Lifestyle
Holiday Shopping Tips
38
The biggest Christmas shopping tip that I can give you is to start early. With online shopping becoming easier every year, you can literally have your entire Christmas shopping complete in less than hour. While I am not a proponent of haste in gift buying, you will see what I am talking about when you visit the the Christmas shopping super sites.
The super sites that I am talking about are Amazon, Walmart, Target, Buy.com, etc. However, if you do make haste, you are liable to blow your entire Christmas budget within the first hour looking for gifts to yourself!
It's best to stay focused when Christmas shopping. Do not be an impulse buyer. Beware of ads promising to save you $100's of dollars. Let's be honest. You never save money when you shop. Shopping is about spending money! The idea is to spend the least amount of money and take home the greatest amount of goods. It's a game that needs to be played skillfully. If you have a $1000 budget, spend it. Just look for deals to pay the least. Remember, shopping is about spending.
Keys to sharpen your shopping skills
Start your Christmas shopping early
Make a Christmas shopping list
Have a Christmas spending budget for each person
Scour the Internet for online coupons
Buy from vendors that do not collect state income tax
Take advantage of free shipping. Combine your orders
Look for vendor credit card offers that come pre-loaded with money-cancel after 1st use
Shop for out of box or warehouse deals. Most have full warranty
Take advantage of free wrapping service
Have the online retailer ship out of town gifts for you. Why pay for shipping?
The joy of Christmas shopping procrastination
If you insist on being a procrastinator, there is hope for you! The after Christmas sales are the best deals around. Maybe this was your original plan. If you shop after Christmas, you can often find savings up to 75% off. This means that you can up-buy. My wife usually has her Christmas shopping completed by the first week of January. She says that she is shopping for next year. I believe that like I believe in Santa! I must admit that she is able to buy considerable amount of Christmas loot.
Written By:
James Danielson