52 Money Save Ways: Week 44: Stop Paying for Shipping
Less than 10 weeks left in the year, already? How did that happen? This weekly series of Money Save Ways tips is designed to go with the 52 Week money Challenge and if you are following along, you have almost reached your goal! This week, put $44 into your 52 week money jar or $13 if you are doing the challenge in reverse.
Here is this week’s tip; stop paying for shipping.
52 Money Save Ways: Week 44: Stop Paying for Shipping
If you do any sort of online shopping, you know that shipping costs can often make the item more expensive than if you bought it in store and can ultimately be a deal-breaker (this is usually always the case for me). You don’t have to pay for shipping on many items if you know how to get free shipping. Here are some tips to help you get free shipping on most items.
Sign up for Amazon Prime. With Amazon prime, not only do you get great streaming services of all of your favorite TV shows, movies and now free MP3s and books to borrow, but you also get free 2-day shipping on most items that are sent out by Amazon distribution. It is easy to see which items are eligible for the free shipping by looking for the “prime” icon next to the item’s listings. Amazon prime is $99 a year (however you can score a FREE 1-month Trial and they run promotions all the time to cut this cost. Plus if you’re a student you get 50% off). This means if you pay more than about $8 a month on Amazon shipping fees, you are paying too much and could be getting it for free.
Look for coupon codes before you make a purchase. If you Google Your Favorite Store + Free Shipping before you purchase, you will often find many codes that can be applied at the checkout for free shipping. This can be tedious sometimes as many codes don’t work and some only work some of the time, but if you try a few, you can usually find one that does.
Sign up for newsletters from your favorite stores. This is a great way to know about promotional times when shipping is free.
Signing up for Shop Runner is another way to score free shipping and discounts! More about this program: ShopRunner saves you time and money. Simply put, we make shopping better. And with that, we hope to make your life a little better. We want you to spend less time thinking about what it costs to ship and how soon your order will arrive, so you can focus on more important things. No one hates silly gimmicks and hidden costs more than we do. For just $79 per year, you get exactly what you signed up for. Fast Free shipping on millions of items with no minimum order size & All ShopRunner returns ship free.
Use site-to-store shipping options when you can. This is usually a free option for big box retailers such as Walmart, Target and so on. And right now, Target has decided to offer free shipping on all of your orders (until 12/2014) The shipping is often not as fast, but it is free and getting your item is as easy as picking your store’s location and picking it up at the customer service or the department the item is from. Make sure if you do it this way that you don’t delay on picking it up as many Site-to-Store options will only hold the item for a couple days before shipping it back.
What are some ways you save on shipping and get it for free? Let me know in the comments!
Did you miss previous 52 week money save way tips? Click on the links below!
- Week 43: Apply for Help
- Week 42:Repair before replacing
- Week 41: Make Substitutions
- Week 40: Gas Rewards Programs
- Week 39: Freezer Cooking
- Week 38: Re-use Everything
- Week 37: A Sale Does Not Equal a Need
- Week 36: Eat out the Smart Way
- Week 35: Carefully Shop the Dollar Store
- Week 34: Take a Second Look
- Week 33: Use Less
- Week 32: Get Amazon Prime
- Week 31: Consider Renting
- Week 30: Skip Disposable
- Week 29: Reduce Your Meat Budget
- Week 28: Borrow Everything
- Week 27: Store Food Properly
- Week 26: Cloth Diapering
- Week 25: Buy Generic Medication
- Week 24: Shop at Farmer’s Markets
- Week 23: Don’t Call in the Experts
- Week 22: Learn to Rebate
- Week 21: Seal up Those Leaks
- Week 20: Always Compare Prices
- Week 18: Use Vinegar to Clean
- Week 17: Buy the Smaller Package
- Week 16: Teach Your Kids About Money
- Week 15: Splurge When it Matters
- Week 14: Wash Your Car At Home
- Week 13: Meat Free Mondays
- Week 12: Create A Price Book
- Week 11: Avoid Fees
- Week 10: Cut Your Own Hair
- Week 9: Watch Your Electricity
- Week 8: Turn off The TV
- Week 7: Drink More Water
- Week 6: Maintain Your Car
- Week 5: Reap the Rewards
- Week 4: Practice the Waiting Game
- Week 3: Buy Seasonings in Bulk
- Week 2: Buy Your Clothes Used
- Week 1: Make Lists
- 52 Week Money Challenge
- 52 Week Tracker
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