I’m a Frugal Shopper: 7 Items I Always Buy Online To Save Money

You might think that shopping online would be more expensive than shopping in person due to shipping costs and lack of in-store discounts. However, many times, it’s the cheaper option. For example, if you shop on Walmart.com, you can often find items, especially bigger-ticket items like TVs or swimming pools, that are significantly cheaper than they are in the store.

Frugal shoppers have shopping online and saving almost down to a science. They know exactly what they want and how to maximize their savings. From coffee pods to yarn, here’s what two frugal shoppers always purchase online to save money.

Nicole Durham, frugal shopper and owner of Beeyond Cereal, explained that a few times per year, Amazon offers 100-count coffee pods for about $25, which comes out to about $0.25 each. She said that when Amazon offers this sale, it’s cheaper than the 100-count box of pods she can purchase at her local Sam’s club.

Durham said she also purchases the boxed hair dye she likes in packs of three from Amazon. She said it’s cheaper than buying it at Sally’s Beauty.

Durham explained that she lives in a rural area with only a few options for groceries, such as Walmart, Aldi and Publix, but recently, online shopping and delivery with Kroger has become available, which has really helped her save.

“We recently got a Kroger warehouse across town, so they deliver from there — and while they don’t have everything that a real Kroger has, they have great coupons and deals,” she said.

“The annual membership is only $35, which is way cheaper than a Walmart+ membership or Sam’s Club membership. The delivery fees are free as long as you have $35 worth of stuff. Even if you don’t, the fees are manageable, and there’s no tipping — making it cheaper than any Instacart or similar system[s].

“With just Kroger online shopping, I’ve managed to save over $200 since New Year’s,” she said.

“I also shop around for the best deals on cat food and litter — since our cats are picky and only like one flavor of Friskies, it makes things a bit challenging,” Durham explained. “So I usually alternate between Chewy or Kroger, depending on the sales.

“Chewy is mostly set for good deals to new users. Recently, with Kroger, I was able to get 16 pounds of cat food and 60 pounds of cat litter for $51.16. I got an additional 5% off, plus $10 off my order for spending $40 on qualifying pet purchases, which also helped me to get to another threshold coupon deal they had running, where if you spend $150, you can get $25 off the total.

“So I grabbed groceries and health supplies, stacking more coupons and savings along the way.”

Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews, said that she shops online for her handbags, because she’s very picky and she dislikes going to multiple stores to find one that fits her vision.

“Instead, I tend to shop a few favorite stores online to try to find something I like and opt for the best deal I can find — or the store that offers the highest amount of cash back through something like Rakuten,” she said. “For instance, the last bag I bought was from a Costco Next supplier, and I got the bag for around $39. It normally goes for $90 elsewhere.”

Ramhold said she avoids the time and hassle of in-person shopping for certain types of clothing she prefers and knows will fit.

“For instance, I know that I prefer certain sizes and styles of Target’s Stars Above joggers, and there’s no need for me to try them on anymore,” Ramhold said. “I also like Felina leggings and tank tops and know what size to wear in those, too.

“These kinds of things, I buy when they’re on sale and make sure to use things like my Target RedCard to save an extra 5% on top of that. I’ll also stack these purchases with stores that offer cash back through things like Rakuten, too, to maximize the savings.”

Ramhold said she’s “big into fiber arts,” and she doesn’t need to go to the store to purchase yarn, because she already knows the brands and colors she likes.

“Plus, Joann is my craft store of choice, and buying online and picking up orders in-store can mean getting an additional discount on another order, so it’s a win-win for me,” Ramhold explained. “I get my items sooner, but I also can just place the order online and not have to worry about comparing different skeins in person.”