Today's gas prices and a growing internet economy has made shopping online common, but that doesn't mean that we all do. There's still shipping to contend with, as well as other concerns.

I don't shop online too much but have purchased some things in the past (ebay, items I have a hard time finding, etc.). If it wasn't for having an outlet mall close by, I think I would shop more online.

That said, if I lived more in the country and had to drive far to the mall, then I think I would definitely shop more online especially for things like Christmas gifts. I have, since I was 7, been going shopping the Friday after Thanksgiving (yes, with all those crazy people) because I find so many great deals and get most of my shopping done (very cheap) in one day. For me, it's worth the hazzle because of the money saved. But in the past few years, the stores have just as good of sales online with free shipping so there isn't any point in going through the craziness at the mall. Many people could save a lot buy skipping the gas and the time it takes to shop for sales and just buy everything from one place like Amazon.com or Walmart and a lot of time you can find free shipping sales.

God bless,

Julie

Yes, I shop online a lot...especially if I can get free or cheap shipping. With the price of diesel fuel these days, I'd buy my groceries online if I could!!

Angie, depending on where you live, you can buy your groceries online.  We have Peapod here, where you go through and place your order online, they deliver from Stop & Shop.  A lot of my friends in Boston who don't have cars use Peapod for their groceries.

I did shop online quite frequently until we gave up credit cards. Recently, the only thing I did online was to book a hotel room in March online. I reserved it with a cc but paid cash at the hotel. In Feb, I did buy 2 books on Amazon for my Bible Study but only b/c I got free shipping and had a coupon. Otherwise, I have a Barnes & Noble about a mile away and could have gone there.

I tend to overspend when I have online shopping access. I consider it a convenience but since I live in a city with many, many shops, there isn't much that I can't find here.

I save quite a bit by shopping online, even when shipping is added in. Homeschooling books are hard to find locally and cheaper through Amazon or Ebay than through the publisher. I have also found self help and DIY books cheaper online than in stores.

Beyond that, my shopping online is limited.

 

I voted 'occasionally'.  Now and then when I can't find something in the stores, I'll shop online.  Like older music now on CD, offbeat movies, used books, essential oils and fragrance oils, soy wax.  I looked around to buy some food items in bulk (and others not in bulk), even on Amazon, but the prices weren't less, especially if there was shipping.  Last thing I was going to buy online was the Atlas Pasta Machine, which was on Amazon with free shipping, but I decided not to for now.

Since I combine many errands in one trip to town, paying for shipping really isn't saving $ for me I guess.

I shop online on ebay for gifts, kids clothes etc.  Have shopped sites for rewards like airmiles, order mags etc.  Yves rocher too.  Have bought from bird stores online for food and toys.

I love online shopping, but don't do tons of it -- maybe once every other month.  My husband wanted a guitar case for his birthday for a guitar he already had.  He sent me a wishlist from, as far as we could find, what was the cheapest music supply website.  Recently, on a daily stretch post, I posted that my husband bought 3 tiny weird-size batteries and 40 or 50 AA batteries (enough for 2 years with careful use) for $18 including shipping.  The tiny batteries sell for $7.50 for a 3 pack at Wal-Mart.  Definately a savings!  When I was in college I bought many a text book through amazon, which even with shipping, was a significant savings over college bookstore prices.  My husband found dvd movies on Black Friday for about $3 each last year; a lot of older ones, but some were movies I really wanted on dvd but hadn't found or hadn't found cheaply enough.  He said shipping was minimal.  I don't buy a lot of clothes online, but I have once or twice purchased from old navy and their flat rate shipping -- very worth it even though the store isn't that far from my house; it did save me a trip to the mall and the horrible parking that comes with it.  One thing I rarely shop online for is fun/fiction books.  I'm a severe book-o-phile and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the smell of books and bookstores, so I'd rather sit in a bookstore for hours rather than shop online for books.  Ink for your printer is pretty cheap online, too.

I think online shopping is like all other shopping; you have to compare.  Internet is definately good for helping you figure out the best deal.  For father's day and his birthday (combo gift) my stepdad wanted a new cologne and the aftershave stuff.  It was $60 just for the cologne from Macy's.  Then I found it at amazon for $35 with free shipping.  That weekend JC Penny's ad in the Sunday paper sold a cologne and aftershave combo for $50.  Penny's is less than 2 miles from me.  He got what he wanted and I didn't kill my bank account getting it for him.

Occasionally. I started online shopping with Tower Hobbies, a mail-order hobby shop because it was so much cheaper than going to a store and it saved a lot of time. At the time we were living just north of Washington, DC and the traffic there is horrendous, to the point that one had to plan one's life around traffic. So rather than deal with traffic I started buying stuff online and it was on the back porch a few days later when I got home from work. Very nice! Santa Claus drives a brown truck, you know. LOL.

That expanded later to even buying a 4,500 watt generator because even with shipping a 270 lb. item it was cheaper than locally. And neither one of us really likes shopping so we'd prefer to do that online or mail-order. But you have to be careful about dealing with a known business. I've never had problems but I don't buy from companies that don't list both a physical address and a telephone number where they can be reached, and I then verify through other means that the business actually exists.