Top Tips To Save On Your Christmas Shopping
52% of Canadians say they spend more than they would like to over the holiday period. Christmas is about spending time with family and loved ones above anything else, but for most people it involves a festive feast, gift-giving and turning the home into a magical grotto. This costs can add up without realizing how much you’re spending. Homemade gifts and decorations help to limit spending while adding a personal touch, but with a bit of planning you can save some cash in the stores as well.
Shopping Online
Nearly $1billion in Canadian Christmas spending is expected to shift from in-store purchases to online, making it a more popular choice than ever. Online shopping is a great way to take the stress out of Christmas too. As there’s no shop to pay for and less staff are needed, online stores can offer products for less. You can further save money online by using codes for discounts frequently given for new customers, seasonal offers and via voucher websites. You can also use cashback sites where you get a percentage of your spending back just for clicking through the cashback website before your purchase. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are also great options for online shopping for bargain prices while avoiding the crowds.
Start Early
Start your Christmas shopping early to avoid markups on gifts, such as alcohol and pamper sets. It may seem a bit extreme to some people to finish the season then start their Christmas shopping straight after the new year, but it’s one of the cheapest times of year to buy. Shops want to sell leftover Christmas stock to make space for new goods, so will sell them off cheap to avoid having to store them until the following year. This is ideal for decorations, Christmas cards and presents, but avoid purchasing food unless it has a long enough use by date.
Leave It To Last Minute
To do the complete opposite of starting early, leave your shopping to last minute. This approach isn’t for everyone, such as those who like to plan and be prepared, but it can save you a lot of money. For the same reasons why stores sell off items cheaper after Christmas, they also reduce the price a week or two beforehand in the hope of clearing as much stock as possible. Of course, there is the risk of them running out of things you wanted, so you might need to visit several stores to find things, but if you don’t have specifics in mind it’s a great way to save money.
Take the stress out of Christmas shopping by taking to the internet and searching for discounts or start your shopping early or late in the year to keep costs down. Ultimately, Christmas is about spending time with loved ones, so don’t let shopping take away from the quality time you are able to share together.
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