In today's fast-paced, economically challenged society anything that can be done to conserve both time and money is welcomed into most every household. For me, one of the best ways to save both has been to find discounts and freebies on the internet! I'm sure there are a lot of people out there that look for the good deal when they are buying a big-ticket item like a refrigerator or a water heater, but what about those every day items?

You know, those things that you may want or need and don't really think about it when you are shopping for them, you just go get them? They may be much cheaper than a new car, but they can add up very quickly. What's a person to do? Fear not, there is an answer. I have found an extremely effective way to combat those prices and save both time and money.


I know it may sound strange, but while some people enjoy scrapbooking while others live for Monday Night Football, I love bargains! I have taken the search for discounts and freebies on the internet and turned it into an art form. Most people do not have the time, patience or inclination to research and hunt down bargains, but for me the feeling associated with trolling the internet for such things is a rush! Honestly, it's like an addiction. It starts out simply enough. Like many frugal people I anxiously await the delivery of the Sunday paper so I can start the coupon clipping. And when I find a store that will "double the coupon"? Double bonus! As much as I enjoy searching the paper for coupons my family will use it is over far too quickly and I am left looking for some other way to feed the addiction since the papers for the rest of the week offer little to nothing to help. Enter my friend the internet!


Having worked in retail for five years and marketing for an additional seven, I know that companies are always looking to save a buck. This is usually done via advertising. While it makes for sparse offerings in the papers, many companies have turned to internet advertising both because of the ease with which the advertisements can be placed and the money that is saved by utilizing this forum. In addition, it is cheaper for the supplier to package and ship the product directly to the customer taking advantage of these deals rather than pay to ship in bulk to a store from the warehouse, unload the items and set them up for display. Needless to say, it's obvious why stores would want to offer deals directly to you the consumer.


And it's all fine and good that the stores get so many benefits, but what about you? Well, the deals offered directly to the consumer are often far better than those that can be offered via the retail stores. In addition, and trust me this is a huge one when you have four kids, you don't have to load the family up to run to the store to find out that they are sold out of whatever it was you were after! Instead, you get to stay home, watch the kids play in the back yard and get spoiled as the postal carrier delivers your item of choice directly to your front door! Even without kids the benefits to this are obvious. With gas nearing or topping $4.00 a gallon (depending on where you live) wouldn't we all love to cut out as many unnecessary trips to the store as possible?


Now that you've made the decision to look for discounts and bargains on the internet, you might ask what types of deals are there. There is no short answer to that. Some sites will offer you free trial sample where you spend no money out of your pocket and are able to try the product before you go buy that great big bottle just to find out your son is allergic to it and you are forced to throw it away. Other places will offer free shipping for orders that are over a certain dollar amount or will throw in a free item to tempt you to order from them instead of a competitor. Still others will offer you a discount price on specific items purchased from their store or a "first time buyers" discount. Have a student in your house? There are literally hundreds of websites designed to help students obtain their textbooks as cheaply as possible, sometimes saving literally hundreds per semester.


We live in the era of Google, Amazon and EBay amongst many others. Why not take advantage of the opportunities that this technology affords us? Get out there and search those individual shopping sites, comparison sites and online auction sites. Search for vendors that have come out of the gates strong and established a strong, customer friendly presence. There are even websites that offer even more coupons that you can print out and use with those that you clipped out of the Sunday paper! Online shopping has opened a world of opportunity for people. Get out there and take advantage of it! After all, the holiday season is just around the corner and by shopping online you can avoid the crowds. That in and of itself is probably one of the better reasons to shop online!

In short, there are a plethora of reasons you should look for those online discounts.

MomCents.com