Provided by: IMC! Financial Peer Mentor- Lisette Martinez
Currently, with the pandemic, there has been an increase in online shopping. I can definitely say that I have found myself shopping online more frequently than before. It is so easy to click and buy without even seeing your money, but that is not good for our wallets! In this post, I will be giving you some tips on saving money while online shopping. These are specifically on clothing but this can be applied for other items as well. These will hopefully help you try and avoid spending too much money.
I have found that it is easy to make impulse purchases online, and I want to help all of us college students save as much as possible on our tight college budget. My first piece of advice is to wait a day or two before purchasing to really think it through and decide if this is an item that you really want. This is something I have been doing and has prevented me from getting things that I don't truly need. I also have waited weeks/months before buying items, so it does not have to be just one day or two, especially if it is something that you want and do not need.
This also brings me to my next tip, which is downloading Shoptagr onto your browser. You can save items you want to keep an eye on, and it will alert you when it goes on sale! This is very helpful if you do not want to pay full price for something, and this saves you the time it takes to keep checking if it is on sale.
Another piece of advice is to go to a thrift store and try to find a similar item to what you wanted. This not only helps the environment, but it also helps you save some money as well. We also have the Campus Thread on campus that is open every Friday from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm and is FREE. I have found some great pieces there. This is great, especially right now since it is getting colder. Maybe you forgot your winter gear at home, or do not have any and need something to keep you warm but do not want to buy anything. I will be listing information on the Campus Thread below, along with some thrift stores in the area.
My two final tips are to check if a student discount is offered and to look for coupons. Many sites offer student discounts but they do not advertise them, so all you have to do is search. I made the mistake of not searching for a student discount at one of my favorite stores and turns out they offer a 5% student discount! I have also saved a lot of money by searching for coupons and checking if they can be stacked on top of each other. One of the times I did this, I was able to get a pair of converse that retails for $55 for just under $15! It never hurts to check, so always try it and you might be surprised as to how much you can save.
Thank you for reading this blog post! I hope you were able to find it helpful! As I mentioned, I will be providing a list of thrift stores below along with more information about the Campus Thread. Also, feel free to follow us on Instagram @itmakescents_uwl or book an appointment with us at https://www.uwlax.edu/it-makes-cents/!
Campus Thread
Open Fridays 10:00 am- 2:00 pm
Common Ground | 1334 Pine Street, La Crosse, WI
Rootin’ Crown
47 Copeland Ave, La Crosse, WI 54603
The Salvation Army Family Store & Donation Center
728 Copeland Ave, La Crosse, WI 54603
Good Steward Resale Store
1930 Rose St, La Crosse, WI 54603