by Susan Klatz Beal

Created on: November 24, 2009

The holiday season is right around the corner and for countless people all across the United States, this has been a financially difficult year. The need to be frugal when shopping is great everywhere. A savvy shopper knows how to save time and money when doing their shopping.

Here are some suggestions that will help you save time and money when you do your shopping.

*Shop online -

There are countless retailers online who sell the same merchandise that you can find in local stores, but the prices are significantly lower. When you make a purchase online, you won't have to pay tax for your purchase. In some instances, you may even be able to have your purchases gift wrapped and shipped directly to the recipient.

*Compare prices -

Before purchasing anything, compare prices. This is easy to do on the Internet. You can look at the websites of the stores to which you are considering going, or you can do a more global search where you find the rates of online retailers as well as free standing stores.

*Shop from catalogs -

Shopping from catalogs can be a great way to save time. Most catalog companies will ship the merchandise to your recipient, and you may or may not be able to request gift wrapping.

*Shop at outlets -

Many big name retailers have outlet stores. There are even outlet malls where there are many stores in one place. Outlets offer discounted prices, and if you can find a sale at an outlet, you can wind up paying as much as 75% off the regular retail price.

*Send food as gifts -

Food is always a gift that people appreciate. You can send healthy food such as fruit or you can send holiday treats. Depending on the place where you opt to purchase your gift, the shipping may be free. Citrus fruit is a great gift, and most places include the cost of shipping in the price. You can also specify the date or week during which you want the gift to be delivered.

*Shop at warehouse stores -

Warehouse stores such as Sam's Club or Costco have all sorts of things that you can give in gifts. Warehouse stores do a large scale business and are in a better position to sell things at lower prices than regular retailers.

*Look for sales -

Buying merchandise on sale is always a great way to get a good deal. You have to be careful, however, because sometimes sale merchandise isn't returnable or exchangeable.

*Shop with coupons -

Many retailers are offering coupon discounts as an incentive to get customers to purchase from them at a tough time economically. Coupon Craze is an outstanding resource for coupons, and they are updated every day.

*Check out store ads -

Most stores put out big ads during the holiday season as a way to lure customers in to their stores. Checking ads before going out shopping can save you from going to a store and discovering that they don't have what you wanted.

The biggest way to save time and money when gift shopping is to plan ahead. Compare prices in advance, do whatever shopping you can online and make sure you know whether a store has the things you want before you go. Pay by check or use your debit card. Paying by credit card will cost you much more in interest, and you will have to deal with those payments at a later time. If you are going out to local stores to shop, avoid the stores on weekends and in the evening because that is the time when the stores will be most crowded.

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