What I Do
When Christmas time comes around I make a spreadsheet and I list out the following by column: Recipient, What gift(s) I bought them, My budget, What I actually spent, and a check mark if I have purchased it. I have all the columns total at the bottom and make sure that my Actual spending total is subtracted from my Budgeted total to show me how much money I have left to spend on gifts. I also include my Ebates cash back that I have earned and add that to my total budget left to spend.
My goal when doing this is to have in mind the amount a gift should cost and plan to spend half of that. So, If I have budgeted $50 for Mary and I find a sweatshirt that is $50 but on sale for $25, that is perfect! By creating the spreadsheet I feel in control of my spending. Also it helps me keep track of what presents I got for everyone as I wrap my presents as I get them!
Online Shopping
Well, if you have been following along so far you know that I have a few favorite sites that can almost guarantee my Christmas budget get cut in half. We will start with online shopping and then move on to some actual store shopping:
- Ebates.com- Offers you a % of cash back on purchases made with partnered stores through their website. This is a good overall tool to have in your back pocket no matter what purchases you are making. When you first sign up it gives you the option of choosing a gift card. When you get your gift card you can use it as a gift or stocking stuffer (free!). I opted for the $10 Target gift card. I added $10 to it and will use it as a Yankee Swap gift (1/2 Price!).
- Groupon.com- Offers you local deals and goods for a limited time, most for 1/2 price! I love Groupon Goods. I think it is perfect for Christmas shopping. Most items are 50% off or more and have free shipping. They also offer vouchers for Restaurants or other businesses. The only thing about gifting a voucher is that the amount you paid for it is shown. So it depends on who you are giving it to and if you are ok with that. I have also thought to just black out the price. I know that they have great customer service and any problems are resolved very quickly and easily.
- Living Social.com- Pretty much the same as Groupon but I feel they have more vouchers than they do goods. I do buy things here and there and so far I have had no issues. A neat feature they offer is the opportunity to get your purchse for free. After you buy something it will give you a special link to share with your friends. If 3 of your friends buy the product through the link you will get yours for free!
- Totsy.com- Again, a lot like Groupon but it is geared towards children and moms. They have a wide variety of items clothes, toys, decor, ect... The prices are good. A lot of times I go on there and start to look at something and it is sold out which is annoying but they have some good deals on there.
- Woot.com- Same idea except they have 8 categories; woot!, tech!, home!, sport!, kids!, shirt!, wine!, sellout!. Every day each category has a new deal and it will only last for 24 hours. I usually find higher priced deals than what I have budgeted. You will find a lot of appliances and electronics that are refurbished and marked down 50%- 70%. I saw a Dyson upright vacuum once for $299 retail $499.
- Buy.com- This is like Walmart and Amazon combined. Through Ebates I get 6% CB (Cash Back) where I get 1% with Walmart and pretty much nothing with Amazon. I have ordered a few gifts through here already and have had no problems.
There are a few things you can do when shopping the stores for presents this year:
- In most stores the sale racks are in the back of the store. Make it your priority to work back to front. It is an easy way to start saving money.
- If you find something you like but feel you can't justify the price as a cashier if there are any coupons or store promotions going on. I was in Payless with my friend and she needed shoes. She found a cute pair for $30 but didn't want to spend the money so I politely asked the cashier if there were any coupons or promotions going on. Without even looking at me she said, "No, sorry." I replied, "Oh really? There are a pair of shoes that I would really like to buy but I just don't have the budget for them right now." She looked up and asked, "How much?" I said, "$30." She then handed me a coupon for $5.00 off $25 coupon. SO! It definitely pays to ask and let them know you want to buy something! The economy is bad and everyone is fighting for your business, take advantage.
- Make sure that you get a Sunday paper every week, it has coupons. Around the holidays they offer discounts on the subscription price and if it saves you 1/2 of your Christmas budget then it's worth it. There will be a ton of coupons that come in during this time plus all the flyers so you will never miss a sale.
- Look for coupons that say things like, "Buy Any Item, Get a $15 item free!" Try and find something small that you could use as a stocking stuffer and then get a $15 item to use as another present. The key, I think, is to look at a coupon and say, "How can I make this work so that I get it for close to nothing?" The goal with this kind of coupon is to get you to buy a $30 item and then get a $15 item for free. If you don't spend that $30 then you are saving.
- Coupons that say things like, "$10 off any purchase of $10 or more." They want you to spend "the more". Try and find something you can give for $10 and then you will get it for free.
- Black Friday shopping...will be a post all it's own.
- The last thing is, what I think, the most fun...after Christmas shopping. I will take my Christmas savings, that I have worked so hard to get, and go stock up on all the holiday supplies I need to make my holiday complete. You can get everything for cheap, it lasts for a couple of weeks and the longer you wait the more you save! I think the best part about after Christmas shopping is the next year when you take out all your wrapping and decorating supplies, it feels like a pre-Christmas just for me!
Leave a comment with any questions. Happy couponing! : )
