10 Tips On Smarter Holiday Shopping!

Over the years, I've discovered some very helpful ways to save BIG during the holiday season!  The cost of living is high enough as it is this time of year, with gas, and heat.  And to through Christmas on top of all that, just makes it crazy!  So here are my top 10 tips to save you money for all that Christmas shopping!
1)  It's too late this year, but buy the gifts for next year after Christmas is over!  When the holiday's are all over, you see sales on just about everything, and kick yourself to buying it at the price you did.  So get ahead start on next year!  Buy that lotion and perfume set that's on sale, for a friend or mom next year, or that candle set.  Or how about those Christmas pajamas that are all on sale, after Christmas?  Be sure to pick up some in everyone's size's, put them back, and include them in next years gifts! 


2)  Amazon, need I say more?  There are about a million different sites that will pay you in Amazon gift cards just for reading emails, taking surveys, or just searching on their site!  Swagbucks, My Points, and Crowd Tap, are some...just to name a few!  This makes getting Christmas gifts, pretty much free (minus the time it takes to read the emails, answer the questions, and search)!
3)  Enter blog giveaways!  I'm not just saying that because I'm a blogger, and I'm going to be 100% honest with you, I would never enter my giveaways.  Yes they are all pretty low entry, but since I work on a blog, and have a family, and go to school, I want to enter giveaways I'm almost guaranteed to win!  So I am always searching on Swagbucks, for very low entry giveaways, ending soon!  Just for the record I don't want to loose you guys...I'm just saying, that on top of my giveaways, search for those very low ones, ending very soon!
4)  Start Christmas shopping very early in the year!  Don't wait until Oct. or Nov. to start Christmas shopping.  I obviously start in Dec. of the following year!  It just makes it easier to take more advantage of all the deals, all year long!
5)  Free samples, make the perfect Christmas gifts!  No joke!  If you start signing up for free samples in Dec. the following year, and save them all up.  Then just get a couple really cute baskets, or mixing bowls and stick the samples in and give them to your girlfriends, aunts, grandma, and mom!  I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but think of all the free samples you can collect over the year (trust me it's a lot!), and most of the time your family will thank you, because it gives them a chance to try a variety of products that they otherwise wouldn't!
6)  The day after Thanksgiving is my favorite time to shop!  It's been a family tradition for me and my mom to get up at 2 in the morning and go shopping.  This is the perfect time to get all those last minute gifts, at a very cheap price!  Depending on how early you get up and where you go, you are bound to get some great deals!
7)  Go to outlet stores.  They have all the same stores as the mall, but most of the items are at least half the price!  It's another great place to go and get your last minute gifts, and save some money!
8)  If you have the time, make your gifts.  One year I sewed every woman in my family an apron.  I chose some really cute fabric, and ribbon that was on sale, and when Christmas rolled around they were all done.  Everyone loved the thought that I put into them, and the personalized touches!
9)  Instead of wrapping paper, use the comic strips from the Sunday paper!  Or use some of your kids old coloring book pages, that you was going to throw away any way!  It's a great way to both save money, and the environment!
10)  You need a box to put that shirt in?  Then use some empty cereal boxes that you have laying around, ready to be thrown away!  We usually start saving ours, when it gets closer to Christmas, because I can fit more clothes, into a cereal box than a department store one, their free, and it helps to save the environment!  Does it get any better than that?
    Those are my top 10 tips for saving money, and shopping smarter this holiday season!  It's great to get everyone what they want, but just be sure you don't break the bank doing it!




“I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and Office Depot blogging program, making me eligible to get a $40 Office Depot gift card. For more information on how you can participate, click here.”