Save money while shopping in your pyjamas? Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it’s not and I’ll tell you how I do it.

First things first, I ONLINE shop in my pyjamas. Don’t think that I’m walking around in public in my night wear. Although I did that once… but it was winter in London and I had a long coat over my clothes so no-one was the wiser. (Don’t judge me!)

I love online shopping. It’s so convenient. You can do it at any time, anywhere. There are no long lines or crowds to contend with and if you know how, you can find some great deals and save yourself some cash.

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5 Ways to Save Money

1. Wait It Out

Often I see something and all of a sudden, I must have it. It’s the most important thing in the world. So I throw it in my shopping basket and pay for it. Four months later, I find it at the back of my closet unused.

Cue the guilt.

When you shop in-store, you are likely to overspend due to impulse shopping. Those pesky sales racks and eye-catching store displays really take a toll on your willpower. With that said, it is also possible to go crazy online shopping. You need to decide whether the item is a great deal or if you’re just being spurred into making a purchase because it’s at a discounted price.

When you find an item you want to purchase, first ask yourself if you really need it and will you really use it? This is the number one way I save myself money whether shopping online or in-store. Walk away from it and give it some thought. You might even want to leave it for a day or two. I guarantee that 95% of the time you will completely forget about the item or you’ll decide that you don’t really want to buy it anymore.

2. Compare prices and value

The beauty of online shopping is that you can compare other retailers in just a few seconds. So when there is an item you want to purchase, don’t just buy it from the first place you find it. Look around and take into account the price of the item and the shipping costs from each store. The difference in prices may shock you.

Sometimes if you spend a little more, you may become eligible for free shipping and the savings on shipping may actually be worth the few extra dollars spent. Weigh your options and see what gives you the better deal.

3. Coupon Codes

Never click that “Checkout” button until you have searched for a coupon code. Websites like Retail Me Not are fantastic for finding great savings. They make it so easy. Simply go to the website and type in the name of the store in the search bar.

If you can’t find a coupon code there, then try searching the name of the store and “coupon code” in Google. I can’t tell you how many times I have done this and found an active coupon code to apply to my purchase.

Occasionally, you can find coupon codes on the social media pages of your favourite stores. These deals are sometimes exclusive to customers who follow these pages so make sure you check them before you make a purchase.

4. Email Lists

Many stores have email lists that you can join to receive notifications when they have sales or special offers going on. Just be careful not to get sucked in to buying items you really didn’t want. I recommend signing up with these lists when you are looking for something from a specific store. After you purchase that item, unsubscribe so there’s no temptation. You can always join the list again, if needed. (Just a note, Retail Me Not has a mailing list too. This would be a great place to start so you don’t have email from lots of different stores cluttering up your inbox.)

While I’m talking about mailing lists, if you would like to join mine, click here.

5. Ebates

I recently joined Ebates and have to say that I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner. Ebates is a website that allows you to receive cash back, via check or PayPal, when you shop online. Lots of major retailers like Walmart and Amazon are part of the program so you will surely find a store that you like to shop with.

To use this service, simply create a free account. Then, before you start online shopping, log onto the Ebates website, find the store with which you want to shop and click on the store website. You are now eligible to receive cash back from that store!

There is also an Ebates button you can add to your Google Chrome browser in case you forget to log onto the website first. This button will notify you anytime you go to a website where you can get cash back. This is very handy, if you’re like me and you often forget about this money-saving tool. Honestly, this is my favourite way to save money that I’ll be spending anyway because it’s so easy!

Update: Ebates is now called Rakuten but it’s the same company with the same great cash back service.

Those were the five methods that I use to save money while shopping online. These tips, along with careful planning of your purchases, mean that you won’t overspend and feel guilty afterwards.

If you have any other suggestions, I would love to hear them in the comments below.