Smart Holiday Shopping Tips (that will help you save money)
The holiday season has officially begun and I’ve found some great tips to help you save money while you shop. These tips will help you avoid spending more than you originally anticipated.
1. Make a Shopping list and budget- It’s important to look at your overall budget to determine how much you can afford to spend on gifts BEFORE you walk into a store. The economy is tough so it’s OK not to splurge on gifts this year. Make sure that you’re realistic and don’t spend beyond your means. Determining what your budget is will help keep you in check. Also once you determine your budget then create a shopping list around it. This will help you stay organized while you shop.
2. Only use cash- This coincides with holiday tip # 1 because you would withdraw the amount of money you will need based on your a) budget and b) shopping list. Why tempt yourself by using a credit card and possibly spending more than you anticipated? Also, if you know you can’t handle a credit card or pay the balance in full it’s not worth it…just use cash.
3. Research bargains- I think it’s a great idea to conduct research on the items you would like to purchase to make sure you’re getting the best deal. If you own an iPhone there is an application you can purchase called Red Laser which scans bar codes of any product and instantly will tell you where you can get the product for the cheapest price. If you don’t have an iPhone then just do an online search for the best deals.
4. Don’t Open Store Credit Cards- I’m sure you’ve gone into a store and once you got to the register to purchase your items, the cashier asked if you would like to open up a store credit card which will save you about 20%. It may sound enticing but at the end of the day, those store cards have extremely high interest rates. So if you don’t pay your balance in full you’re going to be hit pretty hard. It’s definitely not worth it if you’ve done your research and searched for bargains. Plus why would you want to possibly ruin your credit score over saving 20%?
5. Save your receipts- Whenever I purchase anything from a department store I always save my receipts because you never know when the prices will drop. Some stores will give you a 7-14 day window to take back your receipt and give you a “price reduction” which will be credited back to your card (or if you paid with cash you would be refunded with cash). For example if you bought a sweater for $35 and 2 days later the price dropped to $20, you would be refunded $15 (if you saved your receipt). I do it all the time and it works!
6. Don’t Buy on Impulse- I think this is self-explanatory but I know how it is when you walk into a store for 2 items and walk out with 10! To avoid purchasing on impulse stick with your shopping list and budget. If it wasn’t on your list then it wasn’t important.
7. Use Coupons – I love shopping at NY&Co and they’re constantly sending me coupons in the mail. I refuse to shop there unless I have a coupon and can save additional money. This is the attitude that you should have as well. If you don’t have a coupon don’t be afraid to ask the cashier if they have one you can use. It’s the holiday season so you might be lucky. Check out couponcabin.com and retailmenot.com for coupons from thousands of retailers.
8. Don’t Buy Extended Warranty- Last holiday season I was suckered into purchasing an extended warranty (from an electronics store) for my laptop that brought my total over $1000! Once I realized that I really didn’t need it (because I already was covered from the manufacturer for a year), I quickly returned my receipt and got refunded. More than likely if something is going to break it will happen during the first year so I wouldn’t worry about it.
For more holiday shopping tips you can click here. If you have any tips that you would like to share please leave a comment. Happy Shopping and Saving!
November 30th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Good deal. Although for #4, it depends on the store. If you’re purchasing big ticket items i.e. appliances or flat screens, some stores will offer you 12-18 months no interest. So it’s a good way to build up your credit, but make sure you can pay it off in that period or you will get hit with the sky high interest rates.