Tan France's Affordable Decor Rule Makes So Much Sense

Everyone loves a good shopping hack to save you serious money, starting with Tan France of "Queer Eye" fame. The Netflix star is always on the hunt for a cheeky discount and is letting us in on his personal method to score the best finds without compromising on quality or vision. Speaking to The Spruce, France explained that he buys almost all small decor pieces online, where it's easier to find the kind of deals that will have you doing a double take. The only exception is when he's shopping for items that must be experienced in person before a commitment, like a couch, which he's says to buy in-person.

"When it comes to actual decor, and I'm talking even things for my kitchen — pans, plates, glasses, all that stuff that you don't really have to touch to be able to experience it — I think that they're the things that are the best things to buy online," said the fashion designer and entrepreneur. His online shopping trick to get you the best deals? Using apps and browser extensions that collect information from numerous online stores, such as Citi Shop, with which he partnered. This allows the customer to get a more comprehensive understanding of what's out there than if they were to spend time and energy visiting retailers one by one, thus helping them make the most informed decision. 

Tan France knows that shopping online may be the easiest way to save money, but there's certainly a method to it. If you're not careful, shopping for decor online, especially when you're chasing money-saving deals, and therefore more susceptible to scams, may end up costing you rather than helping you cut costs. Knowledge and safety should be your main priorities. Looking at reviews, thoroughly inspecting the website or app you're buying from, and using third party payment services are three simple steps you can take to keep your identity and money secure online. 

Once you've assimilated that mindset, you're ready to jump into online deal hunting. One of the most popular and respected coupon and discount-tracking pages is The Krazy Coupon Lady, where you can browse the Top Home Deals page for unmissable décor offers, as well as set up alerts for your favorite brands. CouponCabin is also a great alternative, with the added bonus of offering partnerships with a large number of stores for cashback and discount perks. To track the price of a specific product you have your eye on but don't immediately need to buy, use the Honey browser extension's Droplist feature. This way you can easily tell a worthy deal apart from a supposed discount that's simply following a well-timed price hike. As convenient as these services can be, though, it's important to note that most of them make money from deals with retailers, affiliate links, and targeted advertising, so use them wisely.