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COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Whether it's Groupons or coupons, no one says 'no' to saving money.  The problem is, as a business, not everyone can afford to appear on websites like Groupon or Living Social, and the money doesn't stay in Colorado Springs.

That's where Carrie Isaac, Vanessa Nagel and Linda West come in.  All three of these women have either created or are working at a business that's saving local families money and making money for merchants.

Isaac created SpringsBargains.com, a website that gears national brand coupons just for Southern Colorado, as well as events and grocery ads.

"We were spending a lot of money on groceries and just had our first baby. I was reading a lot of blogs that were sharing ways to save money on groceries," Isaac said. "And I was like, 'well, I can do that.'"

And after moving to Colorado Springs and starting her own blog, in the past 3 1/2 years, a lot has changed for Isaac's family and her website.  With four kids under the age of 6, saving money has become even more important to Isaac.

"If I wasn't coupon shopping, I wouldn't be able to buy name brands. So for me, couponing is a way to upscale, to buy things we couldn't otherwise afford."

Now her website allows her to work at home, saving local businesses and local families money.

"I love promoting local businesses whenever they meet the standard of a great deal," Isaac said.  "I love getting emails or Facebook messages from readers. They say, 'You've changed my life. You've changed my grocery budget,' and it seems, and I love hearing that. I hope it continues to reach more people and more people's lives are changed."

Isaac isn't the only one changing lives through deals. Vanessa Nagel works at Radio Shopping Show as a radio host selling discount gift certificates.  The concept involves everything from overnight stays in Cripple Creak to beauty services and discounts on pizza.  Listeners call in, speak directly to the radio host and buy the gift certificates, which can either be mailed to the buyer or picked up at the radio station.

"We're actually on the radio, doing trade," Nagel said.  "It's a win/win situation for everyone involved. The restaurants or businesses are winning because they're able to get all kinds of great exposure to get new customers, and of course the customers are winning because they go try new things on a discount."

Whereas Nagel's businesses concept is closer to Groupon, she calls the Radio Shopping Show "far superior" to the mogul.

"We don't overload or overwhelm a business, so we're not blowing them up to where people are having cash-paying customers turn away," Nagel said.  "Plus, Groupon - it's a flash in the pan. You're on there one day and the next you're gone."

Six days a week, you can catch a showing of the Radio Shopping Show on Sports Animal AM 1300.  For anyone wanting to check out the deals easily, you can go to RSS-CS.com. 

While Nagel calls the show far superior, Local Coupon Buzz's creator, Linda West, said Groupon was actually the inspiration for the site, but she wanted to change the concept around. It all started right when West's other business, Brush Strokes, was approached by Groupon.

"We'd been contacted by Groupon to run a deal here in town, and it sounded really good and really great 'til they got down to the bottom line," West said.  "Their cut to the business and the things they make the businesses pay, it really didn't make good business sense. So, we came up with another plan."

Local Coupon Buzz pays all credit card fees for the merchants that appear on her website.  Unlike Groupon, which won't pay credit card fees and makes businesses give 50 percent of their profits to their website, West strikes a deal that lets merchants keep 60 percent of the profits.

"It's keeping our money here locally, keeping the economy strong here in Colorado Springs," West said. "With the other companies here in town, the money's going to Chicago or Washington or off away from here.  It's not benefitting us here as much as it could."

The other difference: the company only pays for the coupons it sells.

"It's a good way for smaller businesses to advertise because they don't necessarily have the money to go out and spend $10,000 on a traditional radio spot," West said. "With this, they don't have to put any money up front.  Unless they sell coupons, they don't pay anything, so they're definitely getting a customer for their advertising money."

Local Coupon Buzz also has Wacky Wednesdays once a month, where you can get all of the deals one more time, as well as Friday deals that stay up for the weekend.