Coupon Queen: Budgeting tips when shopping online

Online shopping has grown exponentially in the past 10 years. From food, clothes, electronics and toys, hardly a few days go by when I'm not clicking that buy button. If you shop online, try a few of these ways to trim your bill. Create a separate email account Retailers love to keep you informed of their sales and coupon codes, but giving out your email can quickly fill up your inbox. To help me avoid missing important emails and to keep my inbox organized, I have a separate email account for the stores I shop at regularly. Be loyal Signing up for a store's loyalty rewards can be a money saver if you frequently use that website. The points that you earn can add up to free products and high-value coupons. Look for codes Before you shop, check your email where you may find coupon codes from your favorite stores. If you don't find any there, check the top of the website's home page. Often the coupon code will only be shown on the first couple of pages and disappear from the top when checking out. Lastly, check the stores' social media accounts, where sometimes they offer codes specifically for their audience who follows them. Be patient If you aren't in a rush, wait to click that "complete my order" button. If you wait a couple of days, you may get an extra discount offer in your email. They send these hoping a sweetened deal may help you finish that online order. Hey, it's definitely helped me make up my mind from time to time. Avoid shipping costs Free shipping used to be rare but more and more online retailers are making this a standard. At the very least, stores offer free shipping with a minimum order, and it's usually well under the $50 threshold. The children's clothing shop The Children's Place offers free shipping on every order, and Target offers it exclusively to their REDcard holders. Kohl's cardholders are regularly offered free shipping, too. Use gift cards Whether you shop in-store or online, gift cards are a must. If you know you will be shopping at a specific store, stop at your local grocery store, which offers points back on gift card purchases. These cards can come in handy when shopping a planned sale, but they are also helpful to have on hand when an unexpected price drop pops up, too. Looking for little discounts online can save you a bundle in the end. Those small savings can add up and make a big difference in your budget. This week's deal Here's a deal to grab this week at Walgreens. Select Doritos or Lay's Potato Chips — buy 1, get 1 free Buy 2 Lay's Potato Chips 7.75-8oz. $4.59 each = $4.59 total — just $2.29 each! Rachel Krych is passionate about helping others spend less and save more. In addition to her weekly column, she has a blog, Couponing With Rachel, which earns her compensation from Google for ads it places there, and from entertainment marketers whose promotional codes she touts. She doesn't write about entertainment in her column. Email her at couponingwithrachel@hotmail.com.