Having a lengthy to-do list is not uncommon in the summer. Finding time to get the yard work done, complete some repairs on the house and fit in some outdoor exercise isn’t easy, let alone making the time needed to buy all the requisite gear.

Last year, Americans spent more than $130 billion while shopping online, a growth of more than 6 percent over the year before. It’s no surprise that shoppers choose to use the Internet more and more: you can save time and money by checking reviews of products and finding the best deals. Finding online coupons for selected retailers can also be a way to save money.

With the economy in uncertain times, saving money has never been more important for most families as they embark on their summer activities. Here are some tips for how to save money using the Internet this season:

* Comparison shop to find the best deals. Use a search engine to look for the product you want, and find out which company has the best deals. Don’t forget to check consumer reviews to get other users’ opinions on the product you are interested in.

* Pay bills online. By using the online bill-pay option with your bank or utility, you can save yourself money on stamps and envelopes and not worry about running out of either. Oftentimes, you can set payments in advance so you don’t have to worry about missing a due date for a bill, which can lead to unnecessary — and often pricey — finance charges and other fees. You can also approve automated withdrawals from your account to pay for your bills as well.

* Seek out online coupons and coupon codes. Hundreds of online retailers have coupon codes available for customers if you know the right place to find them. One of those places is DefinitiveDeals.com.

The coupons are all added by people — not computers — and the most popular coupons are tested to make sure the codes are still valid, while expired coupons automatically drop off the site. Many other sites build up a large database of largely expired offers.

The site has coupons for travel, home and garden, athletic gear and clothing retailers. You can search the site for Finish Line coupons, and you can save money on your children’s soccer or baseball equipment.

* Look for home improvement tips. After you’ve used coupons and saved money buying all the gear and tools you need for the job, seek out sites that give you step-by-step instructions for your home projects. With online advice to help, you can complete a lot of projects yourself without having to hire someone.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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Five Tips for Saving Big on Back-to-school Shopping

It’s almost time for the kids to go back to school, and this year shopping for school supplies will be a lot more difficult for many families. Due to high gas prices and stretched budgets, financially pinched parents are looking for creative ways to save money.

In addition to cutting back on normal back-to-school purchases, parents are comparing prices and looking for bargains so they can get what they need without having to spend a lot of money. Here are some ideas that will help you shave costs on your back-to-school shopping.

1. Do your back-to-school shopping online.
All of the major retailers have an online presence, and many offer significant savings if you shop through their Web sites. Some retailers will even offer free shipping.

According to a recent survey done by the National Retail Federation (NRF), online shopping will experience a significant increase this year. Of the 200 people surveyed in the study, 25 percent said they planned to do their back-to-school shopping online this year. The top two reasons to shop online are to find deals and to save gas money.

But those aren’t the only reason consumers like Marisa Olson of Philadelphia, Pa., will choose to shop online this year. “I like shopping online for the convenience of it, and because it allows me to comparison shop without having to run all over town to check prices,” says Olson, who is happy to share her secret for finding the best deals online. Rather than logging on to the sites of several individual retailers to check prices, she uses Microsoft’s Live Search cashback (www.live.com/cashback) to find the best deals.

The site has partnerships with hundreds of the nation’s major retailers to offer brand name products at bargain prices. Simply log on to www.live.com/cashback, enter the name of the product you are looking for into the search box, and the site will bring up the best prices available at several different stores. Click on the deal you like best, and if you make a purchase, in addition to a great price, you’ll also get cashback which comes directly from Microsoft.

“I recently bought a Louis Vuitton bag and saved over 20 percent. I got more than $200 deposited into my PayPal account. That’s a great thing, considering it was a splurge that I wouldn’t have made otherwise,” says Olson.

2. Hit end-of-the-summer clearance sales.
Behind the holiday season, back-to-school is the most important shopping period of the year for retailers. And as a result, the weeks before school begins are a great time to shop for clothing, footwear, electronics, house-wares and school supplies. It’s not uncommon to find items marked 50, 60 or even 70 percent off since stores are desperate to clear out inventory in order to bring sales numbers up and make room for fall merchandise.

3. Shop at local consignment shops.
Why pay retail prices for clothes that the kids are going to outgrow anyway when you can find some great bargains at your local consignment shop? Consignment stores accept clothes that are gently used and in good shape, so if you’re willing to invest a little time thumbing through the racks, you may be able to find inexpensive children’s clothes that are nearly new at a fraction of retail prices.

4. Buy in bulk.
Another strategy you can take to save money is to buy in bulk. Warehouse stores carry a wide range of seasonal merchandise, including back-to-school supplies. But before you purchase a 100 pack of book covers, a box of 100 pens or pencils, 50 Crayola markers or a two-pack of scientific calculators, do your homework to make sure it’s a great deal.

Bring a notepad to your local office or discount store and write down the unit price for each item you plan to purchase. Then when you return to the warehouse store, compare the numbers and make sure your savings will be significant enough to be worth it.

5. Reuse some of last year’s school supplies.
But perhaps the best way to save money is if you can reuse some of last year’s school supplies. Those Fiskar’s scissors probably don’t need to be replaced yet. Neither does your son or daughter’s pencil box, or the markers that came home unused.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

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