How To Stop Paying Full Price Without Spending All Your Time Researching

I HATE paying full price for items. I am a firm believer that one should never pay full price for pizza, but I also understand that being cheap can take a lot of time. Lucky for you, there are SO many apps and websites these days that help you save money even when you don't feel like wading through and doing all the research yourself. Today's article will walk you through some common ways to find deals and steals.

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1. Google Shopping

One of the simplest cross-comparison sites out there is Google Shopping. If you want to run a cross-comparison across multiple locations on the internet quickly, you may want to check out Google Shopping first. Many sites allow Google to crawl their listings, so you can save some serious dough on the products you want to buy.

For example, say you want to buy a standing mixer. You can go to Google Shopping, check out a bunch of mixers, find reviews, and even the prices that mixers go for.

Google Shopping is a starting point. You may be able to find the deal cheaper somewhere else. I love that Google Shopping gives an excellent, in-depth review of the product and some prices it's seen for the product across the web.

Google has other cool products like Google Flights that helps you save money on booking the best airfare.

2. RetailMeNot

When I am getting pizza for dinner I hardly ever pay full price for it. I hate paying full price for a pizza or any takeout. So, I like to use the site RetailMeNot across a variety of sites.

If you hate searching for coupons, RetailMeNot now has an extension you can use on your browser to do things for you. It's called the RetailMeNot Genie. When I first started using RetailMeNot, this wasn't an option. I think this is a fantastic way to cut down on the noise and get the best deals.

Be sure to look at some of the deals RetailMeNot showcases daily.

Again, this is just a starting point. RetailMeNot may not have access to any extremely local coupons or sites that are local to you but offer online ordering.  You should always be looking for unique or outside coupons if you can, to save more money.

3. Honey

Honey is a very similar site to RetailMeNot, although with a sizable drawback in that it focuses hard on the automatic aspect. You can search their coupon database, but it takes a bit more sleuthing to get to than RetailMeNot's search feature.

Overall, it's another option you may want to think about when it comes to finding coupons. Honey does save a lot of people money, so it's worth checking out to see if you like their interface over RetailMeNot's. Secretly, RetailMeNot will always have a special place in my heart because it saved me a ton on pizza as a broke college student.

4. Swagbucks

Swagbucks is honestly one of the best sites for getting cashback and fun prizes for the stuff you do online. I am always cashing out with Swagbucks, and I currently have 2,000 Swagbucks ($20) ready to be cashed out. I get so excited to show people this site. I think we should all be using it.

The best way to get money from Swagbucks is their shop & earn program, in my opinion. You can shop online from some of your favorite stores and get back a ton by doing so. My best tip, go for the offers that give back high cash back. Usually, you can double them with coupons.

For example, in my post all about Freshly, I used a Freshly coupon to get my first two boxes for $39. On top of that, I used Swagbucks to get a one time $10 cash back offer. So, overall, I ended up saving $50.

5. Ibotta

Ibotta is one of my all-time favorite ways to save money while shopping, especially grocery shopping! If you are not using the app, you are missing out on some serious cash back. I have personally earned over $60 using Ibotta, and you seriously can't go wrong with it.

There are a couple of ways you can use it:

• Go shopping as usual, then check to see if anything you purchased was on the app.
• Check the app first before you go shopping to catch anything on the app if you need it.

You are going to save more money with Ibotta if you are purchasing name brand products, like most cashback deals. BUT, they do a lot of any item cash back offers, even the quarters add up over time.

I also love that Ibotta often does badges or limited time deals where you can get more cash back if you redeem a certain number of deals within a certain length of time. It's a great way to make the most of your Ibotta app.

Like any cashback app, though, be careful, and make sure you need what you buy. You aren't saving money if you weren't going to get the item in the first place.

6. Use Store Resources

Stores these days are looking for a way to rope you in and get a better peek at what you purchase. Most stores these days have an app or some way to save money on your purchases through them. Instead of clipping coupons, you may find these resources helpful.

• Cartwheel by Target
• Walmart Saving's Catcher
• Kroger Card
• Dollar General Digital Coupons

You also want to check out the ads for the week. Stores don't send these out as much as they used to, but you can usually find digital versions of their ads online. Look through those before you head out to shop, so you are aware of the best deals they have to offer.

7. Ebates

While I haven't spent a ton of time browsing Ebates (because I love Swagbucks Shop & Earn) I know that a ton of shoppers love Ebates and how convenient it is for them. Ebates has some pretty fantastic cash back options for tons of stores like Sephora, Land's End, Old Navy, and so many more. They have featured daily deals and even in-store cash options. If you don't like Swagbucks or Honey, Ebates might be an excellent option for you.

8. Groupon

Everyone loves a good experience, especially one that you save on. Have you wanted to try a new restaurant or get a massage? Groupon is the place to be. Groupon has a lot of deals on random products, but they shine with their local deals. Going to a new town or want to explore your current one, head to Groupon and get a coupon that will save you money.

Be sure to read the fine print on each Groupon you get. Some Groupons require appointments or need to be redeemed in a certain length of time. Also, check the location and closing hours to be sure your time in a city matches up with your Groupon.

Check to see if the amount you paid expires too, often it doesn't, and that can give you some significant savings if you can't redeem your Groupon in time.

9. Hotwire

Another thing I'm not fond of paying full price for is hotels. I use Hotwire whenever I go on vacation or a weekend trip to see if I can get a good deal. Hotwire usually has the best deals for their Hot Rate hotels, but those can be scary to book because you don't know what you are booking until it's paid for.

If you look at a hotel on Hotwire, you may want to check out that hotel's website. Hotels are expensive, but they often have discounts for booking early and other packages that you won't find on Hotwire. While Hotwire can be a cheap place to get hotels, it's not always the best option depending on what you are looking for.

Hot Tip: If you are visiting a city to go to a concert or event, check the website of the venue you are staying at. Sometimes they have connections with area hotels where you can get discounts for booking with their event code. Not all venues have these connections, but it's worth checking out if you are visiting a city for an event and not a vacation.

10. CityPass

Last, but not least, CityPass is one of my favorite ways to save money on vacation. I found out about CityPass last year when I took a vacation to Atlanta, Georgia. We were looking at several places we wanted to visit, and then I found CityPass which allowed us to do everything on our list. The CityPass was so easy to use in Atlanta. I never felt weird sharing my CityPass with the workers at any of the places I visited.

CityPass currently operates in the following cities:

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Denver
• Houston
• New York City
• Orlando
• Philadelphia
• San Francisco
• Seattle
• Southern California
• Tampa Bay
• Toronto

They are always adding new destinations, and these passes help you save a ton of money wherever you go. You get seven days to use passes once you start redeeming them, and it's such an easy way to save money on vacation.

Conclusion

Saving money just got a little easier when you use these websites and resources to save money versus aimlessly searching. Getting a great deal is always a win in my book. I hope you enjoyed this look into some of my favorite ways to save money. I'd love to know what you use to save!