Fall is a great time to save money online. Heck, any season’s great for saving online – as long as you know where to look.

October Special at Restaurant.com

If you’ve never checked out the site Restaurant.com for great discounts on eating out, now’s the time to visit. Here’s how it works:

• Type in your zip code. The site includes a database of restaurants from across the country, so whether you’re looking for a place to dine near home or on the road, you can likely find something.
• Browse the eateries. You can refine your search by distance, type of food or atmosphere. Or you can browse all the eateries in your area.
• Buy a gift certificate. The site then allows you to buy gift certificates – for a discount. The price of a $25 gift certificate is usually $10, but many restaurants offer higher and lower dollar amounts.
• The catch: The gift certificates often have certain limitations (like no alcohol purchases) and require your meal to cost a certain minimum amount (usually $50 for a $25 gift card).

The bonus: If you’re able to log on before October 31st, you can get an even bigger discount by typing in the discount code treats. I was able to snag a $25 gift card for only $2.50. So act now and lap up the savings!

One drawback: If you live in a small town, the site may not have any restaurants near you. But consider planning ahead for your next road trip or visit to a larger city.

Go Ask Alice… to Pick Up Some Floss?

The web site Alice.com boasts of freeing your time and energy by allowing you to comparison shop online for pesky household necessities (like toilet paper, trash bags and dental floss). Plus, the site offers free shipping… all the time.

Here’s how it works:

• You join (for free): When you create your user profile, you identify the members of your household, select the items you use regularly and enter your email address.
• You shop: You select items you need to buy. Alice.com offers dozens of options and allows you to sort them by price. It also alerts you about available coupons.
• You relax: The site has a feature that allows you to create a schedule of how often you run out of items. When it comes time for you to restock, you’ll receive a reminder email.

One drawback: This site has a lot of cool features and may save serious in-store time (especially if you have kids). But it doesn’t offer any generic or store-brand items, which I find are generally cheaper than name brands, even with coupons.