Learn and apply the practical ways of saving money this holiday season.
A shaky job scenario has already forced people to spend less on gifts. American Research Group Inc. reported that in 2008 consumers planned to cut their spending on gifts by half. This year, too, the trend continues. Nearly 53 percent of consumers are planning to spend less this year, reports PriceGrabber.com.
Saving money on holiday gifts seems to be the sensible thing. Here are the ways how you too can do it.
1. First prepare a list
Be organized and prepare a list of gift recipients. Make sure that you do not omit anybody, and at the same time do not include somebody that shouldn’t be in the list. Think well and set an affordable amount against each recipient.
2. Shop online to save money and time
Google and find out the best online shopping sites. There are a number of online shopping sites that are offering steal deals. Shopping online could save you time and money.
3. Compare prices the smart way
There are websites that give info about comparative prices of products. ComparisonShopping.com, for instance, offers reviews of vendors as well as their items, comparison of vendor prices, and product descriptions.
4. Watch out for discounts
Many sellers put items on sale and offer discounts on purchases. You should be able to distinguish between genuine discounts and the ones that are completely fakes.
Marshalls, T. J. Maxx, Tuesday Morning, and Filene's Basement are some of the genuine discount stores, which offer discounts on overstocked designer and branded clothing.
If shopping online, check out OverStock.com and SmartBargain.com. Shoplocal.com sends updates to your mobile.
5. Register for a product
Register for a product and leave your email address to receive regular sales offer updates on the product. As soon as the product goes on sale you would know. Be prepared to grab the offer when it comes.
6. Group gifting
Instead of gifting each member of your friend’s families, you can gift them in a group. The same goes for offices and colleagues. Why spend $20 on each person in a group of 5 to gift them individually when you can buy something that will be of common use for $50. It makes sense to save $50.
7. Regifting
If you have crockery, jewelry, picture frames, and any such gift item that you received, in perfectly new condition, don’t hesitate to gift it again. This would save you a lot of money. Make sure the recipient has no clues about this.
8. Avail online coupons
Stores offer online coupon and while making a purchase from them you need to furnish the coupon codes. Coupon.com and SmartSourceCoupon.com are some of the websites that offer such coupons. RetailMeNot.com is a popular site where users avail and share coupons from nearly 40,000 stores.
Following these tips could save you money. Enjoy the holiday!
Disclaimer: Use your own discretion and sense of judgment while making purchases from the sites and stores mentioned here. We do not stand guarantee for the quality of service or product of any store or site.
Hey, very nice preparation of
Hey, very nice preparation of points. I liked the first one in which you told about being organized and prepare a list of gift recipients. Make sure that you do not omit anybody, and at the same time do not include somebody that shouldn’t be in the list. Think well and set an affordable amount against each recipient.
more ways to save $
In addition to online discount sites and coupons there are shopping sites like www.lilideals.com that offer actual cash back on your purchases. They also offer signup and referral bonuses which give people credit just for signing up.
Price Alert Sites
I like using price alert sites like ZingSale.com to find deals. I've already made a list of the gifts i'm buying for my family at ZingSale, and now i get an email when any of them go on sale.
http://www.zingsale.com
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