Shopping Tips Online

As summer comes to an end, you can snag some really good bargains online. If you know where to look and what to look for, you will find yourself saving money and wondering why you haven’t been doing this for years!

What’s on sale right now?
Most of the things you’d use in the summer are on sale right now including swimming pools, pool supplies, bathing suits, summer clothes, outdoor entertaining items(picnic items, gazebos,etc.,) outdoor toys, and bikes.

Why buy now?
Buy now for either next year or gifts for the holiday for tremendous savings. If you can find shorts for your kids at 75% off, buy up a size for next year and you’ll have 75% savings on their summer wardrobe next year. Does Santa like to bring new bikes for Christmas? Check out Target, Toys R Us and some of the other outdoor stores online for deals on bikes and outdoor riding toys that you can stash away for the holidays. If you have space, pool accessories will certainly keep until next summer in storage as would summer entertaining items. You can probably get a fabulous deal on outdoor furniture right now!
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The internet is full of offers for free stuff. If you Google “Free stuff” or “freebies,” you’ll find a ton of websites that tell you how to get something for nothing. Most are free samples, but some are more. When you sign up for a freebie online, it’s a good idea to use a secondary email because you can wind up with more emails than you imagined! I thought I’d share a few freebies posted by the good folks on my message board. Thanks in advance to them!

Register to receive free samples of Tide, Downy and Bounce

Get a free Pur Water Bottle

Sign up for a free Schick Quattro Razor

Enter your name and address for a free Sunsilk sample pack. I think this one also comes with coupons!
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I’ve mentioned using coupons online in previous blogs, but you might be wondering how you find those coupons. Obviously you can use one of the many sites out there with coupon codes or you can do a Google search for them, but there’s also another way to find these sometimes exclusive coupons.

As you’re browsing online at your favorite stores, look to see if they have an email newsletter. Chances are, they do, and if they do, they probably send out their special offers and deals in that newsletter. Once you’re on the email lists for your favorite stores, you’ll find yourself getting advance info about sales, specials and deals.
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Did you know you can get all kinds of free samples online? You’ll save yourself some time and money just by filling out a few forms online. Plus, it’s fun to get something in the mail besides bills, right? Click here to get a free sample of Dove Pro-Age Shampoo or Deodorant!

Get a free sample of Olay Total Effects Cleansing Cloths just by filling out the form here.

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Many online stores now have the option to pick up your online orders in the store. When you’re shopping, look for something that says “ship to store” and you can save money on shipping charges.

Stores such as JC Penney offer reduced shipping charges if you pick up at your local stores, but others, including Linens ‘N Things, Sears, and Best Buy offer free shipping on most items if you order online and pick up in the store! Even Wal-Mart now offers in-store pick-up in select areas. You’ll have to check their website for availability.

Some stores such as Sears and Circuit City even have a time guarantee for when your order will be available. Sears will give you a $5 coupon if your order is not ready when they say it will be!

This is just another way you can save a few dollars and a lot of time by shopping online. Just surf to your favorite store, pick out what you’d like to buy and order it. You save time by not having to browse in the store and lug around heavy items. Another bonus for using in-store pick up is that you’re usually able to use online coupons for your orders. You wind up saving time and money. What could be better?

I love shoes. Some people might call it an obsession. Heels, flats, boots, thongs, mary janes, tennis shoes, hiking boots, ballerinas, mules, pumps, my awesome Chuck Taylor® Converse All Stars – you name them, I love them. I have quite a selection.

But here’s the thing:

I keep all my shoes in their original boxes.

Despite the ribbing I have taken about this over the years, I consider this one of my best time-, space- and money-saving tips.

• It saves time. Years ago, like a lot of people, I threw my shoes on the floor of my closet, and lost precious time every morning trying to locate two shoes that matched.
• It saves space. Boxes stack easily on a closet shelf or the floor if need be. You can also stack by style, color and season.
• It saves money. That may seem like a stretch, but think about it. Taking care of your shoes keeps them newer looking longer. They keep from getting scuffed because they are safe in their boxes. Stuffing the toes with tissue helps absorb any oils that can eventually cause the insoles to deteriorate.

If for some reason a box breaks down and I’m forced to throw it away, I replace it with a clear plastic shoe box with a lid. Although I usually remember what shoes came in what box, I try to stack the boxes with the label side out, which frequently has an illustration of the shoes, so that makes it easy for me to scan for the pair I want. I personally like the box system better than hanging shoe bags. I have tried them and find that they take up too much hanging space in my closet, and my shoes tended to get scuffed or squashed too easily.

I have a passion for my shoes, and I want to keep them looking good as long as I can. I encourage you to try this and see if it doesn’t help you save time, space and money in the long run!

Shopping, Shoes, Chuck Taylors, Money Savers, Time Savers

I spend a lot of time browsing for products online, and sometimes wish the experience were more like shopping in a real department store, where I could take a left at the lingere and end up in the housewares department. That’s the idea behind MYBIGSTORES.COM.

Described as an “online catalog” MYBIGSTORES.COM has gathered and grouped a collection of over 250 online retailers into quite a variety of common “departments” or categories. Those categories, similar to a department store, include apparel and accessories, beauty and health, computers, electronics, toys and kids, flowers and gifts, video games and more. These aren’t little unknown retailers, either, they are the big names like Macy’s, Wal-Mart, Nordstom, Target and lots more.

Here’s my take on this.

I did a little clicking around MYBIGSTORES.COM and found it to be easy to use. The subcategories have retailers in alphabetical order, with current sales and promotions listed so you can quickly scan for the stores and/or deals you are interested in. One thing I appreciated was that, although I am familiar with lots of these retailers, there were a few stores that caught my eye that I hadn’t heard of before. I may have run across them accidentally, but this was a way for me to be introduced to something new without spending a ton of time searching. Overall I think this is a good idea. It’s not revolutionary – I have run across similar sites before. But it is clean, simple to use, up to date, and a timesaver for people like me who spend a lot of time browsing the Internet. Check it out.

Online Shopping, Department Store, MYBIGSTORES.COM, Sales, Promotions, Coupon Codes