookbooks to loaves of bread, Vegan Coupons will help you out in all your spending endeavors. And don't forget to follow Vegan Coupons' sister site, Vegan Deals, on Twitter (not to mention VegNews on Twitter!).
5. Deals on Twitter. From free Rice Dream to natural foods discounts, Twitter is a great place to save serious cash. It's so effective, in fact, that we wrote a whole post about vegan coupons, tweeted. Click and save!

The Final Word: In this day and age, paying full price gets to be as infrequent as eating a bad slice of vegan pizza* and we couldn't be happier. Sign up, follow, and check these sites to save serious money and enjoy some really awesome vegan stuff. Do you know of other great money-saving coupon sites for vegans? Let us know in the comments!

*Just kidding. It is scientifically impossible to eat a bad slice of vegan pizza. Trust me. I'm a professional.

Life's Little Pleasures

The Topic: Enjoying the vegan life with VN Associate Editor Jennifer Chen

The Dish: Recently, a good friend and I were lamenting how busy we are so we decided that instead of working like mad every day, we'd try doing something fun every day, however small. Sure, in any given day, you have 8 million things to do. So here's my simple list of fun activities I'm incorporating so that my life isn't all about work (even though working at VegNews is the best job ever). I'm hoping to inspire you to make your own list of amazing, inexpensive things to do right this very minute, you busy bee.

1) Farmers' market dinner date. Instead of a fancy dinner out, I decided to shop my farmers' market for a special dinner with my husband. I grabbed rainbow Swiss chard ($1.50) and found a pasta vendor who had several vegan pastas, including a Meyer lemon pasta ($7). Since my hubby loves lemon, I thought this would make the perfect meal. Topped with roasted garlic, fresh lemon juice, and olive oil, this was a farm-fresh meal that he loved. Lesson learned: the best romantic dinners can cost you close to nothing at all.

2) DIY beer garden. Another simple date idea? Pick up some beers (or wine, if that's your pleasure) and create your own beer garden. Brendan and I love beer gardens—what's better than sipping a brew outdoors in the sunshine? We picked up a six-pack of Deschutes Twilight Summer Ale ($7.99), a bag of Kettle Tia chips ($3.99), and made our own backyard beer garden. We brought out lawn chairs and enjoyed our brews with our pup laying at our feet. Check out our summer guide to 7 Vegan Beers or barnivore.com for all things vegan alcoholic. Lesson learned: a backyard is a beer garden in disguise.

3) At-home manicure. I am too cheap to go get my nails done so I like doing them at home. But as I mentioned to my friend, I was even getting too busy to do that. Tonight it ends! No more excuses. Beauty Without Cruelty just debuted some new nail polishes and I have the Mermaid nail color at home ($16.95). Yes, it's pricier than drugstore nail polish, but it is free of nasty chemicals that most nail polishes contain. Lesson learned: Spend money on what counts—chemical- and cruelty-free beauty!

4) Get your Groupon. This weekend, I got two vegan cinnamon buns for free and vegan brunch for two for $15. How? Groupon, my friends. Cinnaholic had a $5 for $10 for cinnamon buns and Souley Vegan had a $10 for $25 offer. So how did I get free Cinnaholic buns? Groupon credits! I referred a friend to another offer they had and I got a $10 credit. VN Editor-at-Large Laura Beck got me started on my Groupon addiction. VN Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig recommends coupon sites Living Social and Daily Gourmet as well. On Daily Gourmet, you can specify that you only want vegan offers! Lesson learned: Save a little, get a lot.

5) Read magazines. It's no surprise that I love magazines. Some of my favorites include VegNews, Time, New York, and Bust, among many others. But I've let my subscriptions pile up to the point where I'm several weeks behind on the news. Again, no more excuses. So at our DIY beer garden, I grabbed a pile of magazines and caught up. Lesson learned: Use what you have.

The Final Word: I'll be the first to admit that when I'm busy, I'm more likely to stick to my routine of vegging out in front of the TV, but by challenging myself to do things I actually enjoy without spending wads of cash, I'm a lot happier. So make your own list of fun, creative things to do so that your to-do list isn't just full of errands.

Fun and Cheap Fitness Tips

The Topic: Tips for getting fit on a tight budget with VegNews Office Manager Lyndsay Orwig.

The Dish: I've always been really active, but lately I've been in a rut. Sure, I bike to and from work each day, and just by living in a bustling city without a car, I walk a lot more than your average American, but honestly it's not enough. I love to eat! And unfortunately, my eating has completely taken over my fitness regimen. So I'm writing this post not only for you fellow readers, but for myself as well, because I have a lot of fitness knowledge under my belt—I just need to get back on the wagon. Here are some tips to get fit, and save on the dough, because we all know it's easy to throw away a ton of money on gym memberships.

1. Running/Walking. This is the cheapest way to get fit, hands down! All you need is a good pair of running shoes, and you're set. And a good pair of running shoes certainly doesn't have to break the bank. Yes, there are $100-plus shoes that you could buy, but you can get the same quality shoes for way less. Now that's not to say that you can get a good pair for $10—a good, top-notch pair of shoes is something you don't want to skimp on—but you could definitely find a good pair ranging between $40 and $60 if you look hard enough. Shoe stores have sales every day. And again, that's all you need! So save up for a pair, and hit the road. You can easily map a running route anywhere in the US on the USA Track & Field website, which will give you the exact mileage of your run. And if you need a little extra motivation to get started, I suggest that you sign up for a race in the not-too-distant-future, and start training. You can find cheap races on Active.com, and training guides on the Runner's World website. Now, hit the pavement!

2. At Home. If you have the proper motivation, you could get super-fit at home for really cheap. You could pimp yourself out with a bunch of fancy equipment, yes, but you don't need to. I suggest that you at least get a set of cheap hand weights, but those aren't really necessary either—it's called body weight, people! All you need to do to get in shape is to do a basic strength routine two to three times weekly, including but not limited to push ups, triceps dips, squats, lunges, and crunches—the list goes on. Don't forget to do some jumping jacks in between to get some much-needed cardio. If you don't know how to do these moves, just Google them and you soon will learn—that's my promise to you. If you're able to spend a little more money, then try out a subscription to a fitness magazine. I enjoy Women's Health and Health, but there are many. You could also purchase a few cheap exercise DVDs—I recently purchased the Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 from Amazon, and once I get tired of it, I plan on selling it back. If you have the luxury of having On Demand on your TV or Netflix Instant Watch, there are plenty of free exercise videos on both (not including the monthly fees for both services). Very simple!

3. Gyms—without the expensive memberships. I'll admit, I've been really tempted to join a gym recently, but something keeps me from doing it—I'm guessing it's the money drain and the crowds. If you're really interested in checking out a gym though, then do it the cheap way! There are many coupons for gym classes on such sites as Groupon, and I bet that most gyms will give you a free trial if you ask. You may like it well enough and decide to shell out the dough, but don't forget to negotiate—many people pay a lower amount than the stated gym membership cost. You just need to ask! And don't forget about your local YMCA and community recreational centers—these are usually much cheaper than other gyms.

The Final Word: I truly believe humans are made to be active. I may have written about being a couch potato, but there's only so much sitting you can do before you get antsy. I'm feeling that itch, and I plan to get moving! I hope these tips help you a bit on the fitness front, and in saving money.

21st Century Coupons

The Topic: Living the good life, half price

The Dish: When I was little, my mom used to cut me a deal when it came to cutting coupons: For every penny-saver I snipped that was used, I pocketed the difference. Sure, it didn’t really save us any money on groceries, but Mom broke even and I walked away with a few dollars to my name (you can get a lot of banana Laffy Taffy for $5.) Today, I never manage to clip coupons, partly because I’m pressed for time and partly because finding relevant products is a rarity.

While I recommend keeping your eyes open while flipping through the Sunday paper (assuming, of course, you still read the paper), there’s another option for the city-bound and tech-inclined—Groupon, a website focused on daily deals offering around 50 percent off a huge range of goods and services, from restaurant gift certificates to discounted dance classes. San Francisco even had a deal recently where buyers received $50 worth of organic groceries for $25. If we were playing NBA Jam right now, that would certainly get a “Boomshakalaka!”

Currently, Groupon operates in 52 cities across the US and offers a handy request form to get your city on the map. There’s one deal a day, and a certain number of people have to buy in before it’s finalized, so passing the word along to your cash-strapped friends is encouraged. If you manage to wrangle some referrals, you can even earn account credit—real-live spendable dollars—and score more savings.

The Final Word: Registration is free, and it's a simple way to score a great bargain with minimal effort. Get registered, sign up for daily e-mail alerts, and embrace all that is Groupon.