7 INCREDIBLY EASY SECRETS FOR SAVING MONEY WITH ONLINE SHOPPING

Shopping is easily one of my FAVORITE hobbies! As much as I love to shop I'd have to say that my wallet doesn't always agree with me. I try my best to save money where ever possible to avoid high credit card bills and attempt staying within that lovely thing we call a "budget".

After I began to actually pay attention to my shopping habits I found that I actually spend more when shopping in-store than online. Here are some tips that I've come across to help me save money as I fuel the economy!


1. Online Coupons

More often than not, stores offer "online only" deal or coupons that you can only take advantage of, you guessed it, online. If you sign up for a retailer's newsletter or register for an account on their site they normally offer some sort of discount for signing up.

Large retailers like Old Navy and Henri Bendel know that not everyone is located close to a physical store so they often offer a discount based on the amount spent. Also, because online stores often have more stock than the actual retail locations, they have more inventory to sell in those seasonal sales!

RetailMeNot and Coupons.com are really quick sites to save money on those stingy sites that don't publicize their discounts.

2. Ebates

I seriously LOVE this website! Ebates is such an awesome tool because it allows you to get actual CASH back on stuff that you were going to buy anyway.

I really wasn't sold on the idea at first, but as I realized how much I actually shop online, I figured why not give it a try. So far I have made back over $500 in cash from shopping through Ebates.

They have hundreds of stores that you already shop at like Walmart, Sephora, Macy's, Overstock, even Amazon and the list goes on!

Once you sign up for Ebates, just make sure to search for and shop through your retailer's link. The website will show a green Ebates banner while you get your shopping on.

After you finish and check out, your cash will be credited to your Ebates account in 1 to 5 business days.

Seriously, check Ebates out, you will thank me later.



3. Shop Around

Don't always rely on the first website you see, spend some time and browse a little bit.

I actually prefer to buy my MAC makeup from Nordstrom or Macy's rather than the MAC website because I can get cashback from Ebates.

For buying popular shoes and sneakers, you would probably automatically think of shopping at Footlocker or Footaction (both also available for cashback on Ebates) but there are reliable sites like Zappos and Amazon that also sell popular brands, sometimes at better prices.

There are a lot of items that are offered by more than one store, so take your time, look around and compare prices and deals. That will save you a lot of money in the long run.


4. Free Shipping
Have you ever loaded up your cart, got all the way to the checkout page, and questioned that $15.99 shipping charge?! I will seriously close out my entire web browser and forget everything if the shipping is too high.

I absolutely HATE to pay for shipping.

Fifteen dollars may not sound like a lot but in my head, I could have gotten a WHOLE additional item for $15, or worse, how about I can make it to the store and back for less than $15 worth of gas.

I can think of a million things that I would rather pay $15 other than shipping.

To avoid shipping charges, shop with sites that offer free shipping or complimentary shipping after spending a certain amount. You will thank me later.


5. Member Sales

Nobody ever believes me when I tell them I get exclusive discounts on my high-end items, but it’s true!

Membership-only flash sale sites like Gilt, Rue La La, MyHabit, and Ideel just to name a few, are my favorite places to shop designer fashion with a discount.

Popular brands like Alex & Ani, Giuseppe, Christian Louboutin, and even Hermes participate in secret sales on these sites. You can literally shop for EVERYTHING from clothing to home and even vacations.

Sales are usually first come first serve and only on select items. They do take a while to ship but t's totally worth it when your snagging fashion deals at sometimes as much as 80% off retail!

Shoedazzle and JustFab are GREAT for quality and stylish shoes without the high-end price tag. These are just a few of my secret member shopping arsenals (blog post coming soon).

6. Groupon/ Living Social

Similar to those flash sale sites, Groupon and Living Social provide major discounts on services, outings, merchandise, and even vacation.

Personally, I like to shop the restaurants’ deals and getaway packages. You can find deals like $100 to spend on dinner at Maggianos for 40 bucks. Can you say date night?

These are great sites to use for gifting and planning things to do with your family or significant other.

7. Abandon Your Cart

One of the great things about shopping online is the ability to actually see all the items that you have in your cart as well as your total at any given moment. I would MUCH rather prefer this instead of the embarrassing in-store cart evaluation at the checkout counter.

In addition to saving yourself from impulse buying remorse (and maxing out your credit card), shopping and then abandoning your cart for 24 hours often gets you a discount. Most stores have software that detects your full and idle cart and sends you an email reminding you to complete your purchase with a coupon!

Here's a tip, make sure you've given the website your email prior to abandoning the cart so they can have a way to reach you.


I hope you guys enjoy some of those shopping tips! If you have any tips that I missed, list them below in the comments!

Happy saving :)