Online shopping may just be the greatest part of living in the 21st century! And when you add in free shipping? PARTY TIME! All that shopping is going to add up though so here I share with you all the best ways I have found, and use, to save money while shopping online.
Question first: Do you prefer to shop for clothes in person or online? I am such a petite person that TONS of clothes end up not fitting me. I prefer to shop in stores and not have to deal with returns. However, I hate having to leave the house to shop so sometimes I still brave the online shopping scene, Haha.
1. Honey
Honey is an add on to your browser that will automatically find and try discount codes for you. This cuts out all the google searches looking for codes and going through ten codes that don’t work just to find one that does. So Honey does all the hard work for you and saves time and effort.
You simply go to the Honey website and follow their instructions to install their widget. Then as you are shopping once you get to the check out stage click the honey icon (or sometimes there is a pop-up) and let it do its thing.
Now along with finding discount codes for you you can also earn cash back using Honey. It isn’t a lot, I mean I’ve only earned $1.75 so far BUT it is a nice added bonus since it is really used Honey more for the discount codes.
2. Abandon Cart
Stores really want your business so quite often if you can’t find a discount code that works the trick is to close out of the browser with your cart still full. By abandoning your cart many places have systems in place that will send you a discount code in your email.
On top of this, taking time to think about your purchase choices will cut down on impulse buys. This is a good habit to get into that will save you a lot of money over the years. Your patience will be rewarded by an email asking you to complete your purchase accompanied with a discount code. Although this is not guaranteed it is worth a shot if you can’t find anything else.
3. Rakuten (Ebates)
Rakuten (Ebates) is a cash back website. You can earn back money on your everyday shopping. Just like Honey, Rakuten is a no brainer and they’ve done all the hard work out for you. Once again you just install the browser widget from their website and then every time you’re on an affiliated website a pop-up reminds you to activate your Rakuten cash back.
I am not the biggest online shopper out there and I’ve earned over $70 back since I started using Ebates. By using this link to join Rakuten you’ll earn a free $10 after you make your first purchase through Rakuten!! Do you shop on Amazon? Do you shop online for clothes and home goods? Or do you buy all your dog supplies online? You could be earning cash back on all of it! What are you waiting for!
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Coupons
You can also get coupons in the mail for stores that will almost always work online too. Especially if you’ve recently moved, when you change your address with the US postal service you’ll get a packet of coupons in the mail. Getting an extra 10%-20% off local stores and restaurants is nothing to scoff at.
Alright this feels a little redundant after using Honey, and I still think Honey should be your first place to look for discount codes. However, sometimes if Honey doesn’t find any discount codes a quick google search can find one. Its always worth a shot.
Email Sign-Ups
Most stores offer discount codes when you sign up for their email lists. You can always unsubscribe later, so theres no harm in getting an extra 10-15% off in exchange for your email.
Just watch out because sometimes the code doesn’t come right away.Some stores put a delay on the email so it doesn’t come for 24 hours or so. Just be sure to unsubscribe from the email list later so that you aren’t tempted to make impulse buys later on.
Don’t Pay Shipping
I hate paying shipping, like a lot. It feels like such a waste of money! I would rather pay the same amount to get something extra and earn extra shipping. That way I am receiving a physical product for my money. Or find it on Amazon Prime because, you know, free shipping.
There is also often an option for store pick up which is free. So if theres a store near you this can save you $5+ per shopping trip. Totally worth it to pick the item up while you are out and about running errands and save the money you would’ve paid on shipping.
Wikibuy
This is another browser extension. When you are shopping online for an item it compares the site you are looking at to other retailers that offer the same product. Then it tells you if that item is sold for a cheaper price elsewhere.
I like to do a quick google search for items before I buy things for this exact reason. You never know when another site will list it at a cheaper price. So wether you decide to download the extension or not make sure you are checking around for the cheapest price on the exact same item.
Saving all the Mula While Shopping Online
Shopping online is awesome and can save a lot of time, just make sure you are saving money not spending more! What are you going to do with all the extra money you have now??! Travel is what I always pick! You could buy plane tickets to New Orleans or BALI! Both of which are awesome places.
Or you can use it to pay off debt or save for a house payment. Did you know Robin and I got out of over $30,000 in debt? We are still paying off the student loan part of that debt but it doesn’t run our lives.
Now excuse me while I go treat Robin to a night out with all the money I’ve saved on my online shopping sprees hahaha. 🙂
Really good ideas! I’m a total coupon person, so I love the idea of Honey doing some of the discount research for you! =)
Right! It has made coupon searches so much simpler for me!
Abandon cart has worked for me a lot – great habit that I need to do more often to save money! I also love cashbackmonitor to see which sites will give the highest cashback rate.
I have never heard of cashbackmonitor! I will definitely be checking that out. Thank you!