Really Saving Money Online?

[SunshineGirl]

I wanted to get a thread going for people who are genuinely looking for some ways to cut back a little bit by shopping online. Obviously there are basic things like--use SR and get cash back. LOL! But I mean more specific things that you buy online so that you save either the gas price of going shopping or actually get things cheaper. I'll start with a couple of my own examples. Please chime in if you know of any others!

Electronics with in-store pickup: Often the prices at big box stores like Circuit City are cheaper than in the store. So you can buy online and then pick up in the store that same day.

Drugstore items: With free shipping at Hocks and Drugstore.com, I always watch for Buy One Get One and 50% specials on things like tylenol, bandaids, shampoo, etc. Stuff that if I stock up on in advance I am less likely to just grab at the grocery where it is really expensive.

Gifts for relative: With the cost of postage and shipping going up, I find that if I can get a free shipping deal from a place like David's Cookies, it is cheaper for me to just buy online and have it sent than to buy a gift here, package it, and ship it.

Any others??

[SunshineGirl]

I forgot Office Depot! With their 10% off online coupon and free shipping, I save money on my business expenses like paper and envelopes (which I use a lot of!!!)

Maybe digital picture developing with all of the coupons that we get?

[jnorth1007]

I have found that shopping for shoes online has saved me in many ways. First it saves me the gas of going to the stores. Free shipping and returns means no cost to purchasing online. Second it saves me time which I have very little of. I can just go through their selection online and it really is quicker than browsing through the store. Third, it saves me sanity since I don't have to drag three kids into a store where they will try on a million pair of shoes. I don't have to try to herd them to the same spot and keep them there. I just pick out shoes and ask them if they like them and hit submit. Easy Peasy!

[Hedy]

Food-buying in bulk from Glenny's and Amazon. A friend of mine called it Costco without the membership, which I think is an apt description.
Oh, and flowers. Great prices, nice quality, and I see what my loved one is getting, as opposed to crossing my fingers that Hicksville Florist does a good job.

[sunshinecindy]

Its like buying at Restockit too. You can get all your paper products, papertowels, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, air fresheners etc. Most of us buy that kind of stuff in bulk in the regular stores, so you might as well buy it online. AND, you aren't walking through a store buying stuff you don't need likey you do when you are in a store and they have stuff in the aisles displayed so appealingly. Another place to shop is Omaha Steaks. You can buy all your quality meats/chicken/seafood and much more through them. Not only do we always have coupons for all these places, but you get the cash back too.


Another note: If you have to pay shipping, compare it to what you would pay in gas to go to the store. Unless you live right on top of the store you are going to use a minimum of 2 gallons of gas plus wear and tear on your car and your time away from home. So, that equals probably 12.00.

[m 'n c]

Anytime I'm not physically going into Target or walmart but shopping via online with them saves me money. No more impulsive buying. I have found most of my friends are registering at Target for their weddings and trying to find the stuff instore is a nightmare but its easy online so I'll gladly pay the small shipping charge.

[wilsonfamily4]

At amazon.com they used to do a deal where if you bought like $50.00 you got $10.00 off on groceries. This was when we still used diapers and so I would buy diapers and wipes online and have them delivered to my house. That was so incredibly nice. Saved money and time as well as gas!

For me it is a 30 mile trek into town so buying online saves money just in gas alone. Ususally shipping is cheaper then the gas I would have spent myself!

[askomsky]

We live in a burb with tons of stores all within 10 miles, 4 grocery stores in 2 miles of my home.

So when I save the most money for online shopping is any electronics purchases. Pa doesn't have tax on groceries or clothes so even most of those purchases are easier in the store.

I agree with Janet shoe shopping though is my least fav with the kids, so I do that online. We've bought a lot of electronics last year for computer, and all the other devices. We would shop the sites and compare, SR has almost all the sites so it was a no brainer. We found buy.com, circuitcity.com and tigerdirect to have the best deals, plus a % back from SR.

I also regulary check out certain sites online, especially when they have free shipping, it just makes more sense to buy it online when it's on sale and ships for free.

[sunshinecindy]

We live in a burb with tons of stores all within 10 miles, 4 grocery stores in 2 miles of my home.

So when I save the most money for online shopping is any electronics purchases. Pa doesn't have tax on groceries or clothes so even most of those purchases are easier in the store.

I agree with Janet shoe shopping though is my least fav with the kids, so I do that online. We've bought a lot of electronics last year for computer, and all the other devices. We would shop the sites and compare, SR has almost all the sites so it was a no brainer. We found buy.com, circuitcity.com and tigerdirect to have the best deals, plus a % back from SR.

I also regulary check out certain sites online, especially when they have free shipping, it just makes more sense to buy it online when it's on sale and ships for free.

I'm not too far from stores either, but my main concern when I go into the store is the impulsive buying. I swear, I can go into the store for lunchmeat and bread and come out with 30.00 worth of stuff. Its so irritating. I have a box of donut holes right now that won't get eaten, but when I was in the store, they looked good, so I bought them. It will be a waste of 3.00, just right there. Also, many stores have "online" specials only, so look for those. You can't get them going to the local stores. Sears and Kmart run those a lot.

[askomsky]

I'm not too far from stores either, but my main concern when I go into the store is the impulsive buying. I swear, I can go into the store for lunchmeat and bread and come out with 30.00 worth of stuff. Its so irritating. I have a box of donut holes right now that won't get eaten, but when I was in the store, they looked good, so I bought them. It will be a waste of 3.00, just right there. Also, many stores have "online" specials only, so look for those. You can't get them going to the local stores. Sears and Kmart run those a lot.

LOL I agree! Target though is my downfall on impromptu purchases. I'm usually pretty good in the grocery store, but that's bc I stockpile. If it's on sale and we use it and I have coupons I'll buy it. DH doesn't mess with me on the grocery bill bc I'm a coupon addict! lol We talked about it before in chat, I buy them online at ebay for products I use all the time. I do occasionally purchase the foods I shouldn't but not too often.

I like Wal-Mart with Sears and Kmart for those reasons too. Circuit city and Best Buy are two others who's online prices tend to be cheaper then instore and being able to ship to store is great. When we researched and decided which video camera to buy, Circuit City had the best deal online. Then DH drove to DE (tax free) to buy it plus he had a coupon from work for 10% off the purchase. It rang up $100 more in store then online but bc he had printed off the item from their website they gave it to him.