Online shopping has been a popular choice for a long time because of its high convenience. For the time being, it's even the only option for some regions. So how to control spending and save money before temptations on online shopping channels?

Make a list of what you need to buy

Whether you shop in person or buy online, there are hundreds of diverse products everywhere to attract you to spend money to buy, even though the item is not in your need.

Therefore, you should check in advance what you are missing and make a list of things to buy. Make a list in order of your priorities and determine a specific amount for each purchase. This way, you will save not only money but also time, limiting the possibility of being distracted by other items.

Ask yourself “Do I need these?”  

What you need and what you want to buy are two different things. Failure to distinguish these two concepts makes you irresistible to the shimmering things in the store that you actually want more than you need. Countless shopping offers at the end of the year will tempt you in a very emotional and irresistible way. So, make a list of the things you think you'll buy, then seriously ask, "Do I really need it?" If yes, those are the things you will buy, if not, wait for another occasion when you have more money.

Smart sales hunting

"Sales hunting" has become a familiar term for online shopping believers. "Super sale day" is the festival that takes place regularly and is the most anticipated on e-commerce sites. There are many reasons to sell: Christmas, Chinese New Year, Valentine's Day, April 30 - May 1, National Day, September 2, Singles' Day, 11/11, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Back to school, Final Clearance, Flash Sale... Not to mention, days with identical numbers in the month are often chosen as super sale days, for example, 8/8, 9/9, 10/10...

In general, discounts and promotions usually take place all year round with the purpose of stimulating demand and promoting shopping. However, if you "hunt for sale with a plan", you will both satisfy your shopping preferences and save money. The monthly retail sales usually focus on household goods, food, or products that are not too expensive, with the discount not too high. You can buy basic items and necessities during these sales. Deep discounts usually take place at the end of the year or change seasons. You can plan to buy clothes for the whole year on Black Friday, shop for your favorite electronics on Cyber Monday, shop for cosmetics on Valentine's Day, or watch the Final Clearances of your favorite brands. Stock sales often have discounts of up to 90%, you can absolutely find bargains if you wait until this day.

Compare prices in different stores

Before buying any item, you should also compare prices, models, and quality between shops on different e-commerce sites to be able to find the best product. Especially for household goods, electronics, furniture, etc., prices will be challenged in different stores.

You can search for prices on Google Shopping or price comparison websites, which can help you get more shopping opportunities at a better price. From there, you can save more costs in purchasing.

Purchase from the same supplier

Shipping costs are one of the main causes of the increase in the cost of your order, depending on the distance between the buyer and the seller, this cost can be as high as the value of the item you need to buy.

To save shipping costs, you should divide the products you need to buy into separate groups, such as food groups, furniture groups, household items, etc., and choose to buy each group separately in the same store. goods to enjoy the discount.

Bring a friend with you

Remember to keep a cool head, but you can't always control yourself. So invite a close friend to come along to have the most objective view as well as a method to control each other.

Buy secondhand

If you don't want to spend too much money on new items and you are diligent, swimming in secondhand goods is also a reasonable option. However, buying secondhand also requires certain skills (and health too) if you don't want to turn your closet into a warehouse!