CHESSNOID

Even though it seems like everything is on sale or cheap in this economy, there are things you can do to maximize your savings.  I thought I would share my tips with you and hopefully it can help.

I get my best deals through the internet. Many places online offer free shipping and no sales tax (that in itself can save you 10-15% depending where you live at).   That is a big saving upfront.  Amazon seems to be where I get most of my stuff.  Of course, do a google, bing or pricegrabber search to compare and see what the best prices are.  That way you have an idea of what the best prices are out there.

If Amazon is not the lowest price, then I like to start at either FatWallet.com or Bing.com.  Both these sites will pay you cash back once you sign up with them and open an account and start your search there.  You simply type in the item you are shopping for in their search boxes  and then click through that site to the referring merchant they send you to.  You get cashback once they confirm your purchase from that merchant.

I recently got a great deal at Priceline.com for a hotel.  I started by signing in at Fatwallet, clicked through priceline and then completed my transaction.  I must say the hotel was excellent and surprisingly a great place to stay.  It offered free internet access and cheap room service (compared to other hotels I have stayed at).  The location was awesome and near everything.  I did check at Bing.com to see if they offered cash back for priceline and since they didn’t I went to fatwallet.

The great thing about Bing.com is you can buy eBay items and get 8% cashback when you use the buy it now option and pay via paypal.  I don’t think this is knew but I only recently discovered it myself.  Since finding out about it, I have received about $80 for doing one extra step.  Sometimes I find stuff on eBay without logging into my Bing account.  I simply save the item on my watch list, go back to bing and do a search that leads me back to eBay.  Once there, I go to my watch item and check out as normal.  I just make sure the Bing cashback logo is there to get the free money. Every $100 spent is $8 to your paypal account.

There is actually one other thing I do before I do a search on those websites.  I search online for instant coupons which seem to be better deals than the actual cashback.  Usually by using these coupons they cancel your cashback alternative.  That’s  OK since I am after the lowest cost not necessarily the cashback.

So whatever you are buying, when you get to the checkout and if you haven’t added a coupon, then do a quick search and you just might save $10 or 10% off your purchase.  I usually go to coupon craze or retail me not for those coupons.

A great site that seems to have professional frugal people looking out for deals is Slickdeals.com.  I have actually got great deals by reading what is a hot or slick deal in the forums.  I am not a member of that site, but I do frequently find myself there every other day.

If you don’t mind getting emails, then you might consider signing up to sites that you already have shopped at or want to shop at.  Sometimes you get coupons just for signing up or a heads up from them on future sales.

Happy shopping.