The moment I realized I was actually good at saving: How our editors always find a deal

When was the moment you realized you were really good at something? Like, not just ok, but good in a way that meant you almost didn’t even have to think about it? 

That’s how editors on our team feel about saving. They know how to find a deal, and they know all the tricks to find them. I asked a few of our editors about when they knew they were good at saving money, and it was fun hearing what they had to say. 

After talking with my colleagues about their journeys to becoming experts in savings, I found that each of their “A-ha” moments highlighted a savings tactic that you could easily use for yourself. Now, you’ll get to know a little more about the people on the other side of the site and learn a few more of our savings tricks. 

The “in the cart” method

I first spoke with Simon, one of our editors based out of our Amsterdam office, and he pinned his “hey I’m pretty good at this” moment on when he began using his, as he put it, “in the cart” method. 

He told me he developed this method when working with Chewy, one of the retailers he manages for us. “I realized the best place to find codes at Chewy was not the homepage, but the cart,” so he started paying more attention to what he could find after adding a product to his online shopping cart. “Depending on the items added to the cart,” he continued, “relevant codes appear in the ‘Available Savings’ section.” He soon realized that he could strategically find coupon codes this way. 

To make the most of this approach, he adds a load of products from a wide range of categories to his cart. That way, he’s more likely to see when a new code appears that could be fruitful. “After several years of this,” Simon quipped, “Chewy will be very surprised, and I’ll be very shocked, if I finalize my $2,300 cart.”

Simon told me that he uses this strategy for certain retailers as an alternative to sifting through site searches that will turn up the same codes but can take longer to get through. 

Now, for readers like you, you may not find it as useful to add a load of products to your cart, but you can still use the basic principle when shopping. If you aren’t able to find a coupon code for your order, go ahead and add the products you want to your cart. Then, you may find savings highlighted for you at the checkout page. Or, if you leave the items in your cart for a while, the retailer may nudge you to complete your order by offering you a discount code. This type of nudge most often happens if you’re logged in with a retailer and leave items in your cart. You may get an “abandoned cart” discount code sent to your email a few hours or even a day later. 

Bulk buying, but with a savvy twist

Buying in bulk is no new way to save money. We all know it’s a good way to save money on an order, even if we don’t know where we’re going to store it! However, Mia, one of our editorial team leads in the Kuala Lumpur office, finesses bulk buying in a way that makes you say, “Oh yeah, she’s good.” 

And it happens to be the reason she knows that she’s good at saving. Here’s what she had to say.

“I buy my food and supplies for my cat in bulk, usually getting enough in one order to last a year. But I don’t just do one large order. Instead, I look for retailers that offer freebies and added perks when you do a larger order. Then, I break my order into multiple orders that are just over the threshold to get these gifts. That way, I walk away with two (or more!) free gifts.

“Sure, sometimes the free gifts are just silly toys, but with multiple cats, that works in my favor. When one toy gets destroyed, I’ve got another ready to go.”

I honestly thought this was such a good idea. It’s an easy way to give your bulk buying the edge to help you get the most out of your money. Mia said that between bulk buys, she puts money into savings like she’s buying cat food; that way, when it’s time to do another order, she’s already got money set aside. 

And if a sale rolls around before she’s ready? Mia’s thought of that, too. She goes in on an order with her sisters-in-law who also have cats. That way, they all save and “keep the cycle going.”

Never settle before you scour

Next, I spoke with Aina, another editor in our Kuala Lumpur office. She told me that she knew she had a savings mindset when she just wouldn’t settle before buying something. When “Is this really the best price I can get?” became her personal mantra, she knew she was focused on finding the best prices every time. 

She told me that this tactic had recently saved her money on a flight. “I wasn’t going to wait for an airline promotion, so I did the quintessential Google search for ‘Emirates coupon code.’ At this point, it’s an automatic reflex.”

“Before I buy something, I want to know if there’s a discount hiding somewhere that I haven’t seen yet. And, as it turned out, this time there was. I found a coupon code that worked and saved me the equivalent of $60 off my flight.

“I’ve realized that being good at saving money isn’t always about finding some incredible sale. Sometimes, it’s just developing the habit of challenging prices to see if you can save more.”

Aina’s default is a shared trait amongst the Coupons.com team, and we hope that it becomes yours, if it isn’t already. But the good thing is that you can rely on sites like ours to do the legwork for you, so you can easily find a way to save. 

Agile stacking

Finally, I spoke with Trent, an editor in our Atlanta office, who previously shared how he saves on his monthly subscriptions with a regimented spreadsheet. He recalled Black Friday of 2022 as his own eureka moment. For him, it was when he first strategically stacked coupons with Black Friday deals to save a significant amount on some new clothes. 

“I used a coupon during the Black Friday sale at boohooMAN to save an extra 20% on two jackets that were already discounted by 50%,” he told me. “I don’t remember the exact price I paid, but I remember that it was just over $50 for two pieces that would’ve been around $200 originally.” 

Trent’s agile stacking of a code on top of a sale is something that any shopper can do at any time. Of course, there are times when you can’t combine a code with an offer. We know this better than anyone since we hand-test every discount code we put on our site, and that includes trying to combine them with other retailer offers. But Trent’s experience is a testament to the fact that it never hurts to try! 

Our expertise, your savings

Each of our editors has a moment when they realized that they were good at finding a coupon code or a deal. And every single one of them wants you to save money every chance you get. So, take the tactics Simon, Mia, Aina, and Trent have shared and make them your own. See how your savings game changes. 

But know that our team will continue doing the heavy lifting to save you some time and money. 

The Clip is where the people behind Coupons.com get to speak plainly. No press releases. No corporate polish. Just honest stories from people who think hard every day about helping you spend less and keep more.