5 Helpful Tips For Shopping Frugally Online

Some call me the bargain queen, but I’m certainly not the coupon princess. When it comes to shopping online, however, I can get a little OCD. I will pinch until I can’t pinch any more. People are amazed when I tell them about my fabulous come ups; like my son’s $2 Nike outfit and $4 sneakers.

I have a strategy that I continue to follow when shopping online. I stand by it and I’d like to share it with you. Hopefully it will help you on your next online shopping adventure.

1. Build a wishlist. – Building a wishlist is important when shopping online. Wishlists allow you to save prospective purchases to compare later. I love using Wishpot because they have a little browser button that allows me to essentially add anything to my wishlists in just a few clicks. The best part? They send email notifications when items from my wishlists go on sale!

2. Find the best shipping rate. – Paying too much for shipping is a major concern of many. I’ll hop from store to store until I find the best shipping rate. If I can’t justify the shipping rate, I simply won’t purchase the item online. I absolutely love stores that offer free site-to-store shipping. And flat rate shipping is awesome for heavy items. I can rack up without worrying about the shipping rate increasing.

3. Browse Ebay, especially for lots. – Ebay is full of gems at incredible prices whether used or new. Purchasing items by the lot is a great way to save money. Items in lots typically sell for less than what they would have, had they been listed piece by piece. On Ebay, I’ve been able to find huge lots of clothing and shoes for my son and myself in excellent used condition.

4. Use coupon codes. – Before making any purchase online, you should always search for coupon codes online. Retail Me Not is my absolute favorite source for coupon codes. I can always count on Retail Me Not to provide a useful coupon code for my favorite online retailers.

5. Shop through cash back programs. – There are many sites that offer cash back rewards for purchases made through their site. Shop At Home offers a shopping toolbar that automatically tracks cash back rewards when making a purchase at any participating retailer. This is extremely convenient for me because I often forget to visit Shop At Home before making a purchase. Rewards are deposited into my account within a few days and a check is mailed out each time I accumulate $20 in cash back rewards.

Do you have any online shopping tips? Feel free to share them in the comments!