Easy Ways to Save Money While Shopping Online

During this pandemic, online shopping has become way more common. People found themselves purchasing almost everything online. Some people even bought groceries online. Because of this, people have discovered different ways to save money while shopping online. Here are some ways you can save money too.

1. Shop Curbside.

There are rarely ever any fees when doing curbside pickup, as opposed to paying for shipping. A lot of times companies offer free shipping but you have to spend a certain amount of money. This leads people to spend that amount even though they may not actually need half of the things they are buying just to get the free shipping while shopping online. You can also still use coupons most of the time when shopping curbside.

2. Rakuten

Rakuten is a free cash back service. Rather than going directly to the website you want to shop on, go onto Rakuten’s site and click on a link to the store there. They offer you a percentage on the purchase, which is usually small, but it adds up. A check gets sent to you with everything that has been collected every three to four months. Getting money back each time I shop online is awesome feeling. The site is easy to use, and if there are any questions, the member services department is right there to help you along the way. A website that has great customer service always sits really well with me. I highly recommend checking out Rakuten.com and making it a part of your online shopping routine.

3. Stack Promo Codes

If you are shopping online with a promo code, you already know how good it feels to watch your shopping cart total decrease with every code you apply. In fact, stacking a promo code with a sale is the surest way to save big money shopping online. Some stores don’t allow this, but a lot do. Make sure to read the fine print of all the coupons you want to use so you don’t waste your time. For instance, I have personally stacked up to three coupons on DSW and Victoria’s Secret while shopping online.

4. Ibotta

Ibotta is an app you get on your phone. You scan your grocery store receipt and automatically get money back and coupons as well as coupons for you next grocery store visit. While this isn’t necessarily shopping online, it still involves digital savings. There is also a way you can get cash back while using ibotta. Shopping through a store’s loyalty program is the easiest way to earn cashback. You automatically redeem offers. You can link your loyalty account number, email address, or phone number directly in the Ibotta app. Right now, there are over 100 different stores that have partnered with Ibotta for loyalty cashback.

5. Set up extra email addresses to collect extra coupons.

It sounds like unnecessary work and a bit extreme, but it is worth it. Doing this keeps everything organized. You won’t have your emails all mixed up and you will easily be able to access all of the things you need. Nothing is more annoying than trying to access a certain email and not being able to find it. By creating a separate address, this won’t become a problem. Shopping online will become a lot easier when you have all the coupons and deals you want to use easily accessed.

6. Abandon your online cart

A week before you need to buy an item, add the item to your cart and then let it sit there. Make sure you’re signed in to the website and have an account, so they can find you to let you know they’re offering a discount. So many different places are rumored to offer a discount the day after you clear your items. I was never aware of this, so i tried it out when I was shopping online and it actually worked. I tried it out on the website Fashion Nova and they sent me an email notifying me that the entire site was 20%.

7. Join loyalty programs

When you shop online, Some stores offer a discount if you make an account with them. In some cases you might not save money right then and there, but some stores offer coupons for your next purchase. There have been countless times where I have made an account while shopping online just to get a percentage off my purchase. Going back to stacking coupons, sometimes you can even a coupon you get just for joining a loyalty program with another one.

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8. Honey

Honey is a free browser extension that will find, test, and apply the best coupons out there for you. It requires very little work. First, download and instal the extension to whatever internet service you use. (Chrome, safari, ect.) Then that’s it! When you are checking out, the extension pops up if it found coupons and asks if you want to test them. Honey then applies and adds the coupons that it finds and inputs the best option for you while doing your online shopping. It requires barely any effort, and I have gotten really good savings using this

9. Check Amazon

This one is probably a no brainer. There have been plenty of times I have seen for example, a pair of sunglasses in the mall but they were crazy over priced. Recently, I was looking for heart shaped ones. I saw a super cute pair but they were $25, which was ridiculous. I went on amazon and found an identical pair for only $6.99. Doing things like this are an easy way to find products you need for cheaper. Most of the time, the products you find while online shopping on amazon are identical or just as good as the overpriced product you are trying to replace.

10. Plan Big Purchases around Seasonal Trends

Retailers mark down items when they are trying to get rid old inventory to make room for new items. Outdoor furniture is often highly discounted in the fall, as are outdoor tools like lawn mowers and grills. Another great thing to buy online is anything winter related in the month of february, because winter will soon be coming to a close. Oftentimes, when you think like this you will be more likely to get things on sale while online shopping.