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Just like Santa, you’ve made your list and checked it twice. You’ve axed who’s been naughty and kept who’s nice. Here’re some great ways to save money while you’re out and about shopping with your well-planned list and budget in mind.
Table of Contents
9 Sure Fire Ways To Save Money Christmas Shopping
Register for Ebates and other Money Saving Sites
Search for the store where you plan to shop, connect to the store through their link, and you’ll earn a percentage back on your purchase. Receive payment every three months by check or Paypal. With Ebates.com, in the last year I received over $200 back on purchases I planned on making.
Other great sites to consider include:
Swagbucks pays you in points called “SBs” when you make a purchase from your favorite store using its links. You’ll earn 1 SB for every dollar you spend at participating stores. Other stores offer a flat number of SBs for any purchase.
The best way to utilize Swagbucks it to install the app that way you’ll get an alert on your browser reminding you to get cash-back every time you’re on a retailer’s site.
You’ll see the SBs in your account within two to seven business days, and you can redeem them toward gift cards or coupons. The closest thing to redeeming for cash is to choose PayPal gift cards.
Earn up to 30% cash back from more than 4,000 stores by making your purchase through Be Frugal. You’ll see your earnings in your account within a few days. Once your balance reaches $25 or more, you can request a payment via PayPal, gift card or by check (U.S. only). BeFrugal processes payments on the 15th of each month. PayPal deposits are immediate while gift cards and checks take seven to 10 days to reach your mailbox.
The great thing about BeFrugal is that if you make a purchase through their site and find another site that offers a higher percentage of cash back, they will apply the higher rate to your purchase plus an extra 25% to your account. It’s like price matching, but for cash-back sites!
Earn cash-back rewards from Ibotta in several different ways:
- Shop online through Ibotta links to individual stores
- Download the Ibotta app
- Link a loyalty card from participating stores
- Refer your friends, create a team and earn greater rewards
These are my top four favorite cash back sites!
Shop Early
Buying early is the best thing you can do to eliminate stress and have your best Holiday Season ever! Some argue that if you shop too early, you’ll miss all the great deals. In my experience, this simply isn’t true. Good deals are everywhere if you know when to look for them.
For example, I get regular coupons from Kohl’s, but I refuse to buy anything from Kohl’s until I receive my 30% off coupon in the mail. I typically get this coupon on every third coupon sent to my house. I pair it with the best deal I can find along with any money off coupons and as a result, have scored some great deals.
You just need to keep your eyes peeled and know the price of the item you are hunting for to ensure the best price. It can be done.
Stores like Macy’s often have their lowest prices of the season sales where they drop the price of almost everything to the lowest they will be during any other sale. Pair with coupons for even bigger savings.
Black Friday Sales
I love Black Friday Sales! Last year I scored so many great deals it was amazing! Here’s the trick to the best Black Friday shopping experience.
- Plan ahead of time: You can’t expect to wake up on Black Friday, glance at the circulars, head out the door late and expect to get the best deals. It won’t happen. There are many websites available to help you prepare for your Black Friday experience. One of my favorite sites is HowToShopForFree.net. Kathy Spencer, the website owner, does a great job mapping out the best deals and scenarios. She makes it super simple for you to follow down the money saving road.
Additional resources include http://www.bfads.net and www.dealnews.com.
These sites typically start posting in early fall about upcoming Black Friday deals.
You can also sign up for alerts, so you never miss a deal.
To make it super easy for you, use my Black Friday Holiday Shopping List.
Mass Saving Sites
Groupon and the countless other sites out there are great ways to find wonderful gifts for a fraction of the cost. From restaurants to spas, excursions and activities there is something for almost everyone! There’s virtually no reason to pay full price for anything anymore.
Check out Groupon here and sign up to get the daily deals emailed directly to your inbox.
The site operates under the Group Discount method. So a certain number of people need to purchase the deal for everyone to benefit from the deal. Each deal comes with its own set of details and instructions for redeeming.
If you live in Massachusetts, like I do, Groupons are looked at as a gift certificate, and therefore those laws apply. Check with your state’s laws regarding gift certificates and gift cards to see what protections you are entitled to as a consumer.
Here’s a link to the top two group discount sites: www.groupon.com, www.livingsocial.com.
Shop Online
Shopping online has become the best alternative to heading into a store. I for one love to buy online as long as the store has a great return policy or allow you to make returns in the store. I think the biggest draw to shopping online is the ability to do comparison shopping in a much easier fashion than going from store to store looking for the best deal.
Amazon.com is one of my all-time favorite online shopping websites, but sometimes you don’t know if you’re getting the best deal on Amazon. Not anymore! Use Honey to determine if there is a better deal either through an associated selling partner within Amazon or on another site altogether.
Camel, Camel, Camel helps you get the best deal on Amazon and works in a different way by alerting you when prices drop.
Discounted Gift Cards
Everyone sells them, and all of us use them. Gift cards have become the best alternative to giving cash especially when you don’t know what to buy the person. The good news on the gift card front is twofold. First, many companies offer incentives when you buy cards during the holiday usually in the form of an additional gift card dollar amounts. Second, sites like cardcash.com offer discounted gift cards you can buy as well as a forum to sell your unwanted gift cards.
Follow Your Favorite Businesses On Facebook
And, maybe even Twitter. Lots of companies have special promotions, giveaways, free shipping, and sales that they advertise through Facebook or on Twitter. Check them regularly to see where you can save money.
Enter Online Giveaways
The online blogging community is ideal for giveaways. They will have giveaways coming up soon for lots of great items. You just might get lucky and win that perfect Christmas gift so check their blogs at least weekly and enter to win!
Be of Service
Sometimes you sit and scratch you head trying to find the perfect gift for someone who has everything. That’s my Aunt Terry; there’s nothing she needs. When that happens, I think about a service gift or good deed I can do in its place. Maybe you can wash someone’s car, bring them an home cooked meal, or clean their home. This type of gift is perfect for an elderly relative who might not be able to do these things for themselves any longer. You get to spend some time with them, which I bet they’ll appreciate and do something they need to be done.
