The Internet has given people who like to save money many entirely new ways to save, and inspired a whole new range of save money tips of which we all must be aware. Here’s a tip that every online shopper should know about and use regularly.

Before you buy something online do a quick search by typing the name of the retailer plus the word “coupon” into the search field. You might be surprised at how many retailers online have ongoing offers in the form of a code that one enters into a form during the buying process. This search only takes a few minutes can save you anywhere from $.50 to a whole lot of money! Times are tough nowadays, and whether you are unemployed of just could use a little extra money, why not approach saving as a way to actually make up for extra cash that you are not earning. After all, you may not be able to snap your fingers and get a job, but what you can do is take action and save yourself a lot of cash by saving with coupons instead.

Here are a couple of examples of the wide range of online merchants who offer money-saving opportunities of this kind online:

Every time I buy or renew a domain name or renew my hosting, I’ll check in Google for coupon savings via Hostgator or Go Daddy, two registrars/hosting companies which I use. I always save at least a dollar if I register a new domain name, but the more you spend the more you will save. If you spend $75 you might save $15 on the total purchase cost. It’s a outstanding investment of your time to get substantial coupon savings like this.

Recently I rented a car from a major car rental company, and just before I hit the reservation button I remembered this particular money-saving tip, and I did a fast little search for a coupon relevant to the reservation I was about to make. I saved almost $50 on my rental, and we’re talking after-tax free money that only took me a few minutes to save!

Honestly I don’t know why more people don’t talk about this tip for saving money, because as I have illustrated the range of retailers who offer coupons like this is very wide. Also there is a cottage industry of websites that have been created to point you to these coupon offers; by using them an affiliate commission is paid to the website owner but you get your savings, and the retailer gets his business. It’s really a win-win-win for everyone.

Don’t forget to use this save money tip the next time you are about to buy online and pay the full retail price. You will not always find an applicable coupon, but I guarantee that over time the effort you put into saving in this way will be completely worth it.

photo credit: Matt McGee

OK, here’s your money saving tip for the day. I use this myself so I know that it saves me money whenever I’m going to do my ‘big’ shopping, for groceries and household stuff. I keep my coupons near the door so that I don’t waste time looking for them before I leave. I just make it a habit when I read the paper (especially Sunday’s) to set aside noteworthy coupons but ALWAYS WALK THEM TO MY LITTLE SHELF near the door so that I don’t forget them when it’s time to go.