If you have a family holiday dinner, an office gift exchange or are spending the holidays with friends—you probably need to buy holiday gifts. The question everyone wants to know? When is the best time to buy gifts and get the best deals? The answer to that question is simple: when you have the money to spend and when the items you want to buy are on sale.
It’s no secret that the holidays can be an expensive time of year. Saving money wherever and whenever you can may make it a little bit easier. A big part of this is finding the best holiday gifts for everyone on your list at the absolute lowest prices.
Here are four ways to save on your gift giving this year:
1. Shop When You Have the Cash
No one wants to start the New Year with a load of credit card debt. While we always want to find the perfect gift for everyone, it’s important to make sure it’s affordable. Save up your cash and buy the gifts when you’re ready.
Start saving regularly in July so come Fall you have a nice stash of cash saved to start your holiday shopping. You can use Christmas in July (a.k.a. July 25th) as a starting point for your savings. This day marks exactly five months before the big day. That’s almost half a year to save for (and find) the perfect gift.
2. Shop Whenever Your Items Go on Sale
Give yourself time to shop a gradually. Spread out the spending over several months and paychecks. If you know what you want to buy for someone and it goes on sale, then buy it. Don’t wait to see if the price drops because it may not—and you’ll find yourself without holiday gifts a few days before the holiday festivities begin. If you’ve got the money saved up and the gift you want goes on sale—save yourself the stress and buy it.
3. Go Online During Cyber Monday
According to The Guardian you should avoid starting your holiday shopping on Black Friday. This is good advice because stores are incredibly overcrowded on Black Friday and it’s – for lack of a better word – chaotic. Why not wait three extra days and shop online from the comfort of your home?
Online deals during Cyber Monday can be just as good as they were in stores on Black Friday. If you get free shipping you’re actually saving money by saving gas you would have used to drive to the store. You also don’t have to wait in line in the parking lot all night in the freezing cold until the doors open. It’s a win-win.
4. Last Minute Shopping on December 24th
This is probably not the ideal way to shop, but it happens all the time. Sometimes people have the best intentions, then life just gets in the way. It’s not all bad, though. Some stores start their after-Christmas-sales early and therefore last minute shoppers can get great deals.
When Do You Start Your Holiday Shopping?
Before making any purchases always check online and paper flyers and compare prices among stores to ensure you’re getting all your gifts at the best price. If you have any holiday shopping tips, share them in the comments below.
Image Source: Pixabay
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