I love online shopping, not in an “addiction” way, but because it can sometimes be easier to find deals when you can price shop and find coupons with ease. Over Memorial Day, I purchased these $139 Thinsulate Bean Boots and I paid $21 out of pocket. Here are my tips for online shopping hacks which will help explain the method to my deal.
Discover Cash Back: It’s important to own a credit card to help build credit for your future. The #1 rule that you cannot break under any circumstances is to pay it off each month. I got my first credit card as a freshman in college and I did my research and highly recommend the Discover Student Card. They give 5% cashback bonus throughout the year on gas, amazon purchases, etc., but when you build your cashback you can redeem it as a store giftcard. I usually use mine for LL Bean because $80 cashback = $100 in LL Bean gift card.
Retail Me Not: Always search for online coupon codes when checking out. Retail Me Not is my favorite coupon website because it shows which ones work best and shows you feedback from people who have tried using it. This website has saved me a lot of money!
Time It Right: Know when your stores run sales and use it to your advantage. I know that LL Bean rarely runs a sale, so I waited until Memorial Day when I knew they’d give at least 10% off. The boots were back ordered, but I’m not wearing them til October so that’s OK.
Cardpool: This is the game changer! I thought I was a smart shopper until I discovered this. When people have gift cards they don’t really want and would rather have cash, they sell them to this website at a discount. It’s a win-win because they get money, and you get a discount on a giftcard you’ll already use. Every single time before you purchase something online, check cardpool or giftcard granny and see if you can get a discounted gift card. It may only be 5%-15% but that adds up over time. Example: J Crew giftcard is for $50 but you only pay $42 for it. That’s an extra $8 you save for doing your homework.
So here’s the math break down:
Thinsulate Bean Boots: $139
Memorial Day 10% off: (-$13.90) brings it to $125.10
Discover Cashback Gift Card: (-$100) bringing it to $25.10
Cardpool Giftcard at 15% off: (-$3.76) $21.35 out of pocket
Do you have any other online shopping hacks?
