4 of 14

Write now Article Tools

The most effective way to shop wisely for gifts, Christmas or otherwise, is to shop year round. Always be on the look out for sales. After inventory and after holiday sales are often the best bargains. But sales such as black Friday are misleading to some extent. I've found that stores use price leaders to get you in the door. Then the sales aren't that great on other items. And they often only have a few of each price leader.

After season sales are great for clothing specials. Many stores continue to discount clothing as much as 75% off and then have extra percentage sales on top of that. A couple of big name chains will even mark clothing down to 99 cent racks! When you happen upon these, try to stock up. But one big tip is, don't just buy the bargains, have particular people in mind for the gifts. This way you won't get "stuck" with items that are unwanted or unusable.

I like to shop at thrift stores, too. I often find items with tags from their original store, but at much less than the original price. Thrift stores even have books and housewares as well. Yard sales and flea markets are two good places to find great gifts. Again, you can often find items with original price tags on them. I like to buy weddings gifts this way. Crystal pieces are terrific bargains at thrift stores and flea markets. I always look for stickers still on the pieces, and make sure there are no nicks or chips. Then I'm sure the piece hasn't been used.

Yes, a lot of this may sound like a cheap skate. But remember, one man's trash, is another man's treasure!

Learn more about this author, Lauren Rogers.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about How to spend wisely on holiday gifts?
We want to hear your view. Write now!