Need help haggling for a car? Trying to figure out which earbuds are a better value? Check with Gemini, Perplexity or another AI assistant. Or try Google’s new AI Mode: Ask it a shopping question and get a range of results.

The visual search feature on apps from Google, eBay and Amazon can locate deals on just about anything you see. Tap the little camera icon in the app’s search bar and take a photo of an item; up will pop multiple options for where to buy it, along with prices charged. I’ve done this to find great buys on shoes, furniture and even plants.

For extreme savings, it’s tough to beat salvage food: cosmetically flawed produce, food with damaged packaging, products near their expiration date, and surplus from local restaurants and food retailers. Find salvage food through apps like Too Good To Go and Flashfood, chains like Grocery Outlet and sites like Misfits Market and Imperfect Foods. Buysalvagefood.com lists some sellers.

Almost anything you want can be purchased for less if you shop secondhand, open-box or refurbished. Be sure to buy from a reputable seller and opt for certified pre-owned appliances and electronics.

They can cut prices drastically. In one check I conducted, I easily found savings of 50 percent with store-brand toiletries and over-the-counter drugs.

Comparing unit prices of items at a store can be made difficult by hard-to-read tags and inconsistent labeling. But I’ve uncovered surprises when doing the math to check unit prices (simply divide an item’s price by the number of ounces or other unit of measure in the container). In one check I did, for example, smaller sizes of some products were cheaper per unit than larger ones.

Sign up for them through browser add-ons like PayPal Honey, BigBangPrice and the Camelizer so you can buy merchandise at the lowest price possible. For travel, get alerts on price drops at Google Flights or on apps like Hopper and Skyscanner.

Maker marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon Handmade are great places to find inexpensive and unique gifts, clothing and accessories. They can even save you money on household basics such as glassware, holiday decorations and garden supplies. You can also find handcrafted items on eBay.

More and more items on large retail sites are sold by third parties, raising the chances you’ll encounter shoddy merchandise, counterfeit goods or poor customer service. So check user reviews and return policies. And favor items shipped by the retailer hosting the site.

I can’t possibly end a greatest-hits list without mentioning freebies! Sites and apps like Facebook Marketplace (sort by “free stuff”), Buy Nothing, Freecycle, OfferUp and Nextdoor are loaded with them. You can find furniture, firewood, garden tools and all kinds of other goods.