Day 4: Use Coupon Codes

Online shopping has taken the place of many brick and mortar stores and retailers are well aware of this fact and are striving for your business. One of the MAJOR ways they do this is by sending out coupon codes. Coupon codes (or promotional, promo or discount codes) are codes that are usually a series of letters and number or a word that is entered at checkout on a retailers website in exchange for some kind of discount. They are basically the internet retailer's way of providing coupons and you can reap some major discounts with them!

Commonly coupon codes are for a certain percentage off a particular item or in some cases your entire order, they may also be redeemed for free products or free shipping. Coupon codes abound on the internet and savings just waiting to be found.

Before you buy anything online, I strongly suggest that you look for a coupon code. I save over $150 when I was ordering my wedding albums on Shutterfly by using coupon codes!

But now you ask, where do I find them?

• Retailmenot.com: this is by far the best coupon code website out there. It covers just about every online retailer and is fully searchable. It also shows you details about what you can get with the code and other peoples success rate in redeeming it. This is where I have found the majority of my coupons. 
• Google searching: I know this may seem like a "duh" one, but do a google search with the name of the company or website and coupon code. For example, for my wedding albums I would do a search for "Shutterfly + coupon code". Don't forget to be creative with your search keywords, also look for: discount, promo, promotional, sale, and code.
• Frugal Blogs: these are a treasure trove on the internet. Find some blogs that are in the niche of products you are looking to buy and check those for coupon codes (ahem, The DC Frugal Girl). The authors of these blogs are more than happy to share the great deals they find! 
• Sign up for mailing lists: if you sign up for the mailing lists of your favorite websites, they will usually email you the most current (and sometimes exclusive) promotions, including coupon codes and great offers.

These are just a few of the ways you can find coupon codes to use in your online shopping. And if you think it might be a hassle to look them up, think about how much free shipping and 20-40% off yours online adds up to over the course of a year? A whole lotta savings!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.