Online Savings Tips Round-up

If you're shopping online anyway, you may as well save some money while you're at it. Here's a quick overview of some Internet-based money savers:

Bing Cashback: Search for an item, and Bing Shopping will display the different stores' normal price, as well as the "Cashback" price (i.e., store price minus the Bing Cashback amount). You can then request your Cashback amount about 60 days after your purchase as long as there is at least $5 in your Cashback account. Cashback discounts start at 2% and go on up. Combine it with a store with already low prices like Wal-Mart, and savings can be even more substantial.

Invisible Hand: Invisible Hand is a notification add-on for your browser that shows you the cheapest price it can find of an item you're viewing. Simply put, it's the lazy man's shopping comparison tool. Say you're on Amazon looking at a toy kitchen for your 4-year-old daughter (shhhhhh!), you'll notice a bar drop down from the top of your browser showing a cheaper price at Meijer.com. Voilà! But be careful, it's not perfect. It doesn't factor in shipping or any other discounts you might get (such as Bing Cashback).

FatWallet.com and Ebates.com: These are two more cashback sites. Similar to Bing Cashback, these free membership sites allow you to search for items, then get the advertised cashback sent to you on a periodic basis. Unlike Bing, they also list online coupons. Ebates offers refer-a-friend sign-up bonuses and FatWallet has a forum for sharing even more money-saving ideas. (That said, it appeared to me that Bing's cashback percentages were higher.)

LogicBUY.com: LogicBUY.com also aims to be your one-stop shop for all things savings, although it doesn't offer a cashback program. It's claim? "LogicBUY offers the most comprehensive coupon codes, deals and price drops from hundreds of popular merchants to save you the most money possible." It also offers social and sharing features on deals, coupons, reviews, and rankings. While I wouldn't consider it the only destination, LogicBUY seems like a worthy stop on your road to savings.

That should be enough to get you going. But if you're hungry for more, NYT's "Site-Hopping for Holiday Savings" offers a nice overview of additional portals, including those from Chase, Citi, and Bank of America.

Bottom line: With so many online options for the savvy shopper, there's just no reason to pay full price anymore.
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Matthew Pryor in his 8th year with Sound Mind Investing, now serving as Director of Operations. Visit www.soundmindinvesting.com to learn more.