Online shopping can either wreck your budget or save you money, it all comes down to how you do it. I love to shop but hate going to stores, so shopping from my couch should save time and cash. The problem was that I used to make impulse purchases that were a pain to return, so I taught myself how to be a wiser buyer. If I can do it, so can you.
It was way too impractical to quit online shopping cold turkey, so here's the system I built instead, sorted by the shopping habit that's costing you the most.
If you constantly get sale emails
Unsubscribe. That's the best way to avoid being seduced by retailers! It's pretty painless to do, too: Sync your email to a service that lets you unsubscribe in bulk from the message chains you don't need. The emails you decide to stay subscribed to go into a single daily digest, which makes them easier to ignore since you won't see the subject lines screaming about sales all day.
Still want to hear about the deals? Create a separate email address and sign in to your favorite stores using this account. Then check that account only when you're ready to shop, with a specific purchase in mind; quickly search through the inbox for the store and grab the coupon you need. It beats being bombarded by retail emails every time you go to reply to a message from your mom.
If you worry your dream purchase will sell out
Check other online stores. Even if a retailer says there are "only 3 left!" that doesn't mean those are the last three in the world. Chances are, the item you're looking at is also available on another retail site, possibly at a better price. Do a quick search to make sure you're really getting the optimal deal.
Then wait 24 hours before clicking "checkout." I use this time to shop my own closet to see if I already have something similar to what I'm about to buy. It's also smart to take a look at your finances and make sure you can afford to get that item right now. If you've done these things and are still thinking about it the next day, continue through to check out. More often than not, you're likely to feel meh about spending your money after a little time has passed.
If you don't have the budget to pay full price
Track the sales. There's no need to repeatedly check a store's site to see if the price has dropped. There are services that do this for you! Create an account with a price-tracking tool, then save those cute boots to your wish list. The sale tracker will email you when they're marked down.
Make coupons find you. Eyeing something that never goes on sale? Add a coupon-finder like Honey (joinhoney.com) as a browser extension on Chrome or Firefox. Before you check out, it will automatically search for and apply available coupon codes, like free shipping or 20 percent off site-wide, or even offer you cash back. You'll get a bargain without coupon searching. Sure, retailers are savvy, but now you're even savvier.
Smarter shopping is really just cash-flow control in disguise. Put the savings to work with the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, and see what else to rent instead of buy.