I am one of those people who never pays full price for anything. I don't care if I'm only knocking $1-2 off something, I will wait until I can snag it on sale. Because of that patience I always get a lot of bang for my buck. Here are 10 ways that I use to save money when I buy anything.
1. Make a Master List and Keep to It - Before you start shopping you need to make a list of every thing or person you need to buy for and don't deviate from that list. Also set a price limit and stick to the limit! Be selective in regards to those you buy gifts for. Must you buy a gift for your hair dresser, postal worker, and ice cream truck man? Probably not. If you still feel guilty leaving someone out then perhaps bake them some cookies and place them in a cute tin you bought from the dollar store along with a sweet hand written note.
2. DIY Your Own Gifts - I actually did this for some of the people I bought for last year and I'm going to do it again this year. Not only is it fun to browse Pinterest for cute DIY gift ideas but it is also a very thoughtful and heartwarming gift. Also a handmade gift is something you can cherish for the rest of your life.
3. Comparison Shop - When I am in a store and I see a bigger ticket item I like I will whip out my phone and look online to see if I can find it cheaper. The two sites I usually visit to compare prices are Amazon.com and Ebay. Plus, if you are an Amazon Prime member you will receive free shipping within two business days and will pay no sales tax. I NEVER see something I like and just buy it without checking online to see if I can find it cheaper. Nine times out of ten I can either find it cheaper on Amazon or Ebay and I save a ton of money that way.
4. Shop Online - I shop for most everything online. Often times you will receive free shipping if you spend a certain amount so I usually buy multiple gifts on the same site to reach their free shipping threshold. Also, if there are no physical stores in your state then you are not charged sales tax on your online purchase. Another perk of shopping online is you don't have to waste gas or even have the cost of eating out because you won't even be leaving your house. That right there will save you at least $10 of your hard earned money.
5. Buy Discount Gift Cards - If you like to buy gift cards then use a website where you can get them at a discounted price such as Gift Card Rescue or GiftCards.com. The latter gives you the option to personalize gift cards with a photo to make them a little more meaningful if that's your thing. Also you could purchase gift cards to just buy the gifts yourself at the discount price.
6. Use Your Credit Card Company Rewards Points - I put all my monthly expenses on one credit card and then I pay it off in full each month. As a result I really rack up rewards points for my purchases and it's free money when I use the cash back service. A good idea would be to resist using your points during the year and once Christmas rolls around I think you would be surprised to find that it would probably cover most or possibly even all of your Christmas shopping. Also your credit card company may offer gift cards and other gifts in addition to cash back. I would caution selecting any of the gifts they may offer as you usually will spend more points than you would buying the same item yourself using these shopping tips.
7. Use an Online Comparison Shopping Tool - There are tons of them but my favorites are PriceGrabber.com and Google Shopping where you can type in the item you are looking for and then search by price to find the best deals.
8. Use a Rebate Tracking Website - Mr. Rebates is my favorite but you can also use Ebates. Basically how it works is you create an account and then before you shop online you visit Mr. Rebates or Ebates and click on the store name that you wish to shop at (there are hundreds). It will take you directly to the store's website where you can place your order and in a couple of months you will get a rebate from your online shopping.
Each store pays back a different percentage, for instance on Mr. Rebates if you shop at Sephora you will currently receive 10% cash back on your total purchase. You can choose to either receive a check in the mail or a PayPal credit. I've done this for years and it really does work. If you don't already have a Mr. Rebates account you can click here to start saving. It's great because you are earning money on something you would be doing anyway...shopping.
9. Use Coupon Codes - My favorite website for finding online coupon codes is RetailMeNot. Users can even submit their own codes and these codes either give you a discount off your purchase, free gifts, or free shipping. I don't shop online without checking this site to see if my store has a discount code first.
10. Buy Gift Wrapping Supplies at the Dollar Store - Never purchase gift bags, cards, or wrapping paper at any place other than the dollar store. Dollar Tree is my favorite because nothing costs more than $1 and they even carry nice quality items from good companies at a huge discount. Dollar General is also a good one but some things can be more than $1 so watch your prices if you shop there.
Hopefully this list gave you some good ideas on ways to save money this holiday season. It doesn't have to be a stressful one and you can feel good about how much money you saved rather than spent!
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