Hey friends!
After a whole month of the No Spend Challenge, we’ve gotten pretty good at spotting unnecessary purchases—but what about the ones that seem worth it?
We’re flooded with information designed to make us think we need that life-changing gadget, miracle skincare, or viral kitchen tool. And unfortunately it’s becoming more and more difficult to trust reviews. Cuz turns out, oftentimes they’re fake!
I know, shocking right?
But don’t worry—we’ve got tips and tricks to help you spot the fakes and make sure your hard-earned money goes toward something actually worth buying.
🚩 4 Tips for Spotting Fake Reviews
But first, a 💡Bonus Tip: Make your purchases work for you. If you’re spending money, you might as well get some of it back! Rakuten makes that easy by automatically applying cash back to qualifying purchases when you shop through their app or browser extension.
They send you a check quarterly for the money you’ve earned. Plus, you’ll get a $30 bonus when you spend your first $30. It’s basically free money for shopping smart.
1. Check for Verified Purchases. 👀 Did you know that anyone can leave a review on Amazon—even if they’ve never bought the product? That’s why we always filter for ‘Verified Purchase’ reviews.
Want to go full detective mode? Click on the reviewer’s profile and see what else they’ve rated. If they’ve left 10 identical reviews for different products, that’s a red flag. 🚩
2. Take Social Media Reviews with a Grain of Salt. 🤨 We love a good influencer rec, but let’s be real—sometimes their enthusiasm is more about the sponsorship check than the product. Even with Federal Trade Commission disclosure rules, the line between genuine excitement and paid promotion is blurred.
A good rule of thumb? If they’re raving about a product but never actually use it in their everyday content, maybe hold off.
3. Use Negative Social Media Comments to Your Advantage. 👎🏻 Brands can (and do) delete bad reviews from their websites, but they can’t always scrub social media. Before buying, check the comments on their posts.
If you see people complaining about shipping delays, poor quality, or bad customer service, take note. And if a brand has zero comments? At minimum, it’s a yellow flag 🟡.
4. Let AI Do the Work. 🤖 We love a frugal hack, and this one is gold: Fakespot, a free browser extension, scans reviews while you shop and flags the sketchy ones. It’ll even suggest better alternatives! No more scrolling through 200 reviews just to figure out if that viral air fryer is actually worth it.
The internet may be full of fake reviews, but that doesn’t mean we have to fall for them. Stay skeptical, stay smart, and only spend on things that actually deserve your money.
Spending is a skill and you can learn to master it. If you’ve ever struggled with being unable to stick to a budget or felt guilty about spending on something you enjoy, Jen and Jill’s debut book is going to be your next favorite read.
Happy (safe) shopping!
Misti
⭐️⭐️ P.S. Want to share all this goodness with your friends AND earn cool Frugal Friends merch?
**Means this is a sponsored or affiliate section. We may earn a small fee or commission when you choose to try one of our sponsor or affiliate partners. But opinions are still 1000% our own.
