Best Free Tools Every Smart Shopper Should Use

Price Tracking Tools

CamelCamelCamel

CamelCamelCamel is a free price tracking tool that monitors product prices on Amazon. It shows you the price history for any item, so you can see if a current deal is actually a good price or just a temporary sale. To use it, simply search for the product on the CamelCamelCamel website and it will display a graph of the price over time. This is super helpful for determining if you're getting a true bargain or if you should hold off. The main downside is that it's limited to Amazon, so you can't track prices across other retailers.

Keepa

Keepa is a browser extension that adds price tracking directly to Amazon product pages. In addition to the price history graph, Keepa will alert you when an item drops to a certain price point that you set. This makes it easy to monitor products you're interested in without having to constantly check CamelCamelCamel. The extension is available for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.

Google Shopping

Google Shopping is a free price comparison tool built right into Google Search. When you search for a product, Google will show you listings from various retailers along with the current prices. You can then filter and sort the results to find the best deal. This is a great way to quickly compare prices across multiple sites without having to visit each one individually.

Browser Extensions

Honey

Honey is a browser extension that automatically searches the web for coupon codes and applies the best ones to your shopping cart. It works on thousands of sites and can save you a decent amount on your online purchases. The downside is that Honey tracks your browsing data, so there are some privacy concerns to be aware of.

Capital One Shopping

Capital One Shopping is another browser extension that compares prices and finds coupon codes. It's similar to Honey, but with a few key differences. Capital One Shopping focuses more on price comparison, while Honey is better at finding coupon codes. Capital One Shopping also has a rewards program that earns you credits for your purchases.

RetailMeNot

RetailMeNot is best known for its coupon code database, but it also has a browser extension that searches for and applies codes automatically. The extension works well for common retail sites, but may not be as effective for more niche or specialty stores.

Cashback Apps & Sites

Rakuten

Rakuten (formerly Ebates) is a popular cashback site that pays you a percentage of your purchase when you shop through their links. Rates typically range from 1-10% depending on the retailer. The cashback is paid out quarterly via check or PayPal. While the potential savings are real, the actual cashback amounts are often modest.

TopCashback

TopCashback is very similar to Rakuten, offering cashback on purchases made through their site. The main difference is that TopCashback generally has slightly higher cashback rates than Rakuten, sometimes by a few percentage points. They also have a wider selection of participating retailers.

Credit Card Portals

Many credit card issuers have their own shopping portals that offer bonus rewards or cashback when you click through and make purchases. These are often overlooked, but can be a great way to stack savings on top of other cashback apps.

Deal Alert Systems

Slickdeals Alerts

Slickdeals is one of the most popular deal-hunting communities online. They offer customizable email and app alerts that notify you when new deals matching your preferences are posted. This is a great way to stay on top of limited-time sales and discounts without having to constantly monitor deal sites yourself.

Reddit Deal Communities

Subreddits like r/deals and r/frugal are treasure troves of user-submitted discounts and money-saving tips. You can browse the feeds or set up alerts to be notified of new posts relevant to your interests.

Mobile Apps

There are tons of mobile apps that can help you save money while shopping. Some examples include:

• Store Apps: Many major retailers have their own apps that offer exclusive deals, mobile-only discounts, and the ability to earn rewards.
• Receipt Scanning Apps: Apps like Ibotta and Fetch Rewards let you earn cashback by scanning your physical store receipts.
• Gas Price Apps: Apps like GasBuddy can help you find the cheapest gas stations in your area.
• Grocery Apps: Apps from grocery chains and services like Instacart often have digital coupons and discounts.

Getting Started

If you're new to deal hunting, I'd recommend starting with a core set of 3-4 tools:

1. CamelCamelCamel or Keepa for price tracking
2. Honey or Capital One Shopping for coupon codes
3. Rakuten or TopCashback for cashback
4. Slickdeals or Reddit deal communities for alerts

Just be careful not to go overboard with browser extensions, as too many can start to impact your web browsing performance. The key is finding the right balance of tools that work for your specific shopping habits. And don't forget to periodically re-evaluate which ones are providing the most value. New money-saving apps and services are constantly emerging, so it's worth exploring what's out there.