16 Realistic Ways to Save Money Shopping Online

Last updated on September 21st, 2024 at 10:28 am

When you’re fond of using shopping apps, you need to understand the different ways to save money shopping online. This can help you cut costs in your budget, whenever making a purchase.

Though shopping online saves you from moving to stores but there are more benefits than just that attached to using apps.

And when a certain store doesn’t provide what you’re looking for, there are thousands of alternatives that you could use to get what you want at any time and cheaply.

Imagine getting home tired when you can’t move to stores or restaurants but with a click of a button you make an order online and you’re sorted in just minutes.

Many online shopping platforms sometimes offer free delivery, discounts, and cashback which reduces expenditure but you need to be up to date to grab such offers.

I like using shopping apps but before adding to cart, I make sure that I look out for the best deals around to always save money shopping online. Yes, it’s just that simple but let’s dive deep into it.

How to Save Money Shopping Online

Saving money on things to buy is one of the best practices of financially sound people and without further ado, here is a detailed list of how to save money shopping online.

1. List What to Purchase Online

When you know what you want to buy online saves both time and money. By making a list you won’t spend time on other things that may cost you and this saves you a lot of time.

And guess what? The listing gives you a clear picture of the things which are basic and those that are not which you can easily remove to save or cut costs.

This is where shopping online becomes fun when you spend within your means than straining your wallet for no good reason.

2. Rewards Program Registration

Signing up for a rewards program is one of the best ways to save money on things you buy, the good thing is it’s at no cost to you at all to register but you need to do things correctly.

You immediately earn points on purchases made that accumulate over some time and are redeemed for cash or gift cards. Most retail stores where you buy things have rewards programs and you need to make use of them.

Since the issue is about saving money with online shopping, avoid credit card sign-ups in case it costs you.

3. Sign Up With Cashback Platforms

Receiving cashback on purchases made is also a great way to save money shopping online. But this comes about when you sign up with platforms that give cashback offers to clients.

Some cashback platforms include Rakuten, Befrugal, and Dosh. Yes, you won’t get a lot of money here but you need it to work on other things.

Sometimes using credit cards to make online purchases earns you cashback but this should only apply where it doesn’t cost you.

4. Buy Used Items

Second-hand things are not that costly compared to new things in the market. There are many online platforms where you can buy used items cheaply yet of good quality.

Some commonly known platforms that sell used items are Craigslist, Poshmark, and Depop. Here you find your favorite clothes, shoes, electronics, and more.

Though, sometimes used items mayn’t be in perfect condition but still they can be worked on cheaply to offer value for money. Again, even when shopping second-hand use platforms that have the best offers in terms of pricing to save money.

5. Save Money on Deals

There are lots of deals that pop up at different retail stores throughout the month with online shopping platforms. And when you want to make purchases for a certain period it’s better to look around when and where to find them.

Knowing that deals are to happen at a certain date enables you to get prepared with your money to buy things cheap cutting costs, so you don’t miss out on offers.

But this doesn’t stop you from purchasing at any time when you feel that you have to even though you want to save.

6. Use Coupons

Using coupons can save some money when purchasing from an online retailer. There are coupons meant for different clients depending on the retailer’s marketing strategy.

If you’re new to the shopping platform, most likely there is something for you whether in terms of money or any other bonus offer. Generally, you can find coupons for different retail stores on platforms such as CouponFollow.com for the best offers.

And with CouponFollow, you can tell whether the coupon you’re going to use is worth your time or not. In addition to that, use a coupons Chrome extension browser like Cently and Capital One Shopping to get notifications about the finest coupon offers from your favorite stores with convenience.

With an extension browser in place, you can save money and at the same time get rewards on purchases made, how cool is that?

7. Put Shopping Cart to Good Use

If you’re to save money on purchases, putting your shopping cart to good use should be among the things you need to prioritize. When an item you’re looking for online is gotten, add it to the cart through your account on the shopping platform.

You need to be strategic here despite the marketing tactics used to entice you to make a purchase when it’s not the right time. The best time to buy is when the retailer wants to make a sale and will send you a discount code.

8. Use Mobile Apps

The trend of using mobile apps to make online purchases and sales is on the rise every other day between clients and shopping stores for convenience purposes. With most apps online, you get access to discounted offers without moving a step.

Besides discounting, some platforms reward clients for just using their apps to make online purchases. Not only do apps save money but they are also good at saving time more so when they are mobile-friendly.

9. Sign Up for Newsletters

Newsletters are among the best ways to get access to discount codes from online retail stores. They give you exposure to all the best offers that are available on the platform which helps you to buy quality cheap items.

Just in case you’re worried about getting emails all the time, you can use email add-ons to give you an all-in-one email instead of receiving multiple emails in a day.

Newsletters can help you save money than when you just bump into promotional offers which you don’t have information about.

10. Follow Brands on Social Media

Like with other platforms, brands organize special offers for social media platforms and when you’re signed up you can take advantage of deals to save money.

I don’t know which platform you’re signed up with, but stores use social media sites like Instagram and Facebook to give back to their followers.

Stores use different measures when rewarding followers on platforms for example the number of followers, behavior, social media site, and more.

There are many ways to save money using social media platforms like getting access to free things and buying cheap.

But beware of scammers these days through social media hence you need to confirm with your store whether there are any offers on the platform that you might be using.

11. Seasonal Shopping

Normally, when a season ends people buy things cheap since retailers cut prices to clear old stock. It’s a good strategy to use when you want to cut costs in making online purchases.

Whether you want to buy household items like kitchenware or any other things, do it off-season to get a better price with quality.

Take an example of the Christmas season when almost everything is in high demand besides things like scholastic materials. But to get the best offers in terms of price you need to give it time until when it’s the right time.

Yes, right time when things are discounted yet of good quality and with value for money.

12. Use Discount Codes in Your Favor

Since there’s a possibility of automatically getting access to several discount codes that apply to a single store using a plugin, these can help you save money with coupons from different platforms.

You might receive discount codes both in percentages and directly in dollars hence you need to be wise here. Yes, it’s possible using both of them but one at a time is best practice.

Despite some platforms like Shopify and Amazon that are not strict about the number of coupons to apply to a single basket entered at checkout, some are strict about the practice.

13. Apply the 2weeks to 4weeks Rule

If you have things you want to buy now online, first keep the money you’re going to use for 2 weeks without making a purchase. And when they elapse but are still interested or not, keep the money for more 2 weeks.

When all that period elapses, what you have in mind is what you’ll have to do, either still interested or not to make an online purchase.

This means that sometimes after that stated period with nothing spent, the money is saved or used on other productive things in life.

14. Use the No Spend Challenge for Online Purchases

Here you won’t spend any money for a certain period on online purchases. This can very well apply when walking to nearby stores is cheaper than using an app, it’s then better to forego convenience to save.

The extra money that would have been spent while shopping online is then put into savings hence spending way less than before. It’s quite challenging since today people are much addicted to convenience but it’s also a good strategy to use.

15. Free Delivery

With most online retail stores, when you take several orders they offer free delivery to clients and this helps you cut costs.

Sometimes free deliveries are made on items of a certain amount or quantity hence you have to consider the two factors to save money buying things online.

Yes, at times shipping or delivery charges might be small but it adds up when saved aside for some time.

16. Budget Expenses

If most of your purchases are made online, then you need to have a budget for online expenses. It’s wise knowing how much you intend to spend for the month shopping from online stores for groceries and other items.

Budgeting helps you put money to good use than asking where it went, and with that in mind, it prevents you from impulse spending.

This means you’ll have more money put aside as savings and spending is more inclined toward basic needs than discretionary ones.

FAQs

• What Is The Best Way To Save Money Shopping Online?

It would be hard to get a specific strategy to use to save money shopping online but a combination of some would be much better accordingly. Take an example where you want to buy second but off-season, it’s a wise decision.

• Which Online Shopping Platforms Offer The Best Discounts?

Many online stores come up every day that goes by with competitive discount rates on products, and every company creates a competitive edge day in and day out over the other when it comes to pricing.

All you need to do is to use plugins to look around for platforms with the best offers for shoppers.

• What Are the Best Plugins Used To Look Around For Deals Shopping Online?

There are many plugins used to search for codes and coupons but the most commonly used are Capital One shopping extension and Cently.

Using extensions plugins saves you a lot of time since you don’t have to keep moving to different platforms searching for deals.

Closure

When you’re addicted to convenience, online shopping tips and tricks are the best way to go. But in addition to that, it’s only possible to save money shopping online with best practices that work.

For any of the above strategies listed to apply, you have to be persistent and put in the time to work things out for the best.

And it’s possible to get results fast depending on the strategies that you’re using to save money shopping for items you want to buy.