Are you surprised every year like I am at how fast holiday season comes back around? It seems like every year I’m thinking, wow, already? But regardless of how I feel about it, it always shows up.
This year, like most, I’m buying my holiday gifts online. I almost never go shopping in a store, unless I happen to pick something up I find on a regular shopping trip. I always save myself a lot of money and I have never in my life stepped foot into a Black Friday sale.
If you want to save some money and stay inside to do your shopping this year, I want to tell you how I do it.
Make sure to check out my book that has even more amazing ways to save money and get free things.
(affiliates included)
Why You Should Buy All Your Holiday Gifts Online
EBATES – I’m going to assume you have already signed up for Ebates because every human in the world who has ever bought something online should have it. If you don’t, click that link and hurry over. If you’re unfamiliar, Ebates gives you cash back on purchases you make online. It’s easy and always gives you a little money back in your pocket. Not using it is a total waste of money you could have kept.
Ebates also reminds you of current promo codes. So, when I type in KOHLS in the search bar, I’ll see that the cash back is 3% and that if I use the code CATCH15OFF I’ll get 15% off my order of $100 or more.
PROMO CODES – I know, I know — you’re already using promo codes. That’s great. BUT, I’m guessing you only use them sometimes, when they’re easy to spot. To really save though, you need to find a promo code for every single thing you purchase.
To do that, you really have to search and sometimes you have to put in a little work. A few places you can get promo codes are:
- The retailers Facebook page (Banana Republic does this, as does The Children’s Place and so many more)
- By signing up for the retailers newsletter (The Land of Nod and many others do this)
- Retailmenot.com
- Coupons.com/coupon-codes
- CouponCabin.com
MAKE SURE IT ISN’T CHEAPER SOMEWHERE ELSE – Instead of meticulously checking website after website making sure there isn’t somewhere selling your item for less, install the free browser add-on called PriceBlink. It takes a look at the item you want and tells you every other price on the internet, making it easy to see where you can get it for cheaper.
IMPORTANT: Take into account promo codes and free shipping. Just because the initial price is cheaper, doesn’t mean your TOTAL is cheaper. Factor in your promo codes and Ebates cash back before you decide where to buy.
SHIPPING – You can find free shipping all over the place. Sometimes, it’s with a promo code or with a minimum purchase. For minimum purchases, if you haven’t hit the minimum with what you’ve ordered, consider getting things you need to get anyway.
For example, if I’ve picked out my gifts on Amazon and realize I still need to spend a certain amount for free shipping, I might decide to go ahead and grab shampoo. It’s something I need anyway, I may as well buy it from there rather than the store, so I can get my free shipping.
TRICK: You can get a free 30 day trial of Amazon Prime, where you get free 2-day shipping on orders over $35. Sign up on November 1st, the month you are going to do the most shopping, and then cancel when you’re 30 days are up.
Another way to avoid shipping is to use the site to store option many retailers have. This allows you to use your Ebates cash back and promo codes and then just have the items delivered to your local store. You can pick them up at a time you are planning on stopping there anyway!
DEAL SITES – My last piece of advice is to watch flash sale sites like Zulily, One Kings Lane and RueLaLa. I have unfortunately found many times that the deals are too small to make it worth my while. But, I have many times found amazing deals on these sites. Take a closer look before buying, which will be super easy for you now that you have PriceBlink in your browser!
Check out my ebook! The Busy Girls Guide To Discount Shopping gives you tips and tricks to save a ton of money in ways you’ve never heard of before. The cool part about this awesome book is we show you how to earn they money back you spent!
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Taking a little bit of time and patience to find great deals online is sure to save you money. And if I’m begin honest, seeing how much you can keep in your pocket actually ends up being a lot of fun! Good luck!
Liz is a just a mom trying to keep it real about how little she sleeps, how often she gets puked on and how much she loves them. You can find her here every day writing about real-mom moments.
