Unexpected Ways Savvy Preppers Can Use Living Social and Groupon
Several bargain websites hit the internet about 8 years ago, offering deals on travel, restaurants, and a variety of products sure to please everyone. Two of the most popular sites are Living Social and Groupon. These sites offer lightning, limited time deals and frequently have only a limited number of discounts to sell.
A customer buys an item or pays for an activity and receive a voucher via email. That voucher can then be redeemed directly with the merchant, and you enjoy a very nice discount.
These sites aren’t on the radar of most preppers. It just doesn’t compute – aren’t those sites about discounted spa days, restaurants, museum tickets, and hotels?
Well, yes, definitely, but if you look deeper at what they offer, there is an astounding cornucopia of goods, services, and experiences for the savvy prepper to explore.
What Do They Have for Preppers?
While writing this article, I spent some time browsing through online pages on both websites. I was pleasantly surprised to find cooking classes, firearms safety courses, physical fitness classes, goods and gear to buy – they have a little bit of everything, at least sometimes. (The deals are only for a short time, but many recur if they drive enough business to the merchant.)
As one example, my son and I are going to learn how to make cheese – a whole bunch of different kinds of cheese, not just one or two. Truthfully, I might never have taken the leap into cheesemaking, but I got a great deal on Living Social and my son really really loves cheese, so we’re going to do it together.
Learning how to make cheese is a great prepper skill, plus a great way for the two of us to bond. Who knows? Maybe we’ll end up making cheese together for many years to come. Worst case, I’ve wasted approximately the cost of our family of four going to a single movie at the theater.
The Survival Mom and her husband took a bee-keeping class, thanks to a Living Social deal!
Here are some classes you might find on these websites. They have all been offered at one time or another.
Personal Safety
- Evasive driving techniques
- Simulated tactical shooting situation (not target shooting)
- Krav Maga (unarmed self defense), plus countless other martial arts classes
- Shooting classes
Even paintball could also be a way to simulate a more tactical shooting situation while having some family fun.
Physical Fitness
- Boot camp and gym memberships
- Kayaking, tubing, and canoeing
- 5K races (even the mud, zombie, and colorful ones)
- Skiing
- Aerial adventure parks
- Parkour (think American Ninja Warrior)
- Barre (yes, as in ballet, but for those of us who aren’t flexible ten year olds any more)
The list of possibilities is enormous. If you want to get fit, they want to provide you with the class(es) to do it.
Goods
- Hand-crank solar flashlights
- Reusable water bottles (the super lightweight, foldable kind)
- Home organizers (under bed/closet/hanging)
- Camping backpacks
- Portable hammock (with stand)
- Cast iron cookware
- Knives (all kinds) abound – cooking, diving, pocket, etc.
Food
- Powdered peanut butter
- Tea and coffee, in K-cups or not
- Gourmet beef
- Astronaut ice cream
- Kits to make root beer, cheese, or molecular gastronomy
The deals change constantly, but there is something for everyone. And with the discounts they offer, it’s a whole lot easier to take a risk and try something new.
