Jonathan Currinn
Everyone loves a bargain, no more than me. I refuse to pay for something unless I’m pretty sure it’s the cheapest I can find. This proves to be a slight problem when I’m out shopping; having to walk to each shop that sells the product I want to make sure I pay the cheapest price.
When I’m online, however, I have to give myself a few hours to allow myself to explore all my options and find the cheapest price. Sometimes it takes me days before I decide to buy the product.
You can use all these techniques for both essential items and must-haves. Just remember that the price you first see isn’t always the cheapest; if you just spend a little bit of time you’ll get the exact same item cheaper. So here’s five top tips on saving money on products you want.
1. Google and Discounts
This really goes without saying. Literally, google the product you are looking for. Google has a shopping tab, which compares plenty of sites selling your product. Yet, don’t always rely on Google. Always search Amazon, eBay and other sites too, as Google doesn’t list everything. Also, don’t forget about postage and packaging, this is the thing that catches most people out, make sure you find the cheapest total price.
If you’re a music lover like me and refuse to stream music on Spotify or Apple Music; instead preferring to actually buy your music, like I do, then you don’t always have to pay full price. I always buy my music from iTunes; this can sometimes amount to a lot of money coming out of my account. However, there is a workaround. Search for iTunes gift cards. Sometimes supermarkets and PayPal will do 20% off, sometimes Zeek beats that, if all else fails there’s always eBay and other sites.
Personally, I like to own music so I can listen to it whenever I want, wherever I want; streaming sites don’t allow me to do that, that’s why I buy music. Discounted gift cards allow me to not only save money, but keep track of how much I’m spending on iTunes, as the store displays my gift card balance, so I can watch it decrease every time I buy something.
It’s not just iTunes gift cards on offer, there are many gift cards available in the world and, usually, you can find them with money off.
2. Flubit
This is a great little unique site that will solve problems for you easily, you just have to give it a few hours or days. If you’ve used all your googling know-how and Amazon is the cheapest you can find, don’t buy just yet! Flubit is more than happy to step in and find your Amazon product, cheaper.
If ever I decide that Amazon is the cheapest place I can get the product, I’ll use Flubit to find it cheaper. It rarely lets me down, although there is the occasion when it is unable to find it for less.
Just submit a request and give it some time. You’ll soon receive an email claiming that they’ve found the product cheaper.
You can even upgrade to the Elite program, this costs money but you can claim from thirteen other sites, not just Amazon. There are other benefits too.
3. mySupermarket App
This is one of my favourite apps on my phone when I’m out and about, or even when I’m at home creating a shopping list. Search for the product you want and it will tell you the price in supermarkets as well as other local stores. This is perfect when I’m out so I only go into the one shop rather than many. There is also a barcode scanner which is extremely helpful especially when I’m already in a shop.
With this app, you can also set price alerts so you can stock up on your favourite products when they’re on offer. The app also allows you to create your own shopping lists, order online, swap products for cheaper alternatives, get daily deals and exclusive vouchers, but most importantly get the best price on your favourite products. This is a must-have if you want to save some money.
4. Cashback Sites
If you don’t know what a cashback site is, you are missing out! Personally, I use TopCashback, but there are others out there such as Quidco. These sites pay you when you click through them to sites and retailers you want to buy from.
I always check TopCashback before buying from a specific website, but I always make sure the retailer is the cheapest place I can buy the product. No point in searching for the biggest cashback, especially since it can take some time for the cashback to track, get confirmed and the become payable. Might as well get the product cheap in the first place.
They also run competitions now and again. TopCashback is known for their cashback giveaways. They give you a clue a day, then you have to find the store on the site and a hummingbird will pop up. Click on it to receive an item, collect enough items and you’ll win a prize; there is also a mega prize draw and you can earn entries into the draw every time you play.
TopCashback comes with a guarantee. If you can find a site that will give you a higher cashback rate for the same retailer, TopCashback will beat the competitive rate.
5. Bookcrossing / BookMooch
Both these sites are perfect for book lovers. Share books, receive books, enter competitions and engage with other members.
BookCrossing
BookCrossing is an international book sharing community. Each book has a unique BCID (BookCrossing ID) which is written inside the book. Once you have found a book you can write a Journal Entry telling previous owners that you have the book. You can also post an entry when you’ve read it including leaving a review, and then it’s time to release it. Keep track of your books and see them explore the world.
You can release books two ways, you can either send it to someone through the post or by hand, this is called a controlled release. Or, you can be adventurous and wild release it by leaving it on a bench, in a café, on a train, in a park, or even in an OBCZ (Official BookCrossing Zone). OBCZs are set up all over the world. Usually, it’s a bookshelf in a café, where you can pick books up from and take them home, or bring books and place them on the shelves.
Everyone communicates on a forum, which has many topics. You can even sign up for a BookRing or BookRay (a book gets sent through a list of participants each person reads it and then passes it on to the next); then there’s a BookSpiral (this is where a book series gets passed around a list of participants). There are also RABCKs (Random Acts of BookCrossing Kindness) where someone will send a book to you that you want.
You can create wishlists and communicate with other members via post messages. It may seem complicated but it’s easy once you get the hang of it. Take a look around and see what you make of it.
There is also an option to enter Journal Entires anonymously. This allows people to let the previous owners that they have the book in their possession without actually signing up to the website.
BookMooch
This is a slightly different book game to BookCrossing, although you can link the two. BookMooch deals with points. You register books you don’t want anymore and someone will Mooch it from you. What this means is that you’ll receive a point (or three if this person is from a different country to your own) and the address you need to send the book to. These book points can then be spent on books you want to Mooch from other people.
Basically, you buy and sell books through a point system. It’s really easy, all you’re paying for is to send books, which equals out when you Mooch books from other people.
Have these five tips helped you out? Got any more tips and tricks that aren’t mentioned? Let us know on Twitter @Fuzzable.
