How to Save Money While Shopping

How to Save Money While Shopping

You probably shop for the best of all the best deals on Black Friday every year. Your email and phone are bombarded with notifications one after the other, telling you that your favorite product is on its biggest discount ever. But you also want to get the best deals the whole year round even on everyday things like tissue and toothpaste and never pay full price for them again.

However, you won’t be served the best deals on a silver platter. While those deals offered in discounts and promos will certainly reduce the sticker price, the legwork of finding them is entirely up to you. But with some effort and information, you can actually enjoy significant savings at the store and shopping online.

The web is full of potential site deals, coupon websites, and price comparison sites to help you get the most savings. Channel your inner deal hunter and make the most of your money by scoring the best finds now.

Deal Shopping Websites

Ben’s Bargains

Ben’s Bargains is a very dynamic shopping deal site which monitors more than 2,000 retailers. It displays around 100-200 deals a day featuring a wide range of products. Ben’s Bargains make it easy for consumers to shop and watch out for deals. You can register to get alerts for products that go on sale that are dependent on your budget, preferred store, and desired brands. Additionally, Ben’s Bargains showcase new deals with a great filtering system. Apart from the price, you can also see how the product fares, how much competitors are offering it for and the potential savings you’ll get.

For a more streamlined shopping, you can shop by brand, store, or category. The email notifications tell you if a product you’ve been watching out for goes on sale and if you currently don’t have the money to make the purchase, you can monitor if the product’s price changes or if the deal has expired.

DealNews

Scouring more than a million items from over 2,000 business owners, DealNews is proving to be one of the leading deal shopping website of today. DealNews is home to hundreds of updated deals daily ranging from the latest electronics, gear, home, and gardening products to apparel.

DealNews is easy to use and navigate. Each page contains pertinent information and the product and the deal. The site also indicates the product’s original price and its sale price to show much of a great deal you’re actually getting. Just sign up for the site’s email alerts if you want to be in the loop of the latest deals regarding your favorite brands or stores. And if you’re interested in making a purchase, one click will take you to the specific product page of the retailer.

Interestingly, DealNews collaborates with merchants to offer exclusive deals you won’t find anywhere else. And to help you maximize your deals, you can browse through the site’s buying advice, get coupon codes, and scour through special deals.

The site’s easy interface makes sure you get all the information you need about the product in one window. DealNews also operates in smartphones and tablets through its proprietary mobile app that runs in both iOS and android devices.

Brad’s Deals

Brad’s Deals is always on the lookout for the best deals in the web to give its users a more holistic money-saving experience. Brad’s Deals feature all kinds of deals and presents them in a very

streamlined way. You can pick from the most popular to newest deals or shop by category, brand, and store.

Brad’s Deals also features carefully selected deals and places them on the site’s front page. This way, you’ll immediately see what the hottest deals are and why you should get them. You can also create a profile with your favorite deal or store as well as sign up for the site’s mailing list to get daily and weekly deals. Brad’s Deals is overflowing with coupons that you can use not just on-site, but also in-store. Printable coupons also allow you to take them to the brick-and-mortar store so you can get the item immediately if they’re in your area.

Apart from the coupons and deals, you can also enjoy further discounts. Users who are eligible for senior citizen, student, and military discounts can shop at Brad’s Deals to bring the price tag down further. Think of Brad’s Deals like a giant department store where everything you need is there, but available at a much cheaper price.

Slickdeals

Slickdeals is the place to visit if you’re looking for the best deals on gadgets. Unlike other deal shopping websites largely ran by editors, Slickdeals is managed (mostly) by the community. That means users may present deals, coupons, freebies, and other promos to other members.

The site boasts of powerful a community that’s filled with deals of all different types day in and day out. The forum is Slickdeals’ strength. Users post most of the deals in the forums and if you spend some time looking, you’ll find the best ones that you might not get elsewhere.

Finding deals isn’t like finding a needle in the haystack because Slickdeals database is searchable. Included in the crowdsourced deals are those coming from major retailers and big boxes such as Walmart, Amazon, and Macy’s. While Slickdeals focuses mainly on gadgets, you could still find some great deals on other things like clothing and travel packages.

GottaDeal

GottaDeal is another site to visit if you’re looking for deals on your favorite items, whether that’s the latest home electronics or the trendiest fashion pieces. What to love about GottaDeal is that it’s easy to navigate. The homepage instantly displays categories in one place so you just can click the category you want to explore. Speaking of categories, you can choose from product, popularity, retailer, and date posted. This way, you’ll know exactly if the deal you choose comes with free shopping or if the deal is still active or expired.

GottaDeal also sports an active forums section where fellow deal hunters discuss the best deals they’ve seen both online or in-store. Additionally, there’s a separate space for Groupon deals that you can use anywhere in the US. If you’re a Groupon fan, you simply need to head over to GottaDeal’s Groupon database, search, order, and save.

Lastly, GottaDeal is also equipped with notification features so you can receive alerts on deals you’ve been watching out for. There’s also a GottaDeal mobile app that you can use if shopping with your smart phone.

Woot

Woot has a unique business model. The site features just a single deal each day and each deal expires at 11:59 PM. What’s good about this system is that users don’t need to get overwhelmed by thousands of deals options. Instead, you get to decide right away if the day’s deal is something you want or not.

The site has a dedicated deals tab which is mostly like a forum for members to share the best deals they’ve found lately. That means you have other options is Woot is not displaying the deal you’re looking for. Other members may have seen it and posted it on the deals tab.

Although Woot started as a deals site focused on technology deals, it has since grown its scope and now sports deals for other things including clothing, electronics, wine, and much, much more. Woot used to be an independent site but has been acquired by Amazon in 2010.

FatWallet

FatWallet is a dynamic deals website that lets you save money on deals in multiple ways. First, the site features deals on its homepage which you can explore according to store, category, or the deal’s due date. You might also want to see the the most talked about deals or newest ones by ticking “add date” when you search.

If you purchase directly from the retailer, you can enjoy discounts on top of your deals. You should also take your time exploring the FatWallet community because they endlessly talk about the hottest and latest deals on the web.

It’s a good way to get a feel of the deal: if people are raving about quality and savings over a product, then it’s very likely a great deal. This helps eliminate hit-and-miss on your part and guarantee that you’ll get the best value for your money and much more.

FatWallet is a very commendable source of the best deals around the web. It’s well connected to major retailers, offers great deals on a wide range of products, and its active user community help you grab the best deals there are.

Price Comparison Websites

PriceGrabber

PriceGrabber is one of the most popular sites for comparing prices for a wide range of products. It is a user-friendly site where you can get the best deals, coupons, and, most of all, information for the lowest price of a product from across retailers. Additionally, PriceGrabber updates its price and deal information frequently so you know exactly how much you’re dealing with if you’re interested in a product. The buying guides in PriceGrabber help you make informed decision when selecting which product to buy. It’s a nice touch for a price comparison site and makes it even more useful to users.

Google Shopping

Coming from the huge name and company that is Google, this price comparison site is also otherwise known as Google Product Listing Ads. This site functions very similarly to PriceGrabber in that it indicates the price of the product from across vendors and help you make the best purchase.

Moreover, Google Shopping carries a diverse range of product and its searchable database help you nail down where the best deals are.

Nextag

Nextag is one of the oldest price comparison sites that’s still up and running until today. Nextag is vetted to one of the best price comparison website because of its simplicity and the comprehensiveness of its information.

Apart from the ability to compare prices, Nextag also has a dedicated “deals” tab where you can see the best deals of the day. Additionally, you can use Nextag’s radar feature to monitor the price of your desired products as well as get alerts on the deals you’ve been watching out for.

Shopping

Shopping.com is another great price comparison website. It works in partnership with Google Shopping and Bing Shopping and is owned and managed by eBAY. This means that Shopping is equipped with well-versed staff to run an effective price comparison website.

What’s great about shopping.com is that it is easy to use and navigate. It displays all the information you need about the product you’re searching for. It carries an extensive range of brands and retailers as well as sport useful tools to guide you in nailing the best deals.

Coupon Websites

RetailMeNot

When it comes to couponing, RetailMeNot is surely a site you shouldn’t miss. What you’ll love most about this coupon site is that it is very organized and allows you to find the coupon information you need in just a click or two.

For instance, RetailMeNot’s homepage displays coupons that are about to expire, the latest deals and what deals you might be interested in. But when you navigate away from the homepage and click on the coupons tab, you’ll see a wide array of coupons up for grabs. These coupons are also connected to major retail stores in the country, including Macy’s, JCPenney and Walmart.

RetailMeNot is also very easy to use. You simply need to type in the web address of the store you’re interested in and it will display what coupons you can take advantage of. You can get coupon codes as well as printables if you prefer to shop in store. And if you’d like to constantly get updated with new coupons, get the browser extension and it will alert you with coupons when shopping in a certain store online.

Coupon Sherpa

Coupon Sherpa is also a great coupon site if you’d like to take your love for coupons a little farther. It is a great site offering coupons for a comprehensive list of retailers, including Applebees, Aeropostable, Gap, and Payless Store. If you do a lot of shopping in these stores, getting a coupon from the site will certainly be worth your time.

Coupon Sherpa hosts many types of coupons such as printables and coupon codes which you can use in-store and online. You can transfer the coupon into your smartphone and simply scan the barcode at checkout to enjoy the discount.

It’s also great that you can send coupons from Coupon Sherpa to other people who might benefit from them. If you like, you can even share them in your social media circles.

Rather-Be-Shopping

Rather-Be-Shopping is a coupon site ran and managed by Kyle James. It offers a good number of various coupons for various stores, including but not limited to Macy’s, Target, Joann Fabric, and Sports Authority.

Rather-Be-Shopping offers three main types of coupons: embedded coupons, coupon codes, and coupon links. There’s also Rather-Be-Shopping app that allows you to get coupons upon checkout just by scanning your smartphone. This allows you to redeem your savings and keep them handy for future purchases. More importantly, you get all your coupons in one place without having to print and clip.

If you’d like to get instant update on specific stores or deals, sign up for Rather-Be-Shopping’s alerts. You will always be in the loop for the best deals and latest coupons.

The Krazy Coupon Lady

The Krazy Coupon Lady is a popular couponing site with an astoundingly large following. Owned and managed by two women who are in love with couponing, The Krazy Coupon Lady’s main goal is to help people reduce their grocery bills with the aid of coupons.

What makes this site great is that it educates a newbie couponer on how to use coupons and maximize their worth so you can make the most savings when shopping. The site teaches which coupons to use and for which deal, how to match rebates, and so on. The site updates visitors with new and best coupons several times a week, ensuring that there’s a coupon you can use in your future shopping trips.

Now to make it even easier for you to keep, clip, and organize your coupons, the The Krazy Coupon Lady has also launched its own mobile app. The app alerts you with new coupons real-time and gives you access to carefully-selected coupons each day. It also comes with other educational features, tricks, and shopping advice so you can get the most and best value for your money using coupons.

Coupons.com

Coupons.com is one the leading and most important coupon site today. This is a premium source for a number of manufacturer coupons that you can use anywhere in the country. Coupons.com also offers free coupons without requiring visitors to become members.

But there are perks to becoming a member too, especially if you’re a die-hard couponing fanatic. Your membership entitles you to weekly newsletters featuring the best deals and the hottest coupons. You may also redeem coupons directly to your your grocery store cards so you don’t have to bring your file of coupons when you shop. Simply present the card upon checkout and the card should already collect and organize the coupons you’ve used and earned.

More Tips to Get the Best Deals

In between scouring deal shopping websites, using coupons and comparing prices, there’s still a lot more that you can do further get the best deals. Keep these important tricks in mind when you shop, whether in-store and online, so you can pocket the most savings.

Shop off season. You don’t have to wait for summer before you start buying light cotton clothes just as you don’t have to wait for winter before you buy down jackets. Shopping off season almost always guarantees marked-down prices for items you wouldn’t need for the next six months or so. But it’s worth getting them while they’re still cheap and keep them in your wardrobe than wait for demand to increase their prices. Consider it making some savings in advance.

Combine coupons, promo codes, and discounts. A lot of retailers will allow you to stack coupons with discounts and you only need to ask. If a product is on sale with a 40% discount and you use a $10 coupon afterwards, you’d certainly see some savings going to your pocket. You just need to know how to use these perks in a certain order so you can truly maximize your savings.

Get a price-match. Retailers are often very willing to match the competitor’s lower price for the same product, just don’t be too shy to ask. Also remember to keep your receipts because you can ask the store for a refund if you bought a product at full price and goes on sale the next day.

Bottom Line

You don’t always have to pay full price for most products if you know when and where to shop but most importantly, how to shop. Inform yourself about all the best deals when you shop online or before hitting the stores. Use coupons, take advantage of technology, and don’t be afraid to put in a little effort. You’ll be surprised by how much you can save.

SOURCES
http://www.kiplinger.com/article/spending/T050-C000-S001-15-web-sites-for-finding-deals-online.html
http://lifehacker.com/5962699/five-best-deal-sites
http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-always-get-the-best-deal-online-or-in-store-2016-2

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