With tuition costs constantly on the rise, college students are experts at finding creative ways to save a few bucks. From diets consisting mostly of Ramen and stolen dining hall bananas to free Pdfs of $300 Chemistry textbooks, we're always looking for tricks to stretch our budgets until the end of the semester. As a fellow thrifty collegiate with a love for fashion, I have developed some useful strategies for cutting costs when shopping the web.
Here's how to indulge in some online retail therapy without emptying your wallet:
1. Sign Up For Mailing Lists
Everyone's first response when a store asks you to give out your email is to decline, but hear me out. Sure,no one needs to sort through even more spam and pointless ads, but by putting in the little bit of extra effort to you can really find some killer savings buried in your inbox! Get your name on the mailing lists for your favorite stores and you can get access to exclusive perks like $10 off coupons, free shipping codes and birthday gifts. Sites like Forever 21 and Express will even give their members alerts and early access to flash sales and special promotions way before they become available to the general public!
2. Search For Promo Codes
Probably the simplest hack on this list is to use a promo code before you checkout! I have snagged some amazing deals ranging from 20 percent off jeans to free Sephora samples just by Googling a store's name along with the words "promo" or "coupon code". Every single day there are hundreds of new online discounts out there that you can apply to your order and instantly reduce your total with a quick copy and paste!
3. Research Return Policies
There's nothing worse than having your package finally arrive only to realize that the jeans you ordered won't zip or that your new sweater is a completely different shade of green than it was in the photograph. Rather then letting disappointing purchases gather dust in your living room, research the return policies of different companies before you place your order to avoid suffering from buyers regret or wasting even more money. Some awesome online clothing sites to check out are Asos.com and Aerie, both of which offer free shipping and free return policies on all orders!
4. Shop Off-Season
The start of August marks the start of the Fall 2017 season for the fashion industry. Now's the time stores begin packing up their floral rompers and maxi dresses in order to replace them with cozy flannels and leather jackets.
Online retailers always have tons of leftover merchandise in their warehouses that they need to clear out in order to make room for all the new trends. This means that the end of a season is the best time to get tons of cheap clearance items for next year!
Stock up on your sundresses and jean shorts in November and snag that gorgeous pair of winter boots at 80 percent off while it's still flip flop weather. Even though you'll have to wait a while to wear your new clothes, you'll avoid the crazy seasonal markups and be prepared for any weather before anybody else.
5. Don't Fall For Free Shipping "Deals"
Sure, you may think you're shopping smart when you add a few extra items to your bag in order to meet that $50 free shipping minimum, but is it really a bargain if you're spending 15 dollars on a so-so necklace just to avoid a 6 dollar shipping fee? It's actually way better for your wallet (and your closet space) if you only order the items that you absolutely love even if it means paying a bit more for postal costs rather than waste the extra cash on random stuff that you're never actually going to wear.
6. Step Away From Your Shopping Cart
The biggest appeal of buying online versus at the mall is the comfort factor. Thanks to the Internet it's now possible to get an entire new wardrobe delivered to your doorstep without ever having to wait in line or even change out of your pajama pants But all this convenience and instant gratification comes with the risk of buying way more stuff than you actually need just because it's easy. So many times I've gone to a website with one or two things in mind and wound up clicking "Add to Cart" over and over again without realizing that in just 20 minutes I've managed to pick out over $400 worth of clothing...oops. One way I've learned to curb my urge to splurge is by waiting a day before making any final purchase decisions. Now when I shop the web, I'll fill my cart with anything I'm considering buying, close out of my browser, and return to the site the next day to sort through the different items I've selected before placing the final order. This allows me to view my choices with a fresh perspective and prioritize my spending by deleting anything that I no longer love.
7. Don't Forget Your Student Discount
One of the greatest perks of being a college student is the ability to score amazing deals just by using your student ID! From a year of free Amazon Student to hundreds of dollars off a new laptop, tmany companies have exclusive policies for helping out struggling undergrads. Next time you go to make an online purchase, relive some of that student loan induced dread look for a place to enter your .edu email and you can usually knock at least 10 percent off your total!
