She Shared | Stress Free Holiday Shopping Tips
Well… we survived Black Friday (whew! That was fun!) and next up is Cyber Monday, but a lot of companies are rolling out their deals right now… so I thought I would share with you how I am attacking these next few weeks….
For as nuts as I am about shopping and finding great deals…you might be a little shocked to find that I kind of like to take a chill approach to the holidays. The whole point, in my opinion, of scoring great deals all year round, is so that we don’t have to become stressed out or frustrated by the chaos of finding holiday deals. Don’t stress if you miss a deal… experience has taught me that there are very few “one chance” deals out there, and all things usually fall right into place as they should.
My very best advice to you is to keep a close eye on the Amazon.com Lightning Deals …. and check them often, these sales have been a huge way to save money on hot items this holiday season. If you don’t have Amazon Prime, don’t forget to try a FREE 30day Amazon Prime membership which will help you score some awesome deals, without the stress of shipping charges. Keep a list right by your computer of what it is that you are looking for, and what you have already purchased (hide this list from peeking eyes!) and also make note of retail prices, and track the sales as you see them. This will be a big help in helping you to decide when to make the plunge and BUY.
Clearing out the closets: We have just finished cleaning out closets, cupboards and drawers and made one trip to the donation center and another to the consignment shop. Each year my kids “sell” a few toys to the consignment shop, along with some of the clothing that they have outgrown, and then we take the money that they earn and they each get to use that money to purchase Toys for Tots donation items. Clearing out the closets is a great way to de-stress and start your holidays off clutter free. We even found a neat facebook group in my community that serves as an online garage sale, and quickly sold a couple of old bikes and toys. My kids are so excited about earning money to shop online for other kids.
This year, we are going to be doing our Toys for Tots shopping online at Amazon.com because it is really easy to track that way, plus we are able to grab great deals as we see them, and this way they can both “read” up on the toys they are buying for other children and make decisions about what they are buying for others.
I also have a little extra Amazon money this year thanks to Swagbucks (read more about this here) and also thanks to a couple of gift cards that I sold on CouponTrade (you can choose to accept payment in the form of Amazon gift cards!)
To catch all of the deals that I post in real time, make sure to install the FREE SheSaved Phone App (for iPhone or Android) because I will updating thing on the online deal front all day along, along with some other fun giveaways and things that I have in store for Black Friday.
I do have to say that Amazon is probably my top resource for hot deals, and the fact that I have Amazon Prime makes Amazon an easy choice for finding great deals. I highly recommend Amazon Prime and if you have ever considered trying it out, now would be the time since you can score a FREE 30day Amazon Prime membership which will help you score some awesome deals, without the stress of shipping charges.
Speaking of shipping charges, another must have (and one of my true loves) for easy and stress free online shopping is ShopRunner! If you are not yet using it, you can sign up here for a FREE 30 Day ShopRunner Membership which will score you FREE 2-day shipping at lots of stores around the internet including Toys “R” Us, Babies “R” Us, Drugstore.com, Beauty.com, PetSmart, and so so so many more! You can also keep up with the latest and greatest deals that you can score with a ShopRunner membership by keeping an eye on their blog, LiveLifeShopSmart.
Another tool that I am using this year, that I am really excited about is CouponTrade …I have already sold several gift cards (as I mentioned above) and now I am keeping a close eye on their site to see what cards I could buy to help maximize my shopping dollars these next few weeks! Read more about how this all works in my post here. And don’t forget: Right now, the folks at CouponTrade are offering SheSaved readers 5% off of your total order (one time only, and for new customers only) just use coupon code: SHESAVED5 at checkout. You can purchase multiple cards with this offer, but can only checkout once. This offers is good through December 31st, 2012 at midnight (est).
Of course… whenever I can, I am using my favorite cash back sites to earn me additional money back on my purchases (trust me…getting a big check in January from your Nov/Dec purchases will put a big smile on your face! My two favorite cash back sites are Ebates and ShopAtHome … both have great rewards programs. When you sign up with Ebates as a first time user, you will even get your choice of a $10 gift card to a favorite store! (redeemable once you shop $25 worth of merchandise through the site) So, if you aren’t yet… I do recommend signing up for both of these cash back sites as they will offer some really high cash back incentives from some of their stores for those of us that are shopping on line in the next few weeks!
Another of my favorite places for finding great gifts at discount prices is DiscountMags.com. You might want to keep an eye on my Daily Magazine Deals for each days best discounts, but also remember that you can get 20% off most titles when you use coupon code SheSaved on the site.
Speaking of quality discount items, another site that I am really enjoying for great gifts at discount prices is Tanga… you will want to keep an on their sales as they move pretty quick!
While I do love to do the bulk of my holiday shopping online, I do make one exception and that is for Small Business Saturday, which is TODAY!! I live in a small town, and have always made it a point to support the local businesses and artisans that are a part of my community and I really encourage you to do the same. Sometimes, the very best deals are the unique ones that you find that are just the perfect gift for someone on your list, and they are things that you can’t just find anywhere. Shopping local keeps dollars in your community and it builds relationships, and I just love visiting the same shop owners each year…it has become a tradition and a part of the holidays that I look forward to each year. If you have a small business .. please feel free so share it here on my SheSaved Small Business Share page so that we can support each other as we hunt for deals!
And as you probably know… I love my Daily Deal Site Finds and have found some of my favorite gifts in these sales.
So…if you want to shop along with me, I highly suggest bookmarking this post, along with the following pages:
The Daily Deal Site Deal Roundup
Best Online Retail Deals and Coupon Codes
and finding unique deals, photo gifts and freebies also can add to holiday excitement, so be sure to keep an eye on:
FREEbie Alerts *these can move fast!
SheSaved Giveaways *because winning is pretty stinkin’ cool too!
And most importantly… DON’T STRESS… because that just takes all of the fun out of what should be a fun and exciting time. Also…I would LOVE for you to Leave a Comment on this post telling me what you would most like to find this holiday shopping season, and I will do my best to see if I can help you find it! And also keep an eye out for some SheSaved Elves who will be doing some fun things this holiday season!
If you need a break or some fun FREE activities make sure check out my Rainy Day Roundup which is full of all kinds of fun things to do with the kids, because sometimes it’s the littlest things that make the holidays the most memorable!
…and make sure to sign up for my Daily Email … it’s FREE, and a great way to make sure that you don’t miss a thing!
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Great tips! I have my kids lists and am watching the sales too. I don’t think I’ll be going out on black Friday either. Too much stress for me, lol. I had a bad experience a couple years ago, people in line being so rude to each other. Now, I just stay home and watch the deals and order online. We always donate new toys and I’ve collected a few during good sales already.
I’m with you Julie… I love to hear of all the great finds out and about… but can’t stand the experience of fighting for deals. I am like you and I always end up with more than we need, and it’s a fun way for kids to experience the giving part of the holiday, which in the end, really is the funnest.
Thank you for all the great information. I am looking for a great price on an Xbox to send to Afghanistan. I have to work on black friday so I need an online deal. This will be staying in Afghanistan for the troops to use. This is the only item my son has asked for and he asked for it to be left there for all.
Oh wow Tammy…that is so neat. So…exactly what kind (I don’t know a lot about Xbox) and also, would it be easier to order from a company that will ship it there? Let me know and I will put this on my list!
I don’t know a lot either. I have been told it should have konnex with it. It will probably have to be mailed to me because most companies will not ship to an apo address. I will in turn mail there. Thank you for your help.