Shopping online can be a convenient way to find what you want.

Sometimes, it's a little too convenient. You don't have to drive to a shopping mall, find a parking spot, walk to several different stores, make your purchases, find your car, and drive home again. You can hang out in your pajamas, happily clicking away, and before you know it you have a virtual shopping cart filled with more items than your budget can handle.

Fortunately, there are some easy ways to save when shopping online. 

Check for free shipping. Shipping can get pretty spendy, especially on larger items. Use sites like freeshipping.org to check for valuable online codes that will get your wares delivered for free. If you don't find a code there, a simple Google search using the name of the merchant and the words "free shipping code" will usually find you a few options worth trying.

Use email and social media. Chances are the merchant you are visiting online has a Twitter or Facebook presence. Check to see if they've shared any special deals with their followers and fans. Stores like Lands End, JCPenney and Kohls have been known to slide a few good deals toward their customers using social media. You should also sign up for your favorite merchants' email mailing lists. Set up a separate email address just for this purpose, because you will get a lot of mail. Just don't check that email until you need to shop or you'll see so many fabulous offers that will tempt you into buying all kinds of things you don't need.

Try shopping portals. There are many online shopping portals, such as Ebates, where you can earn cash back on your purchases, money for your favorite charity, or your child's college education. Don't forget to use a credit card that earns you money back on your purchases to really save. Just make sure to pay the balance in full when the bill arrives, or you haven't saved any money.

Read up before you buy. There's nothing worse than buying something only to find out later that you were the only person who didn't know it was a piece of junk before you bought it. Read the product reviews and remember to take them with a grain of salt. Angry people write more negative reviews, and marketing people love to pepper sites with glowing reviews. Look for descriptive, balanced reviews that show both the positives and negatives of a product.

Learn the return policies. Will you have to pay return shipping, or can you return it to a brick and mortar store? Is there a restocking fee? Does the merchant have a toll free number you can call with questions or problems? The answers to these questions can make a huge difference in your shopping experience. It's not a good deal if you're not satisfied with the service.

Use wishlists. Many stores let you create saved wish lists for items you would like to buy. You can then sign up to receive email alerts when the item goes on sale. Wish lists can help you save money because you can think more about the item before you make the purchase. You may just discover that you don't even want (or need) the item on your wish list after all, or better yet, someone else has purchased it for you!