In
parts 1-5 of this series of Christmas shopping without overspending, I covered a lot about getting organized & budgeting. Now for the fun part (at least I think) shopping for gifts your loved ones will enjoy!
The past few years I've definitely joined the many people that have discovered the ease of shopping online from home. There are so many benefits, and, I've learned, ways to score great deals from home. I'm going to share some tips with you today to help you save money while shopping online for Christmas presents and all year long!
1)
Watch for sales. Check your e-mail for advance notice of special online sales at your favorite retailers. Especially this time of year, you will definitely find some great deals. On
Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, most retailers will be having some great deals, so you might want to make a plan to check your favorite sites for items on that day.
2)
Compare prices at different stores. If you have a specific item in mind, sites like
Epinions,
PriceGrabber, and others will check multiple retailers and help you find the one with the best price. I also always check
eBay for specific items too. I recently found a brand new kids' music CD there at a better price than anywhere else, with the Buy It Now option, from a seller with 100% positive feedback. So it is definitely worth checking
eBay.
3)
Use a coupon code to save money on your purchase. Don't buy something online without first checking for a coupon code! You can find these all over the internet & on company e-mails. One website to find many of these all in one place is
RetailMeNot.
4)
Get Free Shipping. Many stores have free shipping codes & coupon codes that they'll send you in e-mails. Sign up to be on the e-mail list for your favorite stores so you'll never miss out on these deals.
I recently found
this site that compiles free shipping codes at many stores.
If you are a fan of shopping on
Amazon.com, like I am, then make sure you watch for items that say "Eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping". I find that I am usually able to find most of the items I'm looking for that have this free shipping option, my order total only has to be $25, and it usually takes about a week for my items to arrive.
On December 17, many stores participate in
Free Shipping Day, guaranteeing delivery by Christmas Eve. Now hopefully, you'll already be done with your shopping by then, but if not or if you see a deal that you can't pass up, you can definitely take advantage of that deal.
5)
Shop through a site that gives you cash back. There are several of the sites that all give you cash back for shopping through them. I was wary of these for years, but now that I've checked them out and have been using them, I wish I'd started a long time ago!
These cashback sites work by giving you back a percentage of whatever you buy at your favorite retailers, as long as you click through their site first before buying at your favorite retailer. They track your purchases and credit you back the percentage listed (usually 2-6% or so, it varies).
Each of these cashback sites varies on how much you have to accrue before they'll actually cut you a check, and how often they pay, so you'll want to look around so you'll know what to expect. For example. Ebates will pay you when you accrue at least $5.01 in your account and you get $5 just for signing up. So once you make your first purchase, you'll be on your way to getting your first payment back from them. But they only pay quarterly, so you might have to wait a little while to actually get your check.
Ebates is the one I use most. Maybe I'm just a creature of habit, but I usually go to this one first. I find it is super easy to navigate and it adds only about an extra 10 seconds of time for me versus just going right to the retailer's site directly. Some of my favorite stores to shop at through
Ebates: Ebay (2 % back), Half.com (4% back), Coldwater Creek (2% back), Lands End (3% back), The Children's Place (3%) and more! They will also send you e-mails letting you know about special promotions like double percent back at certain stores.
Mr. Rebates is one I just recently started using. They offer many of the same choices of stores, but sometimes have different percentages of cashback. If you like shopping from the Current catalog, for instance, you'll be pleased to see you get 10% back from shopping through
Mr. Rebates!
There are also other cashback sites but these are the two I recommend starting out with since they are easy to use and offer a great selection of stores. It is helpful to sign up for both since they offer different percentages and then just checking both sites out before you make a purchase to see which one offers you the better deal.
If you use these sites for all your Christmas shopping, you'll have some nice cashback in the coming months!
Do you have any other online shopping tips to share? Comment and let us know!
Check back later this week for some Christmas shopping tips on finding deals at the local stores.
Just for fun, and in case it gives you any ideas to help you in your own Christmas shopping, I put together a little Amazon list of our family's favorite games and added it to the right side on my blog under Christmas ideas. I've listed the ones my hubby and I love to play as well as my kids' two favorite games too.
The workshops teach children do-it-yourself skills and tool safety, while at the same time helping to instill a sense of accomplishment. Additionally, this fun time allows for quality one-on-one time between adults and children.
A new ad came out today with some great sales! If you don't have your own copy yet, click the logo above to see the ad.
In parts 1-5 of this series of Christmas shopping without overspending, I covered a lot about getting organized & budgeting. Now for the fun part (at least I think) shopping for gifts your loved ones will enjoy!
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