How to Save Money While Shopping Online

Shopping online has made most of our lives and our purchases easier. It is convenient and simple, and it definitely saves us time. It can also save you money. Yes, that’s right, the internet is a great place to purchase products while keeping some of your money in your pocket. You can do this by taking advantage of websites, apps, browser extensions, coupons and other handy tricks, all of which can be accessed through your phone or computer. Read on to find out how you can save money while shopping online!

Websites

Money can be saved by using a number of websites, such as eBates, Lemoney and Swagbucks. eBates is probably the most popular, and it operates in the following way. Clients open an account with eBates and go through this account to purchase items on other websites or online stores, even Amazon and eBay. eBates then give you the cashback from your purchase.

How much?

This depends on the store and the purchase, but discounts can be as high as 40% and even higher on deal days. Once the purchase is made, the discount will be sent to you through a method of your choice; this could be via PayPal, bank account or cheque. Lesser known sites such as Lemoney and Swagbucks may provide cashback on products and vendors that eBates does not work with, so they are worth checking out. An advantage of using websites such as these is that you can receive cashback on items you were planning to buy anyway. That way, you end up with more money back in your pocket.

Beware!

Don’t forget the importance of online security. Be careful, especially when entering your personal information on a website, because not all websites are safe. With this in mind, it might be worth remembering the adage; if it looks too good to be true, it is too good to be true.

Coupons

Coupons are a traditional and effective method of saving money. Coupons can be used to save money on everyday items like groceries, and are offered at major supermarket stores and shops where you are most likely to do the majority of your shopping, even if you do that shopping online.

Stay alert!

Coupons chop and change. They will provide discounts on many items but often for only a short time, so you need to monitor sites such as coupon.com, savings.com, slickdeals.com, retailmenot.com, mymove.com and redplum.com, to find which items are being discounted at any given time. With a little diligence, however, you should be able to save money every time you do the grocery shop, and even when you buy less frequent items and treat yourself. If you plan ahead and keep your eyes open, you may even be able to use coupons to save money on items like birthday gifts or purchases for other special occasions throughout the year. Coupons can be printed in paper form, or can be carried in your phone, which helps to reduce the impact on the environment, and saves you from having to remember loose slips of paper when you are shopping.

Entertain yourself

Everyone likes to be entertained, and everyone likes to save money. Now you can do both. A site such as Stubhub can find you discounts on tickets to the theatre, sporting events and concerts, and it is known to source cheaper tickets than traditional sites such as Ticketmaster. Stubhub operates by using your location and sending you information on events that are happening near you, before informing you of the possible savings on the ticket price to each event. Again, prices will vary greatly, so monitor the site to find the deal that’s best for you. Other sites which can snag you a discount on entertainment include Goldstar.com Of course, all of this money can be saved by swiping through your phone, it’s that easy.

Use a browser extension

Honey is a browser extension that acts as a database to monitor hundreds of discounts and promotions that are being offered in many different stores. The extension can apply the discount or the promo code when you reach the checkout to pay for a particular item. While some of the promo codes applied by joinhoney.com may be out of date, it has access to so many that you can normally find one that is applicable. Another potential issue with joinhoney.com is that it doesn’t always consider the price of an item listed on Amazon Prime, so even if Honey tells you it has found the best price that may not be true. However, you can always check on Amazon Prime yourself and choose a site that is cheaper. Camelizer.com is another similar site. It is connected to the site CamelCamelCamel.com and it tracks the price of items on Amazon. You can even ask for alerts from this extension to inform you when an item has dropped below a certain price. Other sites that provide the same type of service include Pouch.com, TopCashBack.com and Quidco.com.

Stay in the loop

If you’d like to know when discounts are available and would like to be offered discounts directly from a vendor, then sign up for their newsletter. Yes, your inbox may overflow and you may have to sift through it from time to time to clear out messages, but among those messages will be some genuine discounts from the retailers, so it may be worth it. Some savvy shoppers use multiple email addresses for newsletters. They receive the same promo code from the same vendor, through different email accounts, so instead of getting a discount off just one purchase, they can get a discount on multiple items. Clever!

Don’t hate Mondays

We all have a thing about Mondays. The weekend is over, the alarm bell rings and it’s back to work. However, Mondays don’t have to be a source of dread. You can save money on Mondays. That’s right!! Shopping on Mondays can save you money because prices are often lower. Studies indicated that the same items were usually cheaper early in the week. It is thought that retailers keep prices higher towards the weekend when more people are likely to be shopping. So, if you beat the crowds, and indulge in a bit of retail therapy to beat Mondayitis, you could save money. The study, conducted by Idealo.com, found that this was true for items diverse as car seats, sunglasses, lawnmowers, running shoes and trampolines.

Straight to the source

Shopping directly with the vendor can also secure a discount. When vendors use marketplace sites, such as Etsy.com and notonthehighstreet.com, they pay commission to appear on the site, and that cost may be passed on to the consumer. However, if you can locate the vendor directly, you may be able to find a lower price on the same item.

Get chatting

You can find a discount through a website’s live chat. Yes, that’s right. Some companies will offer discounts through this source. Hop on, test your bargaining skills and see how you go – you might save yourself some cash. In general, haggling might seem like a lost art in the age of machines and automated shopping, but being able to bargain is still an advantage because, in the end, companies want your business.

Take that back

We often return items we purchase online, for different reasons. We get our money back, but don’t always receive the delivery costs in the refund. You are entitled to a refund of the delivery costs in some cases, so check if this applies to your refund.

Hit the road, or the air

Do you love to travel? Do you like to find great value hotels, flights or car rentals? You can do this with websites such as TravelPirates.com and Skyscanner.com TravelPirates has a website and an app which locates deals on flights, hotels, car rental and travel packages. The site locates the best deals from across the web and sends out a daily notification of the best deals. It also allows you to enter the details for exactly which service you require, and the location, and it will locate the best deal for you and direct you to the relevant website where you can make your booking. Skyscanner.com is famous for uncovering very cheap flight deals and saving you money. It scans more than 1200 sites to unearth the cheapest possible deal.

Be adventurous!

Feeling adventurous. Want to add some excitement to your life? Try the Skyscanner.com’ explore’ option. This option shows you the cheapest flight near your present location. Who knows where you’ll end up.

Lastly!

The internet is more than a good place to shop with convenience, it can also help you to save money every time you shop. So, do some research, stay alert and plan ahead. Utilize coupons, discounts and cashback websites and apps. Do some bargaining and use a browser extension, as well as trying other useful tricks to help find what you need, at a very low price!

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Seize Your Life Today staff

A group of professional writers with more than ten years of experience as freelance writers in five different categories: - Kids & Parenting - Health & Fitness - Beauty & Fashion - Arabian Corner - Solid Tips