How I Save Money Shopping From Home

0

I’m not sure if it’s the fact that I’m getting older and I don’t like crowds as much. Or the fact that I am a mom of two small children and the thought of shopping in public gives me anxiety, but nowadays the majority of my shopping is done at home, online.

Not to take away from shopping local, but not everything can be purchased locally, especially in our small mountain town where not every necessity (or want) is readily available. So here are some tips and websites that I use regularly to save cold hard cash when I shop at home.

Before I go to any website and start shopping, I first go to Ebates.com. Ebates is a FREE site that you can search for any website and see if that site is offering cash back on purchases. For example, if you are about to shop on Target.com, search for Target on Ebates and it will display the percentage of cash back available at that time. Click on the ‘Shop Now’ button and you will be taken to the Target website via Ebates which tracks your purchases. After check out, you will receive an email letting you know how much cash back you will get. That’s it! No catch (but you must have an account)! And check back regularly because the cash back percentages change almost daily, I’ve gotten as much as 20% cash back.

After I see if a website I am shopping on offers cash back through Ebates, I go to coupon site RetailMeNot.com (there are many, many other sites like this but I like to just use one or two so I don’t spend all day coupon hunting) and see if there are any coupon codes I can stack on. Yes, when you are shopping via Ebates, all coupon codes are still valid so you can save as much money possible! Some websites let you use several coupon codes at once, so try as many as you can.

Want to shop online for nearly new clothes from thousands of brands at discount prices? Use ThredUp.com! Think Savers or Goodwill online but with like-new clothes in name brands. They sell women’s and children’s clothing. You can also make money by sending your gently used clothing into ThredUp by ordering a free clean out bag. ThredUp also offers discounts and coupon codes but usually only around holidays.

I also love an app that I use after I shop in person, in store. It’s called Ibotta. Just look up the store you shopped at (Sams, Whole Foods, Safeway) using their search bar, then choose which items you purchased, snap a photo of the receipt, upload, then wait for the money to roll in! This site is best used for grocery shopping, but they are expanding to other retail genres as well. Use this in combination with your store’s club card to stack up the savings!

Most, if not all, of these money saving sites are also available as apps on your phone. And like most apps and websites, make sure you snag a coupon code from a buddy or online before signing up and trying these sites for the first time for major discounts.

What are your favorite money saving sites and hacks?