The holiday season is a wonderful time. People are in a jolly mood and the seasonal foods and drinks are everywhere to brighten the dark, winter days. But there’s one part of the holiday that might not always put a smile on your face: the holiday shopping can cut a hole in your budget if you’re not smart and plan for it. Savvy shoppers can make savings while those that rush around will probably end up with a huge credit card bill to pay. So, how do you ensure you are the one making the savings? Here are some of the best tips for saving money on holiday shopping.
Make a list of what you need and want
It’s really worth starting your shopping by listing out the things you need to buy. For example, brainstorm all the people you want to buy a gift to and think a little about your budget. How much money do you want to spend on each gift? Who are those you want to splurge on and what gifts should focus on being cute but economical? Having a plan like this in place can effectively help you from overspending and making purchases without a purpose.
Shop online
Online shopping is the most effective way to save money. Why? Because you have the option to compare prices and ensure you always buy from the cheapest retailer. You’re not stuck with a single retailer as you might be on the high street. You get to look around without wasting time.
It’s also a good idea to utilize the power of comparison websites, apps, and voucher code sites. You can find browser extension that alerts you to prices on other retailer pages on websites like OZCodes.com.au, you can find all the available savings codes for different retailers based on the kind of things you are shopping for. There are also helpful sites, like Raise (https://www.raise.com/
Shop at the right times
Interestingly, it can make a difference when you shop online. According to research by The New York Times, online retailers put out more deals on Tuesdays. If you want to save money, you might want to do your holiday shopping early on Tuesday morning to catch all the best offers.
Shopping early morning can be a good idea even if you can’t shop on a Tuesday. But sometimes, you might find online retailers to turn on the next day sales late at night. So, it might be a good idea to also check late in the evening to see if offers are available.
Pick a shopping holiday
You can also find special offers at shopping holidays and it’s a good idea to wait for these to come around. You shouldn’t necessarily believe the best time to buy is when a shop has a special holiday sign – you will, generally, find the best deals between Black Friday and Cyber Monday and right before December 13th. If you aren’t afraid to leave your shopping at the last minute, then you can actually save a lot of money by waiting for the last week sales right before Christmas.
Consider leaving certain items on the shelves
You shouldn’t actually buy all sorts of products prior to Christmas. In fact, clothing is something you don’t want to get prior to the holiday but wait until the clearance sales start in January. So, you might want to skip clothing gifts or simply give a gift card to the person – or a chance to present your clothing gift later.
Furthermore, if you are planning on gifting your family or friend with a holiday wait. You can book flight tickets much cheaper after the holiday season is over. The good news is you can always present the gift with just a lovely presentation of what’s to come – your recipient doesn’t need to know you don’t actually yet have the tickets booked!
Start using cash-back opportunities
Cash-back might often time sound like a deal too good to be true, but you should actually start using it. You can literally find hundreds of online sites that give you money the more you shop and this is such a good opportunity for the holiday season – you’ll be shopping a lot anyway so you might as well get rewarded for it. There are a number of cash-back sites that you should consider using.
Don’t rely on your maths
This might sound a little silly but you shouldn’t rely on your maths to save the day. Stores are good at manipulating you and presenting different deals as great saving opportunities when in fact, you aren’t really saving any money. Therefore, when you see sales offers, take out the smartphone and calculate the deal – you’ll get the real deal and you won’t just shop based on a hunch or your feelings.
Shop when you are calm
Finally, you should avoid shopping when you are stressed. Stress can lead you to make bad decisions and actually make you end up spending a lot more money – and then feeling bad about it. Listen to soothing music when shopping and only shop when you aren’t feeling stressed.
With these tips, you can Save money on holiday shopping and find the perfect gifts for the season!
Kind of hard to save money when you drop a woman off shopping! Honest!