3 Ways to Save When Online Shopping

I know we all want to grow our savings to astronomical amounts so by the end of the month or year you’re sitting pretty on a big cash savings account. But to be living this large you need to cut back in other areas of your life. For most of us growing a savings account means cutting back elsewhere so you’re able to put extra income and money aside that you don’t need or spend right now.

It’s not a complicated theory, to save money you need to not spend money. But for some reason it’s a hard concept for us to all practice and implement. Including myself once upon a time and still something I have to work towards every month. 

I had to learn to cut back spending in areas that I wasn’t willing to completely eliminate in my life but areas I could cut back and still enjoy and also build my savings – best of both worlds they would say.

Here are my top 3 ways to save for those who love to online shop and how you can start saving while still enjoying your simple pleasure of online shopping.

Utilizing a Buy List – I wrote up a whole blog post about creating a buy list for myself and how it has decreased my online shopping addiction I once had astronomically. This is something you can have in your notes on your phone that when you find an online shopping item you add it to your “buy list” and do not buy the item right away – fight that instant satisfaction feeling you’re begging for. In a week or two review your buy list and if you haven’t stopped thinking about that item then go ahead and buy it.

I’m not exaggerating, every single item I have added to my “buy list” has not been purchased. This has saved me over thousands of dollars of items I wanted in the moment but when reviewing later on realizing it was a want and nowhere near a need in my life.

Start Thrifting – If you know me personally you know that almost all of my favorite clothing items are from goodwill and were bought for a whopping $5. I’m not kidding. It’s somehow happened that the best items in my closet I go for and are my first grabs after a load of laundry – that’s when you know you like it – are all from goodwill. I understand not everyone is wanting to hunt through a goodwill and stumble upon that men’s flannel you can’t find in a full-price store anywhere, the lululemon gems and cropped sweatshirts that are your favorite BUT you can be aware of buying used, vintage, secondhand and resale.

Get over the fear of buying used and get used to the habit of spending $15 for a new wardrobe of clothes for the month with pieces no one else will have. Create your own style and creativity in your wardrobe.

Only Buy The “Needs” at Full-Price – in my personal closet I do have the pieces I choose to invest in and they’re worth every penny. This ranges from outdoor clothing and gear, lululemon leggings and shoes. These are all things that I choose to treat myself with and they have lasted years and continue to prove their value to me. I have tried the lululemon legging dupes and more inexpensive brands and will continue to think the $98 legging purchase is worth every penny and choose to treat myself with it. The outdoor gear and sporting goods clothing like hiking coats, winter coats, outdoor layers, etc. are something that will last you years to come and may honestly fit forever and its worth the pricey penny.

There are things that you will find yourself not willing to buy second hand or cut out of your closet and you shouldn’t have to. It just means finding out what those items are and how often you’re buying them. Try to only buy these every few months, one time a year or on a special holiday to treat yourself.