Shopping online saves you the trouble of searching from store to store for the perfect product and gives you a chance to save money by using a coupon or finding a special online-only deal. Thousands of stores offer site-wide discounts, free shipping, and great product deals every day, so take advantage of the many stores that list these discounts in an easy to find format.

When using these online coupon sites, there are three lesser known strategies for saving even more than just shopping online.

The first way to save money is to search a promotional code site and compare the different items at different stores and then find the best coupon for the best price. Promo codes sites are a great way to locate new stores and make sure you are getting the best deal because there are 1000s of stores conveniently located in one place. Don't be restricted to the big name department stores. Often these stores have higher prices than other lesser known stores because you have to pay for their brand name.

The second way to save money is to take advantage of the free shipping coupons. Remember that sometimes the free shipping coupons are more valuable than a coupon for a percentage off your total purchase. It is useful to play around with the coupons and see which one saves you the most money. Do this by entering the different promo codes in the appropriate field at checkout and see which one provides the best discount. Stores such as Target, Sears and Kmart often have free shipping promotions that are more valuable than their standard dollar off promotions.

The last way is to stack coupons. Stacking coupons is when you use more than one promo code to save on your purchase. Although it is most common to only be permitted to use one code when you shop online, occasionally stores allow you to use two coupons. For example, a free shipping and a 5% off coupon, rather than one or the other. Make sure you at least try to use two or more coupons to save more money.