Some people love walking around a shopping centre looking for bargains and offers, others loathe the thought of having to wander from shop to shop on a busy Saturday afternoon fighting the crowds and queuing to pay.  Either way, with Christmas coming up, many people will be thinking ‘what shall I buy for ….?’

Many people like me have started buying things off the internet more frequently.  Convenience is the key word.  Being to shop any time of the day or night!  There are huge savings to be made from buying off the internet, as I am starting to find out.

By Sunita Khan (Project Manager)

Quidco
Recommended to me by a friend.  It is a cashback website, which enables you to get back big savings from the merchants who participate.  Quidco collects referral commissions from online merchants and passes them on to their members (you).  Members keep their full earnings in exchange for giving Quidco £5 out of their earnings once a year i.e. the £5 is only taken out of what you earn, you don’t have to give Quidco the £5 out of your own pocket.

It can take some time for the payment to be made into your bank account, but when it is credited… yippee, time to do more shopping!  Or you can earn cashback from your purchases and donate some of your earnings to your choice of charity or other cause.
www.quidco.com

Voucher Codes
Always worth a try.  Sites like www.myvouchercodes.com are worth looking at before purchasing an item.  Sites like this one give voucher and promotion codes for you to use when purchasing from online stores.  Again, big savings can be made if the code is used during the order process.  Voucher codes do have expiry dates and are not always guaranteed to work.  Sites like this also have printable vouchers that can be used in places like restaurants.

Moneysaving Expert
Martin Lewis – what would we do without him.  If you are lucky (read unfortunate) enough to watch programmes like GMTV, you may already know that he helps people save money.  Take a look at his website for information about absolutely everything!  But best of all, sign up to his newsletter.  Every Wednesday, you will be sent a newsletter telling where and how you can save money.  I read it every week!

Offers on websites
Do you find you always visit the same shops?  Whether you are looking for a pair of shoes or a new TV, most people will go to the same shops to look for items they want.  But you don’t have to keep going back to the shopping centre to visit your favourite shop.  Look at their website.  More often than not, they will have the item you want in stock and may be able to deliver for free.  If you sign up to their newsletters, they can send you information about offers and discounts.  You may even be able to find the same item cheaper than if you bought it in-store as many sites have a web-only price.

HotUKDeals
HotUKDeals.com is a place where consumers can freely share deal tips, voucher codes and other consumer information. The purpose of the site is to escape from the marketing messages and ads that surround us and get genuine advice from other people about hot deals.

Visiting this site can become addictive, especially if you are in the market for pretty much everything – from a Nintendo WII to broken Hob Nobs.  To keep up to date you can visit the site or use their iphone App available through the App store for free.  A great example of how businesses can benefit from creating and using their own iPhone Apps.  Alternatively become a Twitter follower and you will get instant updates on your iphone, blackberry or other similar android phone.
www.hotukdeals.com