Online Shopping

Tips for Getting the Best Deals Online

Online Shopping

With rising gas prices, these days it just makes “cents” to do a lot of your shopping from the comfort of your own home.



The convenience of online sopping allows you to buy anything from shoes to toys to home décor 24 hours a day, in your pajamas and without screaming kids tugging on your jacket while pulling things off the shelves.

Not only does online shopping afford you a certain amount of convenience, but with new sites popping up daily, along with major retailers giving you access to its warehouse merchandise, the selection is far greater than your neighborhood store.

Shipping costs are typically the main reason why consumers avoid the online shopping experience.

It definitely doesn’t make sense to buy a shirt on sale for 3.00 and then pay 5.95 for shipping.

Many companies work around this online shopping turn-off by offering free site-to-store shipping (like Walmart and Famous Footwear) or by offering greatly-reduced (i.e. .99) or even completely free shipping.

Also, if you are buying a number of items at huge discounts, paying a flat-rate shipping cost of 5.00 or so still ends up being a great bargain.

Many major companies offer free shipping on larger purchases (over 50.00 or more) and some even offer free shipping on any order during promotional periods throughout the year.

There are also many advantages/offers that will save you even more money.

Online purchases typically do not charge tax (unless the item is being shipped or picked-up from a store located in your state of residence, or in a few other special circumstances.)

Additionally, many stores offer promotional coupon codes (i.e. TAKE15) that can be entered during checkout to save an additional amount on your purchase. These codes can be entered onto your checkout form (typically labeled as "coupon code" or "discount code" or "promotional code") and the offers can range anywhere from Free Shipping to 50% off one item to 15% off your total purchase.

Keep in mind that these offers will be applied when checking out and will not be reflected in your shopping cart.

A few stores even allow you to use several coupon codes in one transaction (like Victoria’s Secret.) Some websites might list these codes right on their homepage or others may send them to customers on their mailing lists.

There are quite a few shopping/deal-hunting websites that compile lists of valid codes and coupons, as well as provide forums for posting and discussing great bargains.

Some of these deal-hunting online shopping websites also provide another great perk- you can earn prizes or cash back just by logging on through their website before making purchases online. By creating an account, you will have access to all the forums and deals and have the opportunity to earn a little back (similar to rebate programs) for purchases made at hundreds of different retailers or service providers.

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My Points

An online shopping membership at My Points is free and painless. This website has Special Deals sections, free shipping offers, coupon codes, printable coupons and more.

This program allows you to earn points from purchases made at over 400 participating retailers. Some retailers offer a certain number of points per dollar spent (i.e. 10 pts per dollar at Target.com) while others offer a lump sum of points for a minimum purchase (i.e. 500 pts on any order over 25.00).

To receive your points, you must log in first, then connect to your shopping site through My Points. The points can be redeemed for gift cards to popular restaurants and retailers or be put towards travel or gas cards. Gift cards are delivered to your door at no charge.

With this program you can also earn points without shopping by reading emails, playing games, taking surveys and more.

I love My Points and have been a member for literally years.

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Fat Wallet

An online shopping membership at Fat Wallet is free and simple to set-up. This website not only offers a Hot Deals section, but also has a Free Stuff area and a Stores/Coupons section, listing all their participating retail partners and any current coupon codes.

Fat Wallet offers a portion of cash back for any purchases made at their numerous participating stores (including Target, Circuit City, Kohl’s, Sears, Pro Flowers, Expedia.com, Hotwire.com and many more).

These cash back payments typically range from 2% up to 10% of your total purchase (not including any tax or shipping/handling charges.) To earn your cash back, you must go to Fat Wallet first and then log in.

Then, you will link to the site you want to purchase from (i.e. Circuit City) through the Fat Wallet Stores/Coupons page. After your purchase has cleared/shipped, the cash back will go into your account.

After 30 days your money will be available to “cash-out” through a check mailed to you or a Paypal transfer. There is a minimum of 10.00 to request payment. This is a great way to save a few more bucks, especially if you purchase travel packages, rental cars, and the like online.

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Tips for Getting the Best Online Deals

1) Before making any online shopping purchases, always refer to deal-hunting websites or do an Internet search to find any and all coupon codes or specials that may be applicable to your purchase.

If you are not hunting for a specific item, be sure to check the clearance (or free shipping) section of your favorite stores and combine as many money-saving options as possible.

Here are a few real-life examples:

-A dish set is on clearance for 30.00 plus 4.95 shipping at Home Shopping Network.

You have a coupon code for new customers to save 15%. You log into Fat Wallet to make your purchase and enter your coupon code to save 4.50. Fat Wallet will give you an additional 4% back (1.02). Your final price will be 29.43 for it delivered to your door.

-Victoria’s Secret is having its’ Semi-Annual Clearance sale. You do a search and find 4 different coupon codes (they take up to 4 codes per transaction online).

You find a pair of pajama pants on sale for 11.99. You enter a code for free shipping, a code for a free Pink stuffed dog with any purchase, a code for a free pair of underwear with any 10.00 purchase and a code for a free lip gloss with any sleepwear purchase. All delivered to your door for just 11.99!

-Book a family vacation while logged in to My Points . Find a great deal on flights at United.com then book your hotel and rental car with a great special on Travelocity. Earn points back to get a gas card or restaurant gift card.

2) The holidays are a very popular time for companies to introduce online shopping deals/coupons. Many websites even do special “12 days of Christmas”, free gift-wrapping or free gift-with purchase deals when people are likely to be spending money on gifts.

3) Act quickly when you see an online deal, especially if it has been posted on a deal-hunting site or forum. Even if a code doesn’t expire for another week, the actual merchandise may sell out fast!

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Resources for Online Shopping

Deal-Hunting/Coupon Codes:

Coupon Cowgirl

My Points

Fat Wallet

Deal Taker

Retail Me Not

Earn Cash-Back/Prizes:

My Points

Fat Wallet

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Why?

Simply because Refund Cents is the best coupon, refund, deals, and freebies site on the internet.

It is run by Michele Easter, and has been in existence for literally decades.

Refunding Makes Cents is the most distributed coupon and refund newsletter in the world.

There are two portions to Refund Cents, the print magazine, which has 11 issues a year, and the online access.


The online access is a membership based site, but the dues are extremely low, costing less for an entire year than most sites charge a month. (About $1 per month)

If you are new to couponing, or if you are serious about this hobby/income sources, I highly, highly suggest you invest a few dollars into Refund Cents.

If you can afford it (around $25) get the print issues and the online access. Make sure you pick up a copy of the Beginner’s Bonanza. If that is too steep for you, then just get the online access.

Deals are posted by other members, in real time. Check "Michele's Updates" and "Chit-Chat" daily.

Trust me, you'll make up the purchase price in a few days. You'll be emailing me thanking me for introducing you to this wonderful information source.

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