Best for Food
Restaurant.com: Not only is Restaurant.com appropriately named, but it allows the user to pin point exactly what he or she is looking for by purchasing a gift certificate for a heavily discounted price. Users can refine their searches by cuisine, average entrée price, meal, atmosphere, amount, entertainment, parking, attire, payment types accepted and alcohol. One con: There is a purchase minimum.

 One of the best ways to save money is to cut out dining out. But you don't have to give up restaurant fare altogether: There are several ways to eat out and save. Another good way is with gift certificates from Restaurant.com. They can cut your bill in half, if not more.

You can buy $25 gift certificates that never expire for $10 — or some as low as $2 during one of the frequent sales similar to one running through July 31 — at 18,000 places in the USA through Restaurant.com, which claims to have saved customers more than $500 million since launching in 1999.

Go beyond the scissors and the Sunday paper to save even more. Here are some of the best web sites and smart phone apps for finding coupons and other ways to save.

As a young child, Cary Chessick was silent. For years, he refused to speak. The only time he uttered a word was when his mother asked him what he'd like for dinner. Then, he'd spurt, "spaghetti."

Arlington Heights, Ill.-based Restaurant.com offers savings at more than 18,000 restaurants nationwide, with more than 45,000 daily gift certificate options. Founded in 1999, the company has grown significantly since 2007, nearly tripling its workforce and expanding from 7,000 to more than 18,000 restaurant partners.

The problem: Food prices rose more than double the rate of inflation in the last year, and restaurants are passing the expense on to diners.

With more than a dozen deal sites born each week, there is no end in sight. The newbies join the venerable Restaurant.com.