Are you tired of running here and there for shopping? Now there is a better solution for you. Without going to the mall and wasting precious hours you can shop while sitting at home. All you need is Internet access. You might have already guessed that it must be online shopping. Yes, it is online shopping but with a twist – forget hours of googling for a discount coupon or a better deal and simply visit dtcdeals.com to avail of current promotions that have already been screened for you.

DTCdeals.com is the best place to save money and time through deals and coupons. In spite of its diversity, it offers you structure and the option to search all offers for keywords like “free delivery" or “mp3 player". Whatever you want, whether it is Internet access or web hosting, spectacle tickets, clothing, gift jewelry, fragrance cosmetics, electronics, books, car tools, groceries, kitchen or maternity items, all the good deals are on this site. Your next purchase not listed for a discount there? Simply submit your suggestion and one of the editors working daily to update the site will try to help you save some money.

By browsing the website you can see different sections that deal with the selling of various items and services. If you peek through any particular categories, you will find the active offers available and also additional information about delivery charges, special terms and conditions or even the personal opinion of the editor that validated that deal. The company behind it is based in Ireland and adheres strictly to the code of conduct published by the UK Internet Advertising Bureau’s Affiliate Marketing Council. This stipulates that consumers should receive good user experience and be protected from misleading and confusing advertising. For example, you will be able to select for display deals or discount coupons only and never be forced to click on any link or image to have access to the coupon code (contrary to the practice of “Click here to reveal code").

The main strength of dtcdeals.com is that every deal and coupon is reviewed manually before listing, and retailers are screened individually before being featured for the first time. Nobody could predict Woolworth’s failure when the website launched, but you can still find them there and the editor’s comments if you are interested in the history of online marketing and its dinosaurs.

Another feature in line with AMC’s recommendations is the expiration date clearly marked on coupon codes – this is a no-brainer, since 95% of the discount coupons listed on voucher sites are either invalid or expired. The editors are continuously removing expired deals and codes from the main page, so don’t be surprised that the website is not advertising itself as having gazillions of coupons listed. A realistic number is probably 800-1000 screened and tested entries at a time, but the number is increasing slowly since retailers from US are coming more and more to Europe over the last years.

To avail of the deals or discount coupons you can simply follow the links on the website – most will redirect to the product page or offer you a method to engage with the seller and buy at a discounted price. Some retailers prefer to list promotions themselves and offer a landing page with the codes hosted on their website – either way you can use the coupon at checkout or ask for assistance if you encounter any difficulties.

Besides categories, browsing the promotions can be done by tags or keywords – this allows visitors a nice way of comparing discounts for the same products from different retailers – designer clothes and accessories, electronics and video or music releases are good examples for this. Users are also encouraged to comment publicly on individual deals and vote using a Digg-like interface. Best voted deals and coupons are available from the home page, so you can use the experience of other users to see what is hot at any given time. Social bookmarking is possible directly from the coupon’s page, so that you can ask your Facebook friends for their opinion and do some research before actually proceeding to purchase.

Deals and coupons can be very dynamic – some offers are limited to only a couple of days or the first few buyers. Bargainistas can keep up to date either by subscribing to dtcdeals’ RSS feed (down to choosing only particular categories, regions or keywords for which to receive new entries) or by following DTC on Twitter – available for UK (@dtcdeals_uk) and Ireland (@dtcdeals_ie) so far. The main Twitter account - @dtcdeals – is also available to engage with the editors in real-time, ask questions or submit feedback directly.

If you prefer e-mail, you can subscribe to the newsletter – but do not worry, your e-mail address will not be shared with 3rd parties, nor flooded with messages every day.

DTC stands for direct-to-consumer – the philosophy adopted by its editors after more than 10 years of "behind the curtains" experience in retail and marketing. Online shopping can be comfortable, but still retain all other advantages of the traditional bricks-and-mortar stores. With the right information, in the form of deals and discount coupons, you can pay less money, avail of more offers and increase your savings in the smart way. I would like to point out that good habits and discerning eyes can be your best weapons to fight financial crisis both in good and bad times. Nobody else can do it for you!