discounts

Students at the National Louis University can give their wallets a little break. The Chicago-based school is offering a Groupon for an introductory teaching course for graduate students, and buyers can save up to 57 percent off the tuition of one course. There are only four days left till the deal closes, and up to 15 coupons available — two of which have already been bought. The course normally totals up to $2,232, but people who purchase the daily deal can buy it for just $950.

If you're interested in the details, the class starts this Fall, and students will meet once a week on Monday nights for three hours. There are only 25 spots available for that class, and students will receive three credits that they can use toward the 36 credits needed to graduate from the program.

Now, if only other graduate schools started selling their courses on Groupon . . .

There's a new deal going on at JetBlue that's offering a pass with unlimited flights for three months from Boston and Long Beach select. It's called the BluePass; packages start from $1,299 to $1,999 and the travel time frame is between Aug. 22 and Nov. 22. I'm thinking this deal would be great for either business travelers or long-distance lovers who go back and forth in the cities mentioned in the packages.

Here are some of the perks:

• You can book up to 90 minutes before takeoff.
• Zero change and cancellation fees.
• You'll only be charged a penalty if you miss more than two flights in a week. The fee would be $100.

You'll need to do the calculations to figure out if this new promotion is actually worth your while. Figure out the average price of the ticket you'd be paying for between two cities, and see how many trips you'd have to make during the three-month period in order to make up your money. What do you think — good deal or just another marketing ploy?

We should all have heard of Groupon, Living Social, PopSugarCity, and Woot.com by now, but what if your interests are more . . . selective?

Though you can get a ton of cool stuff on all of the previously mentioned sites (great deals on massages, kayaking adventures, and even discounts on toilet paper), these five may be more tailored to your tastes and fit your personality to a T. Check them out below!

• For the geek: Thwipster — This daily and weekly deal site is perfect for those of the geek persuasion. Thwhipster's first deal was an awesome price on a great comic, and this week it's featuring a quarter-scale Emperor Palpatine figurine. Amazing.
• For the traveler: Airbnb — This discount vacation rental site allows you to save hundreds a night on lodging by skipping the hotels and renting a room, apartment, or house instead. It's totally legit, and easy to use — there's plenty of photos of the rentals, reviews, and safeguards to help you make your stay safe and sound. Not only that, but the site also offers unique vacation destinations as well — ever wanted to sleep in a castle, airplane, or igloo? Airbnb's got you covered.
• For the city dweller: ScoutMob — Offering up amazing deals in a select number of cities, ScoutMob lets you discover new places to eat and shop while getting a huge discount; up to 50 percent off in most cases! Plus, when you download the ScoutMob app, you can get even more savings while you're out and about. Don't forget to check out the awesome blog, too, for design inspiration!

See the rest of the list after the break.

Hot off the heels of Groupon's much-discussed IPO comes news that the company is piloting a grocery discount program. The online daily coupon company has negotiated deals with Massachusetts-based supermarket Big Y Foods to offer Groupon discounts for groceries, such as 50 percent off on shellfish.

The catch? Customers who buy the deal will get the discounts credited to their Big Y loyalty cards upon checkout. If successful, it's an arrangement that would better suit merchants such as supermarket chains that have many locations and points of purchase.

Given a positive outcome, other grocers are on board to do their own promotions, Groupon says (although the company remains tight-lipped when pressed for names). As a shopper who scourges market aisles for the best deals, I'd be excited to see this roll out nationwide. What do you think of the concept?

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Oh reality TV. We love you because after a crazy day at work, you make our own problems seem manageable . . . at least compared to Real Housewives drama-fests.

But when it comes to the new TLC show Extreme Couponing, we watch the participants with a mixture of interest and — dare we say it — envy.

The new show features coupon clipping professionals who pull off feats like bringing $1,900 of merchandise to the grocery store checkout and paying only $103. That’s a 95 percent discount!

And they do this normally-frumpy coupon clipping with panache. There’s the sassy and adorable “Double Saving Diva” twins, who do their grocery store shopping with matching pink and purple sweaters. There’s the “super mom,” who feeds her brood of seven on $160 a month while sporting heels and a pair of size two jeans. And there’s the 24-year-old who paid off her $10,000 credit card bill with the savings.

This isn’t just for grandmas anymore.

But, could this work for a normal person? Ask yourself whether you have:

A Lot Of Time.

Six hours clipping and sorting, five hours at the checkout counter, and midnight trips to the store . . . say goodbye to free time.

Instead: Make it a party. Six hours is a bit much, but we loved that the 24-year-old threw a party for 20 of her friends on $26. If there is one time when a few hours of preparation might be worth it, this is it. (It also helps to budget for your party.)

To see if the extreme couponing lifestyle suits you, read on.

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Oh, the outlet mall.

It gleams like an oasis of designer savings in the desert. It’s a day of promised savings, rewarding the dedicated shopper who will find a trove of off-price goods that were sold at luxury retailers — perhaps last season, but who’s counting?

Right?

That is occasionally still true. But over the last few decades, as retailers recognized the profitability of attracting Americans looking for a deal (yes — they will use this great quality about you against you!), they began to build an industry around outlet shopping that is completely separate from their regular business. And it’s working–there are 13,000 outlet stores around the country, and every year outlets draw more tourists than attractions like Washington D.C.’s museums or Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell.

The industry is based on some secret tactics designed to fool the customer — don’t be suckered.

What to know what they are? Check out the outlet mall's dirty secrets after the break!