The Three C’s of Saving Money Online
I have always been fascinated by the Internet. We first got dial up at my house when I was 14 or 15, and since then, I’ve been quite into all the different things I can do with it. From playing video games to the fact that my profession is based online, I use it for everything. But, as someone who loves to save money, that activity tops the list of favorite things to do online. Here are some ways that you can use your high-speed internet connection to save more money than you pay to have that connection!
Comparison shopping- Comparison shopping is one of the best ways that you can save money online, and probably the technique that most people think of too. Whether you’re comparing online stores to brick-and-mortar ones, comparing similar brick-and-mortar store prices, or seeing if an auction on Ebay is less money than any of your other options, you can save hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars a year getting things that you need or want.
With comparison shopping, there’s also free websites like Freecycle and Craigslist that you can sometimes find absolute gems with. On Craigslist one time, I got a Ferret Nation (large cage for ferrets or rats) for less than $100. The retail of the model that I got was about $250 – I saved over 50%!
When it comes to holiday shopping, I always use the Internet. The best part? Websites like Amazon can ship presents right to the person that you bought them for if they live far away, and, if the product is over a certain amount of money, you can sometimes get free or reduced shipping! Win-win for everyone!
Communication with friends and family- I love this part of the Internet. I literally have friends all over the country (and a couple outside of it) and the Internet is an easy and inexpensive way to keep in touch with them.
The best example of this right now is my one friend who is doing missions work in Africa. She has access to the Internet, so since she’s left we’ve talked via Facebook, emailed each other, and used Skype a couple of times to actually physically talk to each other instead of just typing. None of those services cost money (you can pay for Skype if you want to use it to make actual phone calls, but regular “calls” to other Skype users are free) and you don’t have to stand there with a phone to your ear, which I immensely dislike.
Another cool thing is the ability to play games and “hang out” online. Much of my research in graduate school was around the topic of online gaming, so I know that if that’s your primary way of communication it can be bad for you. But, if you are social in real life and online, you can balance it in a healthy way. My best friend and I live 2 hours apart, and instead of me driving there all of the time, I can drive there occasionally and we can “hang out” online other times. It saves a lot of gas money!
Coupons and gift cards- There are websites that offer coupons for groceries, for restaurants, or whatever you can imagine. The legitimacy is always something you should check into first, but there are a lot of trustworthy sites out there to help you save some money on everything. Always search online before you go to the store.
Websites that offer gift cards you have to be even more careful of, but I have used several sites that are totally legitimate and gotten hundreds of dollars of free gift cards for doing various activities. There are sites that offer you points for doing web searches, others that give you points for shopping online, and even more for other things like playing games. Luckily, a lot of these are free, so the risk to you is incredibly low. I suggest if you’re going to use these websites, make a separate email address for them so you don’t get inundated with spam.
So, these are the three C’s of online savings. It’s estimated that some people save up to and over $5,000 a year if they use these resources wisely and to their best ability, and now that you know a few of the secrets, you can too!
