Really Saving Money Online?

[bbangel]

I find I save money buying books online. I usually shop at Indigo and the online prices are cheaper than in store prices.

As others have said, it can help with the impulse purchases.

I think I'm going to start shipping friends and relatives gifts directly from stores since as Tricia mentioned it is costing more to mail things. It will also make it easier to send edible gifts and flowers to people who don't live anywhere near me!

[kimntrent]

Drugstore is a big one for me. I find a lot of stuff that I normally would buy at Target or Sephora on there like Bliss face wash and I get it free shipping and cash back. Sometimes they are a little more up there but for the most part it is a lot less. For example: Airborne. If you buy it in the store here it averages 5.50 to 6.99 a box. Drugstore has had it all winter long for 4.99 a box. And I love the drugstore bucks you get.

Smartbargins also is a good one. I bought the most beautiful sheets on there for 40.00 so I added the duvet cover for 40.00 and boom I had an awesome set for 80.00. They were beautiful egyptian cotton and all in a sage green and brown. Actually very similar to ones at Restoration Hardware. Cal Kings in a store other then Target where they seem to go to crap fast would cost over 60.00 for a pair. And I got my hubby Ben Sherman Jeans which he loves to wear but I don't love the 100 price tag for 40.00 on there.

Kim

[Riyaa]

One I think has just saved me money is Diapers.com. I normally cloth diaper, but I'm going to visit family for three weeks, and it's really inconvenient to cloth diaper on the road like that (I've done it before that's why I'm not doing it again). The diapers I wanted to use are only available at certain stores that are all across town from me. So, factoring in gas and time, I'm saving quite a bit.

[mollyeilis]

I normally cloth diaper...

Yay for CDing! If I get a chance to CD another baby, I'm going to be hounding my fave sites to set up affiliates so I can get SR on them. When we travel to my brother's (when DS was still in dipes), I was so lucky that my brother (blissfully childfree) remembered that he and I were CD'd, and recognized that a washer's job is to get things clean, so he was beyond OK with my using his laundry room for the dipes thereby making it much easier for me. Whew!

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To the question.

I've been trying to figure out what I save. I'm just so used to buying things online it's just a way of life to me, and for many things it's been so long since I realized online would consistently be cheaper, that I barely think about it anymore.

One issue for us is sales tax, though. Since drugstore and amazon both are here in WA, we're charged tax on our purchases from them. So quite a bit of the savings that you all have don't apply for us. Which means that sometimes prices are even. Which means I spent a LOT of time with purchases, figuring out the best places. Also, hubby gets a discount code with amazon, so that eliminates (as far as I know) any rewards for SR's prize pot.

The impulse buys are something of a big deal, definitely. Though sometimes I toss stuff in my online shopping cart to get me to free shipping, so....hmm.

When I need my Philosophy stuff, though, shopping online is invaluable, b/c the closest Sephora is in north Seattle, and that's an obnoxious drive. If I order straight from sephora.com, I save the tax, whew!

I have to check out that amazon grocery deal...as some of you might know, hubby works there again (we met while CS reps in different cities there), and they just stopped the local delivery (to his office) with amazon Fresh. If they've expanded the grocery stuff I'll have to check it out.

Next time I stock up on our homeopathy I'm definitely using hocks, b/c their prices seemed really good. The local store with the best prices has a ton of good stuff and even I impulse-buy there, so that would save me right there.

So for me, I sometimes have to try hard to make the online/SR purchase the better deal (darn being in the state with HQs or sites of big online shopping companies! and I've worked at both of them!), but when it's better, it's better!

[lanny76]

I don't do a lot of online shopping, but I think I'm going to convert somewhat!
At least I will in regards to Target and Old Navy - the nearest of both those stores is 45 minutes away, so not convenient to go unless we have some other reason to go to that city. And also, I have noticed that online selection is often more plentiful - nor am I as prone to load my cart as much online, either!
So my DH and I discussed it and agreed it will be better to do my Old Navy and Target shopping online - I can probably hit more sale prices that way, too, along with better selection. Plus, there's the cash back - which I'm certainly not getting from the bundle I dropped yest. at the real live Old Navy store!
Sounds like there are other great deals people have mentioned here that I should look into.
A great thread idea - thanks!

[SunshineGirl]

I don't do a lot of online shopping, but I think I'm going to convert somewhat!
At least I will in regards to Target and Old Navy - the nearest of both those stores is 45 minutes away, so not convenient to go unless we have some other reason to go to that city. And also, I have noticed that online selection is often more plentiful - nor am I as prone to load my cart as much online, either!
So my DH and I discussed it and agreed it will be better to do my Old Navy and Target shopping online - I can probably hit more sale prices that way, too, along with better selection. Plus, there's the cash back - which I'm certainly not getting from the bundle I dropped yest. at the real live Old Navy store!
Sounds like there are other great deals people have mentioned here that I should look into.
A great thread idea - thanks!

Don't forget to click the little box on these merchants to sign up for the Sunshine Savers. If you know you shop there anyway, it's good to be notified when they put out good coupons or free shipping.

[m4travels]

I hate shopping, at least the act of physically going into a store/mall. I do NOT do well with crowds at all and I go into a very quick meltdown when I'm out.

Our office is about 2 miles from a Staples and I was always heading down there at 7:00 a.m. when they opened to get office supplies. VERY few people shop at 7:00 a.m. I started ordering online from Staples as the shipping was free because of the dollar amount I was spending, but then T and company put Quill up and I'll admit, 3% back is better than 1% so I went to them for supplies.....they're delivered by a Staples truck!

Partner dude is the antithesis of me. He'll shop in stores anytime he can, though he does a fair amount online as well. Actually, I think it's more than a fair amount.

I'm also HORRIBLE at sending gifts at ANY time. The popcorn that I sent from Dale and Thomas for Christmas gifts were probably the first Christmas gifts that didn't arrive in March!!!! (I'm not kidding about that!!) It is just much more convenient to do my shopping online. Do I get bummed about shipping costs? Yeah, some are pretty silly but it's worth it to me NOT to go out into the masses. Dude on a meltdown is not a pretty sight.

And now there's Sur la Table.....

[spring]

For Valentine's Day, I decided to buy DH a larger battery back-up for his computer. He had been complaining that his was not big enough to support our frequent power surges, while mine was a little larger and did just fine. I did an on-line search and got him the "mother of all backups." A comparison search showed me that Circuit City had it almost $50 cheaper than anywhere else. I don't have a Circuit City near me, but I went through SR shopping and found a coupon for free shipping for products over $40. Bingo! Cheap price, no shipping charges, and money back. Sold!

[sunshinecindy]

I hate shopping, at least the act of physically going into a store/mall. I do NOT do well with crowds at all and I go into a very quick meltdown when I'm out.


And now there's Sur la Table.....

Michael dear, where have you been all my life?

[jnorth1007]

I ordered almost every single christmas gift online this year LOL I don't think I paid shipping on any of them. The only gifts I didn't buy online were for people I didn't know what to get and those i waited until the last possible minute to get. Priceless. Boxes just showed up everyday. i order my bath stuff from Cindy when I need it. I was spending a fortune at BBW because I would all this crap i didn't need. Now I just order my body scrub and candle tarts and I get my rewards.