3. Use mobile apps for exclusive and limited-time deals
Multiple online shopping sites such as PriceGrabber, Groupon, or LivingSocial have mobile apps that allow you to compare prices from different retailers and also access limited time deals. With these apps, you get access to a wide range of offers ranging from discounted household items to haircuts.
You should also have a look at flashback apps such as Rakuten or Ibotta, which partner with online stores to offer a percentage of your purchase back. Even though it may not seem like much, cashback can really add up over time and you really don't have anything to lose.
4. Don't checkout immediately
After you select the items you want to purchase and put them in your cart, don't check out immediately. Instead, abandon your cart for a couple of hours or days. Many websites will send you a discount via email if you just wait. In most cases, this could be up to 10-20%, so it's really worth it to be patient. Plus, this tactic comes with another advantage — you'll avoid an impulse buy.
5. Check out social media
If you buy stuff from the same brands regularly, it's always a good idea to follow them on social media. Many brands use those channels to offer free shipping codes or announce special flash sales just for their social media followers.
While it's always good idea to follow your favorite brands on social media, it's also worth remembering that this can tempt you to make some major impulse buys.
6. Give price matching a try
Many stores, with Target, Kohl's and Walmart among them participate in price matching. This means that you can look for prices and deals on one store and ask another one to match the price. Sometimes, you'll get an even better deal than the original one. This is a strategy that doesn't always work, but it's worth giving it a try.
7. Use price comparison tools
Whenever you intend to make an online purchase, take a minute to compare prices, because there's nothing more annoying than finding a better deal for the same product the day after you bought it.
Some of the websites that you can use to compare prices and make sure that you don't miss a good deal include:
Camelcamelcamel – this website is a great tool for tracking the price history of products. It tracks pricing history on Amazon.com, so you can look at the graphs they have available for hundreds of thousands of products and determine when they're likely to drop.