BLISS budget talk....Online Shopping

Hello Everyone,

As some of you may or may not know, I love to SHOP. It's definitely one of my favorite past times and I engage it in as much as fiscally possible,(my lights need to stay on folks!)  but on the flipside of my shopping addiction , I'm extremely cheap frugal. While I love to shop, I do have saving goals and some important things that come up... you know like rent, student loans,you know the small thing in life. With grown up life hitting me, I had to change my method of attack to make sure that my indulgence in the occasional haul didn't interfere with my dope credit score. So I here to share with you all about the cheapest way possible to get your shopping fix affordable  and  my six ways I use to keep my fashion game on fleek, (I can't believe I said that!), while getting the best deal possible!

Coupon sites:
Unless you've been living under a rock you have to know about the various coupon codes that you can get from online coupon sites to help score a big deal on anything you can think of. You can use coupon codes on just about anything such as clothes, shoes, accessories, and even makeup. My go to has to be Retailmenot.com, which also has a handy app that will send you coupons when your location setting is turned on for maximum savings when your strolling through the mall or near shopping center. I also occasionally use other sites such as coupons.com for those that retailmenot may not have or stores that are not covered.

Ebates:
The hype is real! Lol. I remember seeing these commercials and thinking, "Nope no one is going to send me a check for shopping online, it has to be a gimmick or someway to steal my information". I'm here to tell you they do send you a check quarterly, although they do blow it up like your going to get a huge check every month....ehh not so much unless you do a huge amount of shopping. Good news is I've received quite a number of checks ranging between $10-20, lunch on them! But I have girlfriends with full families and children earn $50-75 per quarter, especially when buying vacations on sites like Priceline or Expedia. Yes, it gives you cashback for going on vacation. Also like retailmenot it shares promo codes with you and will automatically insert them in your cart on checkout when it finds something applicable.

You have two options to use Ebates, you can either start at there website and search the store you are looking for or you can install their handy dandy toolbar that lights up and flashes every time you go to an online store that has a relationship with them. It has zero spyware and it will display the percentage of cashback given on your purchase, sometimes it's a measly 1% sometimes it's a whopping 7.5% just depends on the store and if they're playing nice that week. You just click the box it loads and your shopping trip has started.

Online Newsletters:
Just about every store has one now, and usually for signing up they give you some 10-20% discount of your first order. I know the reluctance sets in to want to sign up for yet another websites newsletter. It may seem like spam to you after a while of getting all the random store's emails, especially the ones you only shop at once in a blue. It's like  how many times can I get buybuybaby coupons when I have no kids?!!?!?! But you could always opt to do what I do: Set up a generic email account that just houses shopping and no real worthy emails like the ones  that you do not want to read on a daily basis  and let them all pile there. When you get that baby shower for cousin Sue or you're sorority sister from college that's when you might need a coupon for, launch your search for said annoying baby coupon site, hit up that junk email account, and you'll be bound to find coupon gold, special sale or promotion on some wonky brand of the new all the rave baby spoons or whatever trending. Some stores even honor your online coupon handed to them on your smartphone if you are a day before the baby shower shopper.

Across the pond stores:
 Now I love costume jewelry, the gaudier the piece the more I live for it! But the baubles cost big bucks, I've picked up a nice pick from Macy's and 60+ bucks or more and I put it right back because the way my neck is set up... I'm not paying that much for a metal and glass.  I simply refuse to spend that! So I hop on ebay and/or Aliexpress and find some stuff on there. I've had the same necklace that I've seen in J. Crew sent to me for $5.99 from my friend Mae Ling in China. Most of the vendors that we go too store wise are buying from them too. The necklaces that you buy actually literally comes from China, and your extra 40 bucks  goes to paying their store's rents, the salary of a couple crew members, and the marketing exec who made you walk into that fancy pants store to begin with. I will say if you need it on short notice for say that club night next week this is not the option for you as it may take up to 3 weeks for a piece to get here and once in a blue you may get a damage item. Never fear! They despise a bad rating and most times if you send them a pic of your broken goody. They will send you a replacement or refund your money.

Consumer reports.com

This website  is usually saved for you very studious folks who enjoy watching the interest rates of the market's trend and like to discuss margins. For the rest of us, yes you... can wake up now..... Consumer reports is an excellent resource in advising what's the best time to make a large purchases such as a laptop, a car, or even that new plush pillow top mattress you've been eyeing. Just do a search on the best times to make a purchase and you're golden!

Online Cosignment Shops:
Ebay and Amazon used to dominate this world but now there are a crop of online consignment and thrift stores popping up left and right! Apps like Vinted and Posh shop are gems for finding slight used items or getting rid of that lime green sparkly blazer you just had to have.....Yea...me too and getting it to that teeny bopper who truly needs it for her jazz performance routine at this years talent show.

There you have it my six tips for saving money when online shopping! Tell me in the comment section if you have other additional favorites you wanna add to the list.


Toodles Darlings,
Jacquel