Now that you have read about how easy it is to save some serious money with online coupon codes, it’s time to learn a few tips to help you to make the most of the codes you will be using.

• You’re ready to check out and use that great coupon code you found for $10 off when you spend $20, but your items total $19.86. Sure, you could add another item that costs a dollar, but why spend more than you have to? There is a very handy little tool on www.pricetaker.com that helps you find what online shoppers commonly call “filler items”.

• Filler items are things that cost very little, and hence are used to make up those last few cents needed to bring your order total up to a certain amount. It would take you a mighty long time to go through a huge web site like Amazon.com looking for items that cost 10 cents (yes, such items do exist) so Pricetaker’s tool is innovative and quite a timesaver, too.

• To use this tool, choose your store from the drop down box, then enter the price range you want to see items from. Try .01 to .05 for starters – you will be surprised how many items come up! Now you can pick out one or more things to bring your order total to the amount needed!

• The web site Couponwinner.com has a nifty little tool called Coupon Scout. It allows you to select a category, choose up to 5 different stores from a long list, then compare the coupon codes they have to offer. It is a quick way to see what’s available, especially if you are in a hurry.

• If you want to be a really smart online shopper, and the idea of missing a good deal makes you almost want to cry, choose several of your favorite sites that offer coupon codes. Bookmark them in their own folder so you can refer back to them daily. And, it goes without saying – always search for a valid coupon code before every online purchase!

• Everyone has their favorite “real” stores… those you actually walk into and make a purchase as opposed to buying an item online. One of the best tips I ever received was to always check the online stores for coupon code specials before you shop their brick and mortar counterparts. Often you will find a better deal online than in the actual store, and then you take action and buy the item.

• Plan your shopping so that you are able to meet any purchase requirements necessary to use the online code. If you have to spend $50 in order to use the coupon code, look the web site over carefully and make a list of the things you need and could buy in order to bring your total spent up to the amount you need.

• Choose your favorite online stores. They will offer newsletters or special mailings to their customers who have signed up to receive them, and often these will have coupon codes in the form of special discount links that the general public does not see.

• Coupon code web sites will also publish newsletters, and it would be worth your while to subscribe to a few of them as well to keep abreast of any new codes that have been released. These stores and/or web sites won’t fill up your inbox, nor will they spam you!

• Generally, you can expect an email from an online store or web site maybe once a week – usually less often – but sometimes, more often. It all depends on how many new coupon codes there are.

• Think of it like this… receiving emails from your favorite online stores can actually save you a lot of time. You won’t have to go to the actual website in order to keep up with the latest deals.

• Read. Read magazines. Read newspapers. And, watch commercials! The idea here is to keep up with the latest trends. You need to know how much things cost in order to be able to determine whether or not something is a good buy.

• Paying attention to prices can actually save you money in the long run. A coupon code is not a good deal if you use it to buy something that is a cheap imitation of a quality product.

• Don’t snatch up the first bargain you see for a really big ticket item, coupon code or not. Make certain you can’t get it for a better price anywhere else. You never know when an even better bargain may be lurking just around the corner!

• Try not to be in a hurry when you shop. This is yet another reason why shopping online is so great! Think about it – Don’t you think the stress level is a lot lower for someone who is sitting at home, relaxed at their computer with their feet propped up, surfing the Internet for bargains than it is for the person standing in a store inside a crowded mall trying to catch the eye of a salesperson in order to ask a question?.

• Would you like to make money for your child’s college education while you are shopping? There are web sites that will give you back a small percentage of the money you use to purchase items. One of them is called Upromise, located at www.upromise.com. Once you sign up for Upromise, you can go through their web site to get to retailer’s web sites. When you buy something, a percentage of what you spend is deposited into your account. It is a painless way to save a little money which can build up over time into a surprisingly large amount!