Using the web to save money

There is no doubt in my mind that I have saved hundreds and thousands of dollars by making purchases on websites rather than in Best Buy, Target, or any number of stores.  I have used a number of different websites that have helped me over time and I thought it would be a good article to write about for those money savers out there.

I would say that my favorite site to look at online regarding saving money is www.dealcatcher.com.  What this site does is post great deals that are found throughout the Internet.  It is where I have purchased many Christmas presents and where I was finally able to find a Wii.  The most important thing about this site is only buying what you need.  While there are many great deals to be had, if I don’t need the Wet and Dry Auto Vacuum that is currently listed on there, it is a waste of money.  A few things I like about this site is that it is constantly updated, it talks about shipping (If it is included or not), and also mentions rebates/coupon codes that can be used.  This is the best site I have seen so far when looking for random deals.

For more higher end electronic purchases, www.gottadeal.com is my favorite site.  They recently updated the site but they continue to focus on different electronics.  Computers, camera, televisions, and anything else higher end.  It doesn’t really say what the price used to be like at Deal Catcher, but it does list a lot of information about each product.  The good thing about both of these sites is the ability to look up certain stores or certain items.

When I am looking for one certain product, I normally visit two different sites.  The first is www.pricegrabber.com.  If you are searching for a certain kind of digital camera, it will show you all of the options and their prices.  Yes, some of the sites are shadier than others but overall I think it is worth looking into if you know exactly what you are looking for.  The next site I usually check out is www.ebay.com.  My guess is that if you are viewing this site, you have used ebay in the past.  It is great for finding certain things.

I was searching for a Logitech headset within the last few weeks (I am using it with Skype, which I still plan to do a review on) and went through these sites.  While it was listed for $30.00 at Best Buy without tax, I ended up getting it shipped to me for somewhere around $13.00 total.  It was brand new and in perfect condition.

With ebay, you may be forced to do some bidding and potentially open up a paypal account.  When looking for the headset, I knew that I had little in my own paypal account so I tried to find a company that took credit cards.  It was not hard to find one and it helped me eventually get this great deal for a product that I needed.

Overall, there are a ton of other sites online that can help you find what you are looking for.  If I am in the market for a big purchase, there is no doubt that I go through these steps to see what the prices are.  With something like a headset, there is little doubt that I can find it cheaper.  As for a new X-box 360 or something along those lines, the price may be consistent anywhere you purchase it.  Regardless, I would still check these sites and other Internet sources to find ways to save money on things that I want to buy.