Saving Money On That New Camera

Nothing is more frustrating than realizing that the new gadget on your wish list is way more expensive than you originally planned for it to be. You, like many others just starting out in photography and videography, may be struggling to get out of this cycle:

You don't have many skills, so you can't get a job in the field. You can't get new skills, because you don't have the right equipment/software to learn the skills to impress people to hire you. You can't get the right equipment/software because you don't have any money. You don't have any money, because, well… you don't have a job. 

Photo credit: 401(K) 2013

I'm here to help, and to offer some advice. Every famous photographer and videographer started out somewhere. You just need to remember to start off small. Don't think that you need to go to the nearest electronics store and buy all the best camera equipment known to man in one day. Try to buy only one new piece of equipment at a time, if you like it, buy more and expand. If you don't like it… well you live and learn. Do research, listen to mentors/professionals, and ask for opinions. 

This week I'm sharing some of my favorite websites for finding the best deals and lowest prices on your favorite camera gear and accessories: 

• MacMall: Granted I am a Mac lover, but this site is really awesome, and constantly has deals on some much needed camera items. I regularly get my memory cards there and they're a fraction of the cost that I could've paid somewhere else. I've also purchased filters and cases from MacMall as well, and the quality is great! Shipping is free with a purchase of $25 or more, but I like to use my ShopRunner account to get free 2 day shipping. If you haven't heard about ShopRunner you should definitely check it out. It's a lot like Amazon's Prime, but ShopRunner has lots of partner stores that sell qualifying items, such as MacMall, and offer excessive discounts. The shipping is FAST, free, and if you need to return the item(s) it's free to send back as well. There's a free trial for 30 days, so definitely check it out!

• Brad's Deals: This is one of my favorite sites for finding deals, and not just electronics either. It offers a search function at the top where you can search for specific stores or brands. You can also filter by category, online and print coupons, and of course, the newest deals. Their blog is a great read if you have time too. I purchased my Canon DSLR after reading about a deal on this site and was able to get a refurbished model for $200 less than the normal price! 

• Rakuten: Formerly Buy.com, this site is great if you're looking to purchase camera or accessory deals. They offer more than just electronics, but the selection is great and I always like reading the reviews on each product before purchasing. I purchased one of the Adobe Creative Suite packages (before Creative Cloud released) and saved almost $300 with an educational discount. Rakuten also offers a service called Super Points, where you earn points for your purchases that you can spend later, so I actually ended up getting a nice pair of headphones using the Super Points I earned from my Adobe Creative Suite.

• B&H Photo: This is my go-to site for great quality professionals items. The prices are not the cheapest, but you're definitely paying for quality. I've purchased filters from this site, as well as my camera bag and tripod. I love that B&H allows you to get an educational discount if you're in school and have a .edu email address. They also occasionally have sales, so be sure to check the site often around holidays.

• RetailMeNot: Last but not least, this site is THE BEST for online coupon codes. You just type in what company/website you want to purchase things off of and it compiles a nice list with codes that people have used. There's also a comment section for each of the codes, so you can see if they're working by user responses, or by looking at the ratings by each code.

So there you have it. These are my favorite sites for finding awesome electronic deals and saving money. I'd love to hear about more sites if you know of them or about your experiences with each of the above mentioned places! Comment below and follow me to stay informed!