SHOPPING ADDICTS UNITE!

HEY LADIES! I don’t know about you, but I admit 100% to having a major obsession with shopping. Clothes, shoes, bags, decor, makeup, you name it. As much as I would love to be a minimalist, it’s just not who I am. I need my wardrobe and my decor to express who I am! And that is ever-changing, meaning wardrobe and decor updates are frequently necessary.

Let’s be real for a sec; I could tell you the best way to save money is to not spend it (boringgg) or I can tell you the truth, and show you the best ways to save and make money while spending it – so much better and more realistic right? RIGHT.

I’m sharing my tips and tricks to save money and shop conservatively, so you can shop (I mean sleep…) peacefully knowing you’re getting the best deals on everything you purchase!

Free Shipping:

I hate paying for shipping. It’s very few and far between where I will actually pay the shipping fees, especially for a store I have nearby. Unless it’s an amazing deal and the shipping fees are low enough for it to still be an incredible steal, I find the loophole! Here’s what I do:

• Stores almost always offer free shipping if you spend over a certain amount. So even if I only want one item for $25, but shipping is free over $50, I buy something else so I reach that number and then return what I didn’t even want! Soooo easy! Of course this only works if the online retailer actually has a physical store within your vicinity, or if they offer free returns, but a lot of the places I online shop do!
  • Stores who offer free shipping: Zara, Hudson’s Bay, Lululemon, Urban Outfitters, Victoria’s Secret, ALDO, H&M, Forever 21… and most others!

EBATES:

I started used EBATES in August 2017 and I’m so upset I didn’t know about it earlier! Basically they act as an affiliate by directing you to the online store of your choice, and then providing you with 1%-8% of cash back based on your total purchase! It sounds like a gimmick, but it seriously works! Every three months, as long as you have at least $5 of EBATES cash back in your account, they send you a cheque in the mail with your earnings. If you don’t have $5 but say $3.20, that money adds up to your next quarter account, and then it gets sent to you later! Plus, if you refer your friends, and they make a purchase, you earn $5. If you refer 3, you earn $45! So grab your friends & get shoppin’! It is seriously so foolish to shop without using EBATES. I’ve now gotten over $100 back in just over 6 months! UNREAL. See how it works:

• An example – I go to www.ebates.ca, find the store I want to purchase something from (let’s say Sephora), click on it and it directs me to Sephora’s normal website but attaches a tracking ticket to the link. I make my purchase just like normal, and then the tracking ticket attached to the link sends a message to EBATES & Sephora that I made a purchase, at which point Sephora rewards EBATES with a commission on the sale they directed me to, and then they share some of that commission with me!
• It’s seriously SO easy! You don’t even have to do anything extra but go to EBATES first, and then the site you want to purchase from and you’re getting $$$ back for literally doing nothing!
  • Stores EBATES is affiliated with: Hudson’s Bay, Sephora, Forever 21, Nordstrom, GROUPON, Indigo, ALDO, Anthropologie, Club Monaco, COACH, Kate Spade, ModCloth, MAC Cosmetics, TopShop, and sooo many more! See here

Click here to sign up for yourself!

Honey:

You know when you make an online order and then realize there was a promo code for 30% off that you didn’t take advantage of because you didn’t see it til after you confirmed the order? Honey ensures you get the best deal every time! Honey acts as a a browser extension (meaning you download it into your browser and you easily access it by clicking the little symbol on your browser bar from a website) which compiles and then applies all recently used coupon/promo codes from different customers to your order, finding YOU the best deal! It’s the easiest way to ensure you’re not missing out on the best coupon code, I’ve used it a few times now, and it’s found and applied a random code that saved me $$$!

Click here to sign up for yourself!

Loyalty Programs:

I have a tendency to sign up for any & all customer loyalty programs offered at the stores I shop at. Through this, I’ve come to discover those that provide great benefits to their rewards members, and those that do not. I’m breaking down the ones you should Sign up for or Scrap!

• SIGN UP:
  • Sephora: Earn 1 point for every $1 you spend. So worth it! Once you reach 100 points, you can redeem for deluxe size samples with their Rewards Bazaar! Or, save your points and splurge on a big-ticket reward like exclusive sets from your favourite brand like Too Faced, Fresh, Caudalie, Urban Decay, Marc Jacobs etc.
    • TIP: purchase all your makeup/beauty/hair products from Sephora. Sephora offers comparable prices to other retailers, and the free samples with every purchase, plus promo codes for deluxe samples, PLUS the Rewards Bazaar points system for more deluxe samples/packages makes it so worth it!
  • Starbucks: If you visit Starbucks even occasionally, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be a card holder. All you have to do is register for an account, put $ on to a gift card (which you can load, reload, pre-order, and pay through a phone app! GENIUS), and you start earning 2 stars for every dollar you spend automatically! Once you reach 125 stars, you get a free drink or food item, any size, for free. Plus you receive a free Birthday drink, exclusive invitations to try new or free beverages, and coupons!
    • NOTE: Starbucks sends you exclusive offers like “Double Star Day” where you get 4 stars/$1 spent, and other bonus star opportunities through purchasing specific products
  • Hudson’s Bay: Earn 1 point for every dollar spent as a rewards member, but earn 2x the point for every dollar spent if you’re a HBC Credit Card holder! I got their MasterCard and use it solely for purchases from The Bay. Plus, free shipping for orders over $49 instead of $99 for cardholders! If you spend over $400 in a calendar year, you move to Tier 2 which is 1.5 points per dollar (3 points with the credit card), and over $1000 brings you to Tier 3 which is 2 points per dollar (4 points with the credit card). I’ve earned over $50 in gift cards over the 2 years I’ve had it! 2000 points = $10 gift card.

• SCRAP:
  • American Eagle: I’ve been an American Eagle Rewards cardholder for years, and I’ve never once gotten anything out of it. I’m actually not even sure what the benefits are… not worth the wallet space!
  • TJX Style (Winners/Marshalls/Home Sense): TJX offers extended return periods for cardholders, as well as exclusive invites to member-only shopping times (8 am Saturday mornings… no thanks!), however they don’t provide any form of points system for store credit. However, if you’re a frequent shopper, the extended returns are worth having if you can find the wallet space.

E-mail Subscriptions:

Promotional emails from stores can be annoying when you get too many, but the benefits I’ve received through being subscribed to my favourite stores far exceed the little bit of nuisance they sometimes cause. Stores always send out updates when they’re having a sale, end of season clearances, as well as free shipping and percentage off promos code! How I manage my promotional emails:

• I have 2 emails, 1 for my professional work/school/life related things, and 1 I use strictly for subscribing to stores and online stores. That way, I don’t get spammed constantly with newsletters and store updates, but when I’m bored or curious, I go to my other inbox to see what deals are happening now. If I really don’t want to be tempted by a sale, I don’t even check the inbox.
  • Stores I’m subscribed to: Sephora, Hudsons Bay, Sabo Skirt, REVOLVE, tarte, Forever 21

These simple shopping steps can seriously save you hundreds and hundreds of dollars in the long run if you follow them! I spend a lot of money on clothes, but I honestly don’t feel that bad about it when I know how much I’m saving through being a smart shopper! Try them out the next time you’re in the market for some spending, and let me know what you think! Any other cash-saving tips you swear by? Comment below!

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