If you are shopping on a budget here are some of my favourite tips...

Look at the outlet/clearance section on a website

Sometimes you can get some fantastic bargains by searching in the outlet of a site and it can end up saving you money in the long run. Do you want a plain t-shirt? Check the outlet first as the site might be trying to get rid of them. You can often find some great items in here that surprise you. 

Sort by discounts high to low 

This is a great thing to do as you could find yourself picking up some great items with a massive discount meaning you definitely end up getting more for your money. You may find a bargain of an item with a 80% discount compared to a similar product for just 20% off. You might as well get more value for your money.  

Sort by price low to high

If you aren't bothered about the discounts you could alternatively just change the sort by to price low to high. This will show you from the beginning the cheapest products and gradually increase. This way you can stop scrolling when you get to your budget and not traumatise yourself with those items you know you can't afford. 

Sign up to stores for discounts

These days you can go onto a site and almost immediately be greeted by a discount code for your first order, so why not make the most of them? If you go on and are greet with this you may as well just add your email which you would be doing at checkout anyway and get that extra discount. Make sure you make it worth it though and wait to make a big order to really benefit from this. 

Keep an eye out for newsletters in your inbox

If you are signed up to newsletters from companies then you are likely to receive emails from them all the time which could get really annoying at times but at the same time could be fantastic for your bank account. Have a look at those newsletters and see if any involve discounts just for you being subscribed which many will give you every now and again. 

Check second hand sites

If you are on a budget but there is an item you want on the more expensive side make use of second hand websites such as eBay & Depop. You can often find items second hand on these sites at a fraction of the cost of what it would usually be. If you do end up finding an item on one of these sites make sure you read the description to ensure the item is going to be good quality and not faulty before purchasing. 

If you are going to be making orders online you are going to want to check these things too...

Make sure the site is secure

When you are placing your order you are going to want to make sure that the site your are on is secure which will be shown in the bar where the website is shown by a little padlock appearing. You want to make sure this is there before entering any personal details because if it isn't a secure site who knows where your data could end up.

Check site reviews

If the site is for a company you haven't really heard about before then make sure you check out any reviews you can find before making a purchase. This will help you find out what the company you are possibly going to be purchasing from is like in terms of delivery, customer service and also what their products are like. This is a good way to separate the scam companies to the legit ones.

Check return policies

Before you make an order you want to make sure it isn't going to be a hassle to return anything that doesn't fit or doesn't look like it did on the website. Companies should always have their return policy on their website so you can easily see their return policy and know just how long you have to send things back and the process you need to follow before sending anything back. If it is going to be a nightmare to send it back you are going to want to make sure the item is going to be perfect before you order or you might just want to avoid it all together. 

Wait until you have a few items to make an order

This is something I have fallen foul to quite a few times. I have previously rushed to purchase items from sites, paid a stupid amount for delivery then a week later done exactly the same again. I have started to learn that the best thing to do is make the most out of my delivery charge by waiting a few weeks building up an order and then placing it. Granted this can be risky if it includes an item that is in high demand although I do tend to make exceptions for those. This also helps me because I aren't impulse buying half as much as I used to. 

Finally in terms of getting the items you want and getting the correct things then you are going to want to do the following...

Check size charts 

If you are unsure of if an item is going to fit you or what size you need don't just guess have a look at the size chart that you get at the side of the item you are looking at. These size charts will give you a good idea of what it is going to fit like on your body and if it is going to be too big or small. If you check these and know your sizes then you are going to hopefully cut out a lot of unnecessary returns and help you stop wasting money.  

Take note of how previous items have fit you 

If you have shopped at the specific store before and are looking to purchase an item you have previously bought or tried on from them you know roughly what the fit is going to be like on those new items you are looking at. If you know a large t-shirt fits you then you are going to want to look at that size but if you know the clothing runs a little tight you are going to want to shop the size up. 

Double check cart before purchasing

This is certainly a part you are going to want to pay attention to. You are going to want to make sure that everything is how you want it. Check the quantities are correct & the sizes are what you need this way you are going to minimise those returns again. You are also going to want to make sure your delivery address is correct too because after finding those perfect items you are going to want to make sure you actually receive them.

So those are my tips for making the online shopping experience a lot easier and efficient. But what are your online shopping tips?