Who does not love saving money?
I’ve always been a bargain hunter when it comes to finding the best deal on my purchase. The creative ways of saving money always excite me. With so many online stores and sellers, finding ways to save money fast is easier than ever.
You’re overpaying if you don’t perform a price comparison. I never settle for the first price I see when I’m shopping online.
The methods that I’m going to discuss are proven techniques that people have been using to grow their savings. These are some of the best ways that I’ve found to save you big bucks. These money-saving tricks do not require you to come out of your comfort zone, like preparing your meal, canceling your gym memberships, or favorite streaming subscriptions. These are brilliant ways of saving money online.
Online price comparison browser extension/ apps
The online coupon is one of the most basic ways of saving money. Most people may be a no-brainer, but not everyone is aware of these cost-saving browser extension coupon finders.
Most have heard about coupon cutting, cashback-type online tools, and apps like Rakuten, Ebates, ShopSavvy, and Ibotta. These apps/websites save money as a cashback. You usually have to wait until the set threshold when you can redeem cash back as a gift card.
I want something that saves me money instantaneously, showing me where I can buy the same products at a discount price.
The two of my best price comparison sites for online shopping are Wikibuy (also known as CapitalOne shopping) and Honey. Besides these two, there are other price comparison websites.
I consider Wikibuy and Honey to be the best online price comparison app. These two tools also come as a browser extension that will automatically find coupons at checkout.
Once installed, you are on your way to finding the best deals. These apps/ extensions will start looking for discount coupons every time you search for items to purchase online. They will provide recommended savings based on your search results. They also have features like price alert, which will notify you when price drops.
It is mainly triggered when you’re ready to checkout. On top of finding the best deal, these apps will also provide you with a cashback that can be redeemed as gift cards.
Are Wikibuy (CapitalOne Shopping) and honey app Legit?
If you’re thinking, is it safe to use Wikibuy with your credit card information then, the answer is – yes, Wikibuy is legitimate. Capital One acquired the price comparison tool for an undisclosed sum in November 2018, making it legit and safe. It is then named Capital One shopping.
You do not require to enter your credit card information while using Honey. Therefore, there is less concern related to credit card theft. You can sign up for the app, but it is not necessary.
How I saved money with Wikibuy
My recent most significant saving using Wikibuy was while I was shopping for a Panasonic GH5 camera. The total base price, including the tax on Amazon, was $2,035.59. We were able to make this purchase a business expense and deduct it from our year-end taxes.
More on my post Why you should start your own business in 2021? A guide to becoming an entrepreneur
Wikibuy was able to find the best deal on a different marketplace with a total of $130 cost-saving. I ended up buying through the link suggested by Wikibuy and saved $130.
The item arrived within a week, and the cost-saving was worth the wait. Another significant saving I could get through Wikibuy was while my wife and I were shopping for window curtains. We purchased a curtain for our living room window from the JCPenny store. We liked the color, therefore, wanted to buy the next set for our bedroom. I went to JCPenny’s online Store and looked for the same product. To our surprise, Wikibuy was able to save us $10 per piece when purchased online. We ended up buying two sets and returned the one we purchased from Store.
Ever since I made savings on these two purchases, I have never bought anything without a quick search on my laptop to see if Wikibuy can score any discounts.
Save money using VPN
Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that hides your online presence by encrypting your traffic and sending it through a secure connection. You can take on any country’s IP address with a VPN as long as the VPN provider has a server.
Related post: How to get massive discounts using VPN (step by step guide)
This feature alone opens up a tremendous opportunity to save money online. Prices; while shopping online vary based on user location. When you use VPN and take on the IP address of the area where prices are low, you’ve got the best deal.
A VPN service helps you save money on online purchases, streaming subscriptions, and booking hotels and flights. You can find details in another article.
If you are looking into VPN services and wondering which VPN services is the best then I would highly recommend Surfshark. Surfshark provides one of the best service for the price in the market. I received the best deal on Surfshark subscription for $60 for 24 months, which is the cheapest at the time. Also, as mentioned above, Wikibuy was able to provide me $11 in cash buy for buying it through their link. Therefore, this was a big bang for the buck.
Signup for Valpak Coupons
I’m not a big fan of Coupons, and I hate how they flood your inbox with advertisements. Therefore, I do not like to recommend anyone to sign up for online coupon websites.
I happened to stumble upon a Valpak coupon by accident. Valpak is a free printable online coupon website, which sends you coupons for discounts on local businesses, restaurants, and services.
After buying our first home, we received a Valpak coupon package from local businesses and restaurants. I don’t remember signing up. The previous owner might have subscribed to it. It was the least of my concern, and I never bothered to understand why, but I received an envelope full of coupons, one of which got my attention.
Inside the pack, there was Sam’s Club membership deal worth $45. The way it worked is – I had to sign up for Sam’s membership and would receive a $45 gift card. It was like Sam’s membership for free. I grabbed the coupon and signed up for Sam’s membership because my wife and I were looking to sign up for one anyway.
Another happy coincidence with Valpak Coupon was we received Home Depot 20% discount coupon when we were looking to buy a washer and drying for our new home. Funny story – I lost the coupon, and I will explain below how I received that discount back again.
Bargain with virtual assistants
Let’s continue my story about winning a significant 20% discount coupon from Valpak for Home Depot and losing it when I was ready to purchase our appliances. I looked for the coupon everywhere and could not find it. Feeling defeated, I went to their website and started chatting with the virtual assistant.
I was desperate to save money; I told the virtual assistants how I had lost the coupon. I told them I was ready to make a purchase and requested him to see if they could send me another voucher. He asked for my email address and then sent the coupon right away in my inbox. I always thought – you’d be chatting with a bot when talking to a virtual assistant. I was surprised to see the coupon.
I ended up buying the appliances from Home Depot using the discount coupon. I learned a new trick. Bargaining with a virtual assistant works.
I used the same trick at Academy Sports online to see if they could provide any discount coupons. This time I wanted to buy a treadmill. I repeated the same story about how I received the voucher and lost it. It worked this time too. I did not purchase a treadmill because they ran out of my preferred brand, but I was able to prove a method that works. It might not work in every Store, but it’s worth a try.
Signup for Affiliate program
This method needs a little bit of effort in advance, but it works if you buy from same online store frequently. You might have heard about affiliate marketing/programs or online associates a lot. Ever since passive income because a new thing among people, affiliate marketing has been the most discussed topic.
In a nutshell, as an affiliate marketer, you generate a link to a product or service of the merchant which you promote among your online community. The moment someone buys a product using your link, you’ll receive a commission.
But how do you save money using affiliate program?
In order to receive a commission, someone has to click on your link and make a purchase. That someone could be you. You can literally click on your own link whenever you want to make a purchase and receive a commission.
It might not work with every merchant (i.e. Amazon) but it works with most of the merchants. I still need to try this one out but, if you’re married, you can generate a link and your spouse can make the purchase. It does require some extra steps but if you really want to save money, it’s worth the effort.
Conclusion
Have you used any of these money-saving techniques for your online purchases? Please let us know which one is your favorite and share your experience with us. If you have any special techniques that you use to save money, let us know in the comment section below. We can add it in our next update.
