Posted by Maneesh Sethi :: October 18, 2007 @ 9:55 am

Trying to save money? Look online before buying anything. Seeing as how you are reading this blog, you are already well connected to the Internet, so you have probably already shopped online. However, you may still be surprised at how much stuff you can find online at drastically discounted prices.

For example, magazine subscriptions. First of all, buying magazines at the grocery store is an incredibly bad deal---a one-year subscription to Discover Magazine costs $24.95 from their website. That's 67% off the cover price---not a bad deal. However, eBay has an even better deal: $9.00 for a 2-year subscription! That's less than a quarter of the normal subscription price! I've bought magazines like Wired and the New Yorker from eBay for drastically discounted prices and always received them as promised by the seller.

Of course, you should also look for standard excellent deals online. You can grab books, DVDs and CDs for much less on Amazon or Half.com than you will be able to in a store. In fact, buying books from a bookstore makes almost no sense--even with two-day shipping, most books from Amazon are cheaper than buying them from a bookstore. And with Amazon Prime, that shipping fee is even lower.

Also, consider buying some items used. You can get used textbooks and other items on Amazon or Half.com for seriously cheap prices. Just look up the item as you normally would, and the used copies are mentioned on the same page. If you plan your classes early enough, you can get some great deals.

Shopping online is an awesome way to save money, and these savings can quickly add up. Just be sure to hit Amazon, eBay and other sites before going shopping. Also check airline websites for exclusive air fare discounts when planning your trips home from school. These savings will help stretch your funds farther, but if you still need funds to cover educational expenses, consider a P2P loan on Lending Club.