I am ALL for saving a buck when it’s feasible, who isn’t? In today’s day and age it’s much more commonplace to place an order online than hop in the car, sit in traffic, compete for a good parking place, push your way through crowds at the shopping mall, wait in line to purchase an item, and then make the trek back home…. I’m tired just typing that out! There’s just something about picking up my phone or laptop, placing an order right then and there, and receiving the item a few days later (like a present to yourself, am I right?) that just feels so easy. That being said, at times it can be more expensive to order online when you look at shipping costs and such. That’s why it’s important and beneficial to find ways to cut down the total so that online shopping can really be worth your while. Below I have 12 hacks to online shopping that I use RELIGIOUSLY as well as a few personalized hacks for stores I frequently shop.
- Sign up for newsletters
Ok yes, they might overcrowd your inbox but you can bet you’ll be thankful for that 40% off email that arrives when you need a new pair of jeans! Another hack to this is editing your preferences. Once you create an account and sign up for a newsletter with your fav stores, you can go into your settings and select to receive emails as often (or not) as you prefer.
For instance, I ONLY wear Victoria’s Secret underwear, but for me paying $7- $10 for a tiny piece of lace just isn’t worth it. SO, I signed up for the Victoria’s Secret email newsletter than notifies me when they are having their semi-frequent 7 for $28 sale that allows you to essentially purchase 7 pairs of underwear for only $28 which means you’re getting them for $4 each. These are the times that I load up for the year and save a few bucks.
Here’s a couple examples of email newsletters that I have received just today…
2. Follow your favorite stores on social media platforms
I’m talkin’ instagram, Facebook, Twitter, all of ’em. It’s common that stores will share secret deals and coupon codes with their followers. For instance, Kate Spade recently had a huge secret sale that I heard about through social media that was not visible on the main website. I ended up getting a purse half off!
3. Use sites like RetailMeNot to get coupon codes
Before I buy anything online I always google “____ coupon codes” (in the blank, enter your store name of choice). Many websites will pop up with codes, so go through them and see if you can find any that work. This is great for stores like Sephora. You can end up getting tons of small freebies too.
Here’s what RetailMeNot looks like, these are listed on the homepage, however you can easily search for other stores for deals using their search bar!
4. Pay attention to stores that frequently have sales (Ex. Loft)
Certain stores have sales going on more often than not. A good example of this is Loft. Loft has 40% off sales practically every other week, so I will never buy a regularly priced item from there because I know I can get it for nearly half off in a few days. The Lou and Grey collection at Loft is a bit more selective with their sales so when you see their items on sale, take FULL advantage because it doesn’t happen often.
5. Use multiple email addresses
When you sign up for a newsletter for your favorite store, they will likely send you a code for a % off of your next purchase. If you utilize multiple email addresses, take full advantage of this and use your other emails to sign up. Ex. If you have a personal email, work email, and junk email, use them all! That’s 3 discount codes right there people!!!
Here’s an example of where you would enter your email to receive rewards! This one is for Red Dress Boutique (my fav online boutique!)
6. Try and consolidate all items in one purchase to avoid multiple shipping costs
If you shop at Nordstrom you don’t have to worry about this, but many stores don’t offer free shipping. If this is the case, try and order in bulk if possible so that you are getting more items for your shipping cost rather than receiving one item at a time for separate shipping costs.
Here’s a few items that I’m currently shopping- all free shipping!
7. Try using more than one coupon code
Most stores do not allow you to use more than one coupon code at a time, but it doesn’t hurt to check! After adding a coupon code, add on another and see if it will work. If not, use the code with the greater % off (obviously).
8. Add your birthday
When you create an account online, often they will ask for your birthday as an “optional” field. If so, don’t leave it blank. Many stores will send you a gift or a coupon code on your birthday that can lead to major $$$ savings. The following stores are great examples of this:
- DSW– get a $5 off coupon in the mail around your birthday
- Kendra Scott– sends you 50% off one item on your birthday
- Starbucks– get a free birthday drink!
- Sephora– get a free birthday item (choose from two sample size products OR get 250 points towards your rewards!!)
- BareMinerals– sign up for account to get a gift on your birthday
- There’s a bunch more but just google “birthday freebies”… you’re welcome.
9. Buy out of season items
The best time to buy swimsuits? Fall/ Winter. Best time to buy coats and jackets? Spring/ Summer. You can score major savings by purchasing out-of-season.
Here is an example: it’s fall and it’s getting colder out but if you do your research you can get swimsuits for great prices like this and this.
10. Start a free trial and cancel after first purchase
Netflix is a good example of this. You can start a free trial, and then cancel and they will allow you to continue to watch for the remainder of the month for free, without worrying that you might forget to cancel before your card gets charged! Many companies utilize this and so why not use a few free trials to save a buck or two? Just DON’T FORGET TO CANCEL, that is unless you love the service and want to continue to pay for it.
11. Purchase around a holiday (Cyber Monday, Labor Day Weekend, Black Friday, etc)
If you have a pricier purchase that you are looking to make, try and plan them around sale times. For instance, buying a TV around cyber Monday is a great idea. You can easily save $100 just by planning. Another sale I love shopping is Labor Day. I don’t know what it is about that weekend, but every store seems to have incredible deals going on all at the same time… aka very dangerous for your bank account BUT amazing nonetheless.
- Many stores also have very popular sales at random times throughout the year. For instance, every year (as many of you probably know) Nordstrom’s has their Annual Anniversary Sale. You’re probably thinking, “ok so? Many stores have sales often…” BUT YALL this sale is SO GOOD. The sale has designer items for the upcoming season for sometimes 50% off!!! It’s so important to pay attention to these sales and purchase during those times.
12. Leave your cart and close out of the website if you aren’t 100% on purchasing an item
Have you ever noticed that items that you have been eyeing online suddenly start popping up in ads across all your browsers? That is because stores are SMART yall. Most sites using tracking referred to as “remarkerting.” Remarketing essentially works like this:
- You visit site X
- Site X utilizes an advertising service
- By viewing site X, a cookie is placed on your computer that says “this computer was looking at this product”
- You then visit site Z that has ads and they share information about what you’ve been viewing through cookies.
- You will start to see ads related to whatever it is you were originally searching for online
There is a great deal of frustration due to privacy issues surrounding this, but in my opinion I’ve got to admit it’s pretty clever of these advertising companies. I can’t tell you how many times I have searched for an item, run out of time to purchase it, forgot about the item, only to be reminded through ads how much I’ve just GOT TO HAVE IT.
Anyways, by leaving your shopping cart full without purchasing, it is likely that you will receive emails/ pop ups saying something along the lines of “We miss you, use this 20% code to come back and complete your purchase” and BAM you’ve got yourself a deal babe.
Use these tips and tricks to save a few $$$, because no matter how much you are saving, it matters. That $5 that you saved could be your next coffee at Starbucks. Shop wisely y’all! Have any other tricks to saving money while shopping online? Leave a comment below to share with us!
xox- Lauryn