by Gene Patterson

Created on: October 30, 2010   Last Updated: November 30, 2010

Holiday time is approaching.  There is goodwill, happiness and familial togetherness.  Of course there is also a lot of shopping, which means a lot of spending.  This means that an angry and muttering bank account may start screaming in pain as you tap its last limited resources.  Holiday time is great, but knowing saving tips when shopping for gifts will make the season go even smoother.

♦  Planning

When shopping for gifts one of the very best saving tips is planning.  First off is to make a list of everyone you want to get presents for.  Fill this list in with prices you want to spend and gift ideas.  The  result of all this should end in a gift list that has everyone name with an item on it.  The price you budget for an item should be the price you would spend without a sale.  If you manage to score the gifts cheaper, that is savings, resist the urge to buy more for them, because you went under what you expected to spend because you found a deal

♦  Gift Exchange Circles for Grownups

A pretty simple idea, but if you have a large group of family or friends try a gift exchange.  Everyone randomly draws one name out of a hat.  A price is set high enough so that you can get a decent present.  This way everyone gets a one good present rather than a series of cheap tokens.  If you have a large circle of friends/family this can easily ease the Christmas burden.  Normally, children are excluded from this.  Getting presents from aunts/uncles/grandparents matter a lot to them.

♦  Buy fewer items

It is a simple concept, but hard to come to grip with for some.  Just spend less.  Not an original saving tip.  But an important one to stress while shopping and making the list.

♦  Holiday Sales:

Going to sales can be one of the huge saving tips when shopping for gifts.  Sales can cut your prices drastically.  (Remember the savings are yours... not an excuse to buy more “junk” fill in purchases).  Cyber Monday, Black Friday, and some “12 days of Christmas”  sales are often the best places to come across these deals.  Online shopping can always be good for hunting down deals, even when it is not Cyber Monday.  Not only does it let you search for deals on exactly what you want for the best price, but there is less chance of spur of the moment, “won’t Sandra just love that?” purchases.

♦  Done in a day:

This goal is not always achievable, but do not let the season drag on and on.  Keeping the shopping season “open” encourages more spur of the moment purchases, which just raise the total ticket of your holiday shopping.

♦  Avoid Last Minute Shopping

It is rare to find really good deals at the last minutes.  They know they have you  and you will spend what you need too when you go shopping on Christmas eve.  Dec 26th may find you some great deals.  Dec 23rd-24th the deals will not be so good.

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