Be a Money-Saving Hero of Online Shopping
Online shopping has been steadily growing in popularity over the past few years. In 2010, $186 billion was on e-commerce and 66% of Internet users purchased a product online. As a result of higher and higher demand, online retailers like Amazon are adding features like same-day shipping in an effort to make it even more convenient to shop from the comfort of home. This trend has also created an entire niche for online tools and websites dedicated to helping online consumers save money.
Deals and Cash Backs
These tools range from helping consumers find the best deals online to providing cash back rewards programs for shopping at certain retailers. That’s not all that has filled this new market for online shoppers. There are also multiple finance blogs and publications providing regular financial advice for consumers buying products online. If you shop savvy, you can use these resources to save money, get rebates, earn rewards points, or find exclusive deals and discounts.
For example, many websites like Ebates and FatWallet are devoted to providing users with exclusive deals and cash back rewards programs. Another example is MyPoints. These sites have a network of retailers who give members cash back rewards for shopping there. They also try to make the site very easy to use. Creating an account is simple, and the rewards can be big. So long as you only buy things you actually need, and intend to buy anyway, you could easily save over $500 a year.
In addition to cash back bonuses, sites like Ebates and Fat Wallet offer lots of exclusive deals. One Ebates deal offers an extra 20% off sale items at a clothing retailer. On FatWallet there is a discount for half off a refurbished Logitech wireless keyboard with free shipping.
A111007_jb_coupons 003 by Joint Base Lewis McChord, on Flickr. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Coupons and Frugality Blogs
If you’re more of a coupon cutter, you’ll prefer getting your discounts from online databases of printable coupons. These resources will provide one-time coupons that can be used at a variety of retailers. Any Coupons and Coupon Share are two examples of these websites. Retail Me Not is another option, with deals that are mainly focused on everyday essentials such as food and groceries.
While all these online resources are there to help save your money, there are even more websites dedicated to advising you on the smartest way to spend it. You can check your local news channel’s website for their “Don’t Waste Your Money” style segments. This is the best source for staying aware of any local scams, rip-offs, or untrustworthy businesses in your town.
Even more helpful are the multiple blogs by former and current investors. Rick Bolander’s blog is a great example of one of these sources. Bolander is a venture capitalist in the technology field and he sits on the board of lots of online companies. One of his investments, Chegg, helps students save money on buying and selling their used textbooks.
