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If you’ve been a reader of my blog for any length of time you know, I’m super transparent and share openly any tips, strategies or solutions that can make your life better, your home more manageable and your bank account bigger. So, after tweaking and testing my system for how to save money when shopping online, I knew I needed to share it with you all!
How To Save Money When Shopping Online
A while back I developed a system that allows me to save money on almost anything I purchase when shopping online.
I don’t shop much, but when I do shop, I typically buy via the computer. It’s more convenient for me living in the sticks of New Hampshire, and I like the fact I don’t have to even leave the house to purchase necessities if I don’t want too.
So I stumbled across a process that is helping me save big money on items I need for my home. When completed in the right order I can save up to 50% or more on any online purchase. That is a huge saving.
Money that can be better spent on debt payments, food, paying off your house – just about anything!Let me walk you through how to make it happen:
1. The first step is to start out by going to the Ebates Portal. If you’re not a member of Ebates, you should be because you can earn cash back on almost anything you buy online. The amounts vary by day, month and year but it all adds up.
Each quarter they send you a nice little check that I put towards the holiday season for any gifts and related purchases. I have NEVER had an issue getting my quarterly bonus.
It is entirely legitimate, and it’s a great way to save on things you’re already buying.
2. Pick the store you want to shop at, and Ebates will take you directly there and automatically add your cash back bonus to your checkout.
3. Pick our your product’s and place them in your cart and head to the checkout section.
4. Go to Coupons at Checkout download the extension to your browser. Coupons at Checkout will automatically check to see if there are any coupons that you’re not aware of that if added to your order can save you additional money.
5. Once the coupon is added, and your cart is updated it will give you the amount you owe.
6. Next head over to Gift Card Granny.
7. Once you arrive at Gift Card Granny, you’re going to look for a gift card with the biggest savings and closest dollar amount. You want to buy e-cards and not a physical gift card because you don’t want to wait for the code.
You can purchase physical gift cards for purchases made in store. I do this anytime I need something offline to save money at the physical store, but for online purchases, you want to find e-cards as much as possible.
If you can’t find the exact amount needed you’ll pay the difference via PayPal or debit card.
Here’s an example to see how I can save money when shopping online at Kohl’s:
Store: Kohl’s
Ebates: 12%
Coupons At Checkout (Browser Extension): 25 %
Gift Card Granny: 16 %
Item Price:$120.00
#1 Coupons at Checkout $30.00
#2 Ebates $10.80
#3 GiftCard $12.28
Total Savings: $53.08 or 44.2% Saved!
Estimated Final Cost: $66.92
Is this amazing or what?
Now you know the exact system I use to find the best deals and save the most money when I need to make a purchase.
The biggest drawback in the system is many, many people just simply forget to go to Ebates before they make a purchase. I did this too for a long time before I engrained this in my head that I HAD to go to Ebates first if I wanted to get the best deal.
My best suggestion is to download my reminder or post a sticky note on your computer screen to remind you so you don’t miss the savings.
That’s it – it’s as simple as 1-2-3.
Remember:
1. Ebates
2. Coupons at Checkout
3. Gift Card Granny
4. Save $$!
I hope you save tons of money when shopping online with my super simple system. Let me know how it works for you!
Did you enjoy this money saving post? Here are a few more you might find helpful!
The Only Money Saving App You Need If You’re Too Busy To Cut Coupons
Don’t Waste Your Money On These 15 Things
101 Creative Ways To Cut Costs When You’re Desperate To Save Money
MY FAVORITE MONEY-SAVING TOOLS
EBATES: Want to earn cash back when you shop online? Ebates acts as a shopping portal offering coupons and cashback from over 2,000 online stores. I always check on Ebates first whenever I shop online! You can join Ebates for free and get a $10 welcome bonus when you sign up through this link.
DIGIT: Like the idea of saving but need something automatic? Digit is the perfect solution if trying to automate your savings strategy. In essence, what Digit does is use an algorithm to detect spare money and then transfers it to a secure savings account – so you’ll always have something to fall back on. Sign up for free!
GROCERY BUDGET MAKEOVER: Is your grocery budget giving you a serious kick in your families spending plan? Grocery Budget Makeover helped my family slash $6,000 a year from our food bill! Learn more about how Grocery Budget Makeover can help you save money too!
