This holiday season it’s more important to keep to your budget.   Here are some tips on how to accomplish that goal and still get great and thoughtful gifts during this holiday season.

1.)    Make a list -  Make a list of all the people your holiday list and assign a value of how much you are willing to spend on each.

2.)    Select Gift Items -  In the next column write down you top three gift ideas for each person.  It is OK if you think it will be a little bit more than your budget idea as sometimes sales and coupon finds can make it fall into range.

3.)    Search -  Search the Internet, local flyers and coupon websites.  The deals are out there from local merchants and online ones. 

4.)    Internet Purchasing -  There are deals out there but make sure of these simple checks before purchasing

a.       Are there ways to contact the store: Phone Number, Email Address?

b.      Posted policies for returns and shipping information

c.       Authorized dealers – Grey market goods generally carry no warranty

d.      Purchase screens should have an Security Seal and encrypted checkout process

e.      Always confirm that there will be order confirmations and tracking information sent

5.)    Local Deals – Check sales flyers and some Malls have special shopping days for deep discounts.  Sometimes even your Sunday newspaper will have a special offer or coupon for that week’s worth of shopping.

6.)    Gift Cards -  As much as this gift lacks imagination it serves a purpose of staying to a budget and letting the gift recipient pick their own surprise. 

7.)    Do NOT -   Stay on course!  Do not waiver from your purchasing budget. If you want to save  on one item it’s ok to spurge on another but you may want to wait until the end of the shopping trip to make those decisions.

Hope these tips help keep you on track and remember if you have comments or questions please post them to our Blog.