4 Frugal 2013 Holiday Shopping Tips
While it’s still hot out there in most areas, the holiday season isn’t far away. One of the norms of the season is shopping, but overspending and waiting till the last month to buy products and services can easily ruin your holiday spirit. However, there are ways to be frugal with holiday shopping and prevent a toll on your budget.
In addition to being frugal, you can also avoid the build-up of debt if you’re planning to make most of the transactions with a credit card. NerdWallet offers information on a lot of balance transfer credit cards, it would be ideal to choose a card that provides a 0% period for as long as possible. This means you won’t have to worry about debt build up while you shop and attempt to pay off the existing debt at the same time.
Frugal holiday shopping guide
1. Search for deals on social media
A lot of online retailers now rely on social media to present consumers with deals and discounts. You’ll find shipping coupons, buy 1 get 1 free, 20% off till Friday and offers like that frequently on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ feeds. For example,
The platforms are only going to present more offers in 2013 as retailers are aware that social media plays a huge role in consumer purchase decisions. You can start following stores and brands on social media to take advantage of deals, discounts, coupons and offers as soon as they’re listed. You can also ask your social circle to keep your informed (they’ll do that either way if they also plan to be frugal).
For example, if you want to take your children on to Disney world this Halloween, Disney’s Facebook page has already listed ticket prices for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween this year. Likewise, console manufacturers are also using social media to offer bundled packages that you can take advantage of if you plan to buy a console for your kids.
2. Download price comparison apps
Price comparison is a great way to search for high quality frugal items. If your family loves to shop from Amazon for the holidays, you can download Price Check by Amazon. The app allows you to compare prices on Amazon as soon as it’s installed on the phone.
It can also be used to compare in-store prices with Amazon prices. Other similar apps are also available for the shopping season such as Milo Local Shopping, Google Shopper and RedLaser.
3. Opt for old versions of electronics
Electronics occupy a major chunk of holiday sales of online retailers. If you have teens, they may insist you buy them the upcoming PlayStation 4 or Xbox One (perhaps both) in the holiday season, but you should be smart with your consumer behavior and shop for slightly old versions of consoles and gadgets.
This means you don’t need to buy an iPad 4, because an iPad 3 would do just good as well. Old electronic items have slashed prices at stores like Walmart, Target and you can also find reduced prices at online stores. Last year, iPad 3 was listed for $399 at Walmart, much below its original price at release.
4. Do some shopping, right after sales end
People rarely follow this tip, but shopping right after the end of sales can lead you to save as much as 90%. What happens is that there are some items that don’t sell even at sale price, so retailers cut prices to a greater extent.
This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take advantage of sales because you never know which item lasts and which doesn’t, but you can leave room for 10% to 15% holiday shopping after sales.
Be frugal while holiday shopping in 2013 and you’ll find it easy to pay off your debts or make room for something more important later.
