The holiday season is now in full swing… how did that happen already?! If you’re like me, you like to get your holiday shopping done early, and you aim to do so by spending the least amount of money as possible. With that being said, I gathered some of my tips and tricks so that holiday shopping can go as smoothly and cheaply as possible!
1. Make a List…and Check It Twice
This is HUGE. I used to start my holiday shopping not knowing who I’m buying for and what I should spend. I ended up buying things and not giving them out, which resulted in me losing money. Now, I write down the names of everyone I expect to buy for, and around how much to spend on them. It makes it a lot easier to stick to your budget and find things in your specified price range.
2. Sort Items
Most websites have revealed their Holiday Gift Guides broken down into “Gifts for Her,” and “Gifts for Him,” but the most important places to look are the tabs titled “Gifts under $25” or “under $50.” Use these. It allows you to shop through a ton of items and still have them all be in your price range! Another thing I always do is sort by low to high price, so you can start at the bottom of your price range and work your way up.
3. Compare Different Websites
This is something that I always do regardless of it being the holiday season. Say you’re looking for an “open gray cardigan,” by typing this into Google you will find a bunch of different options. Most likely, there will be a cheaper alternative to the item you’re looking for because that site is having a better sale than another. However, it is important to keep in mind when comparing different items that cheaper does not always mean better.
4. Read Reviews of the Items
Another crucial thing about online shopping is trusting the reviews. People go out of their way to provide these reviews, and most of the time they really help! By seeing if items are true to size, good quality, and worth the price, you save your time and money because it avoids having to return the item which sometimes costs extra to return!
For this example, I searched “Gray Cardigan” on Nordstrom. It was $49, so I would expect the quality to be pretty good. According to these reviews, it wouldn’t be worth it to purchase.
5. Keep Things in Your Cart
If you’re not in a rush to order an item, keep it in your cart for a couple of days. The company will almost always reach out to you on the site or via email and urge you to purchase the item…by offering a discount code.
6. Use Sites like Honey, RetailMeNot and Unidays
RetailMeNot is a website that offers discount codes which you just copy and paste into your checkout cart. They also have a mobile app, so you can use discounts not just online, but in store as well.
Honey is an extension to Google Chrome that you download and it applies discount codes to your checkout orders automatically. You’ll never miss an opportunity to save some extra bucks.
Unidays is specifically for students. You sign up with your school email in order to receive discount codes. Some of their discount codes are applied to certain websites every time you order, and just like RetailMeNot, there are different promotions at different times. Why shouldn’t we be rewarded for being students?!
7. Take Advantage of Black Friday & Cyber Monday
I know what you’re thinking: there’s NO way I want to be at a crowded mall on Black Friday. However, if you’re like me, and love to shop, you get a rush from these discounts! Go early and go in knowing what you’re looking for. It makes it easier and quicker to get in and get out.
If I didn’t sell you on taking the early morning trip to the mall, Cyber Monday is still a great way to take advantage of deals. Again, compare different websites for similar items, and go in knowing what you’re looking for. You’ll save money and time.
Hopefully, you will use some of these suggestions to complete your holiday shopping, and if you have a little extra money left over, who says you shouldn’t spend it on yourself? (: Happy spending…and more importantly, happy saving!