Online shopping could be described as both the best and worst invention for those addicted to shopping. It’s great because it is convenient, yet it makes spending money way too easy. Many of us have gone online shopping and within a few clicks we realized our shopping cart has way too much stuff in it and our bank account cannot pay for all these items. With the ease and accessibility of online shopping it is no surprise we all take part in it but it is still important to make sure you are not going into debt because of an online shopping addiction. With these 3 tips and tricks you can fuel your shopping addiction while still “ballin’ on a budget”:
1. Never buy something at the first place you find it online
When looking at real estate people commonly use the phrase “you never buy the first house you look at.” Why? Because there is no comparison yet, you don’t know whether this is a good price or a bad price. The same is true for online shopping, so many brands sell practically the same items, if not completely the same. If you are on a budget I 100% recommend you do your research before pressing checkout. If the deal isn’t worth your while, don’t waste your time or money, move on to the next site.
2. Download money saving apps like iBotta, Retailmenot, and Unidays
These three apps all have similar purposes, yet all differ in their respective ways. For example, to use iBotta you scan a picture of your receipt and then offers appear which you can redeem. These receipts can be from grocery stores and online stores as well. The grocery store offers are normally money back on specific groceries, while the online store offers give a percent of your purchase back to you. Retailmenot gives you coupons which can be either in store or online. Lastly, Unidays is an app specific for college students discounts on online retailers.
3. Insert extensions on your laptop like Honey, Ebates, and Wikibuy
These extensions main purposes are to help the consumer get money back while getting research for the company. The research is done by seeing what certain demographics search, buy, and enjoy. All three of these extensions can be installed onto your laptop. Ebates will give you a percentage back of what you spend at specific online stores. After a few weeks, Ebates will send you a “big fat check” in the mail. Honey and Wikibuy have very similar purposes, both search the internet for the best coupons applicable to all the items in your shopping cart thus cutting down research time for the consumer. Personally, I use all three of these because it takes practically 2 seconds to install and can help you save way more money than expected.
Enjoy your spending (and saving) this holiday season!