Secrets of a Master Deal-Finder

A fun little tidbit about me: I am a master deal finder. Whether it’s coupon codes, credit card reward offers, or cash back shopping sites, I rarely buy something online without exploring all my options.

Can I be a bit obsessive sometime and spend way more time than necessary? Yup. Have I saved a ton of money? You betcha.

It’s kinda like when you’re debating donating or selling something, it’s good to evaluate if the reward will be worth the effort.

Do I want to juggle multiple inquiry messages about a $5 pie plate I’m selling? Hell no. Off to the charity shop it goes.

Is it worth the staging, photographing, listing, and managing posts to sell a $100 nightstand? Yup. For me, anyway. And admittedly, depending on the day and my mood. 🙂

Shopping online is a bit different because the money-saving tools I use do the work for me, for the most part so it’s often worth it.

So this week, I’m sharing my secrets to getting some crazy good deals, not to encourage unnecessary purchases or retail therapy, but instead to help you save money on things you’d be buying anyway.

In fact, these tools force me to pause before placing an order. By evaluating offers, I have, at times, changed my mind about a purchase all together. That’s a bonus win as it clearly wasn’t something I needed! Stay away clutter!

OK, let’s dive in…

Whenever I shop online, I’m sure to have my shopping browser extensions live and ready to alert me to cash back opportunities, available coupons, and lower prices. (See below for simple instructions on installing extensions).

The first two on the list are cash-back shopping services. By creating an account on each and installing these extensions on your browser, you will be alerted to cash back opportunities when browsing online stores.

While Amazon doesn’t participate in these offerings, I have gotten plenty of cash back from other sites, such as Kohl’s, Staples, Ulta, and more.

1. Mr. Rebates – in my time using this service, I have received almost $90 back!
2. Rakuten – lifetime cash back so far with this one is $128.
3. Swagbucks – With this service, you earn “swagbucks” which can be cashed in for gifts cards at your favorite stores. My lifetime total is almost 4,500 bucks which I can redeem for $45 worth of gift cards.
4. Honey – this awesome service does the work for you in finding online coupon codes.

   When you prepare to checkout at an online store, Honey will pop up and tell you if there are coupons to try. Simply click “Try Coupons” and it runs through all possible options. It will then tell you how much you saved or confirm that you already have the best price. No more hunting around the web for codes!

5. Slickdeals – this is a mega-hub of deals, coupon codes, secret specials and more.

   Fair warning: use this site when looking for something specific. Logging on to browse could result in hours and hours lost!

6. Flipp – this is an app I have on my phone where I can view the weekly circulars for a variety of stores.

   I primarily use it to search where a particular item is on sale during any given week. For example, I might search “Seventh Generation dish soap,” and it will show me what stores are offering specials.

What the heck is an extension anyway? It’s a little add-on to your browser that enhances your browser with various functions and features. The ultimate goal with these is to make your online life easier.

To install and manage any of the extensions mentioned above, click the link that corresponds to your browser of choice.

• Google Chrome, click here.
• Mozilla Firefox, click here.
• Safari, click here.

I hope you enjoy getting paid to shop as much as I do!