Online Coupon Codes: Shop Smarter

Online shopping and being frugal may seem to be mutually exclusive concepts, but think again. Venture capitalists invest huge sums of money into new online stores, while the larger, established "bricks and mortar" stores (such as Staples, Wal-Mart, Barnes and Noble) are trying to capture as much of the online shopping audience as possible. To do so, they offer special incentives to shop at their stores: "first-time" customer savings, online coupons, and more.

Savvy online shoppers can find a coupon for nearly every store online. I rarely shop for books, clothes, office supplies, and food at the "dot coms" without a special coupon code. Where can you find these coupons, especially as the kids head back to school, and your budget is stretched tighter than ever?

Webmasters and everyday tightwads have jumped on the e-commerce bandwagon by creating coupon sites, listing available coupons for various stores online. These coupon codes and deals carry expiration dates, just like your coupons that you clip from the newspaper. The good coupon sites update the coupons daily or weekly. Some sites list the actual code, which you type into a special box when you order, while other sites link you directly to the deal page on the store's site.

An entire area of Internet development has been created as a result of online coupon codes: message board devoted to online couponing and deal shopping. In the 1980s and 1990s newspapers and television programs covered stories about coupon queens, and rebate nuts, who matched store sales with coupons, or rebates with store sales AND coupons, to save hundreds each month on food and grocery items.

Now, with the Internet, everything is easier and faster. Bulletin boards and message boards have cropped up soley for coupon code and discount sharing. Looking for printer paper? Go to a "deals" site and do a search--the latest sale is bound to appear. Need a new printer? Someone on a discount message board will tell you where to find it on sale, which coupon code to use, and how to shave an extra 5% off by using an affiliate website link.

Common affiliate sites include Fatwallet.com, Ebates.com, and Mypoints.com. You earn the discount from the coupon code AND an additional 2-15% by clicking on links through these sites and shopping.

Frugal shoppers and "freebie queens" post information about deals and rebates on these bulletin boards. You can learn quite a bit about special deals and also post requests on products you're looking for. During clearance times (after Christmas, seasonal changes) these boards become a wealth of information. imagine getting cashmere sweaters for $5! A printer for $3! Four cases of printer paper and a set of luggage shipped to you for $40! It's worth finding good deals boards online.

A word of caution about bulletin boards: some coupons have been posted on sites without the permission of the company. In general, 99% of the coupons are legitimate, but occasionally a disgruntled employee of a hacker finds a code and releases it to the public. The company often cancels these orders, and it can be frustrating and disappointing to place an order only to have it cancelled. Buyer beware.

With a little information and a tightwad's heart, you should be able to cut your school supply costs 40-50% this season by shopping online with coupons. For an added bonus, get the kids involved and teach them about price shopping, online ordering, and site navigation. Now that's an educational experience!