1. Make a List and Check it Twice
No, I'm not quoting Taylor Swift lyrics. Making a list of who you need to buy for, how much money you have and how much you can spend on each person will make your life easier. Just like a supermarket shopping list it can make shopping trips shorter, saving you time as well as money as long as you stick to the list.
2. Secret Santa or Family Gift These both involve buying one gift.
For Secret Santa, you are randomly assigned a person in the family to buy a present for. You can do this by pulling names from a hat. Once you know who you're buying a present for you have to keep it a secret until you open them on Christmas Day. If you're doing this with friends or colleagues then unwrap them on the day when you all meet up. You can have an agreed budget before you start.
Buying a family gift involves buying one present for the whole family to share. This could be a restaurant gift card, a cinema voucher, a Netflix superscription or a book of photos. It could be a board game or Nintendo Wii game that everyone can play.
3. If you have a large family or lots of people to buy presents for, then try using a 3-tiered gift-giving system. Tier 1 is family which means gift exchanges with each individual person in your immediate family, and set a budget for each person. Tier 2 is friends. You can do a single-family gift like movie tickets with free babysitting or a fun new game for them to play together. Tier 3 is neighbors and co-workers. Gifts like homemade chocolate goodies in handmade package go down a treat. Once you establish the budgets for each tier and the people in them, create a cash envelope for that tier. Once the cash in the envelope is gone, it’s gone!
Adoped from the U.S. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are days when all the shops have huge discounts in the last weekend of November to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday. But before you leave the house or log on, research what you want to buy. Compare the prices between the different stores before you buy to check whether a bargain is really a bargain. Money Saving Expert's Mega Shop Bot will help you scan hundreds of shops to find you the best price.
5. Shopping tips.
Set time limits on shopping. Go in, find presents and exit quickly. Also try shopping late in the evening (7-9pm) to beat the crowds.
6. Buy the Expensive Presents First
Then you know how much money you have to spend on the other gifts and don't run out of money or end up paying more than your agreed limit.
7. Pay with cash
You will be more aware of what you're spending.
8. Don't Touch Display Items
This is because handling an object creates possessive feelings according to researchers at UCLA and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They found that holding an ordinary item like a coffee mug increased people's desire to buy it — and made them willing to pay 10% more for it. So "Look, but don't touch" to avoid spontaneous splurges.
9. Stop the Momentum
The 'Momentum effect' is where we can get caught in a whirl of impulse buys. Buying one thing rushes into another and another even if they aren't on your Christmas list. To avoid this take a breather after every purchase. It's also an excuse to try out the seasonal drinks from Starbucks and Costa Coffee! This momentum effect also occurs online too so break up your shopping online as well.
10. When you shop online leave the items in the virtual basket and don't check them out. This can prompt retailers to send you discount code to get you to spend money at their store. I know Amazon lets you know if their prices go down (but also tells you when they go up which isn't so helpful.) Live chatting with customer service agents can work to your advantage if you let them know that a price is out of your budget they may be able to come back with a discounted deal.
11. Gifts With Purchase
The guilt free way to indulge yourself and buy a Christmas present at the same time! Buying a gift with purchase is a win win all round! You often have to spend a set amount to receive the gift but it's never extortionate.
12. Use reward points
There's never a better time to cash in those Boots and Nectar card points to spend on Christmas presents.
13. Free Amazon gift cards
You can earn free Amazon gift vouchers for Christmas. These involve completing surveys, playing games, searching the internet and taking photos of your receipts. See Martin Lewis's Money Saving Expert for more details here and Save the Student here.
14. Ebay
You can find lots good deals on ebay. The ebay app makes it easier to bid on the go. If you search 'Ending Soonest' on the listings, then choose ones with fewer bidders you can pick up a real bargain. However don't forget to factor in the shipping times especially if you're buying anything from China, U.S. or Australia.
15. D.I.Y Presents
I will be writing a longer post on this but D.I.Y presents are thoughtful, handmade presents such as having someones favourite Instagram photo framed or giving someone babysitting coupons offering to babysit in the new year.
Pouch is an app that you add to your browser that lets you know about voucher codes and deals as you shop. It works with Google Chrome, Apple Safari and Mozilla Firefox. It was featured on Dragon's Den in the U.K..
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