How to Save Money on Christmas Gifts

There are plenty of ways that you can save money on Christmas gifts, some are more exciting than others and some will save you more money than others, but they all work well together.

In this post you’ll find: hide
Understand Who You Are Shopping For
Plan Ahead
Shop All Year
Shop the Clearance
Shop Early
Keep Track of Your Purchases
Take Pictures
Take Notes
Shop the Weekly Ad
Compare to the Online Price
Actively Shop Online
Use Affiliate Programs
Take Advantage of Cash Back
Take Advantage of Offers
Discounted Gift Cards
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Understand Who You Are Shopping For

Since you will probably be seeing whoever you are giving the gift to, ask them ahead of time what kind of things they like. People will appreciate you asking them what they want instead of you just assuming that they will like what you get them. 

The best way to save money on Christmas gifts is to really understand that person and to get them a gift that better fits their personality.

You are more likely to pay more for a gift if you don’t really understand what the person will want. You will find yourself buying extra things just to make up for the fact that you don’t know what you should be getting for that person.

People will appreciate you asking them what they want instead of you just assuming that they will like what you get them. 

Plan Ahead

Make a note of the kinds of gifts you are considering buying each person. This will help keep you on track so you can spot a good deal on what you were planning to buy, but also so you don’t go overboard buying for one person. 

It could also prevent you from forgetting what you have already purchased.

Shop All Year

Many of the toys that a popular for Christmas, have already been released earlier in the year. You have a better chance of getting the toys your kids want if you shop before the holiday rush. 

Often there are better sales earlier in the year than there are at Black Friday, especially in recent years. 

The best thing to do is to compare the sales that are going on throughout the year to the sales that have happened on the previous Black Friday. There are many sites that let you see the previous year’s Black Friday ads. 

Shop the Clearance

Clearances are great opportunities to find new items at a used price. This is probably one of the most exciting ways to save money on Christmas gifts.  

Always make sure that you check the item for any damage or missing pieces before you tuck it away for Christmas. 

Clearance shopping especially works well if you are able to hit up many stores in different parts of the city or even in other cities.

It is good to just go into a store just to check out their clearance because you never know what you will find.  

Shop Early

The best time to start shopping is December 26th. Those after Christmas clearances can be a great way to get a jump on next year’s gifts. 

Just be sure that you buy things that people (and pets) can actually use, need, and want. 

This is also a great time to buy pet toys and treats. They usually won’t expire for several months and they are just clearanced because they are branded for Christmas. 

Keep Track of Your Purchases

You don’t want to buy the same items multiple times just because you forgot that you bought them already. 

You also don’t want to have to keep going in and out of your hiding spot to check what you have. 

Also, if you decide you have found a better item, you can compare it to what you already bought if you keep a note of what you already have. 

Take Pictures

Sometimes it is just different packing, but sometimes the items you buy at different times might include different items. You will be able to better compare the items you have already purchased to the ones you see in the store if you take good pictures of the items themselves and the prices.

Take Notes

This is especially important if you are planning on putting multiple items together as one gift. It is also helpful if you have purchased or need to purchase items that could work for multiple people.

You will want to make sure that you have enough of those same or similar items to give to everyone on your list, but you also want to make sure that you aren’t buying too many of the same or similar items.

Shop the Weekly Ad

You never know when a really good sale is going to happen. Check out the Weekly Ads for all the stores you are considering shopping at. 

It is a good idea, to go ahead a stock up a little when you are able to get a good deal with the weekly ad. If you consider how often you go through that item, you should consider buying enough to last you until the next sale.

Compare to the Online Price

Sometimes you can go in the store and see an item for full price, but if you scan the item, you will see that it is discounted online. This happens all the time with kid’s pajamas, but I have seen it happen with items all across the store as well. 

Also, for whatever reason, there are sometimes online only sales, coupons, and other discounts. It is a good idea to shop around anyway, both at in-person stores and online.

Actively Shop Online

I love putting items in my cart or a shopping list online because it keeps the prices up to date while also showing me if there are any sales going on with that item.

It is good to do this because there are sometimes in-store only and online only deals going on simultaneously, so you are able to see things compare the two easier, faster, and without forgetting anything, so you can get the best price.

Use Affiliate Programs

I love using affiliate links with as many stores as I can. They generally offer you anywhere from 0.5%-12% back on your purchases. This is a great way to recoup some of the money that you are spending on Christmas gifts.

This can also allow you to buy more expensive items than you would normally buy, but you have to make sure that you don’t let things get out of hand.

I usually use CouponCabin because they generally have better cash back offers than other sites. They also have promo codes if the store you are looking at has them setup. I used to use RetailMeNot, but since they only let you cash out to PayPal and PayPal had that scandal, I stopped using them. CouponCabin lets you cash out to your bank and a slew of other options.

Take Advantage of Cash Back

If you have credit cards that have cash back, you can use that money to buy the Christmas gifts for that year. It is a great idea to deposit your cash back in a savings account so you can get a little extra money from it and you can also use the money to pay off your statement balance. 

Don’t forget that some credit cards will allow you to purchase gift cards and even discounted gift cards with your cash back value. It is also a great idea to bank your cash back and to spend it on discounted gift cards because it makes your money worth more.

Take Advantage of Offers

If you have a credit card with cash back, your card might also have “Offers”. These are special cash back amounts that vary depending on the store. You will need to activate the offers before you make a purchase at that store. 

These offers can be a percentage back or a set dollar amount back if you make a minimum purchase. These offers can be a one time only offer or a reoccurring offer.

Discounted Gift Cards

I love buying discount gift cards for stores that I regularly shop at. You can also find discounted gift cards at stores like Target from time to time and the savings really stack up there. I love getting 5% off just by using my Target RedCard while also getting the sales price on the giftcards. 

This is a great gift option for that hard to buy∆u. person in your life. Just pick a restaurant or store that they like and check them off your list. 

You are technically getting them a gift, but it is better than cash because you are getting a full value gift card, but paid less than it is worth for it.