Saving Money With Coupons: Shopping Online

Most people, when they think of the word “coupon” think only of the ones that you can clip from the newspaper, print online or load to your phone. But when I think of saving money with coupons, I also think of online shopping (and I often think of it first)!
The misconception with shopping online is that, by the time you pay shipping, it is easier to buy the items at the store.  This is simply not true!  You may not be able to score “moneymakers” like you can with the Drug Store deals and Grocery deals, but there are some items for which you can usually get the best deals online.
How?
First, while people are usually thinking about the cost of shipping (although you can usually find a free shipping code for your favorite stores), they aren’t taking in account the cost of gas, your time to go to the store or even just changing out of your jammies!  There are a few items that I use on a regular basis that I can only buy at the mall (25 minutes away) or online.  Even on the rare occasions where I can’t wait for a free shipping code to buy it, I will gladly pay the $6 shipping fee over getting dressed, putting the kids in the car and spending at least an hour (driving + shopping time) to get my item.
So how can you find the best deals online?
Amazon.com – I LOVE Amazon.com!  I buy everything from toys to makeup to organic pantry items there!  They even have several programs designed to help you save even more money:

• Subscribe & Save:  this is a program that I mention frequently and it is for those items that you use on a regular basis (diapers, grocery items, ink cartridges, etc).  You can get a 15% discount AND free shipping (with no minimum purchase) when you choose the Subscribe & Save option.  YOU decide the frequency of the shipments and you can cancel at any time (including immediately after your first shipment)
• Amazon Mom:  with Amazon Mom, you get  free Two Day Shipping through Amazon Prime for one year, benefits such as 30% off diapers as well as customized offers via email.  Best of all, these benefits can be stacked with Subscribe & Save for even greater savings!
• Amazon Student:  you need to have a college .edu email address to get this, but the Amazon Student program gives you free Two Day Shipping through Amazon Prime for one year as well as customized offers via email.  Best of all, these benefits can be stacked with Subscribe & Save for even greater savings!  To register for Amazon Student, you just need to provide your school, major and .edu address!

Beyond My Beloved Amazon.com, there are other ways to save:

• NEVER buy anything online without first checking to see if there is an online coupon code for it!  There will be times when the best code you can find is for free shipping or 10% off, but hey – that’s better than nothing – right?
• Many stores (such as Walmart, Toys R Us and Lowes) offer free shipping to their store.  You can make your purchase online and have it shipped to the store and pick it up at your leisure, with no worries that it won’t be in stock  when you go to the store!