Are you looking to save some money this Christmas? Here are some smart tips to do so.
1. Plan It
Before shopping online or visiting a shopping mall, you want to plan out your purchases ahead of time. This way, you can create a list of things that fit within your budget.
2. Use Gift Cards Purchased At A Discount
Believe it or not, but there are easy ways to acquire gift cards at reduced prices. You will be able to purchase these gift cards for very cheap prices for various retailers including but not limited to the Apple Store, Home Depot, Lowes, and more. You can find these cards available at a 5 to 30 percent savings. You should consistently monitor GiftCards.com and GiftCardRescue.com before making any significant purchase for the chances to save a lot of money. While getting such cards online, make sure to read all details carefully as amazon gift card fraud is very common these days.
3. Use Social Media
Before getting started with shopping, you should look to follow all of your favorite brick and mortar and online retailers across various social media platforms. This way, you will be able to get notified of special promo codes and savings opportunities before everyone else.
4. Ask For Discounts
This is a tip a lot of people don’t even know exists. If a retailer has an online chat, you can tell the customer service representative that you are looking to buy something but you would like a discount code. A lot of these representatives are freely able to provide discount codes up to a certain amount. While you won’t be able to get this to work 100 percent of the time, it can save you a lot of money when making large purchases.
5. Find The Codes Yourself
There are so many different websites and even extension plugins that you can use to find discounts to your favorite retailers. You can use RetailMeNot.com and other websites to find different eligible codes. You can even install a plugin like Honey to your favorite browser to have the entire process automated.
6. Getting Cashback
If you will be doing a lot of spending, get into the habit of using cashback websites whenever possible. You will be able to save a lot of money by using a cashback website each time you purchase something.
7. Don’t Use Credit Cards
One of the best ways to avoid impulse spending is by getting rid of your credit cards or at least locking them up. Credit cards allow you to spend money you don’t physically have. By using a debit card or sticking to paper money, you will only be able to spend what you have available.
8. Group Gifts
Instead of spending money on a gift yourself, you can split it up among other friends and family or even your coworkers. This will give you the ability to give more expensive gifts while saving money. Read more about gift buying in Little One Mag.
9. Make Yourself a Promise
When you are heading out shopping for gifts, make it about friends and family you are buying gifts for. Don’t allow yourself to get tempted to purchase something for yourself.
10. Don’t Fall For Retailers Traps
A lot of retailers leverage psychological tricks to get you to spend more to feel as though you are saving. Some retailers will use the “20% off, buy more” promotions to get you to buy things you don’t need. Also, a lot of stores will offer you certain percentages off a single purchase if you sign-up for their store credit cards with sky-high interest rates. Avoid signing up for credit cards with high-interest rates to save money on a single purchase as you will likely spend more over the long haul. Also, avoid buying more units or spending more than you intended just to get a discount on a purchase.