Becoming a Bargain Shopper: Tips to Getting a Great Deal

Who doesn’t love a good deal?! Finding a great deal isn’t about purchasing things that you don’t need (admittedly, I have purchased many things just because they are a “good deal”), rather its about knowing what you want, knowing the price you feel comfortable spending on the item and then searching and waiting for it to hit that price.  This day and age, we have so much information at our fingertips that finding a great deal is so much easier and doable (if you have patience!).

The state of our economy, the amount of lay offs and people taking pay cuts to help businesses stay afloat is devastating.  My heart goes out to anyone who is struggling financially because of the coronavirus and while I have faith that everything will turn around and correct itself, I know that at the present moment it hurts and is downright scary.

This is a time that we all feel the desire to be more frugal and need to be more financially minded as the future is very uncertain.  But with children at home and others having more time to browse online shopping, it is also a great time to hone in on bargain shopping!  Here are a few of my tips for finding a great bargain and not regretting your purchases (or if you are like me, not feeling guilty about your purchases!).

Bargain Shopping Tips and Tricks:

Facebook Marketplace. Today, it is super easy to find quality items used and for a fraction of the price.  I love to go on Facebook Marketplace and other Facebook yard sale/mom groups in my area (simply search yard sale groups in your area) to purchase used kid clothing, toys and even furniture.  It is amazing what deals you can find on Facebook.  For kids items, I almost always search Facebook before making a purchase.

Amazon. If you have time to wait for items, Amazon makes it super convenient to see when prices change.  Simply add items to your cart, press save for later and whenever you go back to your shopping cart there will be a ledger on top explaining if there has been a decrease or increase in price.  I do this with items that I don’t generally know the prices on and I don’t need right away.

Another great feature of Amazon is searching for items through Amazon Warehouse.  Amazon sells returned items this way and you can pick up brand new items for a few dollars less than regular priced.  We have purchased so many things this way and have no complaints.

Utilize digital coupons by downloading stores’ apps.  I frequent Target and Kroger, as they both have drive up pick-up options (a necessity these days!).  With their apps, they feature digital coupons where you can get a percent off of items just by clipping the coupon.  I have saved so much money using both of these apps and clipping coupons for items I need.  Again, it is a slippery slope where you can see a good deal on an item you don’t need/want and you buy it because it is such a good deal (I am totally guilty of this!).  Being mindful and having a list of what you need prior to opening the app can help, but if a tube of toothpaste has a 2 dollar off coupon–you can always buy it and save it too 🙂

Google shopping.  A super quick way to see good deals is by using the google shopping feature found at Google.  It quickly (as everything Google does!) shows you numerous sites that sell your products and the various prices.  I love using this option to make sure that I have the best price, this is usually my first stop when price hunting. Note: it does not show all stores like Amazon.

Promo/Discount Codes.  This is an oldie but goodie trick, search in google what ever your store/shop name is and promo code for example “Nike promo code” or “Nike discount code.”  Generally, it will bring up sites like couponcabin or retailmenot which you have to search through to find a discount code that works.  I usually have a 50% success rate!

Cash back with Ibotta.  Ibotta is a wonderful app that gives you cash back for items that you have purchased from various stores just by uploading your receipts and scanning the barcodes.  My tip with Ibotta is that I never look at what is in the app before going to the store.  I only open the app after I have gone to the grocery store and then get pleasantly surprised when I get cash back (like 1.50 back on Josh Cellars wine!).  While they intend for you to look at the app prior to going to the store, I always feel the need to buy items that I don’t need when this happens (chickpea pasta that is still in my pantry, for example).

Honey app.  Honey collects promotional codes from various sites and provides you the codes upon check out.  You simply download the app and allow it to have access to your online shopping, and then it will prompt you whenever you go to checkout at a store it recognizes.  Note: you need to make sure it is up to date.

Ebates/Rakuten. I do not utilize Ebates as much as I probably should, but it is a super easy way to get a high percent back with online purchases.  My sister loves using this website and has gotten a lot of money back.  It really is what they advertise, you get paid to shop!

I could go on and on about finding a great deal, it is so fun knowing that you are getting what you want for the right price! These tricks have helped save our family money and I hope that they can help you too! And don’t forget…$1.50 off of wine 😉