15 Expert Tips on Holiday Shopping That Will Help Keep Your Sanity

The holiday season is quickly approaching and for some, that may bring excitement, while for others it fills them with nothing but dread. Often times, if you’re the latter, you’re probably going to skip going to the stores, you’ll be shopping online, but if you’re one of the brave souls who does decide to venture out into the mayhem known as holiday shopping. What if we told you that there are a few tricks and tips that you should know before you go out into the madness? We’ve come up with some tricks that will save you time, money, and your sanity when you go out searching for that perfect gift.

#1. Organize that all important list.

Savvy shoppers know that it’s all on the list. Even before you start browsing through the many catalogs and sales papers, we recommend that you create a list of all the people you are buying for and what your budget is for that person. Once you do that, you can use an app like Santa’s Bag (it’s free) to keep track of everything as you shop.

The next item will make you wonder why you hadn’t thought of that before!

#2. They avoid the possibility of losing service when pulling up on the online coupon.

Most stores will make their holiday circulars available online, so savvy holiday shoppers will check out the online coupons and print them out before they even step foot in the store. If you plan on using one of these digital coupons, you should either take a screenshot of said coupon or have it open on your phone before you get out of your car.

The next item is for those who shop for themselves while shopping for others!

#3. Work your indulgences into your budget.

We won’t deny that the sales are great this time of year, we can’t help but spot things that we want. Give yourself a small budget while you’re shopping for other people. This way you won’t make impulse buys that will eat into the money you set aside for your loved one’s gifts.

The next item is smart thinking for the Black Friday shoppers!

#4. Do your research before Black Friday.

You aren’t going to have to wait until Black Friday circulars to pop up in your mailbox. There are a few websites that will start posting Black Friday ads the second they become available. Sites like DealNews.com, BlackFriday.info, and BFAds.net. You can go one step further to compare prices by checking out Shopping.com or PriceGrabber.com so you can be sure you’re offered the best price available.

The next item will make you want to pay better attention to price tags!

#5. Stores will try to pump up the discounts by using sneaky tricks.

Some stores will increase the original ticketed price on an item in their Black Friday ads by listing the MSRP, instead of the normal price that you’d find in the store. This makes the sale price seem that much more appealing. Look around and comparison shop so you aren’t wowed by the supposed 50% off and decide if you want to spend that amount of money.

The next item will have you logging online before you shop!

#6. Avoid shipping costs whenever you can.

Instead of spending an ungodly amount of cash on shipping when you shop online, many stores will give you the option to buy online and pick up in the store. This will let you skip those crazy long lines and the crowds of impatient shoppers. Talk about a sanity saver!

The next item will make you stick to that list!

#7. Don’t buy something just because it’s cheap.

Every purchase you make should be for someone on that list you’ve created. You don’t want to buy something just because it is cheap—if you do that, you’re going to eat into that budget and ultimately be left with stuff that no one will want, and you’ll probably feel bad for buying it.

The next item will make you start looking for deals sooner than you think!

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