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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.
The Best Shopping Tips To Keep You On Track, On Budget and Calm This Holiday Season
1. Shop Early
Shopping early is the best thing you can do to eliminate stress and have your best Holiday Season ever! Some argue if you shop too early you’ll miss all the great deals. In my experience, this simply isn’t true. And in fact, you save only about 5% during Black Friday sales and retailers repeat these deals all season long.
Good deals are everywhere if you know where 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.
Also if you don’t mind shopping online, you can change any coupon code sent via Kohl’s to reflect the 30% off by just changing the corresponding number on your coupon. For example, if you get a coupon that says Holiday15, just change it to Holiday30 and it should take 30% off your purchase at Kohls.
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.
Read: How To Give Generously When You Don’t Have A Nickel To Spare
2. Black Friday Sales
I used to love Black Friday Sales! Many years I’ve scored so many great deals it was incredible! I think if there’s something great on sale, then go for it and go Black Friday Shopping.
I don’t need anything this year, so my best friend and I are forgoing our traditional Black Friday shopping trip and are doing something else.
If you do decide to go, here’s the trick to the best Black Friday shopping experience.
a. 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 www.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.
If you want to check out all the Black Friday Circulars, just go here.
You can also sign up for alerts, so you never miss a deal.
Read: The Most Dangerous Places to Use Your Debit Card This Holiday Season
3. Mass Saving Sites
Groupon, Living Social and the countless other sites out there are great ways to find unusual 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. Check out Living Social here.
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 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.
4. Shop Online
Shopping online has become the best alternative to heading into a store. I for one love to shop online as long as the shop 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 store to store looking for the best deal.
Amazon.com is one of my all-time favorite online shopping experience. If you decide to use Amazon.com, I highly suggest you grab a PRIME Membership. You can Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial
and cancel if you decide it’s not for you, or you can give the gift of Amazon to someone who loves to Shop Amazon – Give the Gift of Amazon Prime.
In a nutshell here’s why I love Amazon: free shipping on millions of items, free streaming of movies, music library, you can share it with a few people (I share my membership with my daughter, who lives in another household – how cool is that!) and access to free downloads onto your Kindle.
So Try Amazon Prime 30-Day Free Trial. I think you’ll love it!
If you decide not to join PRIME, but you shop Amazon on a regular basis, you’ll want to use their Camel, Camel, Camel program to do your price checking. You can learn all about the Camelizer here.
Read: How To Create A Values Based Christmas This Year
5. 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, it is always fun to get a deal. It is even better to get a super great deal. Before you head out to shop, visit eBay to find discounted gift cards. You can find gift cards from hundreds of retailers at seriously deep discounts.
I’ve done this for several years in a row and save a lot of money each year by using this one simple trick. Last year I was able to purchase a $500 gift card to Toy’s R Us for $430. That was $70 that went right back into my pocket for more holiday shopping. There are all sorts of stores on eBay that sell discounted card – everything from Kohl’s, Macy’s, Target, Walmart, Best Buy and many more. eBay is probably my number one Black Friday shopping secret I can share with you today.
Want to know how I save a boatload each Christmas? Read this post for my detailed step-by-step process for saving BIG money each holiday season!
6. 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.
7. Enter Online Giveaways
The online blogging community is great 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!
8. Register for Ebates
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 earned over $200 back on purchases I would have made anyway!
Read: Get Cash Back and Give Back When You Shop Online With Giving Assistant
9. Get Back and Give Back with Giving Assistant
Giving Assistant is like Ebates, but with a twist. You get cash back when you shop, just like Ebates, but you can choose to donate all or a portion of what you get back to a charity of your choice. Don’t see your charity? No problem, let them know and they’ll work to get them added.
This is a nice twist, just at the right time of year.
10. Be of Service
Sometimes you sit and scratch your 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 place of a gift. Maybe you can wash their car, bring them an excellent meal, or clean their home. This type of gift is wonderful for someone elderly 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.
Don’t have a lot of cash? Check out this post for awesome ideas when you don’t have a nickel to spare!
Using these methods and suggestions will keep all of us sane this holiday season. Use one or all of them for the best shopping experience you can have!
