2020 is the year of setting up new habits that will put you on track to achieve all of your goals for the next decade.
With this in mind, one of my New Year’s Resolutions was to spend my money more wisely. One of the best ways to do that for me is to shop online because I don’t get distracted by impulse purchases which I clearly don’t need, and I can almost always save some money doing it.
Throughout 2019 I refined my online shopping hacks and have picked out my top tips for you to bring into the next decade.
Shopback
Shopback is a cashback system that gives you a percentage of your purchase back and allows you to deposit it right back into your bank account or PayPal. The way it works is that Shopback partners with all of your favourite brands (The Iconic, Princess Polly, Woolworths etc.) and receives a percentage commission when which they then share with you, the purchaser.
With some brands, you can earn up to 15% cashback. So far, after just under one year of using the platform, I have saved $181.46, on items that I would have been buying anyway.
Shopback has an App which you can download and look up participating stores. It then redirects you to the store’s website and you shop and check out as normal. My favourite way to use Shopback is through the Google Chrome and Firefox extensions. This means that whenever I go onto a site that is partnered with Shopback, I receive a notification that allows me to activate Shopback and then continue on as normal.
Unlike most of my other tips, this one is not a discount code, although I do use it in conjunction with the below, this is actual cash that you get back into your account to fund another purchase later on.
Honey
The Honey app is a browser extension or add-on, that can save you money by automatically searching for coupons on most of your favourite shopping sites. It’s available for all of the major web browsers, and it’s a lot easier than manually sifting through coupon sites like RetailMeNot.
Honey works by looking at the items in your cart on most popular shopping websites and then searching for relevant coupon codes. If it finds any working codes, it enters them automatically, and you end up saving money without the hard work of searching for and entering them manually.
Influencer Discount Codes
One of the great things to come out of social media is influencer x brand collaborations and hauls. While there is no doubt that these are designed to get you (the consumer) to purchase new items, these videos usually come with a discount code which enables you to get items that you want at a cheaper rate.
Influencer discount codes are usually pretty good for the bank account and can range from 10-30% of typically, but in some cases can be between 50-80% off.
If I’ve struggled to find a discount using Honey, I will often look up Princess Polly Haul on YouTube for example and find a video with a discount code that way.
I also typically use a code from an influencer that I actually like so that I can support them with commission that they will likely get it the code is also an affiliate code.
Leave things in your cart
This hack is a sneaky one that I actually discovered by accident when I was shopping for supplements on Tropeaka. I put the items in my cart and then talked myself out of spending the money before I processed the payment. Then, a few days later, I got an email from Tropeaka with a 25% off discount code which they sent me to encourage me to complete my order.
I’ve done this the last few times I’ve purchased from there and it works with other online stores too.
However, if you simply can’t resist that item and you need in your life now, there are multiple services online who work with brands creating discount vouchers so you can always get the best deal. Our fave is the WeThrift link for The Iconic – Winning.
