Got a few more Christmas presents to track down and get your hands on? Of course you do, we always forget about one or two of them! But now the prices are hiking back up, and you’ve missed the Black Friday sale – what are you supposed to do? First of all, don’t panic! You’ve still got a chance to give your family the best Christmas they’ve ever had.
And seeing as most of us will be shopping online this year, it’s a good idea right now to track down the savings and sales that could net you a great gift for half the cost. And that means there’s far more cash in the Christmas budget, which means more presents or food or even a family experience you’ve never tried out before!
So, to ensure you’re saving as much as you can while filling the present sacks the kids love seeing on Christmas morning, here are some of our best online shopping tips to keep in mind.
Don’t Buy a Brand
Brand names are what hike the prices up at this time of year, so if your kids have pointed out a certain toy or clothing set they want, try to find an off brand alternative. These items are usually just as good, but they’re more affordable, and the kids will still get something they want for Christmas. Even if they complain about the tag on the item being wrong, they can’t complain about the fact that it’s the exact thing they wanted!
Keep an Eye on Auction Sites
Auctions sites, such as Ebay, can net you some great savings at this time of year. Sure, some items aren’t going to be brand new, and will come with some wear and tear, but with a quick rub down you can wrap them up for your kids, good as new! And the more local the auction is to you, the more likely you are to score a good price out of it.
Because if you do want to buy something that’s marked as ‘collection only’, there’s a strong chance you’ll be the only person who bids on it – people don’t like going out of their way to go and grab something in person! So try to surf through auctions where you have to pick up the item; you can also ask for them to send it out of your own pocket, which can help you double check the postage is correct.
Find a Code for Extra Savings
Shopping online for Christmas is an incredibly popular thing to do, and that means there’s going to be some money saving vouchers out there that you can put to good use. You’ve just got to find them first, which can be tricky, but websites like NetVoucherCodes.co.uk can make this a lot easier for you.
At the same time, you can also turn to using browser extensions to trawl for discounts for you. Whether a deal is on, or there’s a limited time discount code available, there’ll be an icon on your top right letting you know if you can make a saving here. Or if there are no viable discounts available, here’s a secret for you: leaving the items in your basket for a couple of days can lead to the website itself generating one just for you.
Get as Much Cashback as Possible
If you’re shopping online, it’s always a good idea to use a credit card when you’re making big purchases, especially if you’ve got a card that has a cashback reward scheme. If you can tick the box here, you can claim back at least 5% of the money you spend across the entire year (but only if you reach a spending threshold, of course).
But it’s worth it if you’re needing to spend big; maybe you’ve got a lot more family to buy for now, or you want to throw a really special Christmas after the year we’ve had. Either is worthy! And in the latter’s case, maybe it’s time to look into taking out a credit card like this? The introductory offers some credit companies offer can mean a bonus of over £100 for this time of year.
Grabbing the best deal when trying to shop online is difficult. After all, it seems that the more you look for discounts, the more you run into walls! But there are ways to score the deal you need right now, so keep these tips in mind.
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