• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Services
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Shop
    • Shop Now
    • Cart
    • Checkout
    • Return Policy
    • My Account
  • Food
  • Family
  • Finances
  • Fundamentals
You are here: Home / Finances / Simplifying Online Shopping (and Saving)

by Barry  6 Comments

Simplifying Online Shopping (and Saving)

how to simplify online shopping

As you probably already know, our family loves to shop online and we love to save money. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know most of the benefits of shopping online already, but humor me for a bit because I may teach you a thing or two about simplifying your online shopping experience and save you some money along the way.

When I say “simplifying” I really mean saving money online by using a few specific tools rather than browsing around for hours trying to find a good deal. This is NOT a sponsored post and the only tools I’m sharing are ones we use ourselves. So…if you see something in the following paragraphs, know we actually use it ourselves and believe in it.

Warning: if you are shopping (whether in a store or online), please stick to your budget and don’t buy 14,000 of something when you need one, just because you found a good deal on it. Otherwise you’ll break your budget and end up with a bunch of junk around your house. Understood? Okay, let’s dive in.

Honey

Let’s start off with the most recent tool I’ve found and fallen in love with: Honey. In its most basic form, Honey is a browser extension that automatically searches for coupon codes whenever you’re checking out at most of the major online stores. Basically, once you install Honey, you hit a little button and Honey looks for any discounts to apply for you. Simple and awesome.

There are only two downsides I’ve found: 1) It only works on your computer for now (sorry, not yet on mobile) and 2) it doesn’t work on every browser (it works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Opera at the time of this writing). You don’t have to register or any of that jazz, so it is a win-win in my opinion. To learn more, visit http://www.joinhoney.com.

Retailmenot

Retailmenot is one of those websites you should continuously think of whenever you’re shopping online. Why? Because all the site (they also have a mobile app) does is compile promo codes, coupons, and discounts for various online shopping sites. Let’s say you’re shopping at target.com. You can go to http://www.retailmenot.com, type in TARGET in the search bar and see all the current coupons, promos, etc. going on for their website. A lot of them won’t apply and you’ll sometimes end up with a code that doesn’t work, but for the 30 seconds invested, you can often save some money and it makes it totally worth it.

There are lots of other sites like Retailmenot: Slickdeals.com, CouponCodes.com, etc. but it seems they aren’t as accurate or up to date as Retailmenot. No matter what site you’re using to grab a coupon code – the key is to always look for a coupon code before you check out at the online store at which you’re shopping.

Amazon

We are big fans of both Amazon Prime and Amazon Subscribe and Save and Stacy has written about both in the past. These are slightly different than coupon codes in that you pay a fee up front for full-year discounts or agree to a “subscription” to receive a discount. I won’t go into a lot of details on these but I will recommend you check out the posts Stacy has written about them and consider if you shop at Amazon enough to make these benefit you. For us, they save us lots of money and let us receive our packs of toilet paper without ever leaving home. #awesome

eBay

One last place I often look before buying something is eBay. eBay started out as an auction site, but it has become an online marketplace similar to Amazon only with fulfillment handled by individual sellers instead of centralized warehouses. A lot of things are cheaper on eBay than anywhere else, but a lot of things are more expensive. So…normally if I’m looking for something that’s basically a commodity product (a charging cord, for example), I’ll check Amazon and eBay to see which is cheaper (including shipping). Just a thought…

Our world is filled with awesome technology that has made it possible to quickly and easily buy something from someone anywhere in the world, pay for it, and have it at your doorstep within a few days. This technology has also made it possible to quickly and easily shop around. If you install Honey or check Retailmenot, or hit up Amazon or eBay, you’ll often find you can save a ton of money on just about anything you might want to buy.

Your turn: what tools do you use to save money when shopping online?

how to simplify online shopping

Share this:

  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)

Other Posts You Might Like

About Barry

Barry is the husband half of the Humorous Homemaking team. He speaks and writes mostly about personal development and personal finance issues. He is the author of From Debtor to Better: The Details of Debt and How to Get Out! and regularly speaks at conferences and other events.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the content above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, I may receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Comment Policy: I love reading your thoughts and input on what you read here. I'm sure we'll disagree sometimes and that's okay! In those cases, do what's right for you and yours. As with any form of communication, only post comments that move the discussion in a positive direction.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Comments

  1. dealmecoupon says

    August 31, 2019 at 8:14 am

    Thanks for sharing this amazing article, it is very informative post good work keep it up.

    https://www.dealmecoupon.com

    Reply
  2. Madona says

    May 20, 2017 at 6:17 am

    I have read this article, I am very happy to share this. Thank you so much.

    Reply
    • Julie Chittock says

      May 26, 2017 at 12:30 pm

      Glad it was helpful!
      — Julie, HH Team

      Reply
  3. Hafsa says

    May 28, 2016 at 5:45 pm

    Great ideas ! Thanks for sharing it 🙂

    Reply
  4. Beth says

    May 4, 2016 at 2:53 pm

    I also use Ebates, not a lot of cash back, but something’s better than nothing. I have a Amazon credit card that gives me points where ever I am using it (keep it only for online with a small limit) Love Prime…for the savings, the shipping, the movies, books, etc. We have a Firestick and have cut the cord on cable…yeah!!
    So I think Stacy mentioned Jungle Deals and Steals which I check too. And I usually just “Google” a place if I am shopping somewhere else for coupons or promo’s.
    Thanks for your great tips…am a big fan of both you and Stacy!

    Reply
    • Stacy says

      May 4, 2016 at 5:24 pm

      Yes! We love Mandi over at Jungle Deals!

      Reply


Hello! I’m Stacy!

I believe God created you to be the hero of your home. You CAN manage your home instead of it managing you. That’s why I empower women with simple solutions for their homemaking needs – because if it’s not easy, you won’t do it. {Read More…}

As Featured on the Dave Ramsey Show

Stuff You Really Should Check Out

home management course

humoroushomemaking

➡️Just a subpar mom letting Jesus lead the way.
❤️❤️ Christ-based family life & homemaking + homeschool
This page is on sabbatical 🤍

Stacy Myers: Redeemed
Hey guys - just a wee note. Our family has entered Hey guys - just a wee note. Our family has entered a season of silence and solitude. After so many changes last year, we finally just needed it as we seek what’s next.
If you need me or wanna chat before I’m back, you can always contact me via email which is the quickest way to get a hold of me. Stacy@humoroushomemaking.com
Trashy Pizza Date Night ❤️❤️ Trashy Pizza Date Night ❤️❤️
There might have been a few pairs of undies that I There might have been a few pairs of undies that I’ve come across from my kiddos that I thought: nope, ain’t worth it.

And pitched them. Don’t turn me in. 🤣🤣🤪
Instagram post 17950327165660081 Instagram post 17950327165660081
You’ll either love this tip or hate it. 🤣⠀ You’ll either love this tip or hate it. 🤣⠀
⠀
If you hate it, just scroll on by. 🤍 But it was helpful to us. 🥰⠀
⠀
Often, I have a hard time getting my kids to remember things I’ve taught them, like how to properly clean a toilet or clean mirrors. “I forgot.”⠀
⠀
You know what they don’t forget? Stuff they watch on You Tube. 🤪🤪⠀
⠀
So I went to You Tube and sourced kid videos about cleaning the bathroom. The kids all watched them. ⠀
⠀
Now they’re all cleaning their own bathrooms. Boom. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Worked for us. ⠀
⠀
** Just search on YT for “kid cleaning videos” and see what you find. Different parents have different parameters for what they allow. Barry and I screened videos first but each person can find their own. ❤️🤍
Time to add your own! I’ll go first! Girl, stop Time to add your own!

I’ll go first! Girl, stop hustling.

I’ll go again! Girl, eat a cookie. 🤣🤣
Did you have a stinky 2021? Or year before that? O Did you have a stinky 2021? Or year before that? Or month?⠀
⠀
Hard times can make us or break us.

Our family experienced some big changes and shocks and pruning (removing) in 2021. Some days I didn’t want to get out of my house or my bed.⠀
⠀
But already we are coming out of darkness into His wonderful light and I can see - I can see the benefits of hard times. ⠀
⠀
New beautiful growth and hope. ❤️⠀
⠀
What is one benefit YOU have experienced from hard times?
This culture has nothing to offer our family.⠀
⠀
I lived for too long believing that hustle was to the benefit of this family. ⠀
⠀
God’s call upon our life isn’t to hustle and grind our days away while we prove our worth and see our success. ⠀
⠀
No, friends. It’s God’s desire that when people look at you and me, they don’t see US or what WE accomplished but instead say:⠀
⠀
Wow, only God did that. ⠀
⠀
The Myers aren’t building an empire. We are building our family, day by day. Tiny moment by tiny moment. 🤍
Vintage candy style. Vintage candy style.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

© 2022 Humorous Homemaking LLC · All Rights Reserved. · Privacy Policy

 

Loading Comments...
 

    loading Cancel
    Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
    Email check failed, please try again
    Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.