I don’t know about you, but I LOVE TpT Sales.  Well, I’ll
be honest, I love most sales!  And when that sale is on TpT, even better!  I can’t wait to stock up on things that I have been eyeballing.  And
let me tell you, I’ve gotten pretty good at stocking up while saving a few
bucks.  Today, as TpT Sellers are preparing their stores for a sale, I want to share a few tips that will help YOU prepare for a sale.  I
know, I know….what do I mean YOU have to prepare?  Well, think of the
times that you go grocery shopping with coupons, Black Friday shopping, or any
other time where you need to make the most of your budget.  It takes a
little preparation and planning to make sure that you get the MOST bang for
your buck.

Tip 1: Earn TpT Credits
Recently, I told a colleague, “My addiction to buy on TpT is paying
off!  I was able to use my TpT Credits to snag a fairly pricey product for
just $2.00.”  Her reply was, “Wait?  What?!?!  What
are TpT Credits?”  Did you know that for every dollar that you spend
on TpT, you can earn TpT credits to use on future purchases?  Each dollar
equates to one credit earned.  For every twenty credits you accumulate,
you will earn $1.00 worth of credit on upcoming purchases.  You can use
these at any time however, when they are paired with a fabulous sale, you can
really save big!  Here’s how—
On the TeachersPayTeachers home page, click “My TpT” and then
select the option “My Purchases”.
You will then see all of your TpT Purchases.  Click “Provide Feedback” next to the thumbs
up. 
On this screen, you will rate the product that you purchased as
well as leave a comment about the product. 
Remember, that feedback should be honest; however this is not the place to
address typographical errors or things that you may have disliked that were
clearly displayed in the preview.
After you have left feedback, you will see that the “Provide
Feedback” section has now turned into a statement thanking you for your
feedback.  This indicates that your
credits have been applied and you may move on to the next product.  If I am in love with a product or style of
the seller that I purchased from, I make sure that I click on “Follow Me” next to the star.  This will also allow you to receive updates from
them on the homepage as well as have them included in my daily email updates.
After you have completed your feedback, you may want to know the total number of credits that you have accumulated.  To do so, click on “My TpT” and find “TpT Credit Balance” to
view your TpT Credits that you have earned and used.  
Now, you may have to do a little math, but I think you’ll be able
to handle it.  By clicking on the TpT
Credits Earned link, you will be able to see the total number of credits that
you have accumulated.  By clicking the
TpT Credits Used, you can view the total number of credits that you have
used.  By subtracting these two numbers,
you can see the number of credits that you still have to use.  Remember that twenty credits earned equal
$1.00 for you to spend on the site!

Now that
you have cashed in on your TpT Credits by leaving great feedback, you’ll need
to know how to use them at check out!  When you are finishing up your
transaction, simply click on “Redeem TpT Credits”.  This will
also tell you how many credits you have to use.  You must use a minimum of
20 credits, however you can choose to use all or only a portion of your
available credits.
Tip 2: Create a Wish List
So it’s Monday, the sale is only on Wednesday.  What happens if
you have one of those insane days where you don’t even know what your name is?
 You know the kind I’m talking about.  Everything goes wrong.
 You run, run, run all-day and still, nothing gets
accomplished.  I always try to create my wish list ahead of time.  I
may not purchase everything on my list and sometimes I purchase last minute
things that are not on my list.  Either way, I am guaranteed to remember
the random things that I have been drooling over…even if I do only have 5
minutes of free time at 11:55 PM on Wednesday night to check out.  
When you are browsing TpT products and you find something that you
would like to purchase, simply click “Add to Wish List” rather than “Add One to Cart”. 

To access your wish list, go to the TeachersPayTeachers homepage,
and click on “My Wish List” to see the products that you have added to your
wish list.  You can also view your wish list by using the “Cart” tab.

While viewing your wish list, you can add items directly to your
cart when you are ready to check out by clicking “Move to Cart”.
Tip 3: Multiple Check Outs
Now that I’ve let you in on the TpT Credit secret, you can now use
this to your advantage!  Who says you can only check out ONE time?
 Many times, I leave feedback to all of the amazing teacher-authors that I
have purchased from.  Then, buy a portion
of my wish listed items during the sale.  You may have to do a little math
to maximize your savings.  Next, comes the important part, go leave feedback on the
items that you just purchased.
 This will earn you more TpT
Credits.  And last but not least, go back and finish off your wish list by
using ALL of your TpT Credits.  By checking out multiple times, you allow yourself
to cash in on those TpT Credits that would otherwise just be hanging out until
you decide to use them.  Depending on what your drooling over, you might
want to use this method to purchase things such as bundles or year-long items
that tend to be more expensive but are absolutely worth the price…especially
when you can grab a them at a good deal!  Or flip that idea and use the
credits from a larger product to earn credits for small items!  🙂
Tip 4: Scope Out Your Favs
When you follow stores on TpT, did you realize that you are able
to view your favorite sellers in one simple list?  Why is this important
to do at sale time?  Well, have you ever noticed a product from someone
and forgotten who posted it?  Have you ever adored nearly an entire
store and then forgot who it was?  If you follow their stores, you can use
this list to go through and browse through their stores between now and
Wednesday.  As you find things that you think would be good fits for your classroom, add them to your cart or wish list.  When the sale launches,
you will be ready to check out!  Here’s how to access your favorite seller list–


Under “My TpT”, choose “My Favorite Sellers”.  


You can easily click on the seller’s name, in green, to check out their store.  I always do this and end up finding too many products that I have missed at some point.  It always makes me spend more money…..wait, maybe you don’t want to know about this feature!

Tip 5: Don’t Forget the Promo
Do you know how many times I have checked out during a sale and
forgot to use the promo code?  Let me explain how these sales work so that
you realize the importance of using the promo code.  Each TpT store can
discount their store from 5% to 20%.  This allows you to grab a $10.00
product for as low as $8.00.  TpT then offers the promo code for an
ADDITIONAL 10% off of the discounted price.  Meaning, your final cost of
the $10.00 product would be $7.20!  Pair that with a few TpT Credits and
life is GOOD!  How do you use a promo code, you ask?


When you are ready to check out, click “Apply Promo Code”.  Then, type in the promo code provided for that particular TpT Sale.  Your 10% discount will be added to your purchase after clicking “Apply”.  Who doesn’t love a promo code?!?


Now, are you ready to shop?  My wish list is still a work in progress; however I have provided feedback on all of my purchases!  Below is a link up to fantastic stores ranging from grades K-6.  Be sure to check out their stores and discover the amazing talent and resources available.  


Enjoy maximizing your TpT sale!!! 🙂