Online Shopping 101: How To Find The Best Deals

Photo by Peter Hilton

I do almost all of my Christmas shopping on the internet. I love to be able to research prices so I know that I am getting the best deal possible, and when I shop online, I don't have the distractions around me that cause me to sometimes overspend.

There are several easy, free internet tools I use that have saved me hundreds of dollars. Here is a list of my favorite ways to get the best deal.

Research The Products. I always look up reviews on products before I even think about purchasing them. Amazon has a lot of reviews, as does Consumer Reports. You can also do a quick search for "(product name) reviews." If you aren't sure about a product, sometimes it's worth it to take a look at it in stores, then buy it over the internet if the price is much lower.

Set Up Deal Alerts on SlickDeals. SlickDeals is THE online deal forum, in my opinion. You can create a free account, and set up a nifty thing called deal alerts. You simply input a keyword (for example, "train set") and click "e-mail instantly." Every time someone posts a deal with the keyword "train set" you will receive an e-mail in your inbox with a link to the post.

Watch Prices with Price Protectr. I wish I had known about this site last Christmas! Have you ever found something online that would make the perfect gift, but realized it's just slightly out of your budget? Go to priceprotectr.com, copy and paste the link of the site the item is on, and click "look it up." Check to make sure all the information is correct, then enter your e-mail address and click "start protecting." When the price drops, you will be sent an e-mail alerting you to the price change. This is especially helpful for sites that offer a price protection policy.

Go Through A Cashback Site. Always check to see if the website you want to make a purchase from has a link on a cashback site such as Cashbaq and Ebates. Simple using the link on the cashback site to access the site you are using to shop will record your purchase and insure you receive cashback. The amount varies, but is usually 3% to 7% or more.

Check For Coupon Codes. My favorite site for coupon codes is RetailMeNot.com. Type in the site name to access coupon codes that are constantly updated. Most, if not all, online merchants have a place to input a coupon code, so it's always worth doing a quick search!