~Online Shopping~

If you are a saavy shopper then you know that online shopping can be the way to go. You can save alot of money just by doing a simple search for what you are looking for. Often, buying online from the same store you would shop at in person can save you 10-20%.

Start by searching to see if the store where you want to make a purchase has an online store. Then see if they have the same prices as the brick and mortar store. Always bear in mind that there may be shipping and handling fees. Alot of times though you can get the product shipped right to the brick and mortar store for pick up free of charge. Or if you meet a certain minimum they will waive the shipping fees.

Once you've found the store, search for a online coupon code. My favorite website to use is RetailmeNot You simply go to the site, type in the store you are shopping at in the search box and it will bring up any available coupon codes. This website has a rating system to let you know if it works or not. You have to read the fine print, some can only be used with certain purchases. There are limits to them. If you don't find a code for what you are searching for, don't give up too easily! Simply do a online search with store name AND Coupon code and it should bring up some other options. I usually have luck finding what I'm looking for on RetailmeNot though. Just be sure you are putting the proper store name, ie. if you are shopping Sears Canada you want to put sears.ca in the search box or you will end up with Sears USA.

Other codes that help you save are ones put out by Visa. I've had luck saving on a few purchases with this website: Visa Perks. Now you can only use one code usually per site so narrow down your options and pick the best one!

Another trick I have is to call the 1-800 # for the order desk of the company you are buying from and ask them for a coupon code. Sears is good for this one. You can always get a $10 off $100 purchase Customer appreciation code by calling. Sears also has little coupon cards at the catalogue counters that you can use in store or online. You can get some great savings just by stopping by the counter while in the store.

What do you do when you have these codes? Well you take them and enter them on the payment screen of the online store you are shopping where it usually says something like: redeem a coupon, enter coupon code. Once the coupon is applied to your order you should see the lowered amount.

Other ways to save when shopping online is to use a cash back system. I belong to three different programs that each provide something to me for buying through them. My most used and favorite by far is the Cash Back system at Smart Canucks. I always check with Smart Canucks merchant list before starting any online shopping to see if there is a store that sells what I am looking for. Chances are pretty good that you can find what you want through these merchants. You can accumulate some significant savings this way. The Smart Canucks system is very easy to use. Check the link above for all frequently asked questions about how this works. One thing to remember is that you cannot cash out until 30 days after your purchase. This allows for returns and adjustments.

Another cash back system that I belong to is the one offered to Futura Rewards members. I will be covering Futura in a future post but this is the same type of cash back system as Smart Canucks. You get a percentage of the money back to you but in this case it gets deposited into your Futura account. I haven't used this system yet because it is pretty new and I haven't had an opportunity but I'm sure I will in the future.

Finally, you can get points through programs like Airmilesshops for shopping at specific retailers. I am an avid collector of Airmiles but I prefer to use the cashback system for my online shopping. If there is something I am specifically saving my airmiles for I may use this system, or if they are running a huge special but otherwise I like the cash!

Don't forget Ebay when doing your online shopping. You can find ANYTHING on ebay...remember the toast with the likeness of The Virgin Mary on it?...anything can be bought on ebay. The major key when purchasing on ebay (and anywhere else for that matter) is how much is shipping, and what currency is it in. Many ebayers will combine shipping if you win more then one auction from them so you can save in that manner.

I hope you learned something useful in todays' post. In my next post I'll be talking about Coupon Trading!