In these rough economic times, saving money on our Christmas shopping lists will be more important than ever. I’m sure Black Friday will receive even more attention than usual this year. But there’s really no reason to fight those crazy mall crowds.
In fact if you plan accordingly you can be done with your Christmas shopping by mid-November, save a bundle, and be the envy of your friends! Here are some suggestions:
1) Make a list.
Since you’re so ahead of the game, you’ll have to make assumptions as to who will be naughty and who will be nice. Jot down a few gift ideas for each person on your list.
2) Determine your monthly spending budget.
One advantage to getting an early start is you can spread out your purchases. This means you’ll be less likely to have one gigantic credit card bill in the mail come January – never a nice way to start off the new year. Consider how much you are willing to spend on each gift as well as how much you’re comfortable spending per month. Use this number to estimate how many gifts you should buy each month.
3) Search Dealoco.
Perform some deal searches or browse our product categories to see if there are any matches for the items on your list. If not, check out our RSS deal alert service and be the first to know when a deal you are looking for is published.
4) Try eBay.
Most ecommerce sites, including eBay, see a huge swell in site traffic during the holidays. Wouldn’t you rather be bidding against fewer people? Beat the rush and save some dough! Also, eBay transactions can sometimes take a little longer than your typical online purchase. By shopping early you’ll avoid any worries about receiving the item in time. And just so you know, many of the items listed on eBay are brand new, so you won’t have to feel like a re-gifter.
5) Track your purchases.
Keep that list you created in step 1 up to date. This is important for monitoring progress and making sure you don’t end up in a shopping mall the day after Thanksgiving. And the completed list will make great supporting evidence when it’s time to brag to your friends.
