The following tips can actually be used at any time of the year
…not just during the holidays.
As you know, shopping (both online and in brick & mortar stores) is incredibly popular during the months of November and December.
Not only is all of the hoopla surrounding Black Friday sales events getting bigger each year — to the extent that many shoppers behave like maniacs on the day after Thanksgiving… But now, the retailers themselves are getting more competitive and doing more things to win over the average consumer.
This means YOU… and you can save big money, as a result!
As one example, for the first time ever, many retailers opened their doors at midnight on the night before Black Friday this year.
With more and more retailers fighting for your shopping dollar, there are a handful of ways that you can save big when you’re shopping — both online and in stores.
The folks at CNN Money spoke to a few experts to get their insider tips on how to shop smarter this holiday season.
The highlights:
#1 Consider visiting the stores after 6 p.m. the day before the big sale. If the ad says the storewide discounts kick off on a Wednesday, instead of waiting until Wednesday, just know that the discounts typically get put into the system after 6 p.m. the day before. BONUS: Not only do you get to take advantage of the big sale prices, but you also have fewer crowds to deal with!
#2 When shopping online, before you checkout at an online store, do a quick search for a “coupon code” or “promo code” for that store first. How? Enter the retailer’s name, followed by ‘promo code’ (or just ‘code’) in Google and see what you get. If there is any discount code available for that retailer it should appear within the first page of your search results.
#3 Sometimes it pays to shop online. In fact, you can actually make money when you shop at certain (very well known retailers) online, like Kmart, Macy’s, Dell, Target, JCPenney, GAP, Sears, and Drugstore.com — to name just a few. (Here’s the entire list of stores.) For example, at ebates.com, you sign up for free, and then you can receive special discounts and even cash back at over 800 different stores. It doesn’t get better than that. (Plus, you even get a $5.00 credit the day you sign up, and there’s no catch!)
Always on the lookout for a good bargain, I consider myself a frugal person — but not cheap. And not afraid to spend money on the things that matter.
I like to share good deals with others when I find them. One of my favorite ways to save money is to reuse items in ways other than their intended purpose — so I write a lot about outside-the-box ideas that most people wouldn’t think of!
When I’m not saving money or looking for good deals, you’ll find me at the corner of Good News & Fun Times as publisher of The Fun Times Guide (32 fun & helpful websites).
