Seven Simple Steps To Save On Your Online Shopping
By Julie Hood, Sat Dec 10th

Do you love to shop as much as I do? It's even more fun when Ican shop and save money, too. Here are a few of my favorite waysto save time and money when shopping.

1. Compare prices on a shopping comparison site

Find the best price (and save a lot of time surfing) by usingprice comparison websites like Shopping.com, PriceGrabber.com,NexTag.com, Epinions.com, MySimon.com and others. Be sure tocheck more than one since some sites only list certain stores.

2. Lose the mall. Surf the online malls instead

Just like a regular mall, an online mall groups the best storesall in one place. In this case, the stores are all accessiblefrom one website. Online malls are so much more efficient thanthe regular mall. You save time because there's no waiting for aparking space, no fighting the crowds and no waiting in longlines. You can save more money using an online mall than aregular mall. Many online malls give you cash back rebates oneach of your purchases through their store links. Rebates can beup to 25%.

3. Make sure your plastic pays you

Cash back credit cards offer another great way to save even moremoney on your purchases. My credit card gives us 1% back everytime we use it. Rewards vary depending upon the store you'rebuying from and what items you purchase. Other cards provideairline miles or even let you save for college while you areshopping.

4. Clip those codes

Don't forget to use online discount codes and coupons to saveeven more. The best way to get these codes is to sign up

for astore's e-mail newsletter. Notice of the site's sales andspecials will be sent directly to your e-mail. Another way tofind codes is to use your favorite search engine and search forthe site name along with the word "coupon," "discount" or"promotion code." If you are using an online mall, be sure tocheck it too. Most malls maintain a selection of coupons fortheir members.

5. Always get free (or almost free!) shipping

When shopping online, watch for times when you can get freeshipping. You can save anywhere from a few dollars on up. Usethe search engine technique above to look for the website namewith "free shipping."

6. Give an electronic gift certificate

Are you shopping for a special someone? Let her decide what shewants and where she wants to buy it by giving her an online"super" certificate from GiftCertificates.com. If you need alast minute gift, you can e-mail the gift certificate to therecipient. Save even more when you buy these certificatesthrough an online mall. GiftTracker.com even has certificates tomy local mall (perfect for teacher gifts), restaurants, spas andmore.

7. Avoid the long lines at discount stores and visit theirwebsites instead

Some of the best discount stores like Wal-Mart and Target havean online store to save you time. Instead of standing in lines,get your purchases delivered to your door when you shop online.

About the author:Want to know more about online malls and other ways to save?Visit the DiscountShopping Service Guide where Julie Hood is a seniorcontributing editor and writes about saving money shoppingonline.