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Last week while perusing the Sunday paper, I came across an ad for Macy's big clearance sale. "Take an additional 20% off clearance prices! This weekend only!" it said. A year or so ago, I would've rushed right out to the mall to snap up some of those clearance-priced bargains. Why not now? Simple... I've discovered the world of online bargain shopping. Now I rarely spend more than half of the retail price on anything I buy online and frequently a whole lot less.

COUPON CODES

The first and most important trick to finding great deals online is to look for coupon codes. You should never buy anything online without a code because they are relatively easy to find. One of my favorite websites is www.retailmenot.com. On this site, you can search by store name and find coupons codes other users have successfully used and submitted. Other information such as expiration date and minimum purchase amount is also listed. Coupons that are "stackable" are especially useful. That means they can be combined with other coupon codes for even more savings. Some other good websites for discount codes are flamingoworld.com, funtasia.net, and currentcodes.com. Anytime you plan to shop online, make it a point to visit one of these sites first to find out what kind of discount codes are currently available.

Another website I use frequently is www.slickdeals.net. The "Hot Deals" forum is a great source of information for any bargain shopper. Users on this site submit great deals they find online including super deep discounts, price mistakes, coupon codes, and freebies. My most recent find on slickdeals was a $25 off coupon for LizClaiborne.com. There was no minimum purchase and I was able to combine the coupon with the clearance sale they were having. I got a brand new pair of capri pants for free and only paid $4 for shipping!

REWARDS & REBATES

Now that you've found something to buy and hopefully have a coupon code to go with it, how can you maximize your savings even further? How about a cash rebate or earning gift certificates every time you shop? Ebates.com and fatwallet.com are two websites that reward customers with cash back on purchases made using links from their site. Say you've run out of your favorite moisturizer from The Body Shop. Just visit fatwallet.com, click on the click to The Body Shop's website, and you'll automatically earn 4% cash back on your purchase. Other sites like mypoints.com reward you with points for shopping online. These points can be redeemed for

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