10 of Your Favorite Money-Saving Blog Posts of 2011

The end-of-year trend for many years now has been to post top ten lists looking back on the year in review. And as 2011 draws to a close, Brad’s Deals is happy to continue this fine annual tradition!

This word cloud from Wordle.net shows what we talked about the most in 2011. Do you see any surprises in there?

It’s been a great year for the Brad’s Deals Coupons and Deals Blog, with tons of interesting and insightful articles that have helped thousands of readers save money on their online purchases.  Because so much of what we’ve written here throughout 2011 is still relevant today, we decided to revisit our top 10 most popular blog posts of 2011. We hope you’ll enjoy having a look back with us, and maybe pick up a tip or two that you may have missed the first time around.

1. Secret Cell Phone Discounts from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint

Do you qualify for a discount on your cell phone plan? Check these employee discounts from Verizon, AT&T and Sprint to see if your employer makes you eligible for cell phone savings as high as 28% off your monthly bill!

2. Brad’s 2nd Annual 60 Days of Deals

This feature was so popular in 2010 that we brought it back for 2011. Check this post every day through the end of the year for a fresh deal sure to knock your socks off!

3. 100+ Stores with Senior Discounts

The famed senior discount is taken to a whole new level in this popular post, listing more than 100 stores where senior citizens can save a few extra dollars over the rest of us young whippersnappers. The post includes a handy printable PDF so that you can tuck it in your wallet for easy reference.

4. 8 Reasons To Get an American Express Platinum Card and Never Use It!

When we first published this deal, American Express was offering 50,000 points just for signing up. Today the offer is down to 25,000, but it remains one of the top posts on our site.

5. 40 Stores With Student Discounts

Savvy students on a shoestring budget can stretch their dollar at any of the 40 stores on our student discount list! We offer a printable PDF for this list, too, but we’re betting that most of you are pulling it up on your smartphones.

6. Free Stuff for the Frantic on Tax Day 2011

After shelling out to Uncle Sam, it’s always nice to get a little something for free. In 2011, we saw free Cinnabon Bites at Cinnabon, free massages from HydroMassage, free curly fries from Arby’s, and a whole slew of 1040-themed discounts that are almost enough to make us look forward to Tax Day 2012. Almost.

7. Brad’s Deals 2nd Annual Wish List Giveaway

The economy has been far too rough on many families who have found themselves in dire circumstances this holiday season. The overwhelming response to this post speaks to just how many of our friends and readers are struggling to get by. We’ll be choosing a winner soon, so stay tuned as we sweeten the holiday for one deserving applicant.

8. Who Wants 2 Free Flights to Europe?

Honestly, who doesn’t? With a title like that, this post was bound to get a bunch of eyeballs. Did any of you get tickets from this deal? We’d love to hear about your European vacay!

9. Dude, Where’s my PS3? Target Cancels Black Friday Orders

When Target stared canceling PS3 orders that had been placed on Black Friday due to overselling, the backlash was inevitable. Our coverage of the fiasco offered details, as well as some alternative Playstation deals.

10. 5 Reasons to Buy a MacBook Air, Mac Mini, or OS X 10.7 Lion Now

If there’s anything we can count on in the world of online deals, it’s that Apple fans are crazy-intense when it comes to deals on Macbooks and other Apple products since discounts are so rare. So we shouldn’t be too surprised that the Apple fanatics pushed “5 Reasons” onto our list of top blog posts of 2011.

What were your favorite blog posts of 2011? What invaluable tips did you learn from our articles? Please share with us in the comments, and then sign up for Brad’s Alerts to be notified of the best deals and blog posts in 2012!

About the Author: Rebecca Lehmann

Rebecca is BradsDeals' resident data geek, keeping the team up-to-date on the latest shopping trends from a data perspective. She loves finding online deals on shoes, knitting supplies, and anything that lets her spoil her nieces rotten.