You can find amazing bargain secrets for almost any shopping medium, be it online or in-store. There are amazing benefits to shopping online and shopping in-store. Finding a great balance of shopping on both can help you get the best bargains around. Here we’ll highlight some of the more prominent bargain secrets that can start saving you money beginning right now.
1.) Check for promo and coupon codes
For online shopping, make it a habit to check online for coupon codes before you check out. Websites like groupon.com or retailmenot.com are amazing resources for promotional codes. For in person shopping you should always check for printable coupons before you leave the house. Our website here offers an entire section for you to print coupons. Every little bit you save adds up, this newfound habit is the perfect way to get started.
2.) Buy now and save later
This is perfect for gift shopping. It’s heartbreaking when you find an amazing deal but its for something that you don’t need. In cases like that you might want to consider buying that item as a Christmas gift or birthday gift. Even if you must store the item for a while you’ll still end up saving more money buying the item at its lowest. Think of it as a bargain investment!
3.) Set email price alerts
Places like Walmart, Amazon and ebay allow you to create wish lists and enable email notifications if any items on your wish list drop in price. This is perfect for when stores are low on stock and need to sell off what they have. For example, after receiving an email alert for a salt lamp I had been eyeing up I ended up getting the normally $30 item for only $6!
4.) Use cashback sites
Cashback sites are a fantastic way to get some of your money back. How most cashback sites work is that you must go to their site before you shop and buy items and use their referral link to your intended shopping location.
For example, if you were planning to buy something on ebay you would go to ebates and find their list of stores and selected ebay. From there ebates will refer you to ebay and then you’ll be free to buy the items you want. Days or weeks later ebates will give you a percent of your total order back. Swagbucks, Ebates, and even Ibotta are just some of the many cashback sites out there. Why not use them? It adds up quite fast!
5.) Shop around (I know, its obvious)
While it might not be much of a secret, no list of shopping tips can go without mentioning this. Before committing to buying something on Amazon, double check and see what its going for on ebay or at local brick and mortar stores like Walmart or Target. It has always amazed me how you can save 10%-20% just by looking around.
6.) Holiday sales are a goldmine
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the biggest shopping days in the world, but there are more. Most stores and websites tend to use any holiday to justify a sale. From President’s Day to ‘National Pancake Day’ you can find almost every retailer jumping in. I’ll never forget the great bedroom set that I got on Groundhog Day sale! It really pays to keep upcoming holiday promotions in mind.
Timeanddate.com has an amazing list of all of the observed holidays and when they fall out.
7.) Wait for the right deal
This seems anticlimactic but it might be one of the best bargain secrets there is. Patience is indeed a virtue. Are you uncomfortable paying $600 for a certain piece of furniture? Well if you wait long enough you will inevitably find that piece on sale and could be as low as 1/3 of the price.
Final Word: 7 Bargain Secrets for Online and In-store Shopping
While some of these tips may make me seem like captain obvious their importance goes without saying. Always remember that part of adopting new tips is trying them and seeing what works. If something isn’t working for you take the time to reevaluate your approach or at least try another tip.
You work hard for your money! Try as save as much of it as you possibly can!
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