How to Save Money on Gift Shopping

With so many families feeling stretched to their financial limits these days, the mere thought of shopping for gifts may make you anxious. By planning ahead a bit and following some good advice, most of us can continue to enjoy giving gifts to our loved ones even in the worst of times. This article will show you clever ways to do that.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Calendar or notebook
• Notebook pouches or manila envelopes (12)
• Small Envelopes
• Sunday Newspaper

1. Prepare your materials. The most important strategy to use in gift giving is to plan ahead, but that advice counts double during difficult economic times. Get a calendar that has plenty of space for writing in each day's box, or assemble a "gift notebook" with pouches or manila envelopes designated for each month of the year. If you use the notebook method, glue a year-at-a-glance calendar inside the front cover.

2. On the appropriate dates for each month on the calendar, note birthdays and other special occasions you would like to honor with a card or gift. If you use the notebook method, circle or highlight the occasions on the calendar, then write the detailed information on each month's pouch or manila envelope. At the beginning of each month, count ahead two to three months and start concentrating on fulfilling gift wishes. Jot gift ideas next to each recipient's name in pencil, using this as a potential shopping list. If you are crafty, start gathering supplies and making gifts for upcoming occasions.

3. Shop from home first. The easiest way to spend more than you can afford is to go shopping at a retail outlet to "get ideas" for gifts you need to buy. Instead, invest in a Sunday newspaper that contains sale circulars for stores in your area, or spend a few hours every weekend browsing special sales online. To find the best sales online, start by visiting some of the shopping web sites listed in the Resource section, below. What you want to look for are each store's "loss leaders" – super-low pricing on certain items. The best prices are usually the ones noted with "limit one," "first two" or those that require a coupon. You might want to flip ahead a few months in your calendar to see if more than one person on your list would enjoy receiving a similar item if you find a fantastic price on something. Make a list of only the gift items you intend to buy, and then make a special shopping trip to buy only those items. Do not allow yourself to browse, either online or in the stores!

4. Look for coupons. This is much easier and more pleasant to do online, but don't overlook the coupons in your Sunday newspaper. Many e-tailers publish "coupon codes" for their best deals while brick and mortar stores require you to actually print out coupons they publish online. There are several web sites that find codes and coupons each week and provide free links to them. Some of the most popular ones are listed in the Resources section, below, but you can find others mentioned in online forums. To locate potential sales or coupons for specific items you may have in mind, simply type the item name in quotation marks – for example, "Tickle Me Elmo" or "Tickle Me Elmo coupon" – at any of the major search engines.

Tips & Warnings

• Many of the coupon code and sale alert sites offer to send daily or weekly updates directly to your email, saving you the effort of checking the web site repeatedly. Be aware, however, that signing up for these alerts may result in a surprising number of emails coming to your Inbox each day.
• You will discover a wide variety of coupon codes available for your everyday shopping, from groceries to razors, at many of the "great deal" web sites. Spending just an hour each week checking for deals could save enough money on everyday items to add significantly to your gift budget.
• Always read carefully when you sign up for sale or coupon alerts, to make sure you are not giving them permission to sell your email address to whomever they please. Most sale and coupon sites are supported by advertising, but some make a killing by selling their email lists to anyone with the money to buy them.

Resources

• http://www.myretailcodes.com/
• http://www.shoppingcodes.com
• http://www.bestonlinecoupons.com/
• http://print.coupons.com
• http://www.dealtaker.com/Retail-and-or-Internet-Deals-f8.html
• http://www.shopathome.com
• http://www.dealcatcher.com/
• http://www.pocketdeal.com/index.aspx

[missval7]

on 11/25/2009 Great tips! With proper planning a lot of money can be saved! 5*

[kinderhook]

on 9/25/2009 Good article and references on how to save money on gift shopping. Planning ahead is key! I keep track of my savings from coupons of all kinds, and it comes to several hundred dollars annually. 5*