Are you getting the most bang for your buck? Whether we are buying diapers, airline tickets or home services we can’t help but wonder, are we getting the best deal. These days the secret to getting the most out of your wallet is to get the most out of the resources online. There are so many websites devoted to helping you save time and money. You just have to know where to find them.

This week, I am sharing my favorite websites for saving money. These are my go-to sites for getting the best deal. I actually have so many to share that I will start a series of posts. So let’s get started.

Everyday Savings

DealSeekingMom.com – This blog is updated frequently with free to nearly free grocery and drugstore items. The site walks you through which coupons to use at which stores to get the best savings. It takes a while to get the hang of all the acronyms and lingo, but once you get it, it can become quite addictive.

BabyCheapskate.com – Babies and kids may be small in size, but their costs are pretty big. Diapers, formula, clothes and baby gear can easily eat up a household budget. BabyCheapskate.com offers a weekly roundup of the best deals for diapers and formula. In addition the site features discounts on everything else you could need for your kids.

CitiesOnTheCheap.com – Finding entertainment or having fun on a budget seems tough, but CitiesOnTheCheap.com makes it easy for you. The site features all kinds of discounts on attractions and events around your city. It is updated regularly. Just click on the icon on the right to find your city. For example, recent events featured in Atlanta were Kids Night at Mary Poppins at the Fox with free kids activities and Buy One Get One Free tickets.

Facebook.com – Yes, the same facebook.com that helps you waste time looking at your great aunt’s vacation pictures can help you save money. More and more companies and stores are offering exclusive facebook discounts and offers. If there are certain brands, stores or shopping centers that you regularly visit or purchase from consider “Liking” their facebook page. Some offer more promotions than others, so you can “Unlike” any that don’t seem to offer much.

Travel

Kayak.com – There are so many travel booking websites ranging from Delta.com to orbitz.com to hotwire.com. Instead of taking the time to visit all these different sites to find the best deal, you can visit Kayak.com and it will search all airline, hotel and travel booking sites for you. Then you can quickly see where to book.

Airfarewatchdog.com – If you are just looking for airline tickets to a specific destination, airfarewatchdog.com helps hound the best deals for you. What is great about airfarewatchdog.com is that they go the extra step. They don’t just list teaser airfares that have little seat availability. They actually try to book seats with the special rates to make sure there is enough availability. They also list fares for all airlines including discount airlines like Southwest which most other sites ignore.

Seatguru.com – Not all airplane seats are created equal. Before you choose your seat on a flight, check out Seatguru.com for a diagram of the best and worst seats on the plane. The diagram shows which seats have better legroom or which ones suffer from loud engine noise. This is especially helpful on long flights. In addition to just seat information, the site also features other kinds of useful information such as baggage fees and limits.

TripAdvisor.com – Once you have booked the best seat on the flight, you want to book the best hotel room. Tripadvisor.com has the most extensive hotel reviews online, including destinations around the world. You can read how other travelers have liked the hotel and find insider info on where the best rooms may be.

Make sure to come back to learn the rest of her go-to websites for saving time and money.

January ushered in a new year and February will usher in new television signals. Digital television is just a month away. Are you ready? If you currently have cable or satellite service, you are ready. If not, then you will be missing out on your favorite shows come February 17, 2009.

You don’t have to have cable or satellite service to continue watching TV but you will need a TV converter box. The converter is inexpensive and the government is offering $40 coupons to help you purchase one. To receive your coupon apply online at DTV2009.gov or by calling 1-888-DTV-2009. The website says to apply for a coupon by December 31, 2008, but that is just a suggested deadline. The real deadline is March 31, 2009. However, the fine print says “while supplies last.” So the sooner your request your coupon the better.

For those considering purchasing new televisions, please take the time to recycle your old television. Don’t just throw it in the trash.

I like to play tennis. Not that I am really good at it though. But I am good at finding tennis (and other) deals. Yesterday I received my free USTA tennis long sleeve shirt in the mail. This was in addition to the $11 discount I received for my membership fee. None of my team mates got this discount, so how did I manage it?

Before I make any purchase online, I always do a Google search for the store/website name and the words coupon and promo. You would be surprised at what kind of discounts are out there if you just spend a few minutes or in some cases seconds searching for them.

There are so many credit card promotions out that I don’t know where to start.

Actually, the first place to start is your credit card company’s website. They list many travel, entertainment, dining and shopping deals. The deals are especially good if you are shopping online although many printable coupons are also available.

Some of the noteworthy promotions currently are:

1. Save $10 at Lowe’s when you pay with Visa

2. Save $15 at a local spa through Spawish.com certificates purchased with Mastercard

3. American Express has many dining deals, so check out their site: www.AmericanExpressOfferZone.com before you head out to eat. They also have local shopping coupons too.

The key is to remember to check the websites often as the deals are constantly changing. The summer months especially are a good time to find deals.

With the cost of gas going up, so is everything else. Especially noticeable is the rising cost of groceries. Coupon clipping can only go so far. We have to be more creative in saving at the store. Here are some tips to help you save:

1. Don’t just rely on Sunday coupons. More and more grocery stores have their own coupons online, so check their websites before you head to the store.

2. Join a coupon sharing club or a coupon train. Do a search online to find one in your area.

3. Join your grocery store’s loyalty club. They offer additional deals.

4. Buy what’s in season. Learn what fruits and vegetables are in season and purchase accordingly. They are less expensive for two reasons, first they are in more abundant supply and second because they don’t have to travel from foreign countries to reach you.

Most U.S. drug companies have issued a voluntary recall of their infant cold and cough medicines. The reason for this recall is accidental overdose by giving young infants too much medicine. To see which products are affected here is a listing to help you.

Dimetapp Infant Drops (Information)

PediaCare Infant Drops (Information and $5 coupon for future purchase)

Robitussin (Information)

Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips (Information)

Tylenol Infants Drops (Information and $5 coupon for future purchase)

If you make a beauty or fragrance purchase of $85 or more at Saks.com, you can get a free cosmetic case with a dozen deluxe beauty samples. You must enter code Summer2007 at checkout.

Here are a few new offers for online stores for the holidays:

AnnTaylorLOFT.com: 15% off $75 or 20% off $150 and free shipping with any order over $75 (Until 1/1/07). Free gift boxes with any order and $3 shipping for anything less than $75 (Until 12/7/06). Promotion code: 50400001

VictoriasSecret.com: $10 Off & Free Panty with any bra purchase of Body by Victoria®, Angels by Victoria’s Secret® or Very Sexy®. To get your free panty add VS Cotton™ Panty in White (092) or Black (093) to your shopping bag and enter offer code SPECIAL at checkout. (Until 12/15/06.)

Here are the latest free shipping offers:

Officemax.com: Free shipping automatically until 12/15 (No Minimum)

Saks.com: Free shipping until 12/20 with code HOLIDAY6 (No Minimum)

Zappos.com: Free shipping automatically until 12/19 (No Minimum)

Checkout Google Checkout! With Google’s new service, you can save $10 off your online purchase of $30 at dozens of online stores. You just shop at the partner retailers at then choose Google checkout when you are ready to finalize your purchase. Your savings are automatic. Retailers range from Toys R’ Us to Starbucks. Some retailers also offer $20 off a $50 purchase; however, the site isn’t clear on which ones.