Shopping online can be a lot of fun-after all, what other method can you use to shop while dressed in your pajamas and bunny slippers without people staring at you? You can also find a lot of great deals online, especially if you're willing to check out clearance sites and online auctions. On the other hand - just like with any other form of shopping - there is a big potential to spend way more than you should. Remember: Just because an online sale is advertised as a "clearance" it doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get the best deal.

Here are five tips for extreme budget shopping online:

1. Always search for coupons before making the purchase. Before you make your purchase you should use a trick that many savvy shoppers already know: conduct a search engine request for an online coupon code. Even if you have a coupon code you're ready to use, do the search first to see if you can find a better one online. You might be able to find a percentage off or free shipping or maybe even both.

2. Keep an eye on your total. It is entirely too easy to start clicking on items and forget how much money you're spending, especially since you're probably shopping with a credit card. If you spend a lot of time at one site be sure to check in with your "shopping cart" periodically to make sure that your browsing hasn't evolved into an expensive fiasco.

3. Don't get carried away with online auction sites. Sure, you can find some tremendous deals at auction sites like eBay, but these sites are designed to push you to spend more than you plan on spending. Why else would they use a bidding format and declare the purchaser the "winner?" Always keep in mind that you aren't competing against other shoppers and this isn't a competition. It's a site to buy and sell stuff, and that's all. Bid the amount you're willing to spend and don't get caught up in a ridiculous bidding war because the only person who wins in this situation is the seller.

4. Always start your shopping with the clearance site. Just like you might go straight to the back of a store to sift through the clearance racks, when you visit a website you should head directly to the link to the clearance items. You might be able to find exactly what you're looking for without paying full price.

5. Budget before going online. Sit down and figure out how much you can afford to spend before you log on to your computer and write the number down on a piece of paper prominently displayed near your computer screen. Something to the effect of, "I won't spend more than $45" should work. Glance at that paper often while you search online for items and try to stay within your budget. After all, you can't stay within a budget if you don't even bother to set a budget.

You should also keep an eye out for shipping and handling charges too. Some clearance sites will offer fantastic deals but then pad up the shipping charges so they can make more of a profit. Remember that just because something online is marked as a clearance item it doesn't automatically make it a great deal.