My $1.50 haircut and other exciting deals :)

I love finding a good deal. Because of that, I find Groupon and things of that nature to be websites that I frequent. I wrote a blog a while back about some good deals I had found on websites like Groupon, LivingSocial, etc. I told you in Sweet Home Oklahoma - Part 1 my story about how Arrowhead irritated me with their false advertising on their LivingSocial coupon...to the point that I will probably never go floating with them again...but so far, that's really the only one of these group coupons I've had the chance to use and write a "review" about.

BUT...since those posts, I have found some other really good deals, and I got to use one of them yesterday! :)

NWA DealPiggy is another website that comes in really handy if you are in the Northwest Arkansas area. I actually really like them, because Groupon doesn't have Fayetteville, AR as a city option...the closest ones are Tulsa and Little Rock. So DealPiggy is nice, because I can usually find some things that are more local for me.

I told you here about how I was supposed to go to Florida to visit my friend Sarah (this coming weekend actually...), who has also been my hair stylist for the past 3 years, but my flight got cancelled, so I no longer get to go. Sarah tries to come back to Fayetteville to take care of her old clients about once every 3 months, so even though she lives in Florida, I typically will wait for her to come here and don't let anyone else touch my hair. Sarah was in Fayetteville in August, but I was still in Ridgecrest at the time, so I missed out. I was in DIRE need of a haircut...so I had to make an exception. Shortly after I found out my flight had been cancelled, I found this deal on NWA DealPiggy for a haircut for $11.50, regularly priced $23. I figured it was worth a shot...one of the things I have learned in my 25 years is that even bad haircuts do grow out. AND on top of that, I had a $10 credit with NWA DealPiggy for referring someone, so I only had to pay $1.50! Can't beat that! I couldn't even get a bad haircut a Supercuts for that! So I decided yesterday that it was time to take care of this mess I call my hair...I called Leslie at 10am when the salon opened to make an appointment, and she had a cancellation and was able to fit me in at noon :)

The Before Picture...

 It really wasn't THAT bad...it had just gotten longer, uneven and was looking kinda stringy. I also was starting to get split ends...yuck. I am trying to grow my hair out nice and long for the wedding...so I really just needed a trim!

The After Picture :)

It feels so good to have a fresh, clean cut. The lighting kinda makes it look like I had highlights or something, but I didn't...just a trim. And I love keeping my hair long enough to go in a ponytail...for sure. Overall I was pleased. Leslie was really friendly and she did a good job, and though I hate having to cheat on my favorite stylist, I am starting to come to terms with the fact that sometimes I just can't have everything just like I want it...you know, with her living in Florida and all...And like I said, for $1.50, you really can't beat that :) I tipped her too, so technically I did pay more than $1.50, but I felt like the service was very good and I had already gotten an incredible deal on the fact that it was supposed to be $11.50. So my second "cash-in" for a Groupon/LivingSocial/DealPiggy deal was a success! :) Leslie also said that if I referred anyone to her, she would still honor the deal, even though it is expired...so if you are in the Fayetteville area and in the market for a haircut, give Leslie a call :) That being said, here's a tip for all you group coupon shoppers: If you find a deal that is already sold out or the time has expired to buy it, don't be afraid to call the person/company directly to see if they will still honor the deal. The worst they can tell you is no, so it can't hurt to ask :) I have actually found a couple times now that some places will still honor the price of the deal after it has technically ended.

I also told you about some of the other deals I had purchased in my older post in August...and I haven't used any of them yet, but I will be getting the chance to in the very near future, so I will keep you posted with a review of how those turn out :) In the meantime, here are a few more recent purchases that I look forward to using! :)

$30 for a 1 hour Swedish Massage at Tramps Salon and Day Spa ($60 value)

This one was on NWA DealPiggy recently too. I rarely would treat myself to something like this...mostly because I hate spending money, especially on myself, but I could really use a massage...and I thought this was a great deal :) With this one, I'd like to share another tip: I know I have mentioned this before, but don't be afraid to call ahead and ask questions about the deal. I really thought this would be more fun to do with a friend, rather than just get spoiled all by myself, but the fine print said, "Only one voucher can be used per visit," so I wasn't sure if that was an option. I looked up some info on their website, and they had a "Couples' Massage" listed for $120, where you could bring in a friend or your significant other and do it together...so I just called to see what they would say...and they were completely fine with me buying two and using it for two people to come in at once. I am pretty excited about this, and I'm planning on going for my massage here in the next couple of weeks, so I will keep you posted :)

I already told you about my Warrior Dash Groupon that I got for $30 ($60 value)...and that is THIS Saturday! So get excited...you can definitely expect a review on that one :)

The Wizard of Oz Musical for $23 at the Claremore Performing Arts Center ($46 value)

I am super excited about this Groupon! AND it is actually still on sale, so if you are in the Claremore/Tulsa area and are interested, you can find it by going here. The Wizard of Oz was one of my favorite movies as a child, and I'm really excited because I get to go with my two sisters and my niece on next Tuesday! We're off to see the Wizard, and it's going to be a good time :) And even BETTER...I had referred two friends to Groupon recently, so I had a $20 credit...so this ended up only costing me $3! That is my kind of bargain! I just have to remember to call tomorrow to reserve my seat...haha.

I had also found a really good deal on LASIK eye surgery that I had bought, but I decided to get a refund for it, so I won't be getting LASIK quite as soon as I had hoped. It was a REALLY good deal....$549 per eye, so $1098 total, which was about half off...but it was in Oklahoma City, which is about a 3.5 hour drive for me. The place only did the surgery on Thursdays or Fridays, and there are quite a few follow-up appointments you have to do...so I figured it would end up making me have to miss too much work, and by the time I spent the money on gas and potentially hotel rooms if I had to stay multiple nights, I probably would've only ended up saving a couple hundred dollars...not to mention the time I would spend driving and the wear and tear on my car. So I decided to get a refund and wait it out. Hopefully something better will come along...a similar deal in the Tulsa or Fayetteville area wouldn't hurt my feelings...here's to hoping :) 

One more deal I found was on Saveology.com. This website doesn't really have cities near me (at least not yet), but every once in a while they post a good "National" deal that you don't have to use at a specific location. Recently, they had a deal where you could buy a $10 gift card for $5 that you could use for food or beverages at any Chili's, Macaroni Grill, On the Border or Maggiano's. I actually got my gift card in the mail the other day...the gift card never expires, so I'm sure that one day it will come in really handy when I end up going with someone out to eat at one of those restaurants :) 

When I get a chance to use more of my deal purchases, I will certainly give you a review :) What about you? Do any of you have any experiences with Groupon/LivingSocial/DealPiggy/etc.? Do you know of any other hidden treasures of websites like these that may not be as popular? I would love to hear about them...I always enjoy finding bargains! :)