Online Shopping Budget Tips

1. The shopping list principle applies as much for online shopping as it does for in store shopping. Survey your wardrobe and work out what pieces you need for next season. A list will keep you focused and not caught up too much with impulse buying. We do however recommend an emergency fund for those must have finds.

2. If you wouldn't pay full price for an item, think carefully about whether you are buying the item because of the price or because you really like it. A bargain is not a bargain if you don't wear it.

3. Plan ahead for the upcoming season and monitor USA trends as they tend to be ahead of Australia's which means finding trend pieces before they hit our shores. Remember that the US is coming out of summer just as we are going into it, meaning plenty of end of season bargains.

4. Check that you are shopping from the US site and not the Australian site. Many retailers show higher AUD prices for the same item to enable them to factor in fluctuating exchange rates.

5. If you still feel nervous providing your credit card details to overseas retailers then we recommend having a second debit card with minimal credit available. Once you know how much you are planning on spending transfer money to cover your purchases but limits available cash to any would be credit card thieves (also makes you watch how much you are actually spending!)

Any other useful tips please let us know so that we can update our suggestion list.

Happy Shopping

The USA Shopping Affair Team