Saving Money While Shopping: Your Go-To Guide

By Amanda Cohen on May 19, 2018

Every now and then, we all need a bit of retail therapy. Shopping is fun, but it’s definitely pricey and even when you think you’re getting a deal, your bill will definitely start racking up. So, what are college students to do? After paying room and board, textbook fees, school supplies costs, and more, there is often little wiggle room when it comes to treating yourself to a new coat or the perfect pair of date party shoes. It’s important to treat yourself every now and then, but you must be a smart shopper. Some of you may be asking what I mean by this, well, I’ll tell you!

Let’s break it down. The future of the world is apps, whether we like it or not. The future of shopping, therefore, will be apps. So, why not use them to our advantage? There are a bunch of apps that can help you save money during your shopping excursions, and I’m here to tell you about them! Shopping and saving money? Who knew that they could actually go hand-in-hand! Let’s not waste any time and let’s just get to it! Here are the best shopping apps that will help all student fashionistas save some money! Full disclosure: these apps are not only for the proudest of fashionistas… they can be used for just about anything and everything! So, if clothes aren’t your jam, you should still take a look because you will still save money on some very important items.

Image via. https://pixabay.com/en/woman-girl-young-adult-lifestyle-3373637/

Shopping Apps: Who’s Ready to Save Some Dough?

Honey: “Honey, Honey, How he Thrills Me”

Honey is an app that you can download to your browser, for free, rather than to your phone. Anytime you are shopping online for something, Honey will automatically apply the best coupons, promo codes, deals, etc. to your purchase so that you can save as much as possible during your shopping escapades. This doesn’t only apply to clothes. It applies to websites like Amazon, Target, etc. In the words of Mamma Mia, honey, honey, these savings kill me uh huh, honey, honey. Who knows, you may never have to pay full price for anything ever again!

Retail Me Not: “So Different from a Forget-Me-Not”

Retail Me Not works both for online purchases as well as in-store purchases. If you type in your zip code and the item and/or store that you are looking to shop at then boom, you will see all of the deals that you can get on individual products and/or on all items in a store. You can either download it on your phone, your computer, or you can just create an account and use it directly through the website. You can even just subscribe to their e-mails so you can get notifications directly sent to you about the best deals.

Infographic by Amanda Cohen

Coupon Cabin: “Not Your Typical Cabin”

Coupon Cabin not only gives you all of the deals offered by specific stores and websites, but they also team up with stores to create their own deals that you can access through a free account. From1-800-FLOWERS to Sakes Fifth Avenue, they truly cover it all.

In addition, after making purchases through your free account, you can also receive cash back for certain items. Even though there are tons of amazing sites, Coupon Cabin is the first website to pair coupons with cash back; double the deal, double the savings, double the fun!

Groupon: “Let’s all Come Together as a Group-On”

Groupon is a classic website, most everyone uses it. Groupon can be applied to clothing, spa treatments, groceries, etc. You name it, Groupon covers it.

There are no membership fees; all you have to do is insert your e-mail address and your general location information and you will start receiving e-mails about deals around you. If you are reluctant to give your location information, don’t be. They just want to make sure that they aren’t sending you deals for stores that aren’t even around you! Groupon has been around for so long, I promise they can be trusted.

ValPak: “So Much Value in ValPak”

ValPak offers everything. From coupon codes, promo codes, local coupons, and alerts about upcoming deals from local stores, you can’t go wrong when you use ValPak.

Similar to all of the discount and coupon apps, ValPak will help you find deals ranging from Amazon to Converse to Kay Jewelers for that special someone;) Free registration, no frills, just thrills… the thrill of shopping and saving money!

Coupon Mom: “Not a Regular Mom, a Coupon Mom”

Who is better at coupons than moms and grandmas? The answer is no one. Couponmom.com is not so much for retail, but rather it’s focused on grocery deals, drugstore deals, etc.

Not only does Coupon Mom give you the coupons you need to save money, but they also offer how-to videos, newsletters, and a way to contact them if you have questions. The website allows you to organize the coupons by brand, region, store, type of coupon, etc. I guess the saying really should be, “Have no fear! The Coupon Mom is here!”

Poshmark: “Posh AF”

Poshmark isn’t a coupon website; it’s a website where people sell their gently-used clothing items. This is a great website for college students because (1) the main clientele is young adults, aka you can find some really awesome outfits to hit the bars in and (2) everything is extremely discounted.

Each person who is a part of Poshmark as a way of selling their clothes has their own domain where you can only see his/her clothing. However, you are free to explore any person’s “closet” so to speak.

Class Pass: “Kind of like a Hall Pass, but not Really”

If you are trying to get your workout on but aren’t trying to spend hundreds of dollars on workout classes, you need to check out Class Pass. Class Pass gives you discounts to studio workout classes like Soul Cycle, Rumble, Orangtheory, Barry’s Bootcamp, Zengo, and more. You can start with a free trial and then you pay for a membership and boom, it’s that easy. You can schedule yourself in any workout class you want or you can watch workout class videos. You can even read ratings and reviews so that you can find the right class for you

Price Grabber: “Like the Grab Machine at the Arcade, but you Save Money Instead”

Price Grabber is a website that allows you to scan the QR code of a product and it will compare the price of that product to the price of that same product at other stores. This is a great way to save money on textbooks, school supplies, household items, etc. You can definitely use the product for clothing, but it’s just a fantastic way to save money on groceries, medicine, and more. Have you ever questioned if you are getting the best deal for the free two-day shipping on Amazon Prime? Well, now you don’t have to wonder, you’ll just know.

Image via. https://pixabay.com/en/wallet-credit-card-cash-investment-2292428/

eBay: “Need I Say More?”

eBay is fantastic (my dad even uses it to buy his favorite shaving cream). eBay is used to sell new products, old products, lightly-used products, unused products, and more. You can find great deals on vintage clothing items, which is extremely enticing if you are a fashionista on a budget like me! When it comes to gently-used items, sometimes it isn’t necessary to buy something brand new (especially if the gently-used items are half the price). eBay also ensures that your information is safe and that your identity is protected from the other buyers and sellers using the website.

Shop Advisor: “Just Like Your Class Advisor, but for Clothes”

Shop Advisor allows you to add items to your wish list and will alert you at the best time to purchase an item in regards to price, value, and other factors. Think about the amount of times you’ve really love an article of clothing, but you didn’t know if you should jump on it right then and there or wait until a sale comes up. Shop Advisor completely eliminates this stressful situation utilizing specific algorithms while also developing and maintaining strong relationships with the stores that they partner with.

Student Discounts: “Making the Hours of Homework Worth It”

With college comes homework, hours of studying, sleepless nights, and tons of adjustments. However, college also comes with a student ID (aka discount heaven). Student IDs give you student discounts at hundreds of stores. Between Spotify, Amazon Prime, workout classes, Barnes & Noble, and more, you can’t lose when you are carrying your student ID with you. Even if you don’t have your student ID on you, many stores (in person, not online obviously) will take your word for it if they see your age on your driver’s license. I have to tell you how sad I am that I can no longer use my student discount on Amazon Prime… paying full price is one of the struggles of adulthood I guess!

Print Coupons: “The Old Fashion Way is the Best Way”

I remember the days where I would be sitting at my grandma’s table helping her cut out coupons from the paper. Ah, yes, those were the days. Contrary to popular belief, print coupons are still available. Whether you receive them in your long CVS or Walgreens receipt, or whether you search for them through a magazine, I promise you they’re there. Even though print coupons might make the checkout process at the grocery store a bit longer, it’s 100% worth it. You will save so much more money than you think if you take the time to cut out coupons. Who knows, maybe you can even make it a fun bonding activity with your parents and/or grandparents!

Drug Store Cards: “The Most Elite Clubs in the World”

Signing up for a CVS card, a Walgreens card, or whatever drug store you go to will save you so much money. People oftentimes make fun of the long receipts that come with this elite membership, but if you take the time to look at the deals you’re getting you’ll realize how amazing having a drugstore card is. All college students frequent their local drugstores, so why not save money while you pay a visit to CVS that was only supposed to be a quick visit to pick up medicine, but it becomes an hour because you love roaming the aisles? If you don’t want to deal with the long receipts that okay because most of the big drug stores/pharmacies will automatically apply any discount simply by entering your membership phone number. Does it get any easier than this? I think not!

College students don’t have the time or the money to shop like regular shoppers. College students need to shop smart so that they can spend the majority of their money wisely (i.e. on textbooks, rent, student loans, and more). There is no reason to pay full price for anything anymore because of all of the apps and websites that exist to make your life easier. The apps that I’ve listed here aren’t even all of the apps and websites that exist to help you save money. I promise you that these apps aren’t schemes; these apps were created by people, like us, who want to shop and save money at the same time (we are not a rare breed). Because of the day and age that we live in, saving money and shopping is not a taboo concept.

However, I will warn you that these apps will give you some exciting promo codes… don’t let this lead you to buying items that you don’t need. Think about the control you have to have when you are walking around a sale; you always have to make sure that you aren’t buying that dress over there that is just “okay” because it is 50% off. Be a smart shopper by (1) saving money and (2) by not buying items that you don’t need. Have fun my friends and, of course, happy shopping!

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