Online Shopping: Tips and Tricks for Saving the Most Money

Online shopping is now the new order in shopping. Websites are offering a wide range of products to choose from that are not available in one single place, otherwise. Besides being convenient, safe and secure, shopping online can prove to get you the best deal and the most for your money.

Here are some of my tips for saving the most money online:

1. Register with an Online Rebates Program - Rebate programs offer cash back on purchases you make online. Two programs I use are: Ebates and Mr.Rebates. Another savings program used by Good Deal Gal reader, Susan is SavingsWatch.com (Thanks, Susan!). How they work: Once you register with these sites, you can log-in (to either one) when you want to do some shopping. You can browse the stores available and click on the store link directly from the Rebate website. This will automatically prompt the rebate program to give you a certain % cash back after you make a purchase. Cash back percentages will vary from 1% - 25%, but it all adds up to money back in your pocket. I signed up with both programs because one may offer a better rebate % than the other, or one may offer a store I like that the other one doesn't. After 3 months, you will receive your rebate -- you can have it mailed to you, directed to your PayPal account, or directed to a charity. Every little bit counts... you may think that getting $2.40 back on a purchase isn't a big deal, but it truly adds up. Click on the buttons below to learn more about Mr. Rebates and Ebates:

2. Use a Coupon - That's right, even online stores have their own special coupons to help save you money. Ebates and Mr.Rebates both have some coupon codes (or promo codes) listed on their sites, but I have included some other links that I love to use when seeking discount codes (Look over at the right sidebar). Look for Free Shipping codes to help save the most money. To learn about using coupon codes, read this great ABC News article.

3. Plan Ahead - Don't wait until the last minute to buy a birthday or Christmas gift. By subscribing to daily deal-hound websites, you know when items go on sale and are at rock-bottom prices. A couple reputable deal sites: Dealigg.com, Slickdeals.net, MommysavesBig.com, DealKing.com, DealTaker.com (Look at the right sidebar for more). Another deal site from blog reader, Jessie: Bradsdeals.com (Thanks, Jessie!) And DaddyoDeals.com from FreebiePrincess (Thanks, FP!).

4. Subscribe to your Favorite Stores' Newsletter - Often times when you first subscribe they will send you an e-mail with a coupon. Then, periodically, you will receive e-mails letting you know the latest sales and coupon codes. A good way to do this is to set-up a separate e-mail account for your online shopping/junk mail.