Every year, we repeat our mistakes of last minute purchases and budget exploded by these last minute purchases? Here are 5 savvy tips for your holiday shopping.
Make a list and a budget
If you have made a list of gifts to buy, you have a good idea of the amount of the total bill, even if you still have to plan for unforeseen events and variations in prices compared to our expectations !
If the ant gene was passed on to you, you already have the amount of Christmas gifts in your bank account and you can pay for everything in cash. Otherwise, you look at the list with a grimace… In this case, calculate the realistic amount that you know you can spend on gifts without affecting the current expenses of the household. And that amount is your Christmas budget. Avoid impulse purchases on a credit card that we know full well cannot be repaid for many months. It is always possible to make good purchases without spending a fortune.
Plan with Internet
Instead of doing a long and exhausting shopping trip, go shopping! With the pandemic, the majority of your favorite little shops have equipped themselvesof an online store. Shopping online is a great way to save us from driving halfway across town to find a featured item. And you can shop whenever you want, night or day! The dream!
We visit several sites, we take notes, we compare, we add the pages to our favorite bookmarks to come back to them later and we give ourselves a few days to think about it. The purchase will be all the more thoughtful and appreciated, especially since you will have saved time and surely money!
If you live far from major centers or don't like the intensity of holiday shopping, we buy online! Of course, we try to encourage local businesses as much as possible and find out about their delivery costs, deadlines for the holiday season, return policy, etc.
Watch for discounts
For a few years, the Christmas sales start several weeks before. Shops compete with offers to attract us. For once, save flyers instead of recycling them and compare items in print and electronic department store publications. Items are sometimes offered at 50% off to attract large customers. It is up to us to take full advantage of it, without buying too much of course. As with online purchases, ask about the refund or exchange policy. If you buy an item in November will it be exchangeable or refundable at the end of December or even in January?
Beware of Gift Cards
We think we are having fun by giving carte blanche, but it is increasingly demonstrated that gift cards are not used by many and therefore the gift is never "consumed". It is often better to give money directly than a gift card in this case.
There are all kinds of situations that could cause problems such as an early expiry date (the majority no longer have one), including the absence of a branch in the immediate environment of the person to whom one is gives the map, etc.
Choose your battles
It's very taxing to shop during the holiday season. On weekends and some weeknights, the centers are so full that we get discouraged before we finish shopping! You have to be careful, especially in times of a pandemic. If possible, do your shopping at the beginning of the week, Monday and Tuesday evenings are really perfect for shopping in relative peace and security! Otherwise, at the beginning of the day on weekends you will have time to have a good trip before the stores are overflowing with customers. Dress less warmly, wear your coat at the mall locker, take a coffee break to rest a bit, do whatever it takes to make your outing fun rather than taxing.
