As if everyday life isn’t hectic enough, the holidays are a very busy time with so much going on, from family entertainment to holiday parties and of course, gift exchanges. It’s a challenge to get it all done, especially for those who wait until the last minute. Luckily there are clever ways to save money and time. Here are a few tricks:
- Try to do all your shopping online. With so much on your schedule between kids and other responsibilities, it’s much easier to take a few moments while the little ones are napping to make your purchases than it is to bring them to the store or arrange for a babysitter!
- Embrace online shopping’s built-in features. Some shoppers rely on stores’ online shopping carts total tallying to help them stay within budget. It displays what the bill comes to before you have to pay, so if you realize you are overspending, simply unload a few items from your cart. By doing this online, there is no embarrassment or pressure from everyone in line behind you like there is in the store.
- Challenge yourself to save more. Try to combine several discounts to get free shipping, buying sale items, using online coupon codes and earning free cash back. These often can all be added up in a single transaction when you shop online. Look for free shipping on orders above a certain dollar threshold, shop during site-wide sales and use a promo code for an extra discount and shop through a cash back site. If you have not earned cash back yet, it is a portion of your spending that gets deposited in a free account.
- Plan out your Black Friday door busters. View weekly ads online to prioritize what you’ll buy and where you’ll shop. Many special offers are only valid during certain hours, so read the details carefully to make sure you do not miss out.
- If you plan to go to the mall, print retail coupons from an online coupon site and bring it with you to save.
This is a guest post from Jon Lal, founder of coupons & cash back website BeFrugal.com and couponing & savings expert. BeFrugal just introduced a new free tool in time for holiday shopping: The BeFrugal.com add-On with CouponomaticTM automatically provides coupon codes at checkout!